Admittedly this is a very difficult and divisive subject, and I hesitate to publish anything so one-sided, but ultimately, everything will be written with a point of view. But are we so divided as we think? I think we can all agree the status quo is unacceptable. Currently, ONE IN FIVE pregnancies in America ends in abortion, and I think everyone wants to change this. The disagreement lies in how.
That said, I believe these views summarize and reflect the general view of the pro-choice movement:
That said, I believe these views summarize and reflect the general view of the pro-choice movement:
The fact that abortion exists in our society is simply a symptom of greater systemic problems in our system: The lack of effective resources regarding sexual health.
First, I think we need to teach kids what sex is and to treat it responsibly. Our approach of putting on blinders and using abstinence-only programs sets them up for failure. Abstinence-only education not only produces people that have equal number of sexual partners as non-participants, but are more likely to engage in unprotected and unsafe sex.
Second, we need to invest far greater resources into family planning and sexual health resources. This can limit the greater stress on society posed by unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Well-known fact: No federal dollars given to Planned Parenthood go towards abortion. Money given to sexual health resources like Planned Parenthood goes towards: reducing lost productivity by mothers and fathers, reducing stress on government resources like welfare (note that birth rates are inversely proportional to household income and most other socioeconomic status indicators), and most importantly, reducing abortions. That's right, removing funding from Planned Parenthood might make some feel better, but that actually increases the risk factors for abortion.
That being said, outlawing abortion is not such a simple thing. Just because you outlaw abortion doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Outlawing assault weapons doesn't stop assault weapons from being acquired or used (http://bit.ly/n1ANZj | http://bit.ly/pKom4w). Outlawing speech doesn't prevent opinions from being expressed by other means (http://bit.ly/pqtu1E | http://bit.ly/ogZNvH). Outlawing drugs doesn't stop drugs from being distributed- in fact, it actually builds an industry (http://bit.ly/rlS7qB | http://on.cfr.org/f5MVEP). I'll say it again- outlawing abortion does not preclude its occurrence. Don't get me wrong. I don't like abortion. I don't want it to happen. Nobody does. It's a very difficult decision that should be made by the individual, and definitely not by the government. And if you want to stop abortion, pull it up by the roots. Tell your congressman that you want comprehensive sexual education. Tell your congressman you'd rather fund condoms and birth control over jails and welfare. That's how you stop abortion.
Bottom line: Society is not and will never be perfect. Cut and dry morals may work for the individual (with a lot of cognitive dissonance), and is for the individual to pursue. Government can only protect the rights of its citizens and for proponents of greater government control, take proactive measures to improve the quality of life for its citizens. These will not be perfect either, and many unpleasant decisions will have to be made. However, those decisions should never be meant to be set in stone. Constant reforms must be implemented by a government to reflect lessons learned by an evolving society so that the government can adequately respond to the needs of its people. These opinions and recommendations are made from the best of our current knowledge, and someday abortion will hopefully be unnecessary and obsolete.
