When I read the Oct. 28 edition of The Daily Gamecock, I was bothered but not surprised to find a letter to the editor entitled “Stop the abortion bans” in the opinion section. In the spirit of healthy debate, I, representing the University of South Carolina’s Advocates for Life group, felt the need to respond.
Now, there are points of agreement. The author of the original article writes “there are many ways to reduce [abortion] rather than simply banning or restricting it.” I absolutely agree. Practicing abstinence or safe sex with both physical contraceptives (condoms) and hormonal contraceptives, such as the pill or an IUD, can reduce the chances of pregnancy and eliminate the need for an abortion altogether.
The author also makes the point of caring about the mother during a surprise pregnancy. It is a misconception that the pro-life community stops caring after the child is born, and it is a misconception that too often discredits our cause.
Organizations such as ours stand in support of the 4.8 million parenting students in college, and we make it our goal to provide these students with the support they need, be it financial, emotional, physical or otherwise. From maternity clothes to job opportunities, there are resources available, and we want to connect parenting students with these. As a pro-life student, I am here to help both the pre-born and their families, as long as they should need it. And I’m not the only one.
As for the rest of the article, I don’t agree as much. It was written to express concern over the removal of exceptions for rape and incest in South Carolina Senate Bill 3020, more affectionately known as the “heartbeat bill.” This bill would now prevent abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected — no exceptions.
Although rape and incest are two absolutely horrendous and despicable acts no one should ever have to endure, they are not good (enough) reasons for a woman to terminate her pregnancy. Abortion does not right the wrong.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, the only private company that analyzes abortion statistics in the U.S., less than 1% of women in 2004 reported that the reason for their abortion was rape and/or incest.
Last year in South Carolina, 4,646 abortions were conducted. That means less than 47 of these were related to rape and/or incest. Rape and incest survivors face a lot of physical and emotional trauma in the wake of their attack. Abortion survivors also face physical and emotional trauma. It is so inhumane to make a woman endure a second trauma to supposedly amend the first.
The author of the Oct. 28 article’s call to action to her audience is: “Understand that all women want is to have the freedom to make decisions about their bodies and lives without interference from the government.” My call to action is for everyone to understand that there’s a tiny woman or man in the womb who wants the chance to have the freedom to make choices about their bodies and lives without interference from abortionists.
Pregnancy is not a disease.
Abortion is not a cure.