Myths About Abortion ...

         Pro-choice was in for a generation. Roe v. Wade brought the government in to our public dialogue and some views were not acceptably expressed with public dollars...even if the public wished to do so. An exaggeration? Ask yourself...now that it is legal...why has it taken five years for people to know it is legal? Why people still insist that pro-life is a "religious issue" and unacceptable for the public school? The answer is simple: people are used to the old ways, fear change, and cling to the habits of a generation. During that generation, myths have developed. Actually, some were true prior to the Casey decision. But it is important that you be aware of these myths.

1. Pro-life is a "religious" issue. Despite the fact that one will find no reference to verify this myth...and that is what it is...it will be repeated over and over. Be patient.
2. The government should stay totally out of the abortion decision. Those who repeat this myth over and over surely recognize that the Supreme Court, one branch of government, made it impossible for legislators to enact the will of the people for a generation. According to the Casey decision, which replaces Roe in this area, it is an "overstatement" to argue that the government should stay out of this issue. Remember, we are a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
3. Most people favor abortion. Yes, for 5% of the abortions. The majority has always opposed any abortion related to convenience.
4. A woman has the "right" to control her own body. A woman cannot decide to take out a liver...or her thyroid gland. None of us would allow her to harm herself in that manner. She can remove an precisely because it is not her body. Besides, Casey is clear on this issue: a woman has the final say but not the only say about an abortion.
5. You can't tell when life begins. Harry Blackmun, the author of Roe v. Wade, said that since theologians, philosophers, and scientists could not agree, then it was impossible to tell when life begins. Maybe. But scientists agree. Life begins when a cell can grow on its own.
6. Abortion limits the level of out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Really ? Rampant abortion has failed to reduce the out-of-wedlock pregnancy rates. During the last generation their has been a dramatic increase in such pregnancies.
7. Babies in partial-birth abortions are normally severely deformed. This myth has now been exploded. The record is clear: the abortionists who perform these procedures indicate without exception that the great majority of their women and babies are perfectly healthy.
8. There is no link between abortion and breast cancer. Joel Brind's research on this topic makes it clear that most studies indicate a clear link. Indeed, there is not one area of the world that has not seen an increase in breast cancer when abortion rates rose dramatically.
9. Schools may present either side...or both sides...of the issue. When a school indicates that it shows both sides, what it almost always means is that it discusses instances when a woman may abort a child...and when she may elect to keep the child. Both sides. Not really, it is simply the pro-choice side. Both sides must mean dealing with the unborn as well as the pregnant woman.
10. That most of the myths surrounding this issue would be in the pro-choice area should not be surprising since they controlled the debate for a generation. That some errors would become accepted as fact is not a criticism, it simply reflects the normal process that occurs when some truths become accepted uncritically over time. For the educator, though, they are areas in the curriculum to be aware of...areas where constructive change can occur.