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#OneInFour

Shall we take a Poll? 

Are you Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?

Should there be laws restricting access to late-term abortions?

Please comment now, then read my article below. At the bottom, post whether my arguments made you reconsider your position.

"On January 22nd, 2019 the New York State Legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law" (RHAvote, n.d). By the weekend, my Facebook feed was flooded with Pro-Life Propaganda Memes. The more I responded to people, the more I saw compassion and empathy skewed by ignorance. When I broke down the logical rationale behind it, most people do actually believe in both pro-choice and pro-life. The difference is whether the government has a role to play in the decision of whether or not a woman is able to get the education and access to healthcare she needs.

Abortions at An All-Time Low!

Many pro-choice advocates believe that when given education, access to birth control and emergency contraceptives, patients are able to make informed choices to ensure abortions are not needed. I think this is shown by the reports from the CDC which even noted that abortion rates are in its lowest rates since ROE v. WADE. According to the Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, "Compared with 2014, the total number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions for 2015 decreased 2%. Additionally, from 2006 to 2015, the number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions decreased 24%, 26%, and 19%, respectively. In 2015, all three measures reached their lowest level for the entire period of analysis..." (2018) These numbers reflect legal abortions and I posted a link below so you can see how they got their numbers.

Who is Affected By Restrictive Abortion Laws?

So I went to google to find out how many abortions were late-term abortions because that apparently is the time period where people have a harder time with medically induced miscarriage or labor. It was only 1%. Furthermore, I found that the reasons women provided for the delay is something that can be addressed if pro-lifers would get on board with how we can reduce late term abortions legally and without bringing shame onto the women choosing to do so. In 2013, associate Professor Diana Foster and Assistant Professor Katrina Kimport published their work for peer review. "As part of a larger study, 272 women who received an abortion at or after 20 weeks' gestation and 169 who received first-trimester abortions at 16 facilities across the country in 2008–2010 were interviewed one week after the procedure" (2013). They wanted to see who would be affected most regarding restrictions for late-term abortions. What they found was that the young and financially strapped women were disproportionately affected by these laws. It's an interesting study. I linked it below so you can check it out.

Why Do They Do It So Late?

For me, the most interesting part was seeing WHY these ladies decided on getting an abortion so late. The study synopsis explains, "Later abortion recipients experienced logistical delays (e.g., difficulty finding a provider and raising funds for the procedure and travel costs), which compounded other delays in receiving care. Most women seeking later abortion fit at least one of five profiles: They were raising children alone, were depressed or using illicit substances, were in conflict with a male partner or experiencing domestic violence, had trouble deciding and then had access problems, or were young and nulliparous." (Foster, 2013). I mean how many young people do you know can afford a $5,000 to $15,000 hospital bill? So if we can make it more affordable and easily accessible, it follows that we would probably see less late term abortions.

Is Abortion Moral?

I could probably write an entire article on the morality of abortion, but I'll attempt to keep it short. Most people believe that killing someone is wrong and immoral, but that is always with an asterisk. If someone is being attacked, killing another can be seen as a justifiable reason to do so. There is also man-slaughter, where a person killed another by had no intent to do so. Therefore, I would say the better question isn't whether it is moral, but if abortion can be justified in a way that is socially acceptable. This is why we see some people say that unless the woman is raped or the baby is deformed, then abortion is always immoral. But I disagree. I think that gives the unborn more rights than the person whose womb it lies within.