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In my last two posts, I have tried to shed some light on popular myths that have been promoted by our society about abortion.  To finish this series, I’d like to take a look at a few more.

I hope that, if people learn these truths, it might keep them from making a decision that will potentially haunt them for the rest of their lives.

So, what are a few more myths we need to bust?

Never forced? Really?

One myth is that a woman is never “forced” to get an abortion.  Many women around the world would argue with that.  Of course, we know in China they have a “two-child policy”.  If a woman becomes pregnant with a third child, she either has to get an abortion or pay a heavy fine. 

But what about in the United States.  Are women ever forced to have an abortion?  Unfortunately, the answer is yes.  The government doesn’t do it.  At least not yet. 

Either the baby goes or you go

How does it happen then?

Imagine a young girl of 16 gets pregnant.  She lives at home and is dependent on her parents.  Mom and Dad say abort the baby or move out.  She doesn’t have much choice.

Let’s look at a few more examples.

What about the boyfriend or husband who just doesn’t want the responsibility?  Some men will let their girlfriend or wife know in no uncertain terms that either the baby goes, or she goes.  And yes, there are men who will physically abuse a woman to either bring on a miscarriage or force her to abort.

What about the sex trafficker?  To be sure, there is no room for a child in that scenario.  These abortions are not only forced on the victim but they hide the crime of trafficking. 

Coercion in the United States is a real problem.  64% of women in the U.S. feel pressure of some sort to abort.

Child abuse has increased

There are a few more myths that need to be dispelled.  One of these is the belief that abortion will eliminate or drastically reduce child abuse.  In fact, this myth is often used to justify the killing of the unborn.

Again, nothing could be further from the truth.  Over the last 48 years, since the legalization of abortion, has child abuse decreased?  Actually, no.  Quite the opposite.

It has increased.  We cannot contribute all of the increase in child abuse to abortion, but certainly, a good bit of it is directly related. 

How?

How?  If a society says it is okay to take the life of an unborn child…the most defenseless among us…what is to stop a person from abusing a child who has been born?  The very idea of abortion destroys the value that we place on human life, the value a couple would place on their child’s life.  With the value diminished, abuse becomes an option.

We should not be surprised at the epidemic of child abuse. Obviously there is a connection between what we can do to a baby in the first nine months of life in the womb, and thereafter.
Princeton Ethicist Paul Ramsey

Furthermore, when a woman has an abortion, it often increases the chances of her abusing future children.  Abortive women and men are more likely to be depressed, have sleep disorders, and abuse drugs and alcohol.  Women are more likely to be in an abusive relationship themselves.  All of these increase the chances of child abuse.

And after all, isn’t abortion the ultimate form of child abuse?

More moms raising children on their own

Another false belief is that with the legalization of abortion single-parent homes would decrease.  Unfortunately, the statistics say otherwise.

Here is some information for you:

Between the years 1965 and 1969, the percentage of out of wedlock births for Caucasians was 4.8%.  Twenty years later, between the years 1985-1989, the percentage rose to 16.1%.

For African Americans, the percentage of out of wedlock births rose from 34.9% to 61.8%.

Lanfranchi, Gentiles, and Ring-Cassidy (2013). Complications Abortion’s Impact on Women. The deVerber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research

Why the increase?

This is a significant increase.  But why did it happen?

People who have studied it believe two things play into the increase. It is believed that with the legalization of abortion, a woman’s ability to say “No” to premarital sex has been taken away.  After all, if you get pregnant, you can “just get rid of it”.

Second, men are much less likely to take responsibility for the child their partner conceives if she refuses to have an abortion.

Here is a quote from a study done in 1996 in the Quarterly Journal of Economics …

…the “fact that the birth of the baby is now a choice of the mother has implications for the decisions of the father.  The sexual revolution, by making the birth of the child the physical choice of the mother, makes marriage and child support a social choice for the father.”

Akerlof GA, Yellon JL and Katz ML, An Analysis of out of wedlock childbearing in the United States  277-317, 296-7

Just a few more words please.  It is amazing to me that with all of this information the pro-abortion community still portrays abortion on demand as a good thing for women.  I’m not quite sure how they get by with it.  Or why “news organizations” do not seek out the truth and report it.

You can make a difference

The bottom line is that abortion is an abuse and exploitation of women.  It is certainly not good for us nor can it be considered “healthcare”.  We need to stand against it. 

There are many ways to do this.  Check out your local crisis pregnancy center…support them.  Contact other pro-life agencies and see what you can do.

And please, support that young lady who may find herself pregnant.  She needs not only financial support but emotional support as well.  As Christians, we should be the first in line to “be there” for her.

Don’t turn you back on her.  You can make a difference!