Abortion Rates Equal Whether Legal or Not?

[Le_Chiot_Noir]

I’m currently discussing the legality of abortion with someone, and somewhere in it, she thought the crux of my argument was that if abortion were made illegal, there would be fewer abortions. Here is what I said in response:

… numbers are not the crux of my argument; even if it were demonstrated that more illegal abortions would go on if abortion were made illegal than there ever would be if it were made legal (which I find incredibly improbable), abortion is still wrong, and it is unacceptable that the law of the land, of all things, should institutionalize and espouse it into their very system.

Sometime after, someone else provided this link for me: msnbc.msn.com/id/21255186/. It links to an article that describes abortion rates across the world, and it contains the conclusion in its title that abortion rates remain the same whether legal or not.

Again, I already gave the disclaimer that the strength of the anti-abortion position is not contingent on statistics, but this article is pretty distressing to read.

What I wanted to know is, upsetting commentaries in the article aside, I wanted to know if any of you more well-researched folk in here have anything to say about the validity of this study.

Like I said, it doesn’t change my argument-- but it would be reassuring to know that legal action DOES have some kind of effect.

 

[Le_Chiot_Noir]

Looking at the article again, I realize that it more describes ‘safe’ abortion rates as opposed to ‘unsafe’ abortion rates, instead of actual comparative rates of total abortions between countries where it is legal and where it is not. How odd. But then, I am very unused to reading graphs or charts, which is why I ran in here for help.

Also, as an added favor, if anyone does have an article or a study in mind that refutes the above article, or perhaps supports the premise that making abortion illegal will give us fewer abortions, preferably from a secular source, then I’d be very much obliged if you’d share it with me please.

 

[Lance]

Even if we could prove that murder rates would drop if murder was made legal we should not do it. Abotion should be looked at in that light, so even if they would increase if they were illegal we should not keep them legal. You can not commit a sin even if it is for greater good.

 

[Dale_M]

I don’t know of a site which refutes the study, but I do have the link to the study. thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS014067360761575X/fulltext
(registration, which is free, is required)

The MSNBC article’s headline badly misinterpreted the study. It proclaims: “Abortion rates same whether legal or not”. That isn’t what the study says, (and a simple glance at the graph even shows it). What the study actually says is:

The findings presented here indicate that unrestrictive abortion laws do not predict a high incidence of abortion, and by the same token, highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with low abortion incidence. Indeed, both the highest and lowest abortion rates were seen in regions where abortion is almost uniformly legal under a wide range of circumstances.

Many factors affect the incidence of abortion, and abortion rates can not be explained simply by its legality or illegality. That is what the study says.

The study also shows that many women are willing to undergo unsafe abortions, but unsafe does not mean illegal. The researchers are clear that they include abortions which do not meet medical standards, which may include much of the developing world (again, take a glance at the graph).

 

[MDK]

I’m currently discussing the legality of abortion with someone, and somewhere in it, she thought the crux of my argument was that if abortion were made illegal, there would be fewer abortions. Here is what I said in response:

Sometime after, someone else provided this link for me: msnbc.msn.com/id/21255186/. It links to an article that describes abortion rates across the world, and it contains the conclusion in its title that abortion rates remain the same whether legal or not.

Again, I already gave the disclaimer that the strength of the anti-abortion position is not contingent on statistics, but this article is pretty distressing to read.

What I wanted to know is, upsetting commentaries in the article aside, I wanted to know if any of you more well-researched folk in here have anything to say about the validity of this study.

Like I said, it doesn’t change my argument-- but it would be reassuring to know that legal action DOES have some kind of effect.

Abortion is an intrinsic evil. We absolutely should not have an intrinsic evil as a legal and seemingly legitimate option in our society.

I’ve asked people to make me fair game, instead of innocent unborn who can’t fight back. If they really are dead set on legalized murder, then how about all males age 40-50. At least we have a fighting chance to remain alive.

There are many other discussions and logical arguments, but there remains no good argument for legalized abortion. Besides, one thing that leads people to go this route is knowing that it’s a legal option in society. No one can legitimately say that they would not go down in the USA. However, that’s not the only issue, and not the main point for our country. Along with making it illegal, we need to work on the hearts and minds of people.

 

[Le_Chiot_Noir]

Thank you very much to everyone who replied, particularly to Dale and the sharing of the study. I know exactly why abortion is evil and should be illegal, and while statistics are definitely not the backbone of the argument, it lends weight to the arguments.

I wish I didn’t have to resort to relying on studies, as it muddies the waters of the issue, concealing the real problems underneath, but I have to meet some of the people I talk to where they are. Also, it gives me peace of mind to know that the battle isn’t lost yet, and what we do to fight the phenomenon does make a difference.