{"id":63712,"date":"2015-05-20T20:09:12","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T00:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=63712"},"modified":"2015-05-22T06:50:56","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T10:50:56","slug":"dear-sec-clinton-not-just-religious-people-see-whats-wrong-abortion-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/dear-sec-clinton-not-just-religious-people-see-whats-wrong-abortion-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Sec. Clinton: It’s not just religious people who see what’s wrong with the abortion industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Almost seven years ago, Barack Obama rode to victory on a campaign of \u201cchange.\u201d Then-senator Obama explained in the run-up to election day that his goal involved \u201cfundamentally transforming the United States of America.”<\/p>\n

Apparently former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes we need more of that. While addressing last month’s Women in the World summit, Clinton lamented that<\/a> \u201cfar too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth.\u201d To correct this, Clinton insisted that \u201cdeep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed,\u201d both overseas, as well as \u201cright here in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t commissioned a survey, but I\u2019m pretty sure America\u2019s faithful don\u2019t have a problem with \u201csafe childbirth.\u201d I also doubt most mainstream religious groups take issue with pap smears or HIV tests, either.<\/p>\n

A lot of them do object to abortion, however, which is what \u201creproductive health care\u201d is often a euphemism for. That choice of words is a little puzzling when you think about it; after all, health care usually involves trying to save lives, not end them.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s not puzzling is why abortion advocates need to employ euphemisms. Because regardless of their religious beliefs, most people don\u2019t get pleasant feelings when they hear about abortion. And the more they hear, the less pleasant those feelings get.<\/p>\n

It starts with the practicalities. According to the Mayo Clinic, a preborn child\u00a0already has developed<\/a> eyes, legs, and toes by the ninth week of a pregnancy. Unfortunately, many children don’t get to use those features: The Guttmacher Institute reports that over one-third<\/a> of abortions are done after this point. More than 10,000\u00a0are performed every year past week 21, which is especially disturbing for two reasons. First, the process used towards the end of the second trimester is known as Dilation and Evacuation, and it consists of\u00a0 dismembering the child<\/a> with forceps. Second, there\u2019s evidence to suggest that she or he can feel it happening.<\/p>\n

Dr. Kawaljeet Anand’s research at the University of Tennessee indicates that preborn children experience pain<\/a> by 20\u00a0weeks. In fact, Dr. Anand believes there’s an even greater potential<\/a> for suffering at this juncture because \u201ca fetus at 20 to 32 weeks of gestation would experience a much more intense pain than older infants or children or adults.\u201d He attributes this to underdevelopment of \u201cfibers which dampen and modulate the experience of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the abortion industry’s PR problems don’t stop there, as its habit of helping pimps and child rapists is also kind of a turnoff for a lot of people. The group Life Dynamics has compiled a list<\/a> of more than 50\u00a0sexual predators who have used abortion to cover up their crimes and keep abusing their victims. As Live Action has demonstrated, some of the staff at America’s largest abortion provider are willing to lend them a hand.<\/p>\n

When Live Action investigators visited Planned Parenthood facilities\u00a0posing as minors<\/a> who had been impregnated by adult men, they encountered staffers\u00a0who were ready to help perpetuate the abuse. Hidden cameras documented how employees in multiple states failed to report evidence of sexual abuse, with one Planned Parenthood staffer even telling a 14-year-old to lie about her boyfriend’s age in order to obtain\u00a0a secret abortion.<\/p>\n