Though Conservatives and Liberals may never agree on the morality of abortion, we can unite on the importance of reproductive health in Oklahoma. If we truly wish to prevent abortion in Oklahoma we must first understand that Personhood legislation, will not only negatively effect Oklahoma in a psychological manner but will, in no uncertain terms, only lead to a higher demand for abortion.
Abortion in America: In order to prevent the need for abortion it is important we understand why the need exists. Both the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute have reported that close to half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, and according to a study published by the Guttmacher Institute nearly half of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion. By these statistics, we can infer that the most effective way of reducing the number of abortions in America is by reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies. The most effective way of accomplishing this is through education and contraception.
- Sex Education and Unintended Pregnancy: A study by Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall and David W. Hall report that the U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate among developed nations across the globe. Statistics on comprehensive sex education programs show that teens receiving this kind of education did not begin sexual activity at an earlier age, had lower pregnancy rates, and reported a greater number of contraceptive use as well as lower rates of STD infection. Though no one can teach children the ethics of sexual intercourse but parents we can ensure they receive education on the biology of sex by educated professionals. We owe our children access to the tools necessary to make educated decisions before choosing to engage in sexual activity. Providing young adults with the facts regarding pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and contraceptive use is key to ensuring healthy sexual habits that can prove to lower the need for abortion services in their future.
- Contraception and Abortion: A study by Cicely Marston and John Cleland, published by the Guttmacher institute, shows that contraceptive use lowers a populations abortion rate. By preventing access to any form of effective birth control we can only increase the number of women seeking abortions in Oklahoma. Therefore preventing legislation that restricts our access to birth control should be our primary objective should we wish to prevent abortions in Oklahoma.
Personhood and its Effect on Contraception: Personhood USA’s ballot initiative currently seeks to ban “Plan B” emergency contraception and the IUD because they prevent implantation, but this leads us to an uncomfortable truth. If we allow this legislation to pass we could potentially live in a state where all forms of birth control are illegal. The FDA has this to say in industry regulations for the labeling of combined oral contraceptives:” OC’s (oral contraceptives) lower the risk of becoming pregnant primarily by suppressing ovulation, other possible mechanisms may include cervical mucus changes that inhibit sperm penetration and endometrial changes that reduce the likelihood of implantation.” This means that even the forms of contraceptives regularly used and supported by Liberals and Conservatives alike can contain chemical mechanisms that prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus and thus could be outlawed under this legislation.
- The IUD: The IUD is one of the most effective forms of birth control available to women. ParaGard, the copper version of which, has a failure rate of only .6% and is the only safe form of birth control for women with factor five. By banning ParaGard, we are taking away the only viable option for these women. Mirena is a small plastic version with a failure rate of .2%, making it the second most effective contraceptive next to Implanon.
- “Plan B”: “Plan B” is not RU486, the abortion pill, and cannot terminate an existing pregnancy. It can be taken after a primary form of contraception fails, such as condom, to prevent pregnancy. Currently it is provided to victims of sexual assault in Oklahoma, thus preventing the need to obtain an abortion to terminate an emotionally distressing pregnancy. According to The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, there were 1,467 reported rapes in Oklahoma alone in 2010. Under this legislation not only would victims of rape and incest not be able to obtain an abortion, but they would also be barred access to contraception that prevents the need for one.
The Adverse Psychological Effect of Personhood: Personhood legislation not only promotes a lack of responsibility in procreation for the male gender, but negatively effects both the civil liberty and self esteem of all women. By supporting this legislation we will tell our daughters they are simply vessels for another human being. We remove any, and all, control they have over their bodies. If she is raped, it will be her attacker who chooses whether or not she becomes pregnant. Standing against this kind of legislation is the only ethical choice for Oklahomans. Supporting our loved one’s ability to make their own decisions in regards to reproduction is not to support or encourage abortion.
References:
Unintended Pregnancy, CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/
Unintended Prenancy, Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3002498.html?pagewanted=all
Teen Preg/ Sex Education, Stanger-Hall, et al.: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0024658
Contraception and Abortion, Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2900603.html
Oral Contraceptives, FDA: www.fda.gov/downloads/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/WomensHealthResearch/UCM133346.pdf
Contraceptive efficacy: http://www.contraceptivetechnology.org/table.html
Reported Rape in OK, OSBI: http://www.ok.gov/osbi/documents/2010%2oucr%20Annual%2oreport.pdf
Facts on Induced Abortion, Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
Sex, Pregnancy, And Abortion, Guttmacher Institute: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html
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I’m troubled by the phrase “the need for abortion.” It’s a very liberal rhetoric. There is no need for abortion, just as there is no need for serial killing, terrorism, or any other form of human murder. Abortion is murder, and therefore there is nothing that makes it a need.
Sean, even if we rephrase that line and instead write: “… it is important we understand why the desire exists” the points made in this article still stand. I, along with everyone I work with here, want to see the number of abortions in this country decrease. No one here is ‘pro-abortion’ and characterizing us as such (as many in the pro-life camp like to do) is an undue, unjust, and unsupported attack.
As discussed in the article, without education the desire for abortion will remain and perhaps even grow. Making abortions harder to obtain through measures like personhood will not stop abortions; it will just make them more dangerous. We feel that the humane and appropriate course of action is to allow women the choice to have a child, or not, while continuing to improve the level of education on how to prevent and reduce the need for abortion.
What do these trumped up arguments have to do with being conservative. Most conservatives believe that a child is a person from conception and actually do want to see abortifacient birth control banned. Plan b and other bc that do not allow a fertilized egg to implant ARE abortion. There is no mention here of the child destroyed by an abortion. If we are saying something to women by passing personhood it is that you are valuable from conception. Half or more abortions abort females. What are we saying to those women by killing them? Unwanted pregnancies is a nice way of saying unwanted children. There are no unwanted children, just unwilling adults to parent those children. This is a scare piece that we have already debunked here http://www.abolishhumanabortion.com/faq/
I respect your beliefs; the purpose of this article was only to show that according to academic studies,this proposed legislation cannot prevent abortion. According to the medical professionals and the information I’ve read published by the FDA most, if not all, birth controls contain chemical mechanisms that can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. Plan B primarily works by preventing ovulation but, like all OC’s, it does contain chemicals to prevent implantation (refer to FDA link). To ban any contraceptive on this basis is to ban most commonly used forms of birth control. This is quite dangerous in terms of perpetuating demand for abortion. Regardless of what we call unwanted pregnancy, our best defense against abortion is still contraception. Condoms, even when used perfectly have a higher failure rate than all other forms of Hormonal birth control (you can find this information in the reference section).
Please spend time further contemplating the psychological effect of this legislation on women. It is only fair, that all of us- myself included, consider both sides of this argument in order to make an informed decision. We are your mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives- it is not in our best interest to endorse a belief that not only refuses to hold our male counterparts responsible for their part in procreation but that restricts us access to the contraception that allows us any control in reproduction.
As most abortions are obtained before the sex can be determined, and only 1.5% of abortions are obtained after week 20 I believe to say that half of these pregnancies would result in female children is speculation. You can find this information in the Abortion stats. link by the Guttmacher institute in the references section.
-ASkinnell
I take offense at the blanket statement “There are no unwanted children, just unwilling adults to parent those children.” My husband of five years and I do want children, but we want to plan for them. We want to have a decent baby-fund built up. We don’t want to be living in an old house filed with lead, asbestos, mercury, or fire hazards. We want stable jobs that provide leave, health insurance, and vacation. We don’t want to have to rely on assistance programs. We want to decide how many kids to raise, not copy the Duggar family. Kids, while they can be a joy, can also an expensive, messy, stressful, life-changing handful. Neither my husband, nor I want to become parents until we are both mentally, financially, and emotionally prepared to do so, for everybody’s sake.
Brian, Abolish Human Abortion has not ‘debunked’ anything on their FAQ. There is no evidence that Plan B and other contraceptives prevent fertilized eggs from implanting. It is unfair to want to take these valuable resources away from women because you simply don’t understand why people would want to plan their families.
@Sean, there ARE instances where abortion is needed to save the life of the mother.
I would like to examine your statement: “No one can teach children the ethics of sexual intercourse”.
We need to ask ourselves, who said that? How did we come to this conclusion? It is us who have shied away from this admittedly challenging task – claiming impossibility.
“We owe our children access to the tools necessary to make educated decisions before choosing to engage in sexual activity. Providing young adults with the facts regarding pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and contraceptive use is key to ensuring healthy sexual habits that can prove to lower the need for abortion services in their future.”
Yes…but it does not discount the importance of teaching ethics, a value diminishing in a postmodern world.
In my opinion, the word “educated professionals” has little meaning in the context of teaching the biology of sex if divorced from the ethics of the issue.
“Though no one can teach children the ethics of sexual intercourse but parents, we can ensure they receive education on the biology of sex by educated professionals.”
As an individual who respects the faith of all Americans, I believe it is up to parents to teach the ethical and moral implications of sex as all Oklahomans do not necessarily believe in the same values. While educated professionals should teach on the consequences of sexual intercourse, both psychological and physical- for example STD infection, pregnancy, and contraceptive efficacy as well as proper usage- they cannot teach your children what you personally feel about participating in sexual activity. For example: Christian parents should be able to ensure their children are taught Christian ethics.
I believe ethics, morals, and individual beliefs are some of the most important parts of engaging in sexual activity, but I also know that I, personally, want to be the one to tell my child those things as the potential consequences of sex are not at all the same as ethical beliefs about sex.
I think a person can be “pro-life” and be against “personhood” proposals. A microscopic blastocyst (fertilized egg) is not the same as a person. A woman is definitely a person, a citizen, a moral agent,who has the right and is in the best position to decide what is morally right in her situation, which includes considering her own needs and those of others in her family. Women will continue to make these decisions whether or not the option of terminating a pregnancy is legal. If it were to become illegal, we would return to pro-Roe days when many women died in their attempts to do what they deemed right and necessary and attempted to terminate a pregnancy. Roe v. Wade compromises between the rights of women and the state’s interest in fetal life. Personhood proposals, on the other hand, are extreme in desiring to protect a fertilized egg even at the cost of women’s freedom and bodily integrity.