Whose Choice Is ‘Pro-Choice’?

When someone labels his position "pro-choice," whose choice does he or she mean? An article entitled "Who's Making the Choice?" in the Post-Abortion Review states, "[H]undreds of thousands of women undergo unwanted abortions every year to please someone else or because of pressure or coercion by their sexual partners, parents, social workers, counselors, employers, or school administrators." A boyfriend or parent threatens to throw her into the streets unless she follows his or her wishes. A boss gives an employment ultimatum. Social or school stigma interferes with the "choice" the girl would otherwise make. According to a survey of 252 post-abortive women, more than half said they felt "forced" into the abortion by others. In one survey 70 percent of women "choosing an abortion" -- so-called -- say they believe abortion is immoral. They violated their own consciences because of pressure from people or circumstances. More than 80 percent of women who report post-abortion problems say they would have carried their child to term if they had more support from friends and family. Crisis counselors know people under pressure lose confidence in their own judgment and rely heavily on others. A desire to re-establish stability makes individuals more vulnerable, more susceptible to influence from others who claim to be able to solve the crisis, especially those who appear to have status or authority. One woman recalls, "My family would not support my decision to keep my baby. My boyfriend said he would give me no emotional or financial help whatsoever. [Everyone] that mattered told me to abort. When I said I didn't want to, they started listing reasons why I should . . . I started feeling like maybe I was crazy to want to keep it . . . "I finally told everyone I would have an abortion just to get them off my back . . . I was scared to not do it because of how my family and boyfriend felt. I'm so angry at myself for giving into the pressure of others." That young woman tragically attempted suicide shortly afterwards. Ambivalence paralyzes the will. The heart says not to abort -- others say they have to. One woman said, "I didn't want to kill my child; I just made the decision . . . not to make a conscious choice at all. In fact, Planned Parenthood . . . tell[s] you that you have no choice but to get an abortion. This is the irony of the 'pro-choice' rhetoric." The article "Who's Making the Choice?" concludes, "There is no disputing the fact that many, perhaps most, women who have abortions feel pressured into choosing abortion against their conscience[s] . . . [A]bortion clinics generally make no attempt [to] help women resist the pressures they face to undergo unwanted abortions." More than 80 percent of women with post-abortion problems report that their abortion-clinic counselors showed no interest in helping to explore other options. "Simply put, abortion counseling is usually designed to 'sell' the woman an abortion, and certainly not to help her escape the pressure of others who may be pushing her into an unwanted abortion." In practical fact, "pro-choice" means abortion salespeople making the choice! Remember that, and remember these chilling statistics the next time you hear a feminist group defending a woman's so-called "right to choose." For further reading and information: Amy Sobie and David C. Reardon, Ph. D., "Who's Making the Choice? Women's Heightened Vulnerability During a Crisis Pregnancy," Post-Abortion Review 8, no. 1 (January-March 2000). Visit the Elliot Institute, Pro-Life Infonet, and the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer. Jessica Hopp and Greg Sandoval, "Mystics Coach Was Cited in Pregnancy Suit," Washington Post, 16 September 2002, A01. Catherina Hurlburt, "Whither Women in the Abortion Debate?", Concerned Women for America, 23 January 2001. Gina Dalfonzo, "No Choice: Abortion and Our Priorities," BreakPoint Online, 25 July 2002. Peter Kreeft, How to Win the Culture War (InterVarsity Press, 2002).

10/15/02