Pro-What Now?

I wasn' really searching out these articles today, but people kept posting them and I found myself reading them. Both have to do with the mixed messages sent by the pro-life movement. The first one I read (which I don't have a link to) was from a woman who has children of her own, as well as several foster children. She believes that being pro-life means supporting the children who are already here, as well as their parents. She is amazed at how many people claim to be pro-life, but sneer and judge anyone who has more children than they deem to be acceptable.

This article brings up so many points about the Pro-life movement. The author used to be pro-life, but over time, her perspective on things has changed. She is still an advocate for abortion prevention but feels the pro-life movement is less about saving babies and more about controlling/punishing women. There is always a counter-intuitive element to what they scream about, what they support and what they don't.

In light of the ban on Planned Parenthood, I think it's important to keep in mind that making abortion illegal does nothing to stop the rates of abortion in a country. All it usually does is cause more deaths and complications on the women who seek them because they have to do so in less than ideal circumstances. It's been proven that two things lower abortion rates. The first thing is having easy and cheap access to birth control. Less unplanned pregnancy means less abortions. And yet, many people who oppose abortion oppose this measure that often lowers the rates of it.

The other measure that lowers the abortion rate is financial stability. The more women believe they can financially secure a future for their child, the more likely they are to have that child. When programs are in place to ensure a safety net if things go bad, safe and affordable child care, and longer maternity leaves, then abortions are less likely. And yet, these programs are often opposed by the pro-life movement.

I'm not trying to tell anyone how to believe, but if you believe life begins before birth and that if someone gets pregnant,  they should have the baby, then perhaps you should also consider the research on what actually lowers abortion rates instead of just following along with the movement.