The Abortion Decision: A Post for my Facebook Friends

The recent Supreme Court decision regarding abortion has generated a tremendous amount of news coverage and opinion pieces. It is apparent that there are strong emotions and seemingly irreconcilable differences that will take some time to sort through. I thought it would be good to write a post for my Facebook friends, since they have a wide variety of opinions.

For my pro-choice friends: please remember that for most of us who are pro-life, the issue is important because we believe that human life begins at conception. As a result, when we consider the abortion issue we are concerned not only for the mother, but also for the unborn child. That child needs to be protected. There are two people who walk into the abortion clinic. Only one walks out.  The voiceless one dies. 

For my friends in other countries: please be aware that our Supreme Court decision did not ban abortion. It simply said that the right to an abortion was not guaranteed in our national constitution. This puts the abortion question down to the individual states. Some states are limiting access to abortion or outlawing it completely, while other states are allowing abortion and now even promoting their status as “abortion” states. The state I live in (Minnesota) is one of those “abortion” states. Abortion providers here are anticipating a booming business as some of the surrounding states are restricting access to abortion. This anticipated increase in abortion in Minnesota reverses a long term decrease in the number of abortions here. Over the last forty years, the number of abortions in Minnesota has dropped by over half. 

For my pro-life friends: making abortion illegal is not a magical way to make abortion go away, any more than making drugs illegal stops drug abuse. Making abortion illegal will dissuade some women from getting an abortion, just as some will avoid taking illegal drugs simply because they are not legally available. The reality, however, is that if a state makes abortion illegal, there will still be women who will have abortions either by traveling to another state or seeking abortion services on the black market. The danger involved in black market abortions was one of the arguments for legalizing abortion back in 1973. We cannot simply pretend that making it illegal solves the problem. Doing so demonstrates a remarkable lack of compassion for those women whose pregnancy has created a crisis in their lives. 

Most of us would agree that reducing the need for women to seek an abortion is a worthwhile goal. There are some practical things that we can do together to help reduce the demand for abortions.

So, what are some of the ideas that we should consider?

• The availability of birth control. Make birth control affordable for everyone. This could be done through mandating coverage for it in health plans, just as we do other preventative services. 

• Sex Education. The basic biological facts of sexual reproduction need to continue to be taught in our schools. It should include education about the various birth control measures, including abstinence. I have included only “basic biological facts” because there are a host of ethical issues involved which I think that our schools should stay away from. Those should be left to parents and religious institutions. 

• Universal healthcare. The costs of medical care for pregnancy and for the mother and child should not be a concern. Women should know that they will receive quality care at no cost. 

• Increased maternity and paternity leave. As a culture, and as a legal norm, we should increase the ability of parents to spend time with their new child. Germany has a model that is worth considering. (You can read about maternity leave here. You can read about parental leave here). While such a system might not be fully workable in the United States, the ideas are worthy of consideration and a uniquely “American” system could be developed. 

• Support for mothers in difficult circumstances. Whether it is women we know personally, or through organizations committed to helping new mothers, we ought to be willing to offer support and assistance to women and children in need.

• Increased prosecution of “dead-beat dads”. Some women become pregnant and the father does not want to be involved in raising the child. The financial support of the child needs to be required and legally enforced.

• Increased education and prosecution of domestic abuse. Some women are pressured into abortions because they are in an abusive relationship. We should increase funding for education and resources to help these women, and prosecute the abusers. 

In the current environment, we often view those who have opposing views as enemies. The question of whether abortion should be legal is divisive: some see it as an issue of women’s rights while others see it as the protecting of a vulnerable human life. Since most on both sides would like to see the number of abortions decreased, we can cooperate with each other toward that goal. So let's not let the heat of the moment destroy the progress that we all want to see.