Opinion -- How to Reduce Abortions Without Removing Access

By Lois Pontius

Democratic Candidate, House District 2

I am pro-life. I even have a problem pulling up perfectly healthy plants in the garden when my husband says, “They are planted too thick; you have to thin them out.” We are all pro-life. We would all like to reduce abortions, but we have different ideas about how to accomplish that. Studies have shown that simply passing restrictive laws to abolish abortions is ineffective. Some studies have even shown that there are actually more abortions in countries with very restrictive abortion laws than in those with more permissive laws. But illegal abortions are dangerous, maiming and killing many young women. So the restrictive laws banning abortions are not about reducing abortions; it is about controlling women – like the Taliban. Or perhaps a more insidious ulterior motive is a divide and conquer strategy by those forces who are planning to overthrow our democratic form of government and install an autocratic dictatorship – like the Taliban. It seems to be quite effective; it certainly has divided us. There is a better way to reduce the number of abortions without infringing on the rights of people to make their own medical decisions with the aid of their personal healthcare providers.

The obvious, no-brainer, common-sense way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies! Here is the game plan:

–Education. Proper education of children about human reproductions, starting with the two year old who is awaiting the arrival of a new baby brother or sister. (No storks or cabbage patches in this story.) Continuing with age-appropriate, scientifically-correct, and morally-based education and counseling concerning physiology and personal responsibility as the child grows in maturation and intellectual ability. No, this is not “grooming!” Get over it!

–Prioritize the fight against sexual violence. Reducing sexual violence begins at a young age as part of comprehensive sex education, including respect for one’s own body and others’ bodies. Prioritize stricter laws against sexual violence, prosecute offenders of sexual violence, and encourage more bystander training and community support across the country. 

–Improve access to contraception. Preventative measures work better than curative measures. Providing free contraceptive counseling and contraception of their choice to low income families would be a highly effective way to reduce unintended pregnancies.

–Require federal paid family leave. The United States is one of only two nations in the world that does not guarantee paid family leave for parents. The most common reason given for having an abortion is the inability to financially support a child or another child. A very large percentage of abortion patients have an income level below the poverty level or are low income. Paid family leave would provide time for healing from childbirth, offer financial stability, and develop nurturing relationships and environments for their children.

–Offer universal healthcare. I was amazed at what childbirth costs are today. I think my first childbirth cost in 1964 was $150.00, and I thought that was a lot then. Now, I understand it runs in the thousands of dollars, even with insurance. For low income families, that can be a dealbreaker. Universal healthcare would provide better prenatal and post-natal healthcare and make the childbirth process more accessible and safe. In addition to decreasing the need for abortions, it would also decrease the maternal mortality rate, which for the United States, is the highest rate of all the developed countries. This should also include mental health support for postpartum depression, which affects as much as one in seven parents who recently gave birth.

–Offer affordable or free childcare options. When mothers get more financial support for childbearing, removing the financial strain of caring for young children, they are much less likely to pursue abortion.

–Insure access to safe and affordable housing. Housing costs have risen so sharply that for low income families, it is very difficult to provide a safe place for children to live along with providing the other essentials of a health environment for children. It discourages women from continuing a pregnancy.

It may seem rather expensive to fund all these measures, but would it be any more expensive than all the lawsuits that are going to be flying all over the country with the current situation being as it is? The recent vote in Kansas makes it very clear that the people do not want abortions banned. Those candidates facing an election in November had better take notice. Some of them may need to do some backpedaling between now and November.