Abortion is no solution for domestic violence

I just read one of the most ridiculous, misleading
rationalizations of abortion — in relation to domestic violence – ever. If the
topic weren't so serious, it would be laughable.

Amanda Marcotte, in her rant “Domestic Violence and
Abortion: Why Do Anti-Choicers Excuse Abuse?", http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2010/06/30/antichoicers-willing-look-other-while-women-abused tries to argue pro lifers don't
care about women because they don't support abortion even when women are
impregnated by an abusive partner. The misguided piece was based on a study
conducted by University of Iowa professors and Planned Parenthood.

Marcotte says women in abusive relationships are more
likely to experience unintended pregnancies, and sabotaging birth control is a
common tactic of abusers. Really? Are these the same women Marcotte says are
capable of making their own choices regarding abortion, but somehow can't take
responsibility for their own birth control?

There's so much disingenuous material here, I don't even
know where to begin – but let me give it a shot.

Marcotte claims “anti choicers” promote, “forced
childbirth,” which according to her is not pro-woman because it gives abusers
more of a hold over their victims. While admittedly a child does create more
bonds, you have to wonder: Is the deafening silence of the pro-abortion
community pro-woman when those who chose to have their babies are forced to
abort or even killed by men for refusing to abort?

The news is filled with cases of women who are murdered because they make the
choice to have their babies instead of aborting. Marcotte doesn't lament their
deaths, but instead uses the fact that homicide is the leading cause of death
for pregnant women as justification for termination, arguing that giving birth
to a child makes it more difficult to escape abusive relationships. She says
abortion can be a “catalyst for ending a toxic or even abusive relationship,”
adding that clinic workers might be able to offer resources to women who are in
an abortion clinic as “part of a larger journey of escaping a bad situation.”

So ladies: kill your unborn baby and your domestic violence
situation will be solved by the clinic workers! Is she for real? Domestic violence is a heartbreaking and
serious situation, and nothing is an excuse for it. Using it to justify
abortion is beyond disgusting. Perhaps Marcotte is not aware there are many
resources in place for abuse victims. Hotlines, safe houses, orders of
protection, and homes for unwed moms are just a few of those available. No
woman should ever have to feel she has to have an abortion to get out of a
violent situation. No one has a right to
act violently against another, pregnant or not.

Marcotte claims pro lifers could create an obstacle for
keeping women safe, and says they stoke the anger of men who are rejected by
their partners. Does encouraging abortion not stoke anger in some men? Again,
she's blinded by the ever-growing attitude of the pro-abortion movement which
has moved from their supposed justification of abortion because of their
concern for women, to enshrining abortion at any cost, even the life of some
women. Maybe she hasn't read about women who are dying at the hands of men for
refusing to abort.

For sure, the cycle of violence in relationships is hard to
break out of. Countless women stay in
unhealthy relationships because they're afraid to leave, they're confused, or
they're clinging to promises and hoping things will change. Some pregnant women
may abort because of the violence, but return to their partner, only to get
pregnant again, finding themselves in the same situation. How many abortions
would Marcotte think is okay before the relationship finally ends? I'm sure
she'd say, as many as it takes.

The termination of pregnancies in abusive relationships is
not the answer to domestic violence. The
answer lies in addressing the violence itself, whether there is a pregnancy or
not.

No woman should tolerate abuse, and if she finds herself in
an abusive situation she should seek out the help she needs to end the
relationship. Contrary to Marcotte's misguided belief that she's pro woman, the
only pro I see in her article is pro-abortion.

Theresa
Bonopartis

Lumina/Hope
& Healing after Abortion

lumina@postabortionhelp.org

http://www.postabortionhelp.org

One response to “Abortion is no solution for domestic violence”

Barbara Allcroft

July 2, 2010

Several years ago I came to know that abortion, and all it entails, is the ultimate violent act against women. First, it divorces a woman from her own body, severing not only the bond she has by nature to her own offspring, but also from the self-respect and appreciation for what only her body can do – hold, nourish and bring forth life. Second, the victim of this abuse must maintain this severe separation from herself and from her own natural purpose, and then teach other women that it’s OK, and even desirable, to do the same. The abused becomes the abuser. The victims themselves willingly perpetuate the violence that is being heaped upon them. What better, more insidious way to abuse someone could there be than to 1) get them to perform the abuse themselves and 2) convince them that it’s really not abuse at all?
Ms. Marcotte and her fellow proponents of abortion and so-called “abortion rights” are misguided at best, executioners at worst. In the name of women’s “health and safety”, they stand with their hands on the lever of the guillotine, beckoning to those who already suffer to lie down and place their heads over the basket.
“…do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ … if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Luke 23:28-29, 31

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