Book Review
A critical education in everything you need to know about abortion in the USA post Dobbs.
Reading this book I learned that most Americans, regardless of their religious or political affiliations, support the legality of abortion in most situations. The fact that Roe Vs Wade was overturned undermines democracy. I learned that abortion is very safe—arguably safer than having a baby (especially in this country). One in four American women have abortions and 99% percent don’t regret it. 98% of abortion medication is effective and 99.8% were free from serious adverse events.
Maternal death rates have increased since Dobbs. Infant death rates have increased since Dobbs. Maternal suicide rates have increased since Dobbs. Doctors are afraid of breaking the law so they are debating those laws with lawyers while pregnant people are in lying in hospital beds begging to be treated. More pregnant people are dying as a result. Doctors’ licenses are under threat. Many ob-gyns have moved away from anti-abortion states which means there is not only a shortage of abortion care but also a shortage of pregnancy care in those states. Maternity wards are rapidly closing! Pregnant people are far more at risk of death in anti-abortion states: “the maternal mortality rate is increasing twice as fast in states with abortion restrictions.”
Language is being manipulated to confuse people about national abortion bans that they now want to call “national standards.” There are bills being pushed to fine people for helping others travel to another state or even just for giving them information about abortion clinics, and these bills are using language like “anti-trafficking” and “abortion trafficking!” An article accused a woman of flushing her baby down the toilet, when, in fact, all she did was have a miscarriage into the toilet. And she was arrested and denied treatment for her miscarriage!!!!! Imagine the trauma of being arrested and people labeling you a baby killer for having a miscarriage?! This has also been called “abuse of a corpse” which is totally unfounded. Some crisis pregnancy center workers are switching out the language of “non-viable” with “pre-viable” giving pregnant people false hope that their babies might survive if only they give birth to them. Some crisis pregnancy centers as also being renamed “maternal health/wellness centers” so that people don’t recognize they are anti-abortion institutions.
I think the most powerful thing I personally learned from this book, was that there are people pushing to outlaw contraception. I must admit, that even I have been confused about the difference between contraception and abortifacient medication. Jessica Valenti has cleared this up for me. A conception is not the same as a pregnancy because it has not implanted in the lining of the uterus. The morning after pill, is a contraceptive that can prohibit conceptions from implanting in the uterus. It is not an abortifacient. Abortifacients are used for aborting already implanted fertilized eggs. The pill and IUDs also act toward prohibiting a conception from implantation. They cannot guarantee you that sperm and egg won’t meet, although that is the goal. But if a conception occurs, these contraceptives are fairly effective in stopping the conception from implantation. Some politicians want the pill, the morning after pill and IUDs to be banned as though they are abortifacient, when they are only contraceptive and not abortifacient by definition. Yes, I believe we should be educated about what various contraceptives actually do so we can make informed decisions about which ones we are willing to use. And I agree with the general American public that people should have access to contraceptives, contraceptives should not be illegal, pregnancy should not be mandated, and contraceptive care should be covered by medical insurance. Contraceptives effectively lower abortion rates, and should not only be perfectly legal, but encouraged, and teenagers should be educated about contraceptives in all schools regardless of religion. If I were raped, I would take the morning after pill in a heartbeat. Anyone who goes to a hospital after being raped should be offered the morning after pill. This is common practice in Australia and now that I understand the difference between the morning after pill and abortion medication, I am even more strongly supportive of the morning after pill!
This book was a shocking read. It makes no sense that politicians want to go against the will of the general population by making abortion illegal, introducing abortion bans, travel bans, using language about “parental rights” to prohibit pregnant minors from having abortions! In my opinion, minors are not at the age of consent, and any pregnant minor should be considered a likely rape victim and should be given access to contraceptives and to abortion. I hate that people want to avoid sex education and contraceptive education even though it helps lower abortion rates by lowering the rate of unwanted or unplanned pregnancy in the first place. I hate that women are dying at the hands of doctors who are too afraid to operate. I hate that infants are being born only to suffer and die which further adds to the grief of the parents. I hate that women threatening to kill themselves are still being denied abortions. Like Jessica says, women must be trusted. We have to trust women and other pregnant people to make the right decision for themselves. Most women do not regret having an abortion that they chose to have. It is not for anyone outside to judge whether or not that person “should” regret it, but rather to trust in her right to choose!
