The Issue of Abortion

 “I could never vote for a party that supports abortion.”

I’ve heard that statement countless times, but it’s a strawman argument. No one supports abortion because no one likes them. But I’m quite certain that no woman in the history of the world ever got pregnant and was then thrilled she could go have an abortion. 

Personally, I hate them and want there to be as few of these procedures done as possible.

The two sides of this issue address two completely different questions. 

All pro-life arguments boil down to the concept that abortion is a terrible thing. I won’t dispute that. What is really under dispute is the best way to deal with the problem.

What is the goal? Is the goal to have as few abortions as possible? The proven, most effective policies for preventing abortions are:


1) Easily available contraception.

Colorado made birth control readily available for everyone and abortion rates have plummeted. The following are links to articles from the Colorado Sun Times, Washington University, and Guttmacher Policy Review that discuss Colorado's success:

https://coloradosun.com/2019/10/21/colorado-abortion-rates-keep-declining-free-iuds-and-easier-access-to-the-pill-are-the-reason/

https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/access-to-free-birth-control-reduces-abortion-rates/

https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2003/10/contraceptive-use-key-reducing-abortion-worldwide


2) Comprehensive sex-ed.

Abstinence-only sex-ed has not decreased promiscuity. It has increased the negative consequences of promiscuity.

The only thing it does prevent is the use of contraception.

Check out the following National Institute of Health article, and for more information, see point 1 above.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22022362/

Texas’ abstinence-only sex-ed policy produced the nation’s highest rate of repeat teen pregnancy, as reported by the Texas Tribune:

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/21/texas-teenage-pregnancy-abortion/

Abstinence-only sex-ed also produces STD outbreaks, as reported by ABC News:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/chlamydia-outbreak-hits-texas-high-school-sex-ed/story?id=30798143


3) Lifting people out of poverty.

Regardless of age, religion, race, or their other circumstances, women who can afford to have a baby, whether it is their first or their fifth, are less likely to abort.

The following article from the National Institute of Health discusses the direct relationship that reducing poverty helps to reduce the abortion rate.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780732/

Democrats overwhelmingly support policies to provide easily available contraception, comprehensive sex ed, and helping to lift people out of poverty, while pro-life Republicans staunchly oppose them. 

When Roe vs. Wade was overturned, Clarence Thomas all but admitted that they’re coming after contraception next, all in the name of imposing their personal version of Christian virtues upon the country that is supposed to be founded on ideal like religious freedom.

But regardless of the assigned moral complexities, birth control restrictions will make abortion rates skyrocket.

Let’s take a look at abortion rates over the last 40+ years. Pew Research provides the following statistics:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/25/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-us/

Little change occurred to abortion rates during the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, but a sharp decline happened while Clinton was in office. That decline leveled off again while George W. was president, but another large decline occurred during Obama. As for Trump, the guy bragging about overturning Roe vs. Wade? Abortion rates started RISING while he was in office.

The data is quite clear. In spite of several states banning abortions during the last couple years, abortion rates continued increasing in 2023. Time and time again, making abortion illegal only changes where abortions happen. It does not “protect unborn children,” as the politicians claim they want to do. Texas passed their six-week ban, and visits to clinics in neighboring states and abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals went through the roof, as reported by Axios.

https://www.axios.com/2022/03/05/texas-abortion-ban-planned-parenthood-roe

Making abortions illegal has proven to be completely ineffective at actually preventing them. Regardless of which side of the abortion issue you’re on, you will do best to support the Democrats' approach, which will give you what you really want.

Republicans consistently prove they don’t care at all about the child'

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