Pro-Choice

By Sarah Daley

In response to Yvonne Fuller's column about abortion, I would like to encourage her and her “pro-life” peers to develop solutions to prevent women from having unwanted pregnancies in order to try to eliminate abortions altogether.  

Ms. Fuller claims that only 1% of abortions are due to rape.  This number is inaccurate.  According to the Brennan Center of Justice, the Justice Department analyzed violent crime in 2016 and reported that 80% of sexual assaults and rape go unreported.  Given that fact, how would anyone be able to know whether or not a woman is needing an abortion from having been raped?  If  “pro-life” members want to end abortions, then they need to promote policies that end violence against women. 

Ms. Fuller  and other “pro-life” members also need to promote policies that ensure that women have easy access to affordable contraception like they have done in Colorado.   By 2017 The Colorado Family Planning Initiative reduced the number of abortions by 10% from 2014 to 2017 and decreased the teen birth rate and teen abortion rate nearly in half  by providing low-income women with access to long-acting, reversible contraceptives at reduced or no cost.  Fewer unplanned and unwanted pregnancies mean fewer abortions.

“Pro-life” members also need to help create a society that teaches men that they are equally responsible for raising their children.  If a woman's male partner leaves when he learns that his girlfriend or wife is pregnant, then this woman will be much more likely to think that having an abortion is her only option in order not  to fall into poverty. 

Finally, “pro-life” members also need to promote policies that will increase the safety net for women who would like to keep their children but might not be able to afford to do so.  This safety net should ensure that single mothers can get free prenatal care, free medical benefits for both the mother and child until the child is an adult, excellent and affordable daycare so that the mothers can work, high quality education for the child, and a safe home environment in which to live.  If these women can be assured that their government will help them to raise their children to adulthood, it would be much easier for these women to keep their children.

Ms. Fuller's description of abortions will not prevent women from having them.  Making abortions illegal will also not prevent women from having abortions.  They would instead have illegal ones in which they could be physically hurt during the process and even die.  That does not seem like a “pro-life” solution to me.

I hope Ms. Fuller and her colleagues will join with pro-choice advocates to provide solutions that would prevent women from having unwanted pregnancies.  If they were to do that, then it would be much easier to reach their goal of eliminating abortions.