How to Stop Abortion

*Originally published on 7/11/13



Abortion is, and probably always will be, a hot button issue. Some see it as a moral issue. They argue that it is murder and try to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. Others see it as a health issue or an issue of women's rights. They argue that it's wrong to force your viewpoint on others and that it is no one else's business.

It gets so heated that pro-choice advocates are labelled as baby killers while pro-lifers are often dismissed as misogynists who are only trying to oppress women. At face value, this doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. You'd think that the pro-lifers would be nothing more than noble crusaders who are fighting to protect lives. You generally don't get that impression nowadays.

It isn't so much that they are morally opposed to abortion, but how they decide to go about it. Abortion isn't one of those things that you can overpower with a frontal assault. Morality aside, an outright ban on abortion would cause more problems than it would solve, would it not?

So, the question becomes, how are you supposed to fight for the cause if the traditional strategy doesn't work? Well, you have to ask yourself a simple question. What would L do? You have to be smart about this and, rather than treat the symptom, you should start to go after the cause. Rather than attacking abortion directly, do what you can to minimize the circumstances that lead to people having abortions in the first place.

First and foremost, you should promote abstinence. That's right, this is your first and best line of defense to stopping unwanted teen pregnancies. That being said, you need a fallback position, so you couple this with teaching safe sex. Hammer in the positives of abstinence, but have that information about safe sex readily available for those who decide not to partake.

You'll also want to go after rapists. Rape is a vile crime that ranks up there with murder in most people's eyes. Yet, the sentence is relatively light. 5-10 years isn't exactly a "short" amount of time but, given the severity of the crime, a longer sentence does seem appropriate. Putting rape in the 20 years to life category seems like a better fit. The effects of this are twofold. Hopefully, it will act as a deterrent to those who are considering committing such an act, but it also helps keep those who are found guilty of it off the streets longer so that people can feel safer when they're walking to their cars at night.

Encouraging adoption is also something that should be considered. There's this weird stigma when it comes to adoption. People who give up a child are seen as weak and cowardly and it doesn't make sense. If you're not ready to have a child, it seems like a perfectly reasonable alternative. You're always hearing about how long the waiting list for adoption is, why not give one of those couples a chance at achieving their dream? Will the pregnancy be tough? Sure, but the payoff is worth it. As far as good deeds go, you'd think that this would rank up there with donating organs.

This becomes iffy when rape enters the equation. It is a much tougher sell, but with enough tact, it could still be taken into consideration. Obviously, she can't be expected to raise the child. Not only would that be a constant reminder of a trauma, but because the kid would be a constant reminder, she'll likely resent the kid immensely. That's not exactly a firm foundation to build a family. If harsher penalties for rape are implemented than you'll have a slightly easier time trying to push the "don't punish the baby for what that putz did to you".

That being said, do not. Do. Not. Try to paint adoption in cases of rape as an "upside" or a silver lining. Rape is one of those rare clouds that doesn't have one. So shh.

Finally, I think toning down the rhetoric will do wonders. Pro-lifers are generally portrayed at shouting things like "baby killer!" at women, waving around signs with pictures of dead baby fetuses and so on. Honey vs vinegar, people. A calm and rational attempt at discussion will do a lot more to potentially change a pregnant woman's mind than shouting at her and questioning her moral fiber.

This, in turn, should, hopefully, result in a toning down of pro-choice rhetoric. This would make for a much more civil environment where we can have actual discussions as opposed to shouting each other down.

Will these measures eliminate abortion entirely? I doubt it, but it would go a long way to achieving the goals that pro-lifers want to accomplish without stomping on women's rights or violating their personal space.