This month, abortion supporters are lamenting over Pope Francis’ proclamation that women who have had abortions can receive forgiveness from a priest. Apparently these activists believe the Pontiff’s announcement is not a sign that the Church is extending grace; instead, it’s a political move to advance their efforts to end abortion.
They also argue that abortion is not wrong and therefore women do not need God’s forgiveness. As LifeNews previously reported, Lauren Barbato argued this point in her article in Cosmopolitan magazine. Unfortunately, for Barbato, she’s in the minority when it comes to her views on abortion and the Catholic faith. The majority of Catholics believe abortion is wrong and so do the majority of Americans.
Now, in an article in The New York Times, pro-abortion writer Jill Filipovic (pictured above) says Pope Francis’ comments are cruel.
She writes, “Instead of treating women as adults who make their own decisions, the pope condescends to ‘all the women who have resorted to abortion,’ saying he is ‘well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision.’ The threat of excommunication, at the very least, makes the church’s views on women’s rights clear.”
She adds, “Offering forgiveness is a softer version of the same judgment: that the millions of women around the world who have abortions every year are sinners. Inviting women to feel shame and guilt for their abortions isn’t a mercy; it’s cruelty.”
Filipovic’s interpretation of the Pope’s announcement is unbelievable considering the fact that many women feel pressure to have abortions. The Pope did not have to say that for it to be true— the statistics speak for themselves. According to the Elliot Institute, 64 percent of all abortions involve some kind of coercion, which is usually initiated by boyfriends, husbands, abusers and even parents.
David Reardon, who co-authored a Medical Science Monitor study of American and Russian women with the 64 percent figure, said, “In many of the cases documented for our ‘Forced Abortion in America’ report, police and witnesses reported that acts of violence and murder took place after the woman refused to abort or because the attacker didn’t want the pregnancy.”
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Additionally, Filipovic argues that women actually feel happy after their abortions. This comment exposes how extreme her abortion views really are because even pro-choice activists would agree that abortion isn’t a “happy” event. The president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, Marjorie Dannenfelser, explained “Even people who support abortion rights don’t necessarily see it as something to celebrate. They want to think about [abortion] as a necessary evil.”
Here’s what Bill Donohue of the Catholic League told LifeNews about Filipovic’s article in The New York TImes:
‘We can all recognize that abortion in many ways represents a sad, even tragic choice in many, many women.’ Those are the words of Hillary Clinton. Which is why she must be as dumbfounded as I am to read the op-ed by Jill Filipovic boasting how abortion brings about ‘positive feelings of relief or happiness.’ You can just hear it said, ‘Break out the booze—my baby is dead.’
Filipovic is an unemployed writer who provides not a single shred of evidence to support her delirious conclusion. When I submit op-ed ads to the New York Times, I am routinely asked to provide proof for my contentions. I’m fine with that—I always have the data. Then why was this piece printed when the author simply asserts that “research shows” women are happy following an abortion?
In 2011, the British Journal of Psychiatry published “the largest quantitative estimate of mental health risks associated with abortion available in the world literature.” It measured anxiety, depression, alcohol use, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior. It found that “the overall experience of abortion led to a staggering 81% increased risk of mental health problems across all the variables.” Studies done in the U.S., Finland, Denmark, and Canada have come to similar conclusions.
In addition to these five mental health problems, post-abortion syndromes include such emotions as guilt, feelings of numbness, avoidance of children or pregnant women, inability to bond with present or future children, eating disorders, fear of infertility, and nightmares. There is no post-abortion syndrome called elation. And they all remember the anniversary of the aborted child’s due date, or the date of the abortion.
Project Rachel was founded as a Catholic ministry to reach out to women who have had an abortion. Filipovic ought to talk to these women. She would learn that “breaking out the booze” only occurs when post-abortive women opt to self-medicate.
