By Carol Tobias, President
Have you noticed how practically every piece of legislation designed to protect unborn children and their mothers is called an abortion “ban”?
A bill that would prevent abortion after 15 weeks, a time at which the unborn child can feel pain, is called a “ban” by abortion advocates in the Democrat party and the media. Did they EVER stop to consider that such a bill would still allow 95% of all abortions to continue? Only about 5% of abortions are done later than 15 weeks.
A bill that would prevent abortion after six weeks, a time at which the unborn child has a detectable heartbeat, is called a “ban” by abortion advocates in the Democrat party and the media. Did they EVER stop to consider that such a bill would still allow almost 55%
of all abortions to continue? Approximately 45% of abortions occur after six weeks.
This type of legislation will certainly save lives, but neither of these is a “ban” on abortion.
And yet, when pro-life members of Congress or state legislators consider such legislation, the promoters of abortion shout from the rooftops that pro-lifers are trying to “ban” abortion, hoping no one will notice that it’s not a ban at all, and that most abortions would still continue.
When referring to a heartbeat bill, which protects unborn children after six weeks gestation, the phrase “before many women even know they’re pregnant” is often included as a descriptor. Pregnancy tests today are both inexpensive and highly accurate, even very early in pregnancy. Certainly, some women don’t think they can or will become pregnant, or a girl may be too young and naive to understand the consequences, but by and large, men and women know that pregnancy is a possible consequence of sex.
Search online for “pregnancy test” and you will find they are available from pharmacies, Walmart, Target, and Amazon. I’ve seen them on the shelf at dollar stores. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to determine whether a pregnancy exists. The claim that a bill will ban abortions “after six weeks, before many women even know they’re pregnant” is a misleading and demeaning put-down of women, and a lame attempt to justify unlimited abortion throughout pregnancy.
The fact that many abortions occur after six weeks does not mean the women didn’t know they were pregnant before the six-week mark. Many of them likely couldn’t decide what they wanted to do, or they were trying to avoid the abortion and were arguing with a boyfriend or parent to support a pro-life decision.
Subtly loaded propaganda such as referring to pro-life legislation as a “ban” or saying that women “won’t know they’re pregnant” before a time at which abortion is no longer allowed, are the kinds of assertions that are misleading and damaging to the pro-life cause. Each of us needs to push back and correct such misstatements when we spot them. If you see this language in your local newspaper or in an on-line comment section on some website– challenge the language. Add pertinent facts to educate other readers.
Writing a letter-to-the-editor of your local paper is a great way to do this.
Our opponents must be challenged when their statements and arguments are not truthful. Grassroots pro-lifers should keep a watchful eye and, kindly but firmly, correct them when necessary.
Unborn children are completely dependent on what we do to defend them. Letters to the editor are a very well-read part of newspapers and are a great way for us to set the record straight.