Abortion rates same whether legal or not

[varun]

Source: MSNBC

LONDON - Women are just as likely to get an abortion in countries where it is outlawed as they are in countries where it is legal, according to research published Friday.

In a study examining abortion trends from 1995 to 2003, experts also found that abortion rates are virtually equal in rich and poor countries, and that half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe.

The study was done by Gilda Sedgh of the Guttmacher Institute in the United States and colleagues from the World Health Organization. It was published in an edition of The Lancet medical journal devoted to maternal health.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21255186/

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There you go....this research shows that you cannot reduce abortion if you make it illegal. What do the anti-abortionists have to say to that?

[Warpy]

1. Antiabortion laws just stop the safe abortions

and force desperate women into the hands of amateurs and butchers.

Bottom line: antiabortion laws kill women.

[Megahurtz]

2. Stupid Fundies Think

that outlawing Abortion will save the "Babies" :eyes: but it does not.

Idiots one and all who want to outlaw Abortion!

[lolly]

6. Does anyone believe they really care about the babies?

It's all about making women suffer, punishing them for their sins, for doing the nasty, nasty thing that they're all obsessed with.

[bjorkfan]

17. Some do adopt children...

I know the ultra-radical Randall Terry has adopted African American children, though they didn't turn out the way he expected. One is gay, another had an out-of-wedlock child.

[RainDog]

20. and he disowned them, didn't he?

and he divorced his "old" wife in 2000 and married a woman he'd had an affair with for years? if I remember correctly...and goggle has it, I'm just too lazy to post a link. Randall Terry Jamail will get you there, tho.

[Ilsa]

24. That and pidgeon-hoing them into powerless lives. nt

[ThomCat]

4. And create more opportunities for men to dominate women's lives.

anti-abortion laws reinforce sexism and misogyny.

[bjorkfan]

27. Even legal abortion in Japan hasn't made them an egalitarian society, either.....

and some cultures don't see adoption as an acceptable option for an unwanted pregnancy because they are un-egalitarian. Of course, I know Americans who think this way as well. They think genetics pre-determines a child's outcome in life and adopting a baby is like bringing a stranger home. Haven't you noticed that everytime an adopted person gets in trouble, the media always mentions that they were adopted? I have yet to read a news story that says "Lindsay Lohan, BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER of Michael and Dina Lohan...."

[Demeter]

3. 5th Rec

[LeighAnn]

5. Same as Drugs

If drugs were legal, who do you think would be using them? Likely, the same people who already do anyway.

[Beartracks]

10. Same as murder, too?

We could ask: If murder was legal, who do you think would be committing it? And the answer would be: Likely, the same people who already do it anyway.

I don't think fundies want to outlaw abortion because it would reduce abortion rates; I think they want to outlaw it because they believe it is wrong, like murder is wrong.

Society outlawed murder even though doing so has probably not reduced the murder rate; rather, murder was outlawed because it is wrong, and society wanted to codify punishments for that crime. Fundies (and, I am given to understand, many non-fundies) regard abortion as murder, and murder is outlawed. So, the argument goes, abortion should also be outlawed.

I'm just sayin'...
:shrug:

[area51]

11. Fundies

If fundies really believed abortion was wrong, and if they were really pro-life, and their motive weren't really to punish women for having sex, they'd be on the pro-life forefront of fighting for single-payer, universal healthcare, which has the opportunity to save thousands of American lives if we'd just transition to it.

[noonwitch]

13. Anti-abortion people

I agree-they truly believe it's murder, and feel it's their responsibility to oppose it.

I am pro-choice, as far as the law goes. That doesn't mean I think abortion is a good thing, but I can picture myself in situations where it would be my best option, particularly if I was raped. The best thing that the anti-abortion crowd can do is present alternatives to women-free clinics and community resources-many already do provide these services. If a pregnant woman wants to have a baby, but can't financially afford one, she shouldn't feel like abortion is her only option in a society with as many resources as ours has.

The other type of situation where anti-abortion fundies could really help out is with teen pregnancies in which the girl is afraid to tell her parents, but wants to have her baby. If she is afraid to tell her parents, 8 out of 10 times its likely because they are religious and she is afraid of their response. A helpful adult of the same religious backround would be a good person to help the family through the situation.

[bjorkfan]

18. It's similar to the animal rights cause...

in the sense that one group believes they are fighting on behalf of a defenseless third party unable to act in their own self-interest. But they run into conflict because it involves regulating the behavior of others; pro-lifers want the state to compel a woman to carry her pregnancy to term and PETA wants the state to prevent everyone from wearing fur, eating meat or doing animal experiments.

[varun]

23. Very good analogy

I think eating meat = abortion

I think a fully developed animal (chicken, cow, whatever) is more sentient than a 4 week old embryo/fetus.

[daleo]

14. If we could only find a country where murder was legal

We could test your theory.

"Society outlawed murder even though doing so has probably not reduced the murder rate..."

[bjorkfan]

7. Non-vaginal intercourse

I wonder if there are cultural taboos in abortion-illegal nations against non-vaginal intercourse (oral sex, intercrural sex, mutual masturbation). I consider those acts forms of contraception and they allow sexual intimacy.

[BlueIris]

22. Um...okay.

[Ilsa]

25. I wish there were fewer taboos on this, especially mutual

masturbation. There are still health/STD issues with oral sex, but some of these methods are easier and safer than others, and give intimacy and pleasure to both partners.

[usregimechange]

8. Stupid on terrorism, stupid on abortion, see a pattern?

[bjorkfan]

9. They would probably argue ...

that society has become more violent and sexually exploitive of women since Roe. Having been raised around pro-life women, I notice an element of fear that they can't compete with pro-choice women in attracting men. Sort of how the women who won't put out resent the competition from promiscuous women.

[oldcoot]

12. They would be wrong

This society has always been violent. If they examined the history of this country, they would notice the brutal treatment of Native Americans during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. They should also examine the treatment of African Americans before and after slavery.

It is also worth noting that abortion was legal in the United States before the mid-to-late 1800s.

[bjorkfan]

16. But their memory doesn't go back that far

[bjorkfan]

15. National registry

I would create a national registry of all people who would vote to ban abortion. All those on the registry would be required to give financial support, housing, adoption, medical care and anything else necessary for a crisis pregnancy.

[slackmaster]

19. Color me surprised

NOT.

[BlueIris]

21. WOW. No shit? In other "news" I've only known my WHOLE LIFE, the sky is blue.

Fucking anti-choice slimy fuckwad misogynist fuckwad assholes.

[DuaneBidoux]

26. It would be interesting if this means TOTAL deaths including fetuses is higher when outlawed.