Pro-Choice Survivor
from the senselessness
dept.
If you were born in the US after 1973, you are
considered a survivor. Roe vs. Wade has had a staggering impact in terms of how
we deal with unwanted pregnancy. One third of my generation is missing due to
this decision.
Here are some numbers from the Census Bureau of birth rates (and other interesting stuff):
Select table #024, United States, and all available years:
1973: 3,136,965
1974: 3,159,958
1975: 3,144,198
1976: 3,167,788
1977: 3,326,632
1978: 3,333,279
1979: 3,494,398
1980: 3,612,258
1981: 3,629,238
1982: 3,681,000
1983: 3,639,000
1984: 3,669,000
1985: 3,749,000
1986: 3,731,000
I'm not sure why that information gets less accurate at 1982 and stops at 1986. I might have been looking at an older page or something.
Getting actual numbers for abortions is a little harder. Although the Census Bureau collects infant mortality information, they don't count abortion in that number. Here's a rough estimate from about.com, though. The percentage is the number as it relates to the birth rate information.
1973: 774,600 (24.69%)
1974: 898,600 (28.44%)
1975: 1,034,200 (32.89%)
1976: 1,179,300 (37.23%)
1977: 1,316,700 (39.58%)
1978: 1,409,600 (42.29%)
1979: 1,497,700 (42.86%)
1980: 1,553,900 (43.02%)
1981: 1,577,300 (43.46%)
1982: 1,573,900 (42.76%)
1983: 1,575,000 (43.28%)
1984: 1,577,200 (42.99%)
1985: 1,588,600 (42.37%)
1986: 1,574,000 (42.19%)
The about.com data goes further than 1986, but I just wanted to use it as a comparison to the birth rates. Indeed, to say only one third is missing is probably being conservative.
Sometimes I am very unclear as to where I stand on some subjects. I tend to just present the facts, so let me spell it out here. If it came down to a vote and I was offered a ballot to make abortion illegal, I would vote to make it illegal. The following are common objections to making abortion illegal (in bold) followed by an the honest response cold to those objections:
Here are some numbers from the Census Bureau of birth rates (and other interesting stuff):
Select table #024, United States, and all available years:
1973: 3,136,965
1974: 3,159,958
1975: 3,144,198
1976: 3,167,788
1977: 3,326,632
1978: 3,333,279
1979: 3,494,398
1980: 3,612,258
1981: 3,629,238
1982: 3,681,000
1983: 3,639,000
1984: 3,669,000
1985: 3,749,000
1986: 3,731,000
I'm not sure why that information gets less accurate at 1982 and stops at 1986. I might have been looking at an older page or something.
Getting actual numbers for abortions is a little harder. Although the Census Bureau collects infant mortality information, they don't count abortion in that number. Here's a rough estimate from about.com, though. The percentage is the number as it relates to the birth rate information.
1973: 774,600 (24.69%)
1974: 898,600 (28.44%)
1975: 1,034,200 (32.89%)
1976: 1,179,300 (37.23%)
1977: 1,316,700 (39.58%)
1978: 1,409,600 (42.29%)
1979: 1,497,700 (42.86%)
1980: 1,553,900 (43.02%)
1981: 1,577,300 (43.46%)
1982: 1,573,900 (42.76%)
1983: 1,575,000 (43.28%)
1984: 1,577,200 (42.99%)
1985: 1,588,600 (42.37%)
1986: 1,574,000 (42.19%)
The about.com data goes further than 1986, but I just wanted to use it as a comparison to the birth rates. Indeed, to say only one third is missing is probably being conservative.
Sometimes I am very unclear as to where I stand on some subjects. I tend to just present the facts, so let me spell it out here. If it came down to a vote and I was offered a ballot to make abortion illegal, I would vote to make it illegal. The following are common objections to making abortion illegal (in bold) followed by an the honest response cold to those objections:
• How can I be in favor of the war
and not abortion? Well, it's a number's game.
If even 1% of this level of the total killing was what it took to fight a war,
I'd never be in favor of any war. Fact is that the full impact of abortion on
the US population is greater than all of the wars in the US combined (including
the civil war). That's what I call carnage. There is now just over 5100 people
dead as result of this war on terror (counting troops and September 11th, 2001).
We kill the same in three days at US abortion clinics.
• If abortion were illegal, the same
number of babies would be aborted, but it would be done in an unsafe
manner. Wrong. If abortion were illegal, the
numbers would be simply be lower. To argue otherwise would be asinine. There's
just no way illegal abortions would be so high. Abortion is used as a form of
"contraception" and it's really as simple as that.
• Pregnancy is dangerous. If you're
so interested in saving lives, what about deaths related to problem pregnancies
if abortion is illegal? The numbers would be
nowhere near the abortion numbers. If 10% of all pregnancies resulted in
complications that threatened the life of the mother, that would still be a more
acceptable number of deaths than the abortion numbers. Again. It's a number's
game. Fact is, arguing for the need of abortion due to problem pregnancies is
like arguing the need for mandatory life jackets due to the problem if bath-tub
related deaths. The numbers just don't support it.
• But what would we do with all those
millions of extra children running around?
Actually, they'd grow up and contribute to society like the rest of us did, so
that's another asinine argument. More people would mean more taxes. If even 5%
of the children born out of the early aborted numbers grew up and paid their
taxes, it would support the remaining 50% of the children who weren't aborted
that need welfare. I didn't just make up those numbers, although both of those
estimates are conservative.
• You can't decide for everyone.
Abortion is a difficult decision that shouldn't be taken
lightly. Wait a second? Why is it so difficult?
Obviously, based on the numbers, it most
is
certainly being taken lightly. The bottom line is, babies are just worthless
lumps of flesh to those in favor of abortion. How is it difficult to have a
worthless lump removed? You're just kidding yourself if you think it's a
difficult decision *and* it's a worthless lump.
• What about rape and
incest? That's a very small percentage and why
kill the baby in response? That's a little like throwing the baby out with the
bath water.
Obviously cold hard numbers cannot be the only way to weigh an issue. In fact, numbers game aside, even though my generation is under attack and there's a whole lot at stake, I still think bombing abortion facilities and killing abortionists is absolutely wrong. I believe that even though it's completely out of control, we still need to deal with the problem another way.
It is unlikely that the abortion issue will come down to a simple ballot measure, which means a different solution is required.
For those of you still reading, what do you think my solution is? Well, believe it or not, the gospel is the answer. We really don't need new laws nor do we really need to change the laws. We just need common sense. We shouldn't need laws for or against abortion. If everybody would read their bibles and love Jesus, it would naturally follow that abortion isn't the answer to anything. The christians who are trying to combat the problem with just legislation aren't practicing what they preach. Christians believe in miracles, so wouldn't it be a miracle if everybody just stopped this madness, came to their senses, and loved Jesus?
Here's the deal. If you abort your baby, you've sinned. Justice is due. Either you will pay the price for your sin or Jesus will. The way that Jesus will pay the price is if you confess your sins, repent, and follow him.
We christians have been trying to force this nation into a moral understanding with laws. Do we really think after 32 years we could force people into morality? As christians, we should be ashamed of ourselves for thinking that way.
Yet, if the US Supreme Court reverses Roe vs. Wade some day, I'm fine with it. If it never does, it's sad, but the gospel holds more power and potential for change.
I believe Roe vs. Wade should just become irrelevant by the fact that nobody *wants* abortion. This happens to rulings all the time in our nation's history.
To me, abortion is equal to suicide in that women who would kill their own babies have problems equivalent to someone who would kill themselves. These natural senses of preservation are strong. The maternal sense of protection is supposed to be stronger than even self preservation, but as a society, we have overridden it somehow.
I guess from a strictly technical sense, all this makes me Pro-Choice, doesn't it? Abortion is always wrong, for the reasons I stated. The choice should always be to deliver the baby but we shouldn't *need* a law for any of this. I know it would take a miracle for that to happen. Ok, I'm up for that.
Once that miracle of everyone making the right choice happens, we can legally reverse Roe vs. Wade with no opposition. That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it.
Obviously cold hard numbers cannot be the only way to weigh an issue. In fact, numbers game aside, even though my generation is under attack and there's a whole lot at stake, I still think bombing abortion facilities and killing abortionists is absolutely wrong. I believe that even though it's completely out of control, we still need to deal with the problem another way.
It is unlikely that the abortion issue will come down to a simple ballot measure, which means a different solution is required.
For those of you still reading, what do you think my solution is? Well, believe it or not, the gospel is the answer. We really don't need new laws nor do we really need to change the laws. We just need common sense. We shouldn't need laws for or against abortion. If everybody would read their bibles and love Jesus, it would naturally follow that abortion isn't the answer to anything. The christians who are trying to combat the problem with just legislation aren't practicing what they preach. Christians believe in miracles, so wouldn't it be a miracle if everybody just stopped this madness, came to their senses, and loved Jesus?
Here's the deal. If you abort your baby, you've sinned. Justice is due. Either you will pay the price for your sin or Jesus will. The way that Jesus will pay the price is if you confess your sins, repent, and follow him.
We christians have been trying to force this nation into a moral understanding with laws. Do we really think after 32 years we could force people into morality? As christians, we should be ashamed of ourselves for thinking that way.
Yet, if the US Supreme Court reverses Roe vs. Wade some day, I'm fine with it. If it never does, it's sad, but the gospel holds more power and potential for change.
I believe Roe vs. Wade should just become irrelevant by the fact that nobody *wants* abortion. This happens to rulings all the time in our nation's history.
To me, abortion is equal to suicide in that women who would kill their own babies have problems equivalent to someone who would kill themselves. These natural senses of preservation are strong. The maternal sense of protection is supposed to be stronger than even self preservation, but as a society, we have overridden it somehow.
I guess from a strictly technical sense, all this makes me Pro-Choice, doesn't it? Abortion is always wrong, for the reasons I stated. The choice should always be to deliver the baby but we shouldn't *need* a law for any of this. I know it would take a miracle for that to happen. Ok, I'm up for that.
Once that miracle of everyone making the right choice happens, we can legally reverse Roe vs. Wade with no opposition. That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it.
Posted: Tuesday - January 03, 2006 at 08:00 AM |
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