unwanted widespread coercion unsafe
teens & moms at risk unfair
injustice to all involved
hope & healing you are not alone
"There is hope." Encourage healing. Print this bookmark and distribute everywhere. | coerced or forced abortions in America "You don't know what goes on behind closed doors."
–- mother who survived an unwanted abortion
portraits of coercion flyer │ forced abortion in U.S. (22-pg. pdf) │ forced abortion fact sheet
top 10 reasons it's the unchoice │ teens at risk │ moms at risk: suicide crisis
 Coercion takes many forms and can include expert deception. Personal pressure can escalate to violence. Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women. Coercion often comes "from all sides" ... including decisions made by others in positions of authority or made under duress; significant, often systemic and personal and expert pressure; withdrawal of basic needs, such as housing, income, family and friends; or deceptive information presented as fact by credentialed professionals, health officials, even trusted school officials, pastors and religious leaders. Forced Abortion in America Many women have been forced into unwanted abortions; others have been injured or killed for resisting. The rhetoric of choice suggests no pressure, no desperation, no coercion ... personal or professional ... direct or indirect, such as that reflected in withholding support or even blackmail, ultimatums and threats. The pressure often comes "from all sides." Concealing relevant information or deceptive information presented as fact also acts coercively. 64% felt pressured by others. 2 Even though most felt rushed or uncertain, 67% received no counseling.2 84% were not given enough information to make an informed "choice." 2 79% received no information about alternatives. A former abortion clinic security guard testified before the Massachusetts Legislature that women were routinely threatened and abused by the boyfriends or husbands outside the clinics to make sure they kept their scheduled abortion appointment. Few clinics screen for coercion, allowing the injustice of unwanted abortions to continue.3 Despite recommendations from health officials, there have been no federally funded studies of abortion's impact on women. Americans consider government-funded research on abortion a high priority.3
Coercion may be subtle or direct and typically comes "from all sides." It can is significant, serious and can escalate to violence, even homicide –– the #1 killer of pregnant women. A husband jumped on his wife’s stomach to force an abortion ... A mother forced her daughter at gunpoint to go to the abortion clinic Outside a parking ramp, a mother was forcibly injected by a physician –-
the baby’s father – with an abortifacient drug ... Discrimination against pregnant employees or renters Violence against pregnant mothers Homicide is the leading killer or pregnant women. Learn more by downloading our Forced Abortion in America Report, which includes reports on many cases of abortion-related violence and forced abortion. You can also download our single-page (front and back) Forced Abortion Fact Sheet, which contains important research findings on coerced and forced abortions.
Credentialed advisors, parents, partners, doctors, employers or relatives ... the pressure may be direct and/or indirect, such as landlords that refuse or evict pregnant women and mothers ... family, friends or authorities that threaten or blackmail.
These are not idle threats. Coercion can escalate. Pregnant women have been locked out, beaten, silenced or killed. One employer threatened to push a pregnant employee down the stairs when she refused to abort. One maternity shop fired pregnant employees.1 Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women. Violent "choice" ... Threats Can Escalate to Violence or Murder
Coercion can escalate. Many pregnant women have been killed by partners trying to prevent the birth, and women are more likely to be attacked while pregnant.4 Murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.5
   
Compassionate Americans on all sides will want to know ... about these injustices and risks to women. People on all sides are ready to open the door to healing after decades of: Unwanted abortions, Coercion or even force from all sides, Deceptive or negligent counseling and medical practices, Coercive, often systemic negligence, Risk to teens, including coercion, sexual molestation, and injury Risks to all women, ranging from pregnancy-related discrimination and coercion to health risks and post-abortion trauma and death Domestic violence toward pregnant women, which can lead to homicide, the leading killer of pregnant women Post-abortion issues, including: grief trauma physical injury, including infertility 6-7 x higher suicide rates 3.5x higher risk of death in abortion's aftermath (3)
citations 1. For information on these and other cases, see the special report, Forced Abortion in America. 2. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16 (2004). 3. Brian McQuarrie, “Guard, clinic at odds at abortion hearing,” Boston Globe, April 16, 1999. 4. Julie A. Gazmararian et al., “The Relationship Between Pregnancy Intendedness and Physical Violence in Mothers of Newborns,” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 85 :1031 (1995); Hortensia Amaro et al., “Violence During Pregnancy and Substance Use,” American Journal of Public Health, 80: 575 (1990); and J. McFarlane et al., “Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women’s Health,” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100: 27, 27-36 (2002). 5. I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, “Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998,” JAMA 285(11): 1455-1459 (2001); see also J. Mcfarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100: 27-36 (2002). |
