God's Own Baby-Killers: Abortions Soar Where Religious Zeal Abounds

[leftchick]

http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1442/135/


Written by Chris Floyd
Tuesday, 26 February 2008


George Monbiot reports on a study revealing -- surprise, surprise! -- that countries with the most fervent religious faith have the greatest number of abortions.

As Monbiot notes, this stems directly from one of the primary aims of organized religion: the control of women, especially their fertility. The zealous pursuit of this goal leads to rejection of contraception and sex education, which in turn gives rise to more unwanted pregnancies -- hence more abortions. In fact, studies show that the country with perhaps the most "liberal" and "permissive" sexual policies -- the Netherlands-- has the lowest rate of abortion in the world. Monbiot:

A study published in the Lancet shows that between 1995 and 2003, the global rate of induced abortions fell from 35 per 1,000 women each year to 29. This period coincides with the rise of the "globalised secular culture" the Pope laments. When the figures are broken down, it becomes clear that, apart from the former Soviet Union, abortion is highest in conservative and religious societies. In largely secular western Europe, the average rate is 12 abortions per 1,000 women. In the more religious southern European countries, the average rate is 18. In the US, where church attendance is still higher, there are 23 abortions for every 1,000 women, the highest level in the rich world. In central and South America, where the Catholic church holds greatest sway, the rates are 25 and 33 respectively. In the very conservative societies of east Africa, it's 39...

I am not suggesting a sole causal relationship: the figures also reflect changing demographies. But it's clear that religious conviction does little to reduce abortion and plenty to increase it. The highest rates of all -- 44 per 1,000 -- occur in the former Soviet Union: under communism, contraceptives were almost impossible to obtain. But, thanks to better access to contraception, this is also where the decline is fastest: in 1995 the rate was twice as high. There has been a small rise in abortion in western Europe, attributed by the Guttmacher Institute in the US to "immigration of people with low levels of contraceptive awareness". The explanation, in other words, is consistent: more contraception means less abortion.

There is also a clear relationship between sex education and falling rates of unintended pregnancy. A report by the United Nations agency Unicef notes that in the Netherlands, which has the world's lowest abortion rate, a sharp reduction in unwanted teenage pregnancies was caused by "the combination of a relatively inclusive society with more open attitudes towards sex and sex education, including contraception". By contrast, in the US and UK, which have the developed world's highest teenage pregnancy rates, "contraceptive advice and services may be formally available, but in a 'closed' atmosphere of embarrassment and secrecy"....The more effectively religious leaders and conservative anathemise contraception, sex education and premarital sex, the higher abortion rates will go.

Monbiot also points out that while these attitudes cause much suffering in rich nations, "it doesn't compare to the misery inflicted on the poor":

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Thanks for posting this. It confirms what many of us have thought all along.

[leftchick]

4. the hypocrisy of the fundy RTLers is astounding

heaven forbid they should actually work to improve the lives already here on earth and help make abortion rare. :grr:

[fascisthunter]

8. Self-Fullfilling Prophets That They Are

Yet, they have no backbone to admit as much.

[physioex]

2. That's right...

And that's why I am a proud member of Planned Parenthood.

[mainegreen]

3. If I remember correctly, the same is true for divorce.

Lowest in Liberal, secular areas, highest in fundyland.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Not sure if it was higher or just on a par with non-religious marriages. At any rate it was _not_

lower as would be expected according to them.

[kath]

21. yep - here in fundie OK, "Buckle of the Bibble Belt", divorce, child abuse, and teen pregnancy

rates are all sky high. (as is functional illiteracy) I think domestic violence rates are high as well.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. K&R

I wonder what would happen if you forced a fundie to read something like this...

Maybe her/his head would explode?

[Der Blaue Engel]

11. Fundies survive living in reality by doing one of two things:

1) Putting their fingers in their ears and singing, "La, la, la, la, I love you Jesus," or

2) "Satan wrote that. It's a lie. Even if you prove it. Satan made the proof exist." (Satan, to a fundie, is more powerful than God.)

[PurpleChez]

28. "Satan, to a fundie, is more powerful than God."

Damn, you're good! You summarized something there that it usually takes me entire paragraphs to outline. Especially since moving to Fundyland about 10 years ago I've been amused and amazed by the thumpers who go on and on and on about how strong their faith is--and yet, they seem to see every book, movie, TV show, CD, singer, etc., as a potential threat to said faith, and they insist that without government enforcement at all levels of their specific beliefs Satan will triumph. I've long thought the fundies seemed to see their faith as actually very, very weak. I just wasn't able to say it as good as you did.

[Der Blaue Engel]

29. That's because I've lived it

I'm one of those "backslidden" you've heard tell about. ;)

There's nothing like being brainwashed during your formative years to give you a solid understanding of the way the fundy mind works.

:scared:

[PurpleChez]

30. Another thing...

why is it that these people of such supposedly strong faith seem to require near-constant reinforcement ("strokes") from the outside world? Sure...you can tell 'em that they and their kids are free to pray as individuals whenever and wherever they choose, but that's not enough...the government must lead their children in prayer every morning at school. The government must let them use the stadium PA system to conduct prayer services before high school football games. If they are denied they whine that they are not being allowed to practice their religion. It's as if prayer doesn't count unless EVERYBODY ELSE sees you doing it...and isn't that in direct conflict with something Jesus might have said...? And it's not just religion...they can plaster their goddam redneck ugly hateful confederate battle flag over every item they own...but unless their state makes it a part of the state flag and/or flies it over the capitol building they are being denied their "heritage." We fuss a lot about the fundies and thumpers trying to force their dogma on the rest of us, and I certainly will not minimize the danger in all of that. But I wonder sometime if what's really going on is that they want their dogma to be forced on THEMSELVES, and the rest of us just get in the way. They want everybody else to guarantee that they will never have to confront something they disagree with, that they will never have to explain anything contradictory to their children.

[Der Blaue Engel]

32. Their excuse for their weak faith is that God will punish them

with diseases and natural disasters if they allow anyone else to live in peace around them. They have a petty, mean little god, and an all-powerful, trickster Devil, and both must be given their public offerings: superstitious appeasement of one god's vindictiveness and protection magic against the other's charms.

Their worst fear is that they will open their eyes and discover that they've been duped all along. And why not? They're absolutely right: the more you learn about the world, the harder it is to believe nonsense. And to find out your whole life of denial of pleasure and capricious suffering has been for nothing is more than some of these sad people can bear.

[niyad]

7. k & r for this most important topic

[EOTE]

9. I'd really like to see how this breaks down...

on a state by state basis. I'm guessing you'll find the exact same trends.

[Warpy]

10. Recommend #5

The most intensely religious countries are also the ones where women are most devalued. They are the ones where women are forced into marital subservience and have few rights, especially the right to say no to sex they don't want.

That is what leads to all those pregnancies they don't want, can't handle, can't afford.

[unpossibles]

12. not surprising - thanks nt

[progressoid]

13. I heard all about this on the Sean Hannity show.

NOT

[leftchick]

14. whew!

you had me going there. :crazy:

[progressoid]

16. Actually, he might end up using it in some sort of reverse logic thing

His listeners will fall for anything.

[xchrom]

15. recommend

[Hydra]

17. Idiots

The wingnuts and religious crusaders need to SHUT UP about sex. Not their bodies, not their business.

"God told me to!"

No, a dusty old book written by a bunch of old male lunatics(and in some cases, perverts) does NOT equal god.

[Psyop Samurai]

18. This is a powerhouse of an article, as Floyd's invariably are...

My reaction to reading Monbiot's observations on the Lancet study was simply, "this is common sense". Moreover, I'm really to the point where anyone to whom it is not common sense, has an malignant agenda, despite any seemingly plausible smokescreen about "sanctity of life".

You know, the issue of "not playing in their frame" comes up occasionally, but I think not nearly often or seriously enough. I don't think we're coming to terms with the degree of repudiation required if the world is to be habitable by sentient beings. I attribute it, at least partly, to the naive belief that there is no such thing as evil, just ignorance and "misunderstanding" that can somehow be "won over".

We really need to get to the point (and quickly), of saying "No more blood cults!". "No more mind control cults." "No more slavery." "No more murder." We must turn the tables on the manipulators, decisively, and without apology. This is not a matter of "opinion". This is not another "he said, she said". This is our survival at stake. That is my view after reading this article, as has been my view continuously in recent years, in the face of endless outrages and assaults on all logic and decency.

Did I mention that the article really pissed me off? }(

[Iris]

20. yes, I see that!

And I'm replying here so I can come back tomorrow and read this after the madness has died down some.

(or maybe in 2 days)

[Canuckistanian]

19. "embarrassment and secrecy", exactly

As long as teenagers are kept in the dark about normal human sexuality, the more they're likely to do stupid things like have unprotected sex or failing to use common contraceptives.

Also, there is the "rebel" factor, which causes teens to reject ANY advice their prudish, judgmental parents tend to enforce on them - with sometimes tragic results.

[MountainLaurel]

24. Not just teenagers

In fact, I think most abortions are performed on women above age 18. since this article is addressing other nations, I have a feeling the proportion would be even more skewed, involving more married women who perhaps feel they can't afford to raise the children they have, or are married to an abusive patriarchal type, etc.

[jhain]

22. now...

if only all the fundies and all the Catholics who have gone over to the dark side of right wing ism on this issues could USE THEIR GOD GIVEN BRAINS and make the connection.

[mopinko]

23. men who want to control women are not fit partners, either.

you can't raise a family with a neanderthal. i think the #1 cause of abortion is men you are unfit to become equal partners.

[Ghost in the Machine]

25. Fundies aren't killing babies, they're helping god make angels..

because heaven *needs* more angels..... didn't you get the memo?

[long_green]

26. it's interesting and thanks for posting this but...

it ain't news to me. While it would certainly be possible to have sexual dysfunctions without religion, there sure would be less of it around.
I remember a sleazy ABC news magazine that had a segment about hardcore porn. The producers interviewed an actress who specialized in lots of rough stuff. Her interview consisted of weeping about her tough life and how degrading porn is (and I don't disagree with her). The real howler of the segment was a voice over that said that the young woman was drawn into porn even though she was brought up in a strict Mormon household. Even though?!?

[noahmijo]

27. Ever notice it's always fundie families who have had 2+ abortions that are the ones telling me

that I'm gonna go to hell for being pro-choice and I haven't gotten my wife pregnant yet due to that thing called responsibility (read protection for the purposes of not producing a child when not mentally or financially ready)

These people crack me up freakin yahoos

[Brewman_Jax]

31. They change their minds in a hurry

esp. if one of their daughters gets knocked up by a guy they don't like. :crazy: