If abortions were outlawed in America, what would the outcome be?

[markeverett49]

Abortion won’t go away if it were ever made illegal, they’d just get them illegally.

I think SOME abortions would still take place but not nearly as many. Further, this nonsense about it being no one else’s business if a mother kills her own child would stop. At least, it would stop being said by government officials.

 

[interestedman]

While there are many good points made above, ultimately this question cannot be answered “in a vacuum”, so to speak.
Much will depend on how the law is overturned. I can’t happen “overnight”. There first needs to be a major shift in thinking that would 1) make it politically advantageous to support a ban on abortions and 2) put enough pressure on the Supreme court to, in effect, overturn the many rulings it has made on various aspects of the matter already.

Also - In such a climate abortions would already be dropping since an increasing number of people would be coming to see it as murder.

To reached a point where legislation could be passed AND withstand a court challenge, would require - - (a wild guess) - - a 70+% of the population being opposed to abortions in all circumstances.

Now - should this occur and abortions become illegal, the other things people have mentioned would kick in. Illegal procedures. Illegal drugs. Greater mortality of women seeking abortions. But also there will likely be greater emphasis on birth control (whatever might be legal) AND a greater emphasis on chastity. Just how this would play out would depend on the overall psyche of the population after the vast majority have come to accept abortion as murder…

We could go down any number of rabbit trails on this…

Peace
James

Great answer. Thanks for the detailed response.

 

[_Abyssinia]

It might slow down, but it it not going to stop. Rich women who want abortions will go overseas to get them, poor women who want abortions will find someone who is willing to risk the punishments to make money doing it. Just like before abortion was legalized, women will die trying to get them. There will be a black market and people will make a lot of money providing them, just lke drug dealers.

There is an entire generation that has grown up with legal abortion, they know nothing else. Even if they never would use it themselves, it’s always been legal. For them, there has never even been a barn.

New study from National Bureau of Economic Research says states would ban abortion if roe v wade is reversed. They say women seeking abortion are sensitive to travel costs

nber.org/papers/w18338.pdf

It is a unsubstantiated myth that many women will die trying to get an abortion if abortion was outlawed

In 1993 Poland outlawed nearly all abortion. Legal abortion declined from 60000 a year in 1990 to 174 in 2003. If backstreet abortion had risen reported deaths associated with preganncy and miscarriages would have risen but the opposite has occured - both numbers have declined since 1990

 

[_Abyssinia]

It might slow down, but it it not going to stop. Rich women who want abortions will go overseas to get them, poor women who want abortions will find someone who is willing to risk the punishments to make money doing it. Just like before abortion was legalized, women will die trying to get them. There will be a black market and people will make a lot of money providing them, just lke drug dealers.

There is an entire generation that has grown up with legal abortion, they know nothing else. Even if they never would use it themselves, it’s always been legal. For them, there has never even been a barn.

New study from National Bureau of Economic Research says states would ban abortion if roe v wade is reversed. They say women seeking abortion are sensitive to travel costs

nber.org/papers/w18338.pdf

It is a unsubstantiated myth that many women will die trying to get an abortion if abortion was outlawed

1993 Poland outlawed nearly all abortion. Legal abortion declined from 60000 a year in 1990 to 174 in 2003. If backstreet abortion had risen reported deaths associated with pregnancy and miscarriages would have increased but the opposite has occured - both numbers have declined since 1990

18 - 29 are the generation that has grown up with legal abortion and the most pro life

 

[JRKH]

Which will lead to a one side of politicians promising to keep it illegal, while the other side would promise to make it legal again. And those who want it legal, sympathize with those who want it legal, etc. would make more noise. There would be that shift.

Agree completely…but…
Just the mere effort in trying to get it made illegal again is going to require a massive shift in popular thought. That is why I suggested that it would require (at a minimum) 70% of the voting population being against abortion to even have a chance at getting it through a court challenge…
And with that many people opposing abortion, it would not likely be profitable for a politician to come out in favor of re-legalizing it.

Peace
James

 

[ReachingFaith]

We may begin to regain -some- of the health we had prior to Roe V. Wade. At first there would be enraged outcry and anger among those who think they have some "right’ to kill their children. Eventually that would die down, and society’s eyes would be open and they would being to see it as the evil it is.

And then society could being mending and healing it’s flawed outlooks.

Disagree. If that were the case, people would ban it now. Our society is too far gone to just accept that abortion is wrong. They would never pass such a law, and if it did pass, they would not just “die down”. Have you ever talked to a feminist?

 

[asia53]

The medications to end early pregnancies would go underground and so would abortions. The horse has been out of the barn way too long. People are used to enjoying sex without consequences. That’s not going to just go way. If people want abortions, they’ll get them. Abortion won’t go away if it were ever made illegal, they’d just get them illegally.

Very sad, however, very true.

I’m of an age, I remember, back-alley abortions.

 

[kompaz]

1993 Poland outlawed nearly all abortion. Legal abortion declined from 60000 a year in 1990 to 174 in 2003.

Problem is, fertility rate in Poland is lower than in similar, neighboring countries where abortion is legal. Logically, a ban on abortion should cause an increase in fertility rate, which was not observed. When you look at the statistics, the pregnancies which would end in abortions pre-1993 did not convert to births – they just disappeared.

If backstreet abortion had risen reported deaths associated with pregnancy and miscarriages would have increased but the opposite has occured - both numbers have declined since 1990

Except that Poland suffered a massive drop in in the number of pregnancies since 1990. Poland is a quite amusing case: on paper, it has the most pro-life legal regime in Europe, after Ireland. Yet its fertility rate is among the lowest.

 

[Carlan]

It might slow down, but it it not going to stop. Rich women who want abortions will go overseas to get them, poor women who want abortions will find someone who is willing to risk the punishments to make money doing it. Just like before abortion was legalized, women will die trying to get them. There will be a black market and people will make a lot of money providing them, just lke drug dealers.

Yes, sadly so.
We pray for the souls giving into all the worlds evil and not coming to repentance and forgiveness.
Peace, Carlan

 

[St_Francis]

If past experience is any guide, if abortion were outlawed, the number of abortions would decline.

Looking at the numbers for Poland, one sees that both the rate and the number of abortions dropped by 90% the year abortion was outlawed. When the law was modified for about a year in '97, the rate went up three-fold, then declined when that change was ruled unconstitutional.

Altho some speculate that Polish women simply went to other nations to get abortions, there is *no *evidence of that. Numbers for neighboring nations continued their own, less-steep decline.

Sure women would still get abortions, but at a much reduced rate. But even tho we have laws against rape and murder of the born, these crimes also still occur. The fact that people break the law is no reason to get rid of a law, nor should the fact that a few women will try to obtain abortions be any bar against outlawing abortion.

JRKH makes a very good point: that *true *education needs to occur. First, people must understand that there is a baby involved, and that abortion involves killing that baby.

Second, people must be educated to the inadequacy of artificial birth control. AGI (research arm of PP) numbers show that over 90% of women coming in for abortions have used abc in the past, and many were using abc when they became pregnant.

From the last-liked article: *In their [PP] chart comparing the effectiveness of different birth control methods, Planned Parenthood estimates that **2-9% of pill users will get pregnant in any given year **and **15-24% of condom users will still wind up with an unplanned pregnancy. *16 Abby Johnson makes a revealing observation concerning her own birth control history. “There’s an incredible irony,” she writes, "in the fact that I had a career in educating women about contraception and yet, for the third time, conceived while using contraceptives."17 If you scoff at the CDC assertion that 12% of the women using birth control still wind up pregnant, consider that even a professional, sex-educator – the director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic wound up with three unplanned pregnancies – all while using contraceptives.

And third, the most difficult, people must learn the self-discipline to refrain from engaging in sexual activity. This would require a sea-change in our society…

 

[Kaninchen]

Except that Poland suffered a massive drop in in the number of pregnancies since 1990. Poland is a quite amusing case: on paper, it has the most pro-life legal regime in Europe, after Ireland. Yet its fertility rate is among the lowest.

Massive migration of Poles of childbearing age to countries like the UK might be part of an explanation.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Problem is, fertility rate in Poland is lower than in similar, neighboring countries where abortion is legal. Logically, a ban on abortion should cause an increase in fertility rate, which was not observed. When you look at the statistics, the pregnancies which would end in abortions pre-1993 did not convert to births – they just disappeared.

Except that Poland suffered a massive drop in in the number of pregnancies since 1990. Poland is a quite amusing case: on paper, it has the most pro-life legal regime in Europe, after Ireland. Yet its fertility rate is among the lowest.

Low fertility rate is due to women waiting for a long time to find a husband

 

[St_Francis]

Massive migration of Poles of childbearing age to countries like the UK might be part of an explanation.

That might explain the reduction in the numbers, but it would not explain the reduction in the *rates. *The numbers do reflect the emigration.

 

[brumano]

What impact would the banning of all abortions have on society in America?

The moral integrity of the nation would be restored, the culture of life would quickly regenerate this very ill nation; hope would be rekindled and the public dialogue on all the moral issues could be restarterd. Of any measure that could be possibly tried, reinstating the protection of life would have the most positive and far reaching reprecussions, because the value of human life itself would be reaffirmed; there really is nothing better to try at this point in our history with absolutely nothing to lose. The possibilities are all positive and there is no reason not to.

 

[Faithdancer]

Personal accountability for both males and females and, ideally, an increase in chastity.:angel1:

 

[Regina_Love]

Abortion would not have to be voted on to become illegal. It became legal w/o a vote & could become illegal w/o a vote.

One huge improvement would be that people would become better educated about adoption. Last I heard in America alone, there are millions of coulples & individuals longing to adopt, but cannot find a baby or child to love. (Foster children are in the system because their biological parents still have rights to claim them.)

I find it extremely sad that people in our society think their baby is better off dead! then loved by another family! How tragic are we. How uncivilized.

God sees one woman crying because she wants a baby to love, and another crying because she is pregnant, and not ready to parent. It is soooo obvious they should get together & help each other out!

We have adopted two wonderful babies from teen moms & their boyfriends. We have an open relationship, sharing pictures, phone calls, and some times visits. These ladies are my heros. We did have two ladies change their minds & decide to parent. I am proud of them for raising their kids.

No one has to die! We just need to love each other! Give each other a helping hand, & encouragement through hard times!

 

[St_Francis]

Problem is, fertility rate in Poland is lower than in similar, neighboring countries where abortion is legal. Logically, a ban on abortion should cause an increase in fertility rate, which was not observed. When you look at the statistics, the pregnancies which would end in abortions pre-1993 did not convert to births – they just disappeared.

For some, it may be logical that a ban on abortion would result in an increase in the fertility rate; however, a ban on abortions might instead cause women to refrain from engaging in behavior likely to result in an untimely pregnancy, no?

Except that Poland suffered a massive drop in in the number of pregnancies since 1990.

If you look at page 8 of this document, you will see that the decline is almost entirely due to the reduction of women in their 20s having babies. The rates for those 30 and older have remained almost the same.

It would seem that women under 30 are postponing having children.

Poland is a quite amusing case: on paper, it has the most pro-life legal regime in Europe, after Ireland. Yet its fertility rate is among the lowest.

Fertility rates are related more to economics than to politics. Poland is pro-life in that it has outlawed the intentional killing of unborn babies; however, this does not necessarily mean that women will then decide to have lots of babies. Apparently there is a lot of research being done into why the rate is so low and what can be done about it.

 

[Bill_Martin]

More contraceptive use.

 

[Bill_7154]

What impact would the banning of all abortions have on society in America?

Without a moral change in the climate of the individuals/groups/etc, without real education about how an unborn child, be that in the form of a zygote, a fetus, etc… is in fact a human being who is the most innocent and requires the most prescious care and consideration… I fear not a lot would change.

Abortions happened years back when it wasn’t such a ‘simple’ procedure. Now we have medications of all sorts that will abort a baby available all over the world. Operations are not even required. People can get drugs that will make a woman abort be it a zygote 1 week old or a fetus a couple or few months old.

So changing the hearts and minds of citizens as seeing abortion as wrong, as murder, is IMO necessary for the number of abortions to lessen. Peole need to be re-educated away from the thinking the pro abortion advocates would have them believe.

Also, what is necessary is REAL comprehensive help for any and every woman who becomes pregnant but is not in a position to give birth. Homes where they can live and receive real care and support and compassion so people can help them remain strong while they carry their baby to full term. I think this will need to be viewed as a beautiful and great thing with overwhelming support from the public, programs like this.

I don’t think the morning after pill can be eradicated from the earth. Nor do I think the other drugs that induce abortions. So they will remain available and people can do it yourself, without a doctor working in back alleys.

I think all of the above is necessary, not just the changing of a law. Drugs are illegal but probably 10% of the population use them, at least occasionally. There is a difference between something being illegal (like jaywalking or drug use) where many don’t find it immoral, or at a minimum the law doesn’t stop them from doing it… torape and murder where the law isn’t what is stopping people but their conscience is stopping them because they consider the acts terrible.

So maybe there would be less abortions…but we would never know…because the statistics would be hidden. It takes education from a young age to teach people abortion is murder and never acceptable. Like from the age of 5 or something. And public schools are not doing that and are not going to do that I don’t think. Private Christian schools likely instill this in their students, I’m not sure but I have neices and nephews in Catholic private schools and am pretty sure they are strongly against abortion, I just have never asked them if they receive any teaching around this in particular.

 

[johnnyjones]

More cautious women. Less sex. Saved lives. Backroom butchers.