An Open Letter to Pro-Lifers

Dear Pro-Lifers,

Your sentiments on keeping fetuses alive are commendable. You want to make sure that innocent lives aren't taken, and that those without a voice can still be treated right, which at a base level I can agree with. You hold this moral idea of not wanting babies to die, and you think that women should just carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption or just raise the child. You believe that abortion is murder and of course, murder is bad. Where you see a solution, I start to have more questions. What happens to that baby in the foster care system? What caused the woman to become pregnant? Is that baby viable to be carried to term or is the baby and/or the mother in danger of having serious medical conditions from this pregnancy? Will the mother or baby die after childbirth? Can the mother afford the child? At times, I think that pro-lifers forget the larger picture, and even to some the questions do not matter, and they often do not even begin to think of the intricacies that come with pregnancy.

Many forget that the entire essence of what it means to be a person that is pro-choice is to allow women to make the healthiest choice for themselves and their child, even if it means having to do the unthinkable, and receiving lifesaving medical treatment. Allowing for women to choose also means having the right to keep your baby and carry it to full term. The crucial reason why a person would consider themselves of being pro-choice is giving women autonomy over their own body and allowing for them to be informed of what is going on within themselves. It’s important to remember that women do not have abortions just to have, but do so for necessity, and it's important to have empathy with these women who are put in a vulnerable position.

When these women are taking a moment to talk about their experiences, it is disrespectful to question their judgment, as you will never be in their shoes. You cannot know all the reasons as to why someone makes this decision and trying to force it out, or ostracize someone for it, can only do more harm than good. It is important to remember how you would feel if someone was disrespecting you as you speak at your most vulnerable moment. It shows this lack of empathy and more so that you don’t want to have conversations about abortion but rather demean others. It is crucial to remember that behind these arguments real lives are at stake, and to make sure to have empathy when people are sharing their viewpoints and experiences.

When having conversations about abortion please remember that your justification as to why abortion should be banned does not mean that it is absolute or the correct reason. Examples such as religion cannot be used to limit the actions of others, as this country was founded on the ideas of religious freedom, and enforcing religion into law is unconstitutional, no matter how good of intentions that you may have. This is important to remember as not all religions view abortion as a sin, and enforcing one religious practice onto all people whether they follow the same faith can lead to disconnect from the people and the government.

This is why the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a devastating moment in our history, and we need to talk about the effects that it has not had on America currently, but what it has in store for our future. Since, one in four women in their lifetime will have an abortion, and 50% of the United States population are women, the amount of people that abortion bans directly affect is huge. It directly affects the pregnant women, but it also indirectly affects everyone within this country. As, this doesn’t account the fathers who help support, the other members of family who will help support, the foster care system who will take in hundreds of kids from mothers who didn't want their kids but were forced to term, and the government with childcare laws that have to pay to support parents, which in part affects all the citizens as they will be taxed in order for the government to pay.

Now, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, “an estimated 171,000 people travel across state lines for abortion in 2023 alone—about one in five of all abortions that year” (Marshall). I think everyone can agree that having 20% of women who seek abortions having to go over state lines to receive the medical care that they need is something that should not have to be necessary. Every human has the right to have access to the facilities that help aid their needs not only for abortions but to other issues regarding reproductive health. No woman should have to spend more money/time to find out what state offers the procedure they need, what facilities are open to it, the cost of gas, money, hotel, and bills to get the procedure done. Another unintended side effect of these bans is that women who are in these states that don't have the bans now have less access, because of all the traffic from states without the bans needing the potential life-saving procedure. Making these procedures more complicated/restricted has more loss/complications for pregnant women, and higher mortality rates of women forced to carry to term, or in situations when they are miscarrying but can’t get lifesaving procedures needed, causing them to go into sepsis, and losing the potential chance to have a child in the future.

After hearing of all the bans, you might try to find the positives, and some may directly think that since less women can legally get abortions than there would be less procedures done, thus less death would occur, but opposite effect has taken place. Just like with the 18th amendment Prohibition, the banning of alcohol led to an increase of consumption, and “despite state bans, U.S. abortion totals increased in the first full year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade” (Sawhill, Smith). Meaning that with all the good intentions in the world, and preventing more death, it sadly has caused more abortions to occur, and helps serve as a reminder that certain things are going to be performed whether or not it is legal, and it is better to legalize things like abortion in order to prevent higher levels of fatalities and to keep people from unsafe methods of healthcare. Since, the banning abortions lead to more abortions, and it raises the rate of mortality of pregnant women and babies, as a large percentage of abortions done are of pregnancies that are no longer viable. Understanding the effects of the ban can help lead people to better information that can help with protecting women's rights and safety.

We, as a society, need to continuously educate ourselves on what abortions are, and to not push away ideas that may frighten you because there can be a great perspective that you haven't heard before. When we take the time to listen to women’s stories, we can understand the truth behind why abortions are a healthcare necessity and must be treated as such. We need to make sure that the pregnant person is advocated for within the space, and not only the fetus. When we focus only on the fetus, we forget about the woman whose health is also at a constant risk while carrying. I ask of you to remember both parties of pregnancy and how anyone can need medical assistance while pregnant, and to not shame but instead sympathize with the courage it takes to make a lifesaving decision.

From,

A Woman who is Pro-Choice

Works Consulted

Edwards, Erika, & Essamuah, Zinhle, & Kane, Jason “A dramatic rise in pregnant women dying in Texas after abortion ban” https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/texasabortion-ban-deaths-pregnant-women-sb8-analysis-rcna171631

Marshall, Lisa “2 years after Roe v. Wade reversal: Impacts and what’s to come” June 20, 2024 https://www.colorado.edu/today/2024/06/20/2-years-after-roe-v-wade-reversal-impactsand-whats-come

Sawhill, Isabel, & Smith, Kai, “Abortion in the US: What You Need to Know” May 29, 2024 https://www.brookings.edu/articles/abortion-in-the-us-what-you-need-to

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