Exploring 12 common myths about legal abortion

Baby Kendall above at 18 weeks gestation in a 3-D sonogram of her while still in the womb. Below she is five hours out of the womb.

In the past decade, a growing mountain of scientific facts, books and testimonies have helped unravel a three decades' assault on unborn life and the victimization of frightened, expectant mothers. However, it appears many Christians are still at a loss at how to speak from a pro-life position to people who disregard biblical principles.

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If our biblical references are rejected, do we know enough about this overwhelmingly strong evidence to address someone's pro-choice viewpoint? We need solid, statistical—what the world calls "logical"—information to help change the hearts of people with other worldviews.

And it must be done while showing God's love and understanding to post-abortive women and those considering abortion. This vital information could lighten their load, help them make better choices, and change their future.

MYTH #1

"Legal abortion is safer than 'back alley' abortions."

Abortion advocates claim there were "5,000 to 10,000 deaths per year" from dangerous "back alley" abortions shortly before its legalization, according to Concerned Women for America. But the real number is far less. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the creator of the phrase "pro-choice" and founder of the abortion rights group NARAL, reversed his position some years ago in favor of life after seeing the convincing evidence of humanity in ultrasounds. He admitted in his 1981 book, Aborting America, that those back alley figures were falsified—pulled out of thin air. The true number was closer to 500 per year. But, he said of the falsified numbers: "In our revolution it was a useful figure." Now vilified by his old comrades and ignored by mainstream press, Nathanson has a hard time being heard above the pro-choice din.

Is legalized abortion physically safer? Carol Everett, former owner of several legal abortion clinics, exposed the safety myth in her book Blood Money, stating abortions were performed at her clinics with a high rate of complication. One woman was killed or maimed per month, totaling 12 women per year.

Everett's book reveals that hospitals cover for abortionists by listing other reasons for surgery and death. And according to research gathered by various foundations including the Elliott Institute, the accidental cutting of a mother's colon, hemor­rhaging, body-wide sepsis and death are commonplace.

If abortion advocates really care about "safe legal abortions," they wouldn't defend the availability of RU-486 (mifeprestone). This pill induces a miscarriage as a means of abortion in the privacy of one's own home, without medical assistance. According to FDA records released under the Free­dom of Information Act, as of May 2006 there were at least 600 nationally documented cases of serious complications and six deaths in the U.S. Seven deaths have been reported in other countries.

MYTH #2

"Abortion must stay legal for rape, incest, and the health of the mother."

Pro-choice activists would have us believe most women choosing abortion are victims of random violence or abuse by a family member. But in surveys throughout the years of America's legalized abortion reported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, these incidents generally account for less than two percent of all abortions.

This means 98 percent of all abortions occur due to em­barrassment, social or family pressure and inconvenience after consensual sexual encounters. According to a Guttmacher Institute study (a former arm of Planned Parenthood, not affiliated with any religious organization), most women gave the following reasons for their abortion:

•economic factors

•don't want the life-changing responsibility of a child

•relationship problems

In the decades since legalization, the rate of abortion has increased 25 percent among older women concentrating on careers, and couples who don't want any more children or who are making engineered choices about the sex of their child.

Concerning the health of the mother, Thomas Murphy Goodwin, an obstetrician, wrote in First Things Magazine in 1996:

Certain conditions that can be diagnosed in advance are associated with risk of maternal mortality... [he goes on to name several medical conditions]. Taken altogether, abortions performed for these conditions make up a barely calculable fraction of the total abortions performed in the United States, but they are extremely important because they have been used to validate the idea of abortion as a whole.

Goodwin has impeccable credentials: Assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California's Women's Hospital, and director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles.

The number of maternal deaths has not been lowered by legalized abortion, but by modern medical techniques in pre-natal and post-natal care, advanced surgery procedures and improved sanitation practices at childbirth.

MYTH #3

"The pro-choice movement protects women."

The survival of this myth is ironic for several reasons. First, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers across the country have been found advising minor girls to conceal the names of grown men who impregnated them so the men would not be prosecuted. This is statutory rape-and yet an average of 91 percent of these abortion providers are not complying with laws to report sexual predators according to a report by Life Dynamics of Denton, Texas. Planned Parenthood has sued in several states to conceal their records from investigation, according to an article in SBC Life in Jan. 2003. Is this about protecting women?

Another irony is the phrase "pro-choice" itself: When interviewed, many crisis pregnancy center counselors and volunteers working with post-abortive women say the remark they've heard most is: "I felt I had no choice." In a survey published by the American Family Association Journal in 2002:

•56% felt pressured by other people or circumstances.

•84% stated they would have chosen otherwise if different options had been presented.

•40% were still hoping for other options while at the abortion clinic in a confused state of mind, but didn't get any (abortion clinics are not required to present other choices in every state).

In Everett's Blood Money, she reveals being paid $25 for each abortion she sold when she worked for other clinics, and was impressed with the amount of money to be made. "We did not discuss alternatives to abortion, Everett said. "Our counselors were paid generously to sell a product, and that's what they did."

Poor sanitation at clinics threatens women's safety

Research shows that abortion clinics have lower sanitation requirements than veterinary hospitals. In a 2003 testimony before the Florida House Subcommittee on Health Standards, Randy Armstrong, a Tampa obstetrician and gynecologist, stated that he cares for as many as ten women per month with complications from abortions, according to an April 17, 2003, article in the Florida Baptist Witness.

Yet, before the same subcommittee, the Florida Chapter of Planned Parenthood along with the National Organization for Women testified against cleanliness legislation.

MYTH #4

"A woman needs an unencumbered chance in life."

With so few unwanted pregnancies being due to rape or incest, a person's real choice for his or her life path—male or female—lies in choosing to say "NO" to sex. But teenagers and single adults expe­rience great peer pressure to have illicit relations. It is glorified in movies and on television, where there seem to be no consequences. And they have liberal sex educators, trained by the National Education Association, advising them to "try sex out to discover who they are."

As a result, one of the latest trends is "hooking up," which takes place in middle school through college. Students are forsaking dating for group activities, after which one of the group approaches another to "hook up" (have sex with no commitment). With condoms being openly promoted in some sex education classes, this has proven disastrous.

Condoms fail in preventing pregnancy an average 13-18 percent of the time at best, and no existing form of birth control absolutely prevents HIV/AIDS or HPV (Human Papilloma Virus).

In particular, HPV can be contracted in areas not covered by a condom, often occurs silently with no symptoms and is responsible for 90 percent of all cervical cancer cases. Combine casual "hooking up" with reliance on condoms and we have a deadly situation for our young people, and a flourishing abortion industry.

MYTH #5

"The pro-life movement condones violence against abortion clinics."

A main tactic of verbal assault is: "If you can't prove your point or justify your actions, just try to make the other guy look bad."

Abortion providers and advocates use this myth to draw attention away from the real violence perpetrated upon women and girls; that is abortion itself and the death of more than 43 million unborn babies who had no voice of their own.

Since legalizing abortion in America, there have been less than a handful of murders of abortion doctors or workers in their clinics. Although very tragic and we mustn't minimize it, our opponents make it look like this happens every day with the support of religious conservatives. People must be made aware that Christians don't condone vigilante violence, and that we believe evil will receive due vengeance from God alone (Romans 12:19).

MYTH #6

"It's only done in the first few weeks, so it's just a blob of tissue."

Many people still think abortion is only done in the first trimester. But soon after the Roe v. Wade decision came Doe v. Bolton. In this secondary case, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion can be obtained up until the day of delivery, on-demand by any mother for any reason anywhere in the U.S. This cannot be done through a "harmless" suctioning procedure. New methods of abortion were specifically devised to extract full-size babies-and it happens all the time.

Today's ultrasound technology has just about destroyed the theory that it is just a "blob."

Therefore, abortion clinics avidly fight against laws requiring that they show ultrasounds, and their advocates claim the majority of abortions take place through only the 20th week of gestation (five months). A look at the baby's development within that period shows:

18-21 days from conception: Beating hearts are heard in the womb.

40 days: Brain waves are detectable.

8-10 weeks: Fully formed tiny bodies with fingers, toes and fingerprints are visible.

12 weeks: Vocal chords are complete. The brain is fully formed.

16 weeks: Five to eight inches tall, the child can grasp with his hands and kick with feet.

20 weeks: Can hear mother's voice and possibly survive if born now. Can suck its thumb, squint eyes from light. Sex organs are visible on sonogram. Mother feels movement.

Don't be fooled. Late-term and partial-birth abortions are not "rarely" done for "the mother's health." According to the Physicians for Life orga­nization, as of Dec., 2004, approximately 12,000-17,000 unborn humans, between 5-9 months' gestation were aborted each year; the Center for Disease Control averages between 33 to 46 late-term abortions every day.

Ron Fitzsimmons, former executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, admitted in 1997 that partial birth abortion was not a rare occurrence, and that he had "lied through his teeth" (his own words). The 1997 New York Times story said he estimated the method was used 3- 5,000 times annually, adding:

"In the vast majority of cases, the procedure is performed on a healthy mother with a healthy fetus that is 20 weeks or more along."

By 1996, partial birth abortion (in which a viable, even full-term baby is partially delivered and then aborted through a gruesome procedure) was very prevalent. It is such a heinous practice that several physicians representing PHACT, Physicians' Ad Hoc Coalition for Truth (more than 500 doctors including former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop) wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled "Partial Birth Abortion is Bad Medicine":

We are the physicians who, on a daily basis, treat pregnant women and their babies...We can no longer remain silent while abortion activists, the media and even the President continue to repeat false medical claims...." "Contrary to what abortion activists would have us believe, partial-birth abortion is never medically indicated to protect a woman's health or her fertility. In fact, the opposite is true: The procedure can pose a significant and immediate threat to both the pregnant woman's health and fertility.

It took until 2003 for this to be entered into testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives. President Bush signed Congress' Partial Birth Abortion Ban that same year. Although the Supreme Court upheld that ban, pro-choice groups still attempt to overturn the ban in the name of "women's rights."

MYTH #7

"The fetus feels no pain."

The baby's pain receptors begin in the seventh week of pregnancy. The thalamus (brain portion receiving signals from the nervous system) starts forming in the fifth week. In the United Kingdom and most of Europe, an abortion cannot be performed past 24 weeks of pregnancy without pain killers for the unborn child.

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2005 specifies that women who seek abortions must be notified their unborn baby may experience pain. This was a big blow to pro-choice groups and abortion clinics. Some form of Unborn Child Pain Awareness bills have been introduced in approximately 19 states. Unfortunately, most still don't call for pain medication.

MYTH #8

"The mother feels no pain and walks away unharmed."

We've already seen that women can be hurt or even killed during legal abortions. But even if they appear unscathed immediately afterward, there is undeniable mounting evidence of subsequent long-term emotional, physical, social, and mental ailments. Post Abortion Syndrome has been compared to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Since the new millennium, religious and secular foundations alike, including the Alan Guttmacher Institute, have been publishing well-researched, startling statistics among post-abortive women show:

•144%- More likely to abuse another child

•80%- Feelings of self-loathing, loss of self-esteem

•70%- Romantic relationship ends after abortion

•60%- Drug and alcohol abuse (only 10% stating they used before)

•45%- Repeat abortions

•36-50%- Ongoing anxiety, guilt and confusion

•36%- Nightmares, difficulty sleeping

•28%- Attempted suicide (The risk of suicide is nearly seven times higher than mothers who give birth. Suc­cess­ful suicide rates are unknown.)

•25%- More likely to see psychiatrist

•23%- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

In addition, studies show post abortive women may have:

•Inability to form subsequent loving relationships

•Eating disorders

•Difficulty conceiving (post-abortive women lose 100,000 subsequent pregnancies per year)

Why isn't this general knowledge?

Pro-choice organizations rely on their own statistics pre-dating new material by about ten years, and work hard to discredit these newer numbers.

MYTH #9

"We shouldn't let deformed babies be born."

Doctors can now perform in-womb surgeries to correct defects at gestation periods as low as 20 weeks.

In 1999, photographer Michael Clancy was hired by USA Today to pho­tograph a ground-breaking, in-womb procedure on a baby at 21 weeks' gestation. After a sonogram showed that tiny Samuel Armas was going to be born with spina bifida, surgery was performed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to correct the defect. Armas was then carried by his mother for a normal remaining pregnancy.

During the surgery, a C-section incision was made and the baby was re-positioned in the womb for proper access. Suddenly, the baby's arm came up and its tiny fingers clasped around the doctor's finger. Clancy's photo capturing this event has been widely circulated.

What about conditions that will affect the baby's whole life, like Down Syndrome?

Although Downs is not yet curable by surgery, some of its complications can be. According to healthcare guide­lines for Down's babies, about 30-60 percent may have congenital heart conditions, but if detected early, with surgery at three to six months old the prognosis can be improved. When raised in a positive, optimistic environment, many Down's children-apart from looking different-can develop near-normal intelligence, participate in sports, finish their education, live nearly on their own with light monitoring, and hold down modest jobs.

MYTH #10

"A woman's body is her own. It's between her and her God."

It might be between her and her God, but without knowing some of these facts, and without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, she will not be armed with all her decision-making capabilities.

Scriptural truths like "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit-it is not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) seem "intolerant" to most feminists and abortion advocates because it symbolizes a need to "submit" to a higher authority than themselves.

Forced abortions have come to light here in the United States. This certainly takes away from "a woman's body being her own". But the courts have failed to fault abortion doctors. In two cases:

An Eleventh Circuit Court case in 2002 revolved around a woman who had a change of heart when placed on the abortion table. As the doctor be­gan probing with instruments, she asked him to stop and let her get up. In­stead, the doctor held her down with aid from nurses and completed the abortion, making a mistake that injured her intestines. Shockingly, the court ruled in favor of the doctor and the clinic.

A 25-year-old Maryland woman, four months pregnant, changed her mind in the procedure room. She ran back to the clinic entrance where her boyfriend stopped her, stating he'd already paid for the abortion. Three clinic workers and the abortionists surrounded the woman, sedated her by injection, and then took her back into the procedure room. After the forced abortion, she awoke in a closet, according to a 2004 report.

MYTH #11

"There are too many unwanted babies in the world."

So many couples are waiting to adopt babies that the wait in the U.S. can be 18 months. Many couples resort to costly foreign adoptions, thinking it will be faster, according to 2006 statistics.

What about the population explosion?

In China, where families are commanded to have only one child-and only valued if it's a boy, women with repeat pregnancies are forced into abortion. It is reported that baby girls are left out in the elements to die or placed in overcrowded orphanages. As a result, China's official statistics according to a report in the Washington Times , now shows as many as 10 men to every one woman. There are therefore less marriages producing less boys, more cases of sexual violence against women, and not enough people for the workforce.

The effect on the African American population

Abortion is also the leading cause of death for African Americans, above gang violence or heart disease. While comprising only 12 percent of the U.S. population, black women account for 32 percent of all abortions. That means the African American population could have been 32 percent larger than it is, according to CNS News.

MYTH #12

"A lady named Jane Roe started it all."

Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade, is now a Christian and an adamant speaker against abortion. Her book Won by Love reveals the truth behind the court case. In 1969, pregnant and desperate, she allowed herself to be manipulated by attorneys from a powerful women's rights group that had been lobbying for legal abortion for some time.

She admits lying that she was raped to cover up her shame of pregnancy, but thought the lawyer went into court just to get her a safe abortion at a legal medical facility. She wasn't told her case was being used to get abortion legalized nationally. She didn't know much of what went on in the courtroom. And she never even had the abortion. Roe v. Wade was based on a charade.

In conclusion

Evidence such as presented here simply can't be denied. It's not a baby's responsibility to pay for impulsive indiscretions. Micah 6:7b says: "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

Sheryl Young is a member of Tampa Shores Baptist Church in Oldsmar and a freelance writer.