The best way to reduce abortions...

(image courtesy of "Fotus: Future is Bright")

All-around awesome woman, Hpets contributed this article on the recent Missouri House vote removing state funding for abortions and contraception.

As an anti-abortion, pro-choice advocate, let me emphasize that these types of measures are the worst of both worlds. I don't care if you think that abortion is murder--it does no good to institute measures that increase the need demand for abortions and forces women who has chosen to undertake an abortion to put themselves and their families into greater danger.

If this is your policy, are you actually interested in preventing abortions, or just in demonizing and hurting those who disagree with you?

Furthermore, what's the point of measures that only prevent abortions by poor women? Removal of funding displays a hypocritical philosophy of "It's murder if poor folks do it, but not if myself or my daughter do it". Even bans on abortion simply lead to greater hardship and numbers of deaths among those too poor to afford safe, expensive, black market abortions.

If you want to reduce abortions, reduce the factors that create the desire to have abortions. Reduce assault and abuse of women. Fix the horrible conditions that working-class women find themselves and their families and offspring in. Educate people on how, should they choose to have sex, to make strategic family planning decisions. Stop attacking non-conventional (whatever that means) families and encourage adoption and fostering in any positive environment for children. Research new technologies to make fetuses non-dependent on their birth mothers.

If we successfully executed all of these initiatives, then we would have a right to argue about the few remaining abortions taking place.