Criminalizing Abortion: Why Legal Restrictions Are a Public Health Crisis

Abortion has become so bad that it is a risk to a woman’s health. In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled (and held up in 2007) that a woman, after a certain point, cannot get an abortion. 1 Some may find this to be a good thing, but when thinking about child development complications or a miscarriage, it becomes a life-threatening situation. A doctor cannot legally abort a fetus after a certain period of time and must get a court order to do so if needed. 

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The problem is that if birth complications arise, the fetus must be aborted within a certain time period, or else the dead entity will become toxic to the woman’s body. This creates a serious health risk, putting the doctor in a position where he can abort the fetus to save the woman’s life, but he will go to prison for doing so. If that doesn’t upset women, you can always remind them that all anti-abortion laws that affect women’s health are made by religious men.

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The legality of abortion has no effect on whether a woman gets one! Abortion rates (stay the) same whether legal or not. 2

"Every year some 45 million pregnancies, out of a total of 175 million, end in abortion. Nearly half of those abortions (20 million) are medically unsafe, resulting in the deaths of nearly 80,000 women a year and a much larger number suffering infection, injury, and trauma. Thus the legality of abortion and the availability of medically safe abortion are public health issues. Criminalizing abortion does not save babies; it kills mothers" 3  

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1. “Supreme Court Upolds Late-Term Abortion Ban.” Democracy Now! April 19 2007 <http:>

2. “Abortion rates same whether legal or not. Study: Rich, poor countries have equal statistics; half of procedures unsafe.” MSNBC. October 18 2007. 

3. Ojeda, Auriana “Should Abortion Rights Be Restricted?” Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2003

"Abortion is an Assault on Women's Health Care" (Source)

"Who's getting abortions? Not who you'd think"(Source)
Half of the women are 25 and older; most already have a child

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