Unintended pregnancy not the cause of abortion

By Katie Sandquist

The recent introduction of the use of telemedicine to bring medical abortion to more communities in Iowa has reignited the abortion debate. The Gazette Editorial Board entered the conversation with the Oct. 5 editorial, “Focus on reducing unintended pregnancies,” arguing that efforts should be directed toward preventing unplanned pregnancies, and that telemedicine, including that which provides abortion services, is a matter of improving rural access to health care.

Prevention is important. However, to reduce abortion, we need to start with the woman considering abortion and ask her what makes her feel as though abortion is her only option. This is the discussion we at Aid to Women have with women considering abortion who come to us for support. We have worked with thousands of women facing unintended pregnancies. The problem usually isn't the pregnancy; it's the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, such as a fear of losing relationships, incompatible school or job demands, and financial pressures. This is where the disconnect hits.

Many well-intentioned people hear these reasons and conclude that abortion is necessary for a pregnant woman to escape her overwhelming pressures. Few consider how we can resolve those pressures without abortion. The result is that more than 6,000 Iowa women, including roughly 500 from Linn County, choose abortion every year, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

After 27 years of working with women before and after abortion, we've learned women choose abortion because they feel they have no other choice. They feel forced by life circumstances to end their pregnancy, and therefore end the life of their child. The long-term implications for women are devastating.

The Gazette editorial stated that rural access to health care “shouldn't be manipulated for political ends.” I would go further to say mental health is a serious issue and shouldn't be manipulated for political ends.

There is a dangerous lack of discussion regarding the mental health implications of abortion for women. Abortion rights advocates try to dismiss mental health concerns, but solid research has shown abortion puts women at risk. A 2003 study in Medical Science Monitor found that women who aborted were

65 percent more likely than women who had their babies to be at risk of long-term clinical depression, even after controlling for age, race, education, marital status, income and prior psychiatric state. Additional research can be found at www.theunchoice.com

Aid to Women also works closely with women who have had abortions. Commonly, women share that, initially, they felt relief after an abortion. However, over time, they began to experience symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress, including substance abuse, flashbacks, relational difficulties, guilt and shame, and depression.

As we help these women find healing, we often hear “I wish someone would have told me what abortion would do to my life.” Some of the most traumatic stories involve medical abortions, the kind administered by the new telemedicine program. Women have told us about aborting at home after taking the pills, and seeing not “tissue,” but the tiny, clearly formed body of their baby.

There are no easy choices during an unintended pregnancy. However, how committed will we be to true freedom when it comes to those choices? When a woman feels like her pressures give her no choice but to abort, she is not free. The way forward is not to depersonalize the process even more by sitting a vulnerable woman down in front of a video screen. We can eliminate the “need” for abortion by stepping forward as advocates for women, fighting for them so that no woman has to feel like abortion is her only way out.

Katie Sandquist is the Executive Director of Aid to Women, a Cedar Rapids pregnancy resource center. Since 1983, Aid to Women has offered abortion alternative services. Comments: ksandquist@aidto

women.com