by Adam Peters for
Live Action News
Many
“pro-choice” activists repeat a basic mantra: women have the right to absolute
bodily autonomy. This, apparently, is why some of them think that pregnancy is
a form of slavery. I actually got to meet an ex-slave from the Sudan once, and
she seemed to have a different opinion on what slavery involved. Nevertheless,
abortion supporters are adamant: a woman should never have to use her body for
something that she doesn’t agree with.
Except
for pro-life women, of course–they need to do what they’re told.
Rhrealitycheck.org
has published an article called, “Why We Need to Ban ‘Conscientious Objection’
in Reproductive Health Care.” The authors, Joyce Arthur and Christian Fiala,
contend that physicians who object to legalized abortion should “quit and find
another career.” Further, pro-life medical professionals (including female
ones, presumably) need to be “subject to disciplinary measures, including
possible dismissal or loss of license.”
That
abortion advocates would pressure doctors into using their minds, bodies and
professional knowledge for things that they don’t agree with isn’t surprising.
For years, the abortion industry has been helping to push unwanted choices on
pregnant women, too.
Live
Action contributor Jewels Green has recalled being coerced into having an
abortion by her abusive boyfriend. This was followed by feelings of
“overwhelming guilt” and dreams of her “lost child.” What Jewels experienced
wasn’t unique; Dr. David Reardon of the Elliot Institute wrote in the Canadian
Medical Association Journal that, “Abortion is often a woman’s last choice but
her abuser’s first choice.” By some accounts, over 50 percent of women who have
abortions are pressured into them. Those who resist this pressure can face
brutal consequences.
Roxanne
Fernando, a young Canadian woman, made it clear to her boyfriend that she would
not be having an abortion; he left her dead body in a snowbank. Another
Canadian, 21 year-old Tasha Rossette had her throat fatally sliced after she
insisted upon keeping her baby. Pennsylvanian Joseph Minerd was convicted of
using a pipe bomb to kill his pregnant girlfriend, Deana Mitts, when she
refused to abort. The explosion also killed Deana’s 3 year-old daughter as
well. Given the prevalence of cases like this, it’s not surprising that
homicide ranks among the leading causes of death for pregnant women.
Such
killings are rarely committed out of the blue. Instead, they typically happen
after a campaign of violence and coercion. Canadian member of parliament Rod
Bruinooge sought to address this situation when he introduced “Roxanne’s Law.”
Named for Roxanne Fernando, the bill would have made it a criminal offense to
attempt to coerce a woman into aborting. Similarly, there is a push for better
laws in the US to address the issue as well. Americans United for Life has
proposed a piece of model legislation called the Pregnant Woman’s Protection
Act, which would ensure that a pregnant woman who is being attacked can use
whatever force is required to protect the child that she’s carrying. The need
for such a law has been demonstrated by cases in which women have been sent to
prison for defending themselves and their pre-born children from violent
assaults.
As
we’ve seen, violence against pregnant women is endemic. Given this fact, it’s
possible that liberal feminists will become intensely supportive of the
measures outlined above…
