Abortion and the Forgotten Victims

*Note: This is a paper I wrote for my philosophy class- the assignment was to discuss an injustice that is happening in society today and to think about how I would apply Dr. Martin Luther King's 4 Steps of Non-Violent action.  Some people wanted to see it, so here you go!




All of us, whether pro-life or pro-choice, have heard the arguments about abortion as an injustice towards the unborn.  We have seen the pictures of different stages of fetal development, and many of us have seen the graphic, R-rated images of fetuses after abortion.  We have heard that their hearts beat 18 days after conception, and read the Bible verses about the sanctity of life.  However, regardless of whether or not a fetus is a human being or a cluster of tissue, there is a group of abortion victims that are being ignored by society: the women.  As I set out to study abortion as an injustice towards women, I have to admit that my emotions ran high.  As a committed Evangelical Christian and having been adopted (my biological parents were 15 and 17 when I was born), the issue of abortion has always been very real to me.  It was moving for me to consider how I could apply Martin Luther King’s four steps of non-violent action to a cause that I am so passionate about.

            According to King, the first step in nonviolent action is to collect the facts.  As I began my research, I realized that this step is far easier said than done.  All too often, the battle between pro-life and pro-choice is treated like a football game- with each side throwing out snappy, bumper-sticker sayings and cheering for their “team” without really knowing what is going on.  It is difficult to find factual, scientific information about abortion and women who have been there, and even the information I find is usually biased one way or another.  While I did gather some statistics from Wisconsin Right to Life, I tried to gather my facts from reliable sources, including “The American Feminist” and a columnist from the Chicago Tribune. Some of the stories I read where directly from women who had abortions.  The ugly truth that I found is that many women are being forced or pressured into having abortions, that abortion clinics are often poorly regulated, and that many women are uniformed of the health risks that are associated with abortion. 

“I had been to an extremely powerful man for two years when I became pregnant. I was ecstatic at the idea of having a child with my fiance, a man I loved so and was finally about to marry. My joy was short-lived as I stood frozen in horror and disbelief at his unequivocal negative response to my “good news.” In short, he promised that he would do everything in his power to emotionally and verbally coerce me into getting an abortion. If I ever insisted on carrying the baby, he swore he would take “his” baby away from me—and assured me, in a tone of voice I had never heard him use before, that he had the political clout, financial means, and industry power to annihilate me personally and professionally…I buckled under fear. I didn’t know then where to find real strength, to find real truth. Deep down I knew I was wrong to abort my baby, even when everyone was saying it was right. Nothing in the world could ever make me opt for that choice again (O’Neill).”

We may not hear stories like these very often, but according to a survey from Wisconsin Right to Life, 64% of women who had abortions reported being pressured or forced to do so.  Three thousand, five hundred abortions occur in the United States every day, which means that every hour in our country, almost 94 women have an abortion against their own will (Wisconsin).

Even if a woman is given a choice regarding whether or not to have an abortion, many women are not given the chance to make an informed choice.  There are many underreported risks associated with abortion, one of the most prevelant being an increased risk for breast cancer.   

According to Dennis Byrne, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, “The biological hypothesis is that during pregnancy, a woman's breasts begin developing a hormone that causes cells--both normal and pre-cancerous--to multiply dramatically. If the pregnancy is carried to term, those undifferentiated cells are shaped into milk ducts and a naturally occurring process shuts off the rapid cell multiplication. An induced abortion leaves a women with more undifferentiated cells, and so, more cancer-vulnerable cells (Byrne).”  Byrne went on to state that: “Twenty-seven out of 34 independent studies conducted throughout the world (including 13 out of 14 conducted in the United States) have linked abortion and breast cancer. Seventeen of these studies show a statistically significant relationship. Five show more than a two-fold elevation of risk (Byrne).”  However,  Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), and the National Organization of Women (NOW) dismiss the research as a pro-life “scare” tactic. NARAL’s website discounts the abortion-breast cancer link, contending, “Legal abortion is one of the safest and most common medical procedures available today. And although anti-choice groups often try to link abortion with the risk of developing breast cancer, the largest and most comprehensive study on the subject concluded that ‘induced

abortions have no overall effect on the risk of breast cancer (Johnson).’”  Increased risk of breast cancer is only the tip of a large iceberg of physical, emotional, and mental health risks, but many women do not know these risks until it is too late.

            While the long-term health risks of abortion are frightening, even more horrifying are the risks that are present during the procedure, especially in poorly regulated abortion clinics.  Pro-choice advocates claim that abortion must be kept legal in order to prevent women from dying in illegal “back alley” abortions.  While these advocates may have sincere intentions of protecting women, what they don’t know is that legal abortions are so poorly regulated that they  may be just as dangerous.  In recent years, several abortion-related deaths have garnered significant local and national attention. In one such case, Lou Anne Herron, a 32-year-old mother of two from Arizona, 26 weeks pregnant, bled to death in April 1997 after the abortion doctor punched a two-inch hole in her uterus.  Adding to the impact of publicity surrounding abortion deaths, investigative journalists have exposed unclean and substandard conditions at some abortion clinics. In Louisiana, a local television station, with the help of a clinic employee,videotaped the conditions inside one abortion clinic, revealing blood-spattered walls, jagged surgical instruments, and generally unsanitary conditions.  Tragically, in some states, veterinary clinics are more regulated than many abortion clinics. It is strangely discomforting to know that our pets are more protected than women who seek abortions. Meanwhile, in other states, abortion clinics have been specifically exempted from complying with requirements imposed on general surgery offices and outpatient surgical centers (Burke).

            From the information I gathered, it was clear that injustice against women was taking place as abortions were performed.  According to King’s four steps, the next step is negotiation.  While I may not be able to sit down and directly negogiate with those who provide abortion, I can take part by communicating with political leaders and asking them to please consider what they want for the women of this country.  I have had opportunities to write to state represenatives as well as to President Barack Obama regarding abortion, although my letters have always focused on the rights of the unborn.  Perhaps I can negotiate by writing to express my concern for women, and asking others to join me in a letter campaign. 

            The third step that King shares is “self-purification”.  I have to confess I thought this step was confusing and vague- what does self-purification look like, and what does it have to do with non-violent action?  I realized that, as a pro-life advocate, I may be guilty of contributing to the injustice against women.  All too often, pro-life advocates see women who have had abortion as selfish and even label them as murderers.  We forget that these women are the ones we are fighting for, and make them into the enemy instead.  We shame them into silence, rather than allowing them to come forward with their post-abortion stories.  Even pro-choice advocates may play a role by telling women, directly or indirectly, that their individual situations are rare and to stop “scaring” other women who may seek abortions.  If I want to take part in creating justice for women, I need to be ready to listen to them with an open mind and heart, and I need to purify myself of my hypocritical attitude that women who have had abortions are deserving of my judgement.  As Jesus Christ said when a crowd prepared to stone a “sinful” woman to death, “Let him who has no sin throw the first stone (John 8:7).”

            The final step in King’s plan is to take direct action.  There are already many movements taking place around the country to advocate for women, and I can do my part by participating in these movements.  Throughout the US,  crisis pregnancy centers have sought to provide counseling and free services for women seeking abortion alternatives.  I have participated in fundraisers and donation drives for these centers, and hope to lead and coordinate more events in the future.  Someday, I hope to donate my time as a volunteer at a center.  I have also had a vision of giving women a chance to make their voices heard by publishing a book called Our Turn to Be Silent, wherein women who had dealt with unplanned pregnancies could share their stories.  If we want the truth about abortion and abortion alternatives to be heard, there is no voice more powerful than the women who have been there.  This book would be an opportunity for society to listen as they share their stories freely.  Perhaps I could even find the resources to make this book into a video documentary and bring even more awareness to the public eye.  Finally, someday when I am financially independent, I hope to open my home to women and girls who are dealing with unplanned pregnancies and need a place to stay.  My hope is that this would offer protection to women who are being pressured by their boyfriends or families to seek abortion, or who cannot afford to live independently and pay their medical expenses. 

            In conclusion, my research revealed to me that, in the United States, many women are being pressured or forced into something that is advocated as a “choice.”  They are not receiving the information they are entitled to, and they are not being given the care they deserve.  This is unacceptable for a country that boasts freedom, and it is unacceptable for me to ignore it.  I may not be able to save every woman who seeks an abortion from injustice, but if I can save even one, I will know I have taken action and made a difference.