How I Lost Faith in the “Pro-Life” Movement

[XemaSab]

The spring of my sophomore year of college I was president of my university’s Students for Life chapter. The fall of my junior year of college I cut my ties with the pro-life movement. Five years later I have lost the last shred of faith I had in that movement. This is my story.

I was raised in the sort of evangelical family where abortion is the number one political issue. I grew up believing that abortion was murder, and when I stopped identifying as pro-life I initially still believed that. Why, then, did I stop identifying as pro-life? Quite simply, I learned that increasing contraceptive use, not banning abortion, was the key to decreasing the number of abortions. Given that the pro-life movement focuses on banning abortion and is generally opposed advocating greater contraceptive use, I knew that I no longer fit. I also knew that my biggest allies in decreasing the number of abortions were those who supported increased birth control use – in other words, pro-choice progressives. And so I stopped calling myself pro-life.

My views on fetal personhood and women’s bodily autonomy have shifted since that day, but when I first started blogging a year and a half ago I was nevertheless very insistent that the pro-life movement should be taken at its word when it came to rhetoric about saving “unborn babies” from being “murdered.” I insisted that the pro-life movement wasn’t anti-woman or anti-sex, and that those who opposed abortion genuinely believed that a zygote/embryo/fetus was a person with rights in need of protection just like any other person. I believed that the pro-life movement’s actions were counterproductive, but that they were merely misinformed. I wrote a post with practical suggestions for opponents of abortion. I believed that the pro-life movement was genuine in its goals, but simply ignorant about how its goals might best be obtained.

I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2012/10/how-i-lost-faith-in-the-pro-life-movement.html

[RainDog]

1. k&r n/t

[sling438]

2. Great piece of writing

Being able to admit when you are wrong is a sign of strength. God bless you. I went through a similar experience when we invaded Iraq in 2003. I initially supported Bush and believed that Saddam had WMD. Had to admit I was wrong afterwards. I've supported democrats ever since.

Actually, a study has shown that reducing abortions is, as you mentioned accomplished not by working to outlaw it but by improving access to contraception. I believe it was done in St. Louis, MO (ironically, where Todd "a rape victim can shut down her own pregnancy" Akin is running for senate).

When republicans like Romney insist on telling us crap like Jeep is outsourcing 1,100 jobs to China (debunked by the CEO of the company) and that he never said he would work to overturn Roe v. Wade (debunked by video of him stating otherwise), they have taken every reason I had to vote for them. Sad.

[RainDog]

6. agreed. n/t

[AnnieBW]

3. Great article

Everything that we've ever said about "pro-lifers" confirmed.

[GoneOffShore]

4. Phenomenal piece.

This is a battle that should have been won years ago. And parts of the world have put this behind themselves.

[RainDog]

5. I cross posted a link to your thread

to the infamous "I'm still a lefty even if I want to make women criminals for reproductive choice."

[Hissyspit]

9. That was my first thought in reaction, too.

[RainDog]

16. It's too bad this is getting so little exposure

because this woman roundly defeats EVERY argument from the anti-choice crowd on "pro-life" bases.

It's hard for people to realize, sometimes, that their stances don't achieve what they would like - especially if it allows someone to be "holier-than-thou."

Kudos to this woman for using her capacity to research and reason and come to a reality-based conclusion.

[RainDog]

7. Abortion rates do not change when abortion is illegal

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/12abortion.html?_r=0

this link is also from the article in the OP.

A comprehensive global study of abortion has concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and those where it is not, suggesting that outlawing the procedure does little to deter women seeking it.

Moreover, the researchers found that abortion was safe in countries where it was legal, but dangerous in countries where it was outlawed and performed clandestinely. Globally, abortion accounts for 13 percent of women’s deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, and there are 31 abortions for every 100 live births, the study said.

The results of the study, a collaboration between scientists from the World Health Organization in Geneva and the Guttmacher Institute in New York, a reproductive rights group, are being published Friday in the journal Lancet.

“We now have a global picture of induced abortion in the world, covering both countries where it is legal and countries where laws are very restrictive,” Dr. Paul Van Look, director of the W.H.O. Department of Reproductive Health and Research, said in a telephone interview. “What we see is that the law does not influence a woman’s decision to have an abortion. If there’s an unplanned pregnancy, it does not matter if the law is restrictive or liberal.”

No matter what someone's motivation for being anti-choice - they are not doing anything good to oppose it. Instead, they are causing harm.

[Hissyspit]

8. +1

[Science Geek]

18. Thanks for this info.

This whole post is very informative and your reply in particular.

No matter what someone's motivation for being anti-choice - they are not doing anything good... Instead, they are causing harm. ...The road to hell is often paved with the BEST of intentions. E.G. The liquor prohibitionists. The war on drugs. The war on gays. The war on abortion. Et al... There is a common theme amongst all of these prohibitions (and the prohibitionists too!), would be do-gooders, perhaps really well-meaning people, creating very, very bad results and untold human suffering all for the lack of a basic understanding of the way things really are -- reality, in other words.

[RainDog]

20. The real problem for the religious right wing

is that they have a genuine moral conundrum. If they really care about reducing abortions because they think this is against their god, they need to compromise with those who don't share their religious belief.

Are they more concerned with trying to force others to live in their way, or more concerned with what they call the sanctity of life?

Their unwillingness to deal with facts is what always gets "true believers" in trouble.

[Vidar]

10. Well done.

[Hamlette]

11. Everyone should read this. Excellent argument and one not many of us pro choice types do not make.

But should.

[RainDog]

14. I agree. This is an excellent article n/t

[Zalatix]

12. But pro-lifers are running from the anti-contraception, war on women mentality in droves.

And climate change is a fantasy, the world is flat and the whole moon mission was faked!


Drink the kool-aid!!!

[pinstikfartherin]

13. I like the comment of a reader about vasectomies.

To me, it only makes sense to offer those as well in order to cover all bases. My boyfriend's brother had one when he was first married and realized he did not want children. Of course, he didn't tell his wife until after, and she had wanted children... but that's a topic of his continued selfishness for another day. I'm glad my guy is his polar opposite in many ways.

[Tennessee Gal]

15. This is an excellent post.

It affirms what I have been trying to explain to those who are so stridently pro-life. They can't see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes.

Bookmarked.

[Sparky 1]

17. Yours is the best pro-choice article I've ever read. Thank you!

I will make sure more people see it.

[Heidi]

19. Recommended. (nt)

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. Have you heard of the Consistent Life Ethic movement?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consistent_life_ethic


Not saying to agree or disagree with their views, but it offers a much more fresh, reasoned, logical and dare I say more liberal position than the rest of the anti-abortion movement.

That being said, unfortunately it still remains a minority view in the anti-abortion movement, who remain captive in the odd marriage with Ayn Rand economic theories espoused by the Republican Party.

[user_name]

22. Great article

The author does a wonderful job articulating her journey and the hypocrisy of the pro-life movement. I was fascinated by some of the statistics related to incidents of abortion, legality, and access to contraception. Thanks for posting it!

[Luminous Animal]

23. Thanks for posting this. K&R

[RainDog]

24. k&r n/t

[Xyzse]

25. I agree with this but...

Please note, I can agree with most of what that article says, however, it is a tough sell to some Anti-Choicers. I can not call them Pro-Life because what they promote would cause more deaths due to how limited their vision is.

See, as soon as you go in to contraception, you would raise their hackles immediately. I think it is wrong, but they have a very negative view on any sort of contraceptive except the "natural" methods. Like "pulling out", "abstinence", and "cyclical methods".

It sucks, because I can not convince them otherwise.

ACA is great because it actually limits abortions due to the following:

1 - Contraceptives would prevent unplanned pregnancies limiting abortion. Still, it goes against their beliefs, but the truth is, it does help.
2 - More affordable health care allows parents to be able to care for the baby's and mother's health. Which should also limit abortions because if it is more affordable, it would take out the financial factors for having an abortion.

Any how, if you look at other European nations, single mothers are able to provide for their child due to the help they get in terms of leave, and so forth. If you compare abortion rates there, it is less than here.

I agree with the article, but sadly, sometimes, there is just no talking to them. Ticks me off because some churches just this Sunday talked about non-negotiable issues, and I still say that, that is not something meant to sway the vote. Frustrates me to no end, which is why I walked out and donated blood instead. Yes, I walked out of church and donated blood instead, because donating blood is far more pleasant than listening to that carp.

[RainDog]

26. Fundies don't have a problem with contraception

Catholics are the group that had problems with this, but traditionally fundies were supportive of contraceptives within marriage - this is the sticking point for them - they want to control behavior outside of marriage.

But, yes, the ultimately reality concerning childbearing and child raising is that nations with a strong safety net offer more options.

I also agree that it's often impossible to reason with someone who has a revealed religion view of reality.

But for those who wonder - this article helps to cut through a lot of the b.s. of the anti-choice rhetoric.

[Xyzse]

27. You might be right...

I may be talking to some crazier fundies then.
Since some of them are also still against contraceptives in marriage, asking them to use the "natural" methods. I just noticed that a lot of us Catholics don't really play in to that, since they think it is so minor when already in marriage. However, in terms of what some of the ones that preach still say, they are against it.

I also agree that the article cuts through a lot of the bs out there. So, our view might be similar, other than we have gotten contact with a different set of fundamentalists.

[RainDog]

28. well, personally some of them may

but as far as official doctrine - they changed that, it came along with their move to adopt catholic positions on abortion, too, after the 1980s.