Better Prevention or Changing Attitudes?

The article asked for opinions as to why the abortion rate has dropped. Most of the views I have read reference feelings as to whether prolife or prochoice should be practiced. Let me attempt a direct answer to the question to which the magazine posed. One of the many good things Pope John Paul did during his Papacy was to communicate to the World's young people. Keep in mind that I am addressing the same period of time for which the article begs the question; Circa 1980 until his death in 2005. His message was clear on abortion: Abortion is wrong without qualification. I believe he communicated the message to the young women and the young men of the World. I would say he did this better than any other leader of the modern World over the past 30 years. He communicated. They received the message. They are practicing the message.

lamullen,
To say Ru486 is "simple" is grossly misleading. The way it's administered has been shown to result in as much if not more Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome as "traditional" abortion. I think it's the action itself not the ancillary methods that is probably at the heart of this phenomenon (which is statistically, undeniably true by the way.) Religion totally aside, speaking in natural law terms, how can something so diametrically opposed to instinct (maternal bonding in Psychology, once again is a matter of statistical fact) NOT be so traumatic? Perhaps millions of scarred lives might be part of the explanation for the drop. Despite being so secretive as the abortion industry is (the largest unregulated one), you just can't hide such a massive phenomenon...word gets around.

The real point in all of this is that abortion is barbaric, no matter how you view the fetus/baby. You are ripping it apart, burning it or sticking a tool into the skull to extract it! Can anyone out there really say this is logical and o.k.?

tracker- Bible-------- buy-bull............ eerily similar, to me!

lamullen,
To say Ru486 is "simple" is grossly misleading. The way it's administered has been shown to result in as much if not more Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome as "traditional" abortion. I think it's the action itself not the ancillary methods that is probably at the heart of this phenomenon (which is statistically, undeniably true by the way.) Religion totally aside, speaking in natural law terms, how can something so diametrically opposed to instinct (maternal bonding in Psychology, once again is a matter of statistical fact) NOT be so traumatic? Perhaps millions of scarred lives might be part of the explanation for the drop. Despite being so secretive as the abortion industry is (the largest unregulated one), you just can't hide such a massive phenomenon...word gets around.

" Yes, abortions are down, but it's unclear why. Is it because of increased access to birth control? Decreased access to abortion clinics? Increased availability of new medications that end pregnancy? Or are more women simply choosing to continue their pregnancies?"

The above sentences are quoted from the article. They list "increased availability of new medications that end pregnancy" as one of the possible reasons for the decline in abortions. Excuse me, but since when is a medication that ends pregnancy DIFFERENT than abortion? Aren't those the same thing? Add those to your numbers people and see how little abortions have actually declined.. Just because it's an easier way to abort and end a pregnancy DOES NOT disqualify it as a LIFE ENDING ABORTION, Get a clue. A LIFE IS A LIFE. Whether ended by a pill right away, or later on in a doctor's office somewhere.

For evidence of the changed attitudes, simply look at the disparate percentage pro-life comments here.

Undoubtedly this study proves significant in that it highlights the importance of researching issues related to women???s health and serves as a tool to better gauge the work we have ahead of us. If researchers conclude the drop in the abortion rate is due to better access to birth control we should consider that a victory for humankind and a valuable lesson that prevention works. If, on the other hand, the drop is due to lack of provider access this should serve as a warning to all that half of the population is suffering an unjust hardship that must be overcome.

Undoubtedly this study proves significant in that it highlights the importance of researching issues related to women???s health and serves as a tool to better gauge the work we have ahead of us. If researchers conclude the drop in the abortion rate is due to better access to birth control we should consider that a victory for humankind and a valuable lesson that prevention works. If, on the other hand, the drop is due to lack of provider access this should serve as a warning to all that half of the population is suffering an unjust hardship that must be overcome.

What many people don't know if the PP found was a racist. She encouraged people who weren't white to get abortions so "there wouldn't be more of them." There are many books and college studies about this(for for those, these sources aren't mostly from religious people or colleges.). I wonder what would happen if more people thinking about abortions knew this... the founder hated your race so wanted you not to reproduce, and decided to help you with that. I also find it sad that many pro-choice peope don't think of a baby as a baby inside thwomb. Killing a baby inside the womb would be like same as killing a newborn... is that right?

k

Well

The decline in availablility of abortion facilities is the first and easiest possible reason for the decline to dismiss so that analysis of the remaining factors can proceed apace without this unneeded confusing factor added. Abortion clinics declined at a rate comensurate with the declining need for them -- supply and demand. With fewer abortions being done, the market can support fewer clinics. Add to that the great "productivity" of RU486 type abortions -- more can be performed with a more modest facility -- and you will see that the number of women who "could" be served didn't decline as steeply as a simple analysis of numbers of clinics.

My gut reaction based solely on living in this society and being interactive at all levels -- I'm an employer of a mostly female workforce aged 15 - 55, I have two grown daughters and 3 grade school aged brothers, and I coach high school aged girls sports so I'm pretty tapped in to the social atmosphere that prevails today -- my gut feeling is that it's probably a fairly equal combination of all the other factors. Let's face it, given other, safer, less physically invading options, I don't know any woman OR man who would PREFER to end a pregnancy through surgical abortion! So this is kind of a "DUH" when it comes to analyzing the causes. Seems like a pretty natural progression to me

Furthermore it is not a "thing" in your body, what a cold thing to say or believe sickening really.

I suppose Mr Bennett thinks that the wrongness of the holocaust and the genetic cleansing that has taken place in our world is just the imagination of radical right wing Christians. Over 40 million babies are murdered worldwide every year. Science can not argue that fetuses are just tissue, they are living organisms and that is exacrtly what a human being is. Let's get real about the "radical Christian views" balogna and call the truth for what it is. Abortion is murder and it is wrong.

One word: Ultrasounds. That did it for me.
Prior to my daughter's ultrasound at 9 weeks, I bought into the whole "it's my choice, no right-wing white man is going to tell me what to do with my body" garbage. Then, when I was 30 years old, I had an ultrasound (for an ovarian cyst, but my doctor let me look at the fetus while she was running the machine). I clearly saw a tiny BABY -- MOVING -- not a clump of cells like I had always sort of blithely thought.
That very day, I did a 180 degree flip on my views on abortion. Once you realize it's a life, everything falls into place. You can give all the reasons in the world why it "might" be in the best interest of the child not to be born. The same reasons could be said for why we ought to euthanize old people for getting too old -- and that's a monstrous thought. It's a life. As a society, we should just deal with that fact, and not pretend like it's some amorphous blob of potential because it's convenient for us to do so.
P.S. I am completely non-religious -- but I do have perfectly good eyes and I know what I saw. I challenge anyone who is pro-abortion to go to an ultrasound provider and take a look at a 9 or 10 week old fetus and tell yourself that's not a living being.