The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to allow anti-abortion groups
to protest at women's health clinics raises the static surrounding the
abortion debate yet again. While one could argue that the Court's
finding in this matter will benefit all of us for whom civil
disobedience and First Amendment rights are important, I'd like to bring
the focus back to the real issue: Why do women seek abortions and what
is really at stake here?
As one health advocate puts it, "Women have abortions because their
lives compel them to have an abortion. They have abortions because they
have an unwanted pregnancy, because they can't raise a child, because
their relationship is terrible, because they were the victim of rape or
incest, because it will endanger their lives, but never because they are
simply 'exercising a right.'" In other words, women don't make a simple
choice; they make an incredibly difficult, lonely, and often
heart-rending decision that takes into account the full spectrum of
their lives and all those with whom they share it. Carol Gilligan
documented this reality in her research about abortion decisions which
led to her groundbreaking book "In A Different Voice." To put it far too
simply, her main finding was that women make many of their most
difficult life decisions, including abortion, with a sense of connection
to others. They almost never think solely about themselves; rather, they
make choices based upon complex relationships and realities.
That's why, legal or illegal, some women will always find themselves
having to make the difficult and sometimes life-threatening decision to
have an abortion. And that's why it's time for both sides to move their
stake in this debate. The "pro-choice" stance trivializes a woman's
inherent right to comprehensive, safe, and private medical care into an
issue of "free choice." The "pro-life" stance is an affront to every
moral person who values life and yet understands that sometimes
difficult decisions need to be made.
Here are some important facts about abortion from the World Health
Organization: In countries where abortion is legal, about 35 of every
1,000 women of childbearing age have an abortion each year. In countries
where abortion is illegal, the rate is the same. But in countries where
safe, legal abortion is available, the mortality rate from abortion is
0.1 to 1.2 deaths per 100,000 legal abortions. In countries where safe,
legal abortion is not available, the mortality rate from abortion is 300
to 700 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions. That is a staggering
statistic which demonstrates that making abortion illegal does not make
it go away; it just drives it underground and makes it unsafe.
It is also interesting to note that the U.S. rate of abortion is four
times higher than the rate of abortion in Denmark where there is
universal comprehensive sexuality education and available contraception.
Denmark also has a lower teen pregnancy rate and teens report having sex
at a later age. They also have fewer partners.
The challenge then, it seems, is to stop fighting over the semantics of
anti and pro-choice and to focus on solutions that will help to make
abortion a rare event in women's lives.
And that means depoliticizing abortion. For example, a conference at the
National Cancer Institute in February was convened to explore possible
links between abortion and breast cancer. The conference is the latest
in a series of administration-backed events that skewer medical science
and research in order to please its conservative allies. According to
Barbara Brenner, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, "the
politics of abortion are driving the cancer agenda." Brenner thinks that
NCI should be spending its time on more pressing issues, such as finding
better ways to diagnose cancer and understanding the role of toxic
substances that are increasingly prevalent in the environment,
especially since numerous studies have failed to demonstrate any link
between abortion and increased risk for breast cancer.
Let me say it once more, loud and clear: Abortion is not simply a
choice, and it is never a simple choice. It is a personal, private,
difficult decision that each woman must make for herself. It is deeply
rooted in a woman's inherent human right to health and well-being.
Thankfully, no woman in our culture is ever forced to have an abortion;
neither should she be denied one. (In other words, "If you're against
abortion, don't have one." But leave your preferences, and your
politics, out of my doctor's office.)
When, in the name of compassion, scientific research, and just plain
common sense - and all that we know from experience here and elsewhere -
are we finally going to get it?
Elayne Clift writes about women and health in Saxtons River, Vt. She
wishes to acknowledge the contribution of women's health advocate August
Burns to this commentary.
