In fact, the argument should not be just about making abortion illegal or keeping it legal. The sides are very unlikely to get anywhere arguing their points on that issue. It really comes down to reducing the need for abortion. I think everyone can agree on that.
Countless studies have demonstrated that good sex education in schools reduces unintended pregnancies, STDs, and even delays first sexual experience. Personally, I would LOVE for us to go back to the days when no one had sex until they were married. But what I want has nothing to do with reality.
We know that abstinence-only programs and virginity pledges have two outcomes:
- MORE unplanned pregnancies
- MORE STDs
Interestingly, the Bible Belt has the HIGHEST rate of teen pregnancy and STDs in the U.S. The adults there THINK they are addressing the problem appropriately - with religion and pledges... but they are dead wrong. They are making the problem worse. So we need to educate the parents AND politicians. Good luck with that one...
We know that the best way to reduce abortion is effective sex education and birth control. No one wants to see more abortion. I know some anti-choice people use the term "pro-abortion." That's disingenuous and simple minded. No one is pro-abortion. And frankly, no one is ANTI-abortion - not really. There are circumstances where the most adamant anti-choice person is actually pro-choice. The problem is that people think about saving babies and STOP thinking. Period. But there are circumstances where ANYONE would support abortion.
I recently spoke with a fellow and told him that puberty is now commonly started at age 9 - in the THIRD GRADE. I asked if he would make a third grader have a baby. He said he would, and the baby could be put up for adoption. I then asked about 2nd graders... he had no problem making a 2nd grader have a baby. I asked what about 1st grade... you guessed it. Of course it would be very rare for a 1st grader to become pregnant... but very young children sometimes DO start puberty. It's not good for them and they should have medical treatment to stop it, but it happens. And we all know children are raped. So at what age should we rethink the whole banning abortion business? The youngest medically documented pregnancy was in a 5 year old. You can look that up. And yes, she survived. But she obviously was raped - was it good for her mental health to carry that baby? Was it good for her physical development? No. It wasn't. But she had a Cesarian section and she survived.
I wish we would stop arguing about whether abortion should be legal and discussing rape. The ONLY person who can tell you what it's like and what it feels like to carry the baby is the rape victim. No politician - male or female - can tell anyone how THEY feel. I have never been raped, but I've heard many stories from rape victims. That's what we shrinks do - we hear people's stories. And I can tell you with impunity that the scope of suffering from rape is FAR greater than those politicians could ever guess. Furthermore, each person reacts differently. To force a woman to bear her rapist's child compounds the injury. If we take that decision away from her, we might as well rape her again. Lastly, 31 states allow rapists visitation and custody rights. That's just unthinkable to me.
We need to stop arguing about abortion. Few people change their minds about this. It would be far wiser to focus on reducing the NEED for abortion. Arguing about abortion itself is pointless... but we CAN pool our intellectual resources and work out a way to reduce unwanted pregnancies. We could reduce them A LOT. That should be the focus.
The ignorance among young people is breathtaking. I once had a college student ask me during lecture if Mountain Dew prevented pregnancy. Several others endorsed the query - they had heard the same thing. I was baffled by the question. He had heard it "slows sperm down." I said that yes, it prevents pregnancy if you drink three gallons of it in 20 minutes and are sick and unable to perform sexually.
There is NO good reason that ANY college student should think such a ridiculous thing. I told him if he really thought that, he would soon be sued for child support. I've started incorporating basic sex education into lectures. I already lecture on sexual development, conception, and prenatal development... I need to add PREVENTION of pregnancy to all that. I have college students who don't already know this stuff.
Let's stop arguing about abortion. No one is pro-abortion. Let's get together and work out how to eliminate unplanned pregnancies. I don't think we'll ever be free of rape - but most unplanned pregnancies are due to consensual sex. And most teen pregnancies occur between 3pm and 6pm - when parents are still at work and kids are home from school. That's an important part of the equation. I think all sides of the abortion issue can come together on this... except for the most adamant anti-birth control people. I don't think they can be a part of the solution... they focus on the miniscule failure rates of birth control. That's ridiculous. Birth control is highly effective. The rest of us should be able to work out some solutions. I hope with the election over, we can try to work together on these issues. I'm a hopeful person that way...
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/08/31-states-grant-rapists-custody-and-visitation-rights/56118/
