{"id":61662,"date":"2015-03-28T19:25:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-28T23:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=61662"},"modified":"2015-04-06T13:16:17","modified_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:16:17","slug":"naral-says-forced-abortions-dont-happen-victims-say-otherwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/naral-says-forced-abortions-dont-happen-victims-say-otherwise\/","title":{"rendered":"NARAL says that forced abortions don’t happen; victims say otherwise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For women, abortion is a choice; it’s just not always their<\/em> choice.<\/p>\n

Many women who abort do so under duress. Some are coerced by\u00a0violent partners<\/a>; others face financial threats <\/a>or personal blackmail<\/a>. There are studies suggesting that more than half<\/a> of abortions are consented to under pressure, which would mean that while abortion doctors are offering \u201cthe right to choose,\u201d it\u2019s often not their patients who are exercising it.<\/p>\n

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In response, Texas state Rep. Molly White has co-sponsored HB 1648<\/a>. Known as \u201cThe Coerced Abortion Prevention Bill,” it would compel abortion clinics to look for evidence of coercion. It would also require them to provide a private room containing information about assistance programs, help hotlines, and a telephone with which to contact law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Given the legislation’s common sense provisions, who could possibly be opposed to it?<\/p>\n

\"jckux\"<\/p>\n

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, for one. Their legislative counsel, Susan Hays, claimed that<\/a> Rep. White is simply \u201ccreating a problem where none exist to push yet more abortion legislation in Texas that is not needed.”<\/p>\n

I would suggest that Ms. Hays ask coercion victims whether this problem really exists. That’s not always easy to do, however: a lot of them aren\u2019t around to answer.<\/p>\n

Tasha Rossett was stabbed to death<\/a> after refusing her boyfriend\u2019s demands for an abortion. Shamari Jenkins was<\/span><\/span> fatally shot <\/span><\/a>for the<\/span> same reason. So was Hawa Gabbidon<\/a>. Joseph Minerd<\/a> bombed the house of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Deana Mitts, when he couldn’t convince her to abort. Mitts was killed in the blast along with her three year-old daughter. Given cases like these, it’s not surprising that the CDC lists homicide as\u00a0a leading cause<\/a> of death among pregnant women.<\/p>\n

Susan Hays should also talk to former abortion clinic director Abby Johnson. Johnson and six other former Planned Parenthood employees wrote an open letter<\/a> to Congress stating that Planned Parenthood\u2019s polices fail to protect women from violence and coercion.<\/p>\n

Another good move would be to visit Life Dynamics’ website and look at the list of over fifty cases<\/a> in which child sex predators used abortion to cover up their crimes and keep abusing their victims.<\/p>\n

Finally, she should get in touch with The A21 Campaign<\/a>, a group that seeks to end human trafficking. A21 can provide testimony from trafficking victims about how forced abortions were used to keep them in slavery.<\/p>\n