The Shadowy War On Abortion

In 2011, thirty-eight years after abortion was legalized in the United States, discussions of the procedure’s morality and availability continue with more vigor than ever.

In the past few months it has become achingly obvious that anti-abortionists are not simply a vocal minority. They are, in fact, among those passing laws, printing newspapers, administering justice and overseeing health services.

One does not have to look far to find evidence to support this.

The Republican Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, signed into law a bill last week requiring all women electing abortion to undergo an ultrasound 24 hours before the procedure.

“This important bill will ensure that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying, and understands the devastating impact of such a life-changing decision,” he said.

The decision to have an abortion is not one that any woman takes lightly, and Perry’s suggestion otherwise reveals only ignorance. Although the Hippocratic Oath urges doctors to “do no harm,” the psychological and emotional harm that such an experience will inflict on women is unprecedented.

In Kansas, Missouri and five other states, further harm ensues — but this time it’s financial.

The governments of these seven states have banned or restricted private insurers from including abortion coverage in their general health plans. Under these laws, low-income women who manage to afford general health insurance will be forced to pay full-price for a medical procedure that is completely legal, yet legally stigmatized.

Less affluent women in Indiana, and a handful of other states, have also been targeted with government funding to Planned Parenthood slashed. Conservatives failed in their attempts to have the bill passed in Congress last month, so this cluster of states has taken it upon themselves to deliver the blow.

Not only does Planned Parenthood provide the option of a safe and supported abortion, they also specialize in contraception, pregnancy testing, pap smears, STI scanning and education. To lose such an organization would be a huge step backward for a nation already inundated with sexual health problems.

In other depressing news, teaching health centers will not be allowed to train doctors in abortion procedures if they want to access a multi-million dollar federal grant.

“Should taxpayers foot the bill for elective abortions or to train abortion doctors? I don’t think so,” Rep. Virginia Foxx said.

Apparently women’s wellbeing isn’t a matter of concern for the general, taxpaying public.

Perhaps the public will be shocked to hear that women serving in the US military are being denied abortion care, even if they’ve been raped.

In 2010 more than 3,000 cases of sexual assault were reported by servicewomen, many of whom were raped. Even without taking into consideration the number of assaults that go unreported, this number is shamefully high.

“The American public should rightfully expect that when their …daughters raise their right hand to serve our great nation, they do so in a culture and environment where dignity, respect and protection prevail, ” Undersecretary of Defense, Clifford Stanley, said.

Surely at the very least “dignity, respect and protection” should include abortion care for those raped by their colleagues while serving their country.

The US isn’t the only Western nation to be struck by an influx of anti-abortion sentiments.

Progressive politicians and voters in the UK are worried the country is moving away from abortion rights, as a staunchly anti-abortion organization was recently appointed to a government advisory panel on sexual health. The LIFE organization is opposed to abortion in all circumstances and advocates an abstinence-only approach to sex education.

In Australia, an anesthetist has been charged with deliberately infecting almost fifty women with hepatitis C as he treated them during their abortion procedures. James Latham Peters, 61, will face 161 counts including conduct endangering life, recklessly causing injury and negligence causing injury.

Despite this unforgivable example of a health professional abusing his position, it can’t be an easy time to be a doctor willing to perform abortions. Such doctors place themselves at physical and legal risk on a daily basis in order to provide women with choice.

A man was arrested on Wednesday after traveling to Madison, Wisconsin with the intention of shooting abortion doctors “right in the head.”

Ralph Lang had previously targeted Planned Parenthood buildings, and was staying in a motel just over a mile away from the organisation’s Madison West office.

The planned attack came a couple of days short of the two year anniversary of the murder of well-known abortion doctor George Tiller. He was shot in the head by pro-life activist Scott Roeder, as he entered his church in 2009.

Not a job many of us would envy.

It has been estimated that between 35 and 43 percent of American women have an abortion by the time they’re 45. Such statistics serve as proof that abortion services are something women want, need and will continue to seek even when the government and Christian right make it difficult for them to do so.

Women’s right and access to a safe and affordable abortion are being steadily eroded, despite the procedure being completely legal, and the demonization of those who desire nothing more than agency over their own lives and bodies continues.

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Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com