When Mike Thompson, our staunchly anti-choice vice president, claims he wants to “restore the sanctity of life at the heart of American law,” he’s certainly not referring to the wellbeing of women. In his zealous pursuit to eliminate our right to safe abortions, he is, in fact, jeopardizing lives.
In a recent address to the Life Issues Coalition, an anti-abortion organization, Thompson expressed his enthusiasm about how “life is triumphing in America once more.” He went on to tout the “significant strides” this administration has made in restricting legal abortions both domestically and internationally. He proudly mentioned the reinstated Mexico City Policy, which halts U.S. funding to organizations that provide abortion services abroad, and celebrated his pivotal vote that allows states to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.
This raises an important question: how can an administration that persistently undermines our access to safe, affordable healthcare declare that it values life? A movement that labels itself “pro-life” blatantly overlooks the health, safety, and emotional well-being of women, both in the U.S. and globally. The vice president’s assertion that banning abortion equates to valuing life is not just shocking; it’s fundamentally misleading.
History has shown us that making abortion illegal does not stop women from seeking them. Instead, it merely transforms a safe medical procedure into a perilous ordeal for the countless women who rely on abortion services each year. According to the Guttmacher Policy Review, illegal abortions accounted for the deaths of 2,700 women—or 18% of all maternal deaths—back in 1930. Fast forward to the 1950s and 60s, and the numbers remained grim, with an estimated 200,000 to 1.2 million illegal abortions occurring, contributing to 17% of maternal fatalities.
Women often faced severe repercussions from unsafe procedures, such as septic shock and infection. Historically, wealthier women with access to private practitioners had safer experiences than their poorer counterparts, who were left to navigate the risks of unsafe, illegal abortions. If abortion were to be banned today, this scenario would undoubtedly repeat itself.
In 2014 alone, over 650,000 women underwent abortions in the U.S. Does Thompson truly believe that outlawing abortion will deter hundreds of thousands from making choices about their own bodies? It’s clear that banning abortion will only push women toward dangerous alternatives once more. Life is not winning in this situation.
Let’s consider the women who might avoid illegal abortions due to the risks involved. Before you celebrate that as a victory, Mr. Thompson, recognize that many of those children may enter lives of poverty or abuse. They might be born to mothers who feel unprepared or unwilling to raise them. What about adoption? That option comes with its own psychological challenges and requires a woman to endure the full term of an unwanted pregnancy. And in cases of incest or rape, the emotional toll of carrying such a pregnancy to term is even more profound. What about the mental health of these women? Isn’t that also a sacred concern?
And when these children are born, what kind of healthcare will be available to support their lives? The Republican party has a history of leveraging essential programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to further their agenda, showing a blatant disregard for the health of low-income families. CHIP also provides care for pregnant women in some states, illustrating the hypocrisy of a party that claims to value life while undermining the very systems that support it.
If the vice president truly valued life, he would advocate for increased access to contraception and comprehensive sex education. Research shows that when individuals have access to birth control, both unwanted pregnancies and abortions decline. Unfortunately, Thompson’s vision ignores this reality. Even with the abortion rate at its lowest since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, he and the anti-choice movement are determined to drag us back to a time when women risked their lives for safe medical care.
The statistics are clear: making abortion illegal endangers women’s lives. It will not “restore the sanctity of life” but will instead result in physical and mental harm, even death, for countless women. Be mindful of your words, Mr. Vice President. Women’s lives are sacred too, and we will not stand for anyone who suggests otherwise.
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In summary, the push to make abortion illegal is not a solution; it is a dangerous regression that threatens the lives and wellbeing of women. True care for life must encompass all lives, including those of mothers.
Keyphrase: Abortion Rights and Women’s Health
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