Letter: What we all agree with about abortion

What forces many women to confront abortion are limited access to health care, extensive poverty, sexual violence, poor sex education and skewed views of sexuality in society (Letter: Graphic images force us to confront abortion, Sept. 10). The stories behind the women who have had an abortion are what bring abortion “to a human level.”

The idea that anyone is pro-abortion is laughable. As someone who sees abortion as an often “distant, mostly rhetorical debate,” the letter’s writer might actually benefit from studying the rhetoric involved with abortion a bit more. Wherever you stand on the abortion debate, it can at least be agreed that the fewer abortions, the better.

Does displaying any of these graphic images really lessen the number of abortions? They do not lessen the number when they are meant to produce shock and guilt, as the billboard-sized display outside of Strong Hall did.

What has occurred due to their presence a few weeks ago is an increase in discussion about abortion. Instead of arguing in endless circles about such things as when “life” begins and trying to find a specific set of morals that apply to all (something which we need to accept as an impossibility), let’s instead try to work together to reduce the number of abortions that occur. This has to start by dealing with the social issues of inadequate health care, extensive poverty and sexual violence. Part of being pro-choice is the choice for women to have a healthy pregnancy.

If you are interested in reading more about abortion and women’s personal stories I would recommend the book “Abortion & Life” by Jennifer Baumgardner. Not only does she present a brief history, a look at some of the rhetoric involved, the importance of discussing and exploring abortion further, but the focus is on women and their stories, allowing for personal perspectives of abortion.

— Krista Gampper is a senior from Iola.

 

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Comments

Abortion is the violent destruction of the unborn. Ms. Gampper's letter claims that ending abortion depends on the "impossible" task of finding "a specific set of morals that apply to all". But we already did find moral agreement against bigotry based on race. Now we need to end bigotry against tiny, developmentally-dependent humans in the womb.

It is a cruel irony that decades after establishing that the economic health of southern farmers did not justify treating black slaves as property instead of people, certain intellectuals will not ban abortion until an economic utopia can be guaranteed in America. The American suffragette feminists rejected abortion as justifiable; Elizabeth Cady Stanton called it "degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."[Letter to Julia Ward Howe, October 16, 1873]

Ms. Gampper, scoffing that anyone is "pro-abortion", seems unaware of the selfish "third-wave" feminism spearheaded by the author she recommended, Jennie Baumgartner, and her "Manifesta" co-author, Amy Richards. Richards proudly recounted in the New York Times how, at age 34, pregnant with triplets by her boyfriend (who wanted to parent all 3), she "selectively" aborted two of her triplets because, in her words, triplets would be inconvenient to her lecturing schedule and would condemn her to a life of buying mayonnaise in giant jars at Cosco. Read Richards' skewed logic and immorality in the service of egoism at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EED6113BF93BA25754C0A9629C8B63

Those who sanction abortion as a solution to poverty and personal problems need to be confronted with the appalling results of that violence in the genocide awareness campaign. As Mother Teresa said, "It is a true poverty that a child must die so that we may live as we please."

I don't believe the writer said or even referred to abortion as being a "solution" to poverty but a result of it. I found it a thoughtful article.

Abortion is the premeditated murder of parasites. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? NO! says the feminist, it belongs to the woman. NO! says washington, it belongs to the democrats. NO! says moscow, it belongs to the state. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture.

I think a lot of people are missing the point here.

What Miss. Gampper is trying to say is that we need to reduce the number of abortions by reducing the number of violent sexual crimes against women, increase access to proper health care, increase proper sex education, and bring our most at-risk/poverty stricken populations to a higher standard of living.

In other words: instead of screaming at each other until we're blue from hyperventilation, exhaustion, and anger we should look at all the social issues that contribute to people having abortions to prevent future abortions.

Now there's a novel idea - analyze, address, and resolve the causes instead of being angry at the effects.

No one is screaming. But we are saying that while many people use this arguement about how poverty causes unwanted pregnancies, the statistics do not bear that out. Surprising as it may seem, most abortions are not performed on teenagers, rape victims, abused or poverty stricken women. In fact poorer women are more likely to keep their babies. No, the vast majority of women who choose to have abortions are middle class and in their 20s and 30s. Women in the US today are better educated and better off financially than any previous generation of women. Many could choose to raise their babies or give them up for adoption. It would require work and unselfishness and a change in plans, but usually not extreme hardship.

In my opinion, until it's YOUR life and YOUR body, you have no say. You never know what you will do in a situation until you're actually faced with it.

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