Abortion hasn't helped prevent crime against children. Since abortion was legalized in 1973, the number of reported cases of child abuse has increased by 1,497%, from 167,000 in 1973 to 2.5 million in 1991. 1
"... elective abortion is an important cause of child abuse... Recent evidence indicates many women harbour strong guilt feelings long after their abortions. Guilt is one important cause of child battering and infanticide. Abortion lowers women's self-esteem and there are studies reporting a major loss of self-esteem in battering parents...." 3
Abortion hasn't helped prevent violent children.Since Roe v. Wade, the number of juvenile violent crime arrest rates has almost doubled, from 215.9 arrests per 100,000 people in 1970, to 430.6 arrests per 100,000 people in 1990.2
Abortion hasn't helped couples. Researcher Emily Milling studied over 400 couples with women who had made a decision to have an abortion. 70% of the relationships ended within one month of the abortion.
Abortion hasn't prevented children from being born into poverty. Since Roe v. Wade, the number of children relying on AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) has risen from 8.5 per cent (of all children) in 1970 to 11.9 per cent in 1990. 2 The number of children living in poverty has increased, from 15.1 per cent (of all children) in 1970 to 20.6 per cent in 1990. 2
Abortion has become an excuse to have unsafe sex. Since Roe v. Wade, the number of teen pregnancies has more than doubled, from 4.94 per cent (of all teenagers) in 1972 to 9.92 per cent in 1990. 2
Abortion has increased the number of abortions required of teenagers, and the number of births to teenage mothers. Since Roe v. Wade, the number of teen abortions has increased, from 19.9 per thousand teenagers in 1972, to 43.8 per thousand teenagers in 1990, while the number of teen births has increased from 22.8 per thousand teenagers to 42.5 per thousand teenagers in 1990.2
Abortion has increased the number of single-parent families. Since Roe v. Wade, the number of births to unmarried women has increased, from 10.7 per cent (of all births) in 1970, to 28.0 per cent in 1990. 2
Abortion has increased the number of unwanted pregnancies. Since Roe v. Wade, the number of pregnancies ending in abortion has increased, from 12.9 per cent (of total pregnancies) in 1972, to 24.6 per cent in 1990.2
Some people believe that men have no place acting in the abortion debate. This belief is similar to an opinion that only those who have been robbed should be able to protect others against robbery. Males are affected by abortion in two very different and two very important ways.
Males are affected by abortion because boys can be aborted as easily as girls. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of males are aborted every year in the United States. These are the boys with whom adult males can associate. Men were there once. They'll protect their pasts to ensure their futures.
The second way is a more political reason. All of the laws in government today are created through the morals that make the most people happy. If one looks hard enough, it is possible to find someone who doesn't think murder as a hate crime should be against the law. But does that mean that hate crimes should be legal to protect the beliefs of that one person? No; racial murder is a crime because most people think it necessary to protect other people. Even those of races not affected by these murders support laws so that others can be protected.
Laws, such as drug abuse prevention, are enforced to protect us, however we are basically free to do what we wish with our own bodies. A pregnant mother has this same right to do what she wants with her own body. Men and women who aren't pregnant don't have a say in what she does with herself. The difference between this and the murder law is that laws generally can't interfere with what people do to themselves, but they can interfere with how people negatively impact others.
This difference is very important in the abortion issue, because a fetus is its . The mother has a say over her own body, but there is a separate being inside of her. People other than the mother have a right to protect the fetus because they are affecting a different person. Nonpregnant females and males have a right and a responsibility to be involved in the issue.
There are dozens of organizations for the abortion for every kind of person. Everyone must become involved in the government, and everyone can become involved in this issue. Specialized abortion groups include:
Religion fuels much of the intensity of the abortion debate. Modern government is purposefully separated from organized religion. In the western world, the teachings of any one religion shouldn't and don't dominate the laws of the nation. However the morals and beliefs of the people are what create the morals and beliefs of the government, and oftentimes these individual morals are influenced by religion. Religion shouldn't be discounted in any political decision, because by affecting many individuals, religion affects society.
There are hundreds of religions and beliefs and I know next to nothing about most of them. If you do know how a religion treats the abortion issue, please . Judaism, because of value placed on the family, has condemned abortion for several thousand years with a few exceptions. The , the largest organized church in the world and possibly the most influential organization in the past two millenia, openly condemns abortion. Many Protestant groups also share this condemnation. These groups feel pro-life because of passages from their holy texts:
