Backalley Abortions

[PadraigPearce]

One of the main arguments that has been used to justify the continued legalization of abortion is the idea that since women will find ways to have an abortion anyway, often an unsafe one, we should keep it legal in order to save women’s lives. We’ve all heard the stories about women having abortions with coat hangers, etc. Lately I’ve been wondering, though, how much of that history is true and how much is propaganda. I even phoned my mother, who is in her sixties, to ask her what she remembered of that era, and she said she didn’t know anyone growing up who had an abortion, botched or otherwise. I know it’s not something a woman would have told everyone about back then, since it was highly illegal, but I would have expected my mother to at least know of someone who had an abortion, if it were that common. I’m curious to hear from people who are old enough to remember that era if back alley abortions were really as widespread as is commonly believed. I don’t doubt they happened, but it would be interesting to hear from people who were around at the time.

 

[jokerman]

ive wondered the same thing and read in a book that the “back alley” abortion stories were greatly exaggerated for political purposes. dont know if its true although the book i got it from seems to be very reliable.

also on the same point…if abortion is the killing of an innoncent person then supporters of legal abortion are basically arguing for a cleaner enviornment to perform the killings. its not a solid argument at all. we could make the same argument for rape…its gonna happen anyway but hey shouldnt we at least provide a more comfortable enviornment for the rape to take place! its rediculous.

 

[manualman]

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist and one of the activists that got abortion legalized has since admitted that they routinely fabricated statistics about such things to score PR points. I doubt much has changed.

The argument is ridiculous anyways. Imagine your typical pro-choicer making THIS argument:

Regulation of guns is foolish, ineffective and overall bad policy. When people want a gun, they can and do get them regardless of law. Regulating guns and prohibiting convicted felons from owning guns only results in them obtaining black market ‘Saturday Night Specials’ that often malfunction, misfire or even explode - injuring or killing the user. The answer is clear: we must eliminate all restrictions on selling guns to any and all. Keep guns safe and legal.

Somehow they tend to see that issue rather differently… (and I don’t buy the argument any better when the NRA makes it than when NARAL does).

 

[estesbob]

One of the main arguments that has been used to justify the continued legalization of abortion is the idea that since women will find ways to have an abortion anyway, often an unsafe one, we should keep it legal in order to save women’s lives. We’ve all heard the stories about women having abortions with coat hangers, etc. Lately I’ve been wondering, though, how much of that history is true and how much is propaganda. I even phoned my mother, who is in her sixties, to ask her what she remembered of that era, and she said she didn’t know anyone growing up who had an abortion, botched or otherwise. I know it’s not something a woman would have told everyone about back then, since it was highly illegal, but I would have expected my mother to at least know of someone who had an abortion, if it were that common. I’m curious to hear from people who are old enough to remember that era if back alley abortions were really as widespread as is commonly believed. I don’t doubt they happened, but it would be interesting to hear from people who were around at the time.

Prior to Roe 92% of illegal abortions were done in sterile enviroments by a licensed physician. per the CDC deaths form illegal abortions prior to Roe were aprox 400 a year.

 

[JanetF]

It is in fact propaganda used by Planned parenthood, NARAL, etc to scare people. Women were getting abortions prior to 1972 in clean, sterile doctors’ offices. There just weren’t as many performed prior to the legalization of abortion.

There is a very good book that disputes the pro-choice arguments, something like Pro-Life answers to Pro-Choice arguments, the one book that every pro-lifer should have in their library. It was very enlightening to me and has definitely provided some ammo to use in debates over the issue.

 

[praise_Jesus_1]

People make the same argument for drug users. Make it legal so they can use sterile needles and go to a safe place to get high.

The bottom line is:
Making something physically safe doesn’t make it safe for one’s soul.

 

[JimG]

For the most part, the same people doing abortions before legalization are the same ones doing them after legalization. And in my state, as is likely the case in others, the issue is so politicized that legislative attempts to regulate abortion clinics to the same standards as other medical facilities–for the safety of women–are opposed as potential barriers to abortion availability.

 

[survive]

Confession of an Ex-Abortionist:thumbsup:Indeed, 400 was the figure for a relatively high-illegal-maternal-fatality year. Some years had fewer than a hundred, and the norm was around 200 per year. Today an unknown number of women still die from abortion in America, as I and my mother both almost did – by some estimates, one in a thousand, which equals 1,400 per year. That’s when it’s legal. Several hundred are known beyond doubt to have died from legal abortion since Roe. Abortion will never be safe for the child and probably never for the woman.

 

[Timbothefiveth]

According to the U.S. Bureau of Vital Statistics, due to the advances made in medical technology, about 39 women died from illegal abortions in 1972, the year before abortion was legalized

in 1987, the Commissioner of Health for New York City sent a memo (not intended for the public) to those who provided abortions in his city. In it, he mentioned that between 1981 and 1984 there were 30 women in N.Y.C. who died as a result of their abortions, and 146 in the rest of the U.S.

That’s a 3 year timespan, however, there are more than 3 times as many deaths. Even if you could justify taking away millions of people’s right to life to save just a few, abortion kills more when legalised.

 

[jokerman]

It is in fact propaganda used by Planned parenthood, NARAL, etc to scare people. Women were getting abortions prior to 1972 in clean, sterile doctors’ offices. There just weren’t as many performed prior to the legalization of abortion.

There is a very good book that disputes the pro-choice arguments, something like Pro-Life answers to Pro-Choice arguments, the one book that every pro-lifer should have in their library. It was very enlightening to me and has definitely provided some ammo to use in debates over the issue.

…

that is the same book i was talking about. its really good.

 

[rwoehmke]

It would seem to be intuitively obvious that abortion has been with us since pre-apostolic times. Why else would the Didache (sic) and other early documents inveigh against the practice. I know at least one woman who had an abortion in the early forties. She never realized the totality of what she had done until after her own mother died. She repented well before she died herself. The illegal practice was common enough, but I have no idea of the statistics of complications. Repealing Roe v. Wade would no doubt slow things down, but I highly doubt that abortion is going to wither and go away.

Back in those days there were actually some women who had no idea how one became pregnant. Today with our sex education prone society it is amazing how many manage to become pregnant when they don’t want to.

 

[mary_bobo]

In the city where I grew up, although I did not know anyone who had a abortion (I don’t think I did anyway), most people in town seemed to know the clinic that did abortions. It was a private clinic, run by a licensed physician. My friends and I used to wonder what went on in there as we were pretty naive back then.

 

[manualman]

It would seem to be intuitively obvious that abortion has been with us since pre-apostolic times. Why else would the Didache (sic) and other early documents inveigh against the practice…

Back in those days there were actually some women who had no idea how one became pregnant. Today with our sex education prone society it is amazing how many manage to become pregnant when they don’t want to.

Some actually try to use this line of thinking to argue that it is pointless to outlaw abortion since people are going to find ways to get it anyways.

I don’t suppose they apply the same reasoning to ‘ordinary’ murders.

Outlawing THAT hasn’t stopped the practice either. Anybody out there up for decriminalizing it?

 

[joandarc2008]

I used to be pro-choice as I was fooled by these arguments. I have come around in past years as life as taken on a whole new meaning to me. One thing I will say is I wonder how many of these women that had ONE back alley abortion are now the women of today having THREE legal ones for $500. No, I’m not kidding. That is how much a cash abortion costs where I live at the clinic does them. Anyone want to sell their soul and kill a kid for $500.

 

[Aboveallbereal]

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist and one of the activists that got abortion legalized has since admitted that they routinely fabricated statistics about such things to score PR points. I doubt much has changed.

The argument is ridiculous anyways. Imagine your typical pro-choicer making THIS argument:

Regulation of guns is foolish, ineffective and overall bad policy. When people want a gun, they can and do get them regardless of law. Regulating guns and prohibiting convicted felons from owning guns only results in them obtaining black market ‘Saturday Night Specials’ that often malfunction, misfire or even explode - injuring or killing the user. The answer is clear: we must eliminate all restrictions on selling guns to any and all. Keep guns safe and legal.

Somehow they tend to see that issue rather differently… (and I don’t buy the argument any better when the NRA makes it than when NARAL does).

Excellent post highlighting the sheer ludicrousness of the argument.

 

[Seeker100]

People make the same argument for drug users. Make it legal so they can use sterile needles and go to a safe place to get high.

The bottom line is:
Making something physically safe doesn’t make it safe for one’s soul.

Perhaps if you cared for the safety of drug addicts it would help your soul?

 

[Seeker100]

One of the main arguments that has been used to justify the continued legalization of abortion is the idea that since women will find ways to have an abortion anyway, often an unsafe one, we should keep it legal in order to save women’s lives. We’ve all heard the stories about women having abortions with coat hangers, etc. Lately I’ve been wondering, though, how much of that history is true and how much is propaganda. I even phoned my mother, who is in her sixties, to ask her what she remembered of that era, and she said she didn’t know anyone growing up who had an abortion, botched or otherwise. I know it’s not something a woman would have told everyone about back then, since it was highly illegal, but I would have expected my mother to at least know of someone who had an abortion, if it were that common. I’m curious to hear from people who are old enough to remember that era if back alley abortions were really as widespread as is commonly believed. I don’t doubt they happened, but it would be interesting to hear from people who were around at the time.

When I was young a lady on her death bed anounced that that her daughters disappearance years ago was due to her death from a botch abortion. The mother had kept this secret. Statistics to do not tell us of the women who disappear from botched abortions and their fate is kept secret.

 

[joandarc2008]

Perhaps if you cared for the safety of drug addicts it would help your soul?

If we truly care for the safety of drug addicts we would put more money into rehab programs for those without insurance and support 12 step programs that want our Churches as meeting places. This is off topic, but I think the argument is well made.