For nearly as long as women have been on this earth, some of them have attempted to avoid or terminate unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. In the era before abortion was legal in America, it was Black, Hispanic, Native American and poor women who suffered the most from poorly performed illegal abortions. Moreover, many of the women who were victims of poorly performed illegal abortions, and who didn’t die, suffered from health endangering infections, hemorrhage and indignities. The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in America, has dramatically prevented the deaths of and injuries to thousands of women each year.
Those who want to make abortion illegal again want to return to those awful days before Roe vs. Wade, when American women suffered and died from unsanitary and dangerous procedures.
In a recent study released by the Guttmacher Institute, African-American and Latina women have a higher rate of unintended pregnancies than white women, according to a recent study. The result is a higher rate of abortion for women of color. The numbers are startling: when compared to white women, nearly three times as many black women and twice as many Latina women experience an unintended pregnancy. The result is a higher rate of abortion for women of color because of a higher rate of unintended pregnancy.
As an African American obstetrician/gynecologist who practiced medicine for over forty years, I listened to the stories of thousands of women who sought birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies. I also listened to their stories when they didn’t have access to contraception or, if they did, when it failed them. Many of these women sought to terminate their unwanted pregnancies for reasons known best by them. I listened to the stories of women who had more children then they could afford to care for. I listened to the stories of the students who wanted to finish high school and go on to college. I listened to the stories of women who were survivors of rape and incest. The pleas of these women never centered on abstract discussions of philosophy or politics, but rather on the real and often cruel circumstances under which they lived.
Family planning providers have as their mission the prevention of unintended and unwanted pregnancies. In so doing they are reducing the need for abortion. Through education and the provision of the full range of contraceptive options, family planning clinics contribute to the health and welfare of women, their families and the communities in which they live. Now, the Bush administration is attempting to limit the options of physicians and their patients by declaring that some forms of commonly used family planning methods are inducing abortions. This wrong-headed policy is contrary to common sense, good medical practice and the health of women.
In 2003 the Republican Congress passed and President Bush signed a law that outlawed a specific kind of abortion procedure, with no exceptions for a woman’s health. In 2007 the Supreme Court upheld this federal abortion ban. Both the law and the Supreme Court’s decision were based upon inaccurate and biased information. What is even more alarming is that the way the Court’s decision was written invites further challenges to other methods of abortion. It is obvious that the ultimate goal of those opposed to legal abortion is to outlaw all abortions, including some methods of birth control.
The stakes for women and women’s health in the next election are huge. John McCain has said that he will be a “pro-life” president. This means that he will continue the policies and actions of George Bush, including the appointment of judges who share their views on a woman’s right to choose. Barack Obama has said that he is “pro-choice” and, in the words of the 2008 Democratic Party platform, “strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion .” A brighter line could not be drawn between these two candidates.
This bright line illuminates the differences between them, the kind of administration they will have and the kind of judges they will appoint. Given the current make-up of the Supreme Court, the next President will have the opportunity to appoint replacements for one or more of the four “pro-choice” justices, whose average age is 75, while increasing the numbers and strength of those five justices who have voted to restrict access to abortion. The decisions that an anti-choice administration and an anti-choice Supreme Court make will have a devastating impact on the lives of women for generations to come.The decision as to what kind of administration and court we will have is up to us, the voters. The choice for the future of women’s lives is clear and in our hands.
Kenneth C. Edelin, M.D., is emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University and past chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He is the author of “Broken Justice. A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge in a Boston Courtroom.”
