Many well-kept secrets are difficult to believe, once revealed. And most Americans would assert that forced abortion does not take place in our nation. Unfortunately, the only true part of that statement is that our laws do not force abortion (unlike China’s One Child Policy). However, many women across our nation are indeed faced with forced abortion.
It’s a reality and a well-kept secret for too many women. Girls are returned to their rapists and to situations of incest because their violators force them to get abortions, and abortion clinics allow it. Boyfriends, husbands, and parents threaten harm and homelessness unless a woman consents to abortion. Abortion doctors force abortions on women even after they change their minds.
When these stories make the news, Americans feel revolting disgust. But what are we doing to stop forced abortion in our culture? How are we giving women and girls the help they need to resist forced abortion?
Take, for example, that often deliciously hilarious site, Yahoo! Answers. For all the silly questions posed and all the out-of-place answers given, there are also true cries for help that can be found.
My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly two years and I love him so much. Even though we are just “friends” right now we still talk and have that connection. Well, I found out I was pregnant by him… again. I ended my first pregnancy with an abortion but I just can’t go through that again. His mind is made up, he doesn’t want the baby. He told me that I am getting an abortion. To be honest, we are too young to be parents and I’m not quite ready either. His little comments like “You’re not having this baby if I have anything to do with it” kind of scare me. I am willing to have this baby and give it up for adoption to a loving family since we are young. Can he make me get an abortion since he is the father? …
I based the first abortion on my parents and our lifestyle. My mom always tried to portray the “perfect family” image. I did not want to humiliate my dad either, but having an abortion was a difficult decision for me. I am still an emotional wreck for terminating the life of a would be beautiful, intelligent baby.
Another young woman explained her situation:
im 15 weeks pregnant and I want to keep my baby no doubt about it! im 18 years old…Although I got pregnant and im so happy about it so is the father of my baby hes willing to give his arm and leg for this baby and his family is really supportive and willing to help when we need. I knew I was pregnant since I was 6 weeks since then i’ve been to all my prenatal appointments on time I heard my baby’s heartbeat for the first time at 8 weeks and was given an ab scan to determine my baby’s real age. the doctor says my pregnancy is right on track and my baby is developing on time if not faster then expected it moves from time to time and i already received it’s insurance card and my first official sonogram is next week. I am in love with my baby…however my moms side of the family is really strict and my mother likes to throw a lot in my face about money and how she gives me everything and she over reacts to the slightest thing so i kept my pregnancy from her till now and she told me she doesn’t believe in abortion but she is pushing me to get an abortion she scheduled my appointment for tomorrow at 8 and everything i want her to realize that this is my life and i want to live it and i did this to my self i want to be there for my kid i want her to realize she has to let go of me and not baby me anymore she told me if i abort my baby shell support me for as long as i want but i know my mom that’s not the case i want to prove to her i am an adult and i will give my life for my kid but she wont hear it the same way shes trying to be a mother and look out for me im being a mother and looking out for my kid but idk how to tell her this please someone who’s been through this help me out i really don’t want to give my baby up and i don’t want her to hate me either how can i please both sides and also can she force me into an abortion against my will?
There is so much sadness in both of these situations. One of the worst things is that women – especially young women – are in danger of believing that they can be forced to get an abortion by their boyfriends or parents against their will. Thankfully, in both of these Yahoo! threads, multiple people assured these women that no one could force them to get an abortion. One answerer directed the first woman to pregnancy resource centers.
It’s important for pro-lifers to be involved in stopping forced abortion in our own nation. We should get on sites like Yahoo! Answers and direct struggling women to places – like pregnancy resource centers and legal organizations like ADF and Texas Center for Defense of Life – that can provide them with the help they need. We should let them know that they usually can pursue restraining orders against parents or boyfriends or husbands who are trying to force abortion. They can – and often should – pursue legal action.
Of course, women who may be victims of forced abortions aren’t always on Yahoo! Answers. Some have no idea where to go for help. So we need to continue to spread the message everywhere that abortion cannot be forced. We need to let women know that if they are taken to a clinic against their will, they can tell the nurses, the counselors, the doctors – anyone and everyone – that they do not want the abortion and that they are being forced. We need to let them know that they can talk to people standing outside abortion clinics, tell them they do not want an abortion, and ask for help.
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Women who do not want an abortion should never be forced to get one. And they must be told that they are not required to submit to anyone who is trying to force an abortion on them. Spread the news that pregnancy centers and legal organizations help women and girls in these situations. And if you are a volunteer at a pregnancy center, an attorney, a pro-life person who stands outside a clinic – or anyone else in a position of opportunity – watch for these women and tell them what their rights really are.
**For a great guide on how to use Yahoo! Answers to share pro-life truth and offer resources to women in need, check out this article by Live Action’s Lucy LeFever.
***To read more abut hidden forced abortion in America, read the 21-page report here.
LifeNews Note: Kristi Burton Brown is a pro-life attorney, volunteering for Life Legal Defense Foundation and as an allied attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom. She is also a stay-at-home mom and an assistant editor for Live Action News. This column originally appeared at Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.
