Recently I wrote a story about the tragic deaths of over 80 women directly caused by Nicaragua’s total ban on abortion. This is an important story and I highly suggest that everyone check it out. Those women died because of the religious right’s war on women’s rights to control their own bodies.
I learned today while reading a great piece by Melissa McEwan at Shakespeare’s Sister that making abortions illegal does not reduce their numbers. Stop and think about that for a second. The central argument for taking away a woman’s right to choose is that it will reduce abortions and save lives. Now that we know this is wrong want to guess how many anti-choicers will change their mind? I’m betting 0 as they are not exactly an open minded crowd.
Now, after reading the results of this 8 year study we find that this whole argument is worthless. It bears saying again. MAKING ABORTIONS ILLEGAL DOES NOT REDUCE THEIR NUMBERS. The only thing these fanatical right wingers will ever accomplish by robbing these women of their rights is to make abortions less safe and more degrading. This is backed up by the research which shows that worldwide 70,000 women die each year due to unsafe abortions.
So while it is not possible to prevent abortions by making them illegal there are some things that will help to reduce the need for abortions. This study found that poverty and lack of access to health care were the most common reasons for abortions. Both of these causes can be greatly reduced by our government but the religious right is opposed to them. I find it very hypocritical to say you want to prevent something while at the same time opposing everything that would accomplish that very thing.
Maybe one of you all will be able to clue me in on why the religious right says they want to save lives yet a) opposes all social services that would reduce the financial need for abortion; b) keep pushing the bullshit abstinence only programs which all studies show to be expensive and worthless; c) push for children to be born then promptly oppose any measures to provide them with adequate health care causing infant mortality rates to soar; and d) fail to care about the tens of thousands of women who would die as a result of making abortion illegal.
I agree with most of what you said. The point I think you touched on but should have expanded on was the abstinence-only teaching. A pro-lifer would say “well they can just not have sex, there’s a reason they teach abstinence-only.” Expand on how people are naturally wired to have sex as early as 13 and 14 years old- expand on how it’s irrational and unfair to expect them to go against what they’re natural instinct is for them to want to do.