Abortion Policy – Myths that Pro-Abortionists Tell

From heartbeat bills to infanticide, the topic of abortion has dominated the news cycle in 2019. While the renewed interest in the abortion debate is an opportunity to share the pro-life message with the world, it is also allowing pro-abortionists to mislead the public by sharing half-truths or lies about abortion in order to pursue their political agenda.

Here is some truth about the lies or misinformation about abortion that you may have heard over these last couple of weeks:

Lie: Decisions about an unplanned pregnancy should be between a woman and her doctor.

Truth: Doesn’t it take a man and woman to make a baby, and not a woman and her doctor? Not according to abortion activists. Since Roe v. Wade, men have been increasing removed from the abortion/life conversation and relegated to a role as the silent ally if they support abortion or a representation of the oppressive patriarchy if they support life. While some men revel the lack of responsibility that pro-abortionists offer them, others don’t but they’ve been told that their desire for fatherhood must be sacrificed on the altar of “female empowerment.”

Lie: Women will be thrown in jail if they have an abortion.

Truth: That charge has been thrown around in response to the new pro-life legislation that has been enacted around the country that bans abortion after the heartbeat is detected or bans abortion entirely, but that’s not entirely true. While there may be punishment, it’s reserved mostly for the doctor performing abortion. For example, under Alabama’s new law only the doctor who completed the abortion is liable for prison time, not the woman who had the abortion.

Lie: Women who have miscarriages will be charged with abortion.

Truth: There is a difference between a miscarriage and an abortion, and physicians are keenly aware of the distinction. If there is a question about how the miscarriage occurred, it would be settled by physicians and not politicians.

Lie: Men want to own women, and only approve pro-life legislation as an extension of the dreaded (white) patriarchy.

Truth: This assertion is false, but has become increasingly common in recent years after the release of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in a dystopian future where the U.S. is governed by a Christian influenced theocracy and fertile women are abused and raped in order to bear the children of a small number of male leaders, The Handmaid’s Tale is a purely fictitious story but has gained traction within the pro-abortion movement. Since its release, any life affirming law is seen as legislation aimed at keeping women pregnant against their will and an infringement on reproductive rights, similar to what happens to the women in The Handmaid’s Tale. Again, the root of this issue is that men are considered unimportant when it comes to decisions regarding an unplanned pregnancy. If a man joins in the conversation, he is almost immediately charged with abusing his position as a man within the patriarchy.

Lie: Any abortion legislation is meant to subjugate women of color.

Truth: This statement isn’t based in reality, but it is a common allegation that comes out from radical pro-abortion activists. They believe that since women of color are more likely to get an abortion, any restriction is racist and meant to keep them in poverty. Here is a statement in a recent Rolling Stone article, “Each law, in its own way, subjugates women and girls—and since white women statistically have greater access to the procedure, signals a specific attack on women of color.” What the author fails to take into account is that the abortion of African American babies is disproportionally higher than babies of other races. Pro-life legislation will help protect the women of color and their babies, unlike pro-abortion laws, which target women based on their race and poverty level. 

Lie: Pro-life supporters don’t care about the babies of abortion minded women after they are born.

Truth: Nothing could be further from the truth. Pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRC) across the country are designed to not only save preborn babies from abortion, but to support mothers and fathers and give them the life skills that they need to become successful parents. PRCs offer discipleship and parenting classes, mommy stores with clothing and essential baby items, photo studios for family pictures, and often mentoring opportunities available for the parents as they embark on their parenting journey. It’s not just about saving the baby, but really in the end about saving the mother and father and putting her on a better path in life. Some choose to parent, and others choose the adoption route, but all are supported by the center. PRCs usually also introduce the women and men who come into their clinic to Christ. In abortion clinics, many times the women have the abortion and then are just sent back out into the same situation without any counseling or support to deal with their post-abortion trauma.

One commentator on Fox News recently said that “the Cold War of abortion has suddenly gotten very hot.” There is a lot of truth in that statement. Where once people were content to stand on the sidelines, more and more people are willing to take a stand for life and waking up to the realities of abortion.