Almost 80 percent of all abortions take place in Third World, poverty stricken nations. But as we know, those abortions, because of a lack of training and bad facilities, can be very dangerous. According to the World Health Organization up to 70,000 women die each year from complications from these abortions.
Think about that – 70,000 women each year.
Think about that again.
But now there is some hope on the horizon. There is now a pill called misoprostol that is cheap and safe that can be used to induce abortions or, as it is being called, “medical abortions.” This pill was originally developed to prevent stomach ulcers. But now, thousands and thousands of women are learning that it can be used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
It is not a perfect solution. It is about 80-85 percent effective. But the pill is readily available across the world. Indeed, the use of this pill overseas is exploding. According to Marie Stopes International, nearly 70 percent of all abortions in Scotland are performed using misoprostol. It is predicted that the use of this pill will spread rapidly. Indeed, some women’s health groups are calling this a “revolution” in women’s health.
President Obama recently announced the start of a new $110 million campaign that will fund programs that teach teenagers about the risks of specific sexual activity and the benefits of contraception. Just last month, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded $75 million to 75 groups to try to reproduce some of the 28 programs deemed to have been “proven effective through rigorous evaluation.” Then, DHHS awarded $35 million to 40 groups to test “innovative strategies” that appeared promising.
At the same time, however, in a political balancing act, the Administration also awarded twelve grants for about $9.3 million for abstinence-only programs! What the heck? For example, the Live the Life Ministries of
Health
Tallahassee received $891,533 for its abstinence program! In Kansas, the “Women’s Clinic” received over $1 million and it is a crisis pregnancy center which tries to lure women in seeking abortions in the hopes of talking them out of their decision.
Of course, organizations that support abstinence only programs are disappointed that they did not receive more money. Too bad, I say.
As for President Obama tossing some money to these groups, I say – again – “what the heck?”
Do you believe that a woman should have the right to terminate her pregnancy?
Well, if you do then you need to find some time in the next week or so to take some simple, political action.
The question of whether or not abortion should be legal rests in the hands of the nine judges who sit on the United States Supreme Court. As most of you know, it was the Supreme Court that made abortion legal in this country in the first place when they decided the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. On a 7-2 vote, the court held that the constitutional right to privacy extended to the right to have an abortion. Parenthetically, with that decision the pro-life movement was born.
Over the years, the Supreme Court has obviously changed as justices have retired or died. And over those years, the Court has never had an occasion to specifically decide whether or not abortion should remain legal. For the most part, the cases dealt with peripheral issues, like whether or not states could enact parental consent laws or 24 hour waiting periods. Still, in some of those cases, a justice might add, almost as an aside, whether or not they supported the original Roe v. Wade decision. Thus, we now know that at this moment in time, the Supreme Court favors legal abortion by a 6-3 vote (although some pro-choice advocates express concern about the Court’s swing vote, Justice Anthony Kennedy).
But now Justice John Paul Stevens, a clear pro-choice vote, is retiring and President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan to replace Justice Stevens. It is generally assumed that Ms. Kagan is pro-choice, although some Presidents have been surprised in the past. Still, the consensus is we need her on the court to retain the 6-3 vote.
The next step is for the U.S. Senate to confirm the nomination but the Republican Party, led by numerous pro-life activists, will pull out all the stops to hamper or even prevent her from being confirmed. Should her nomination be stalled, President Obama may be forced to find a more moderate justice, perhaps one that has no record on abortion, and that could be disastrous.
So, it’s time for you to take action.
Write to your two Senators and ask them to support Elena Kagan. If you do not know who your Senators are, go to the U.S. Senate website for that information. Sit down and compose a very simple message urging your Senators to confirm President Obama’s nominee. If your Senator happens to be pro-choice, urge him or her to support Kagan to help preserve the right to choose. If your Senator is pro-life, don’t mention the abortion issue.
The worst thing pro-choice people can do is to get complacent. Democracy is a participatory sport, it takes energy and we owe it to future generations to do what we can to preserve this precious constitutional right.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
