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unwanted
widespread
coercion
unsafe
teens & moms at risk
unfair
injustice to all involved
hope & healing
you are not alone
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facts
unwanted abortions |
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64% report being
pressured into unwanted abortions.3
8 out of 10 said it’s
unlikely they’d have aborted if others had supported
them.4
52% felt rushed, 54%
unsure; yet 67% received no counseling.3
79% were not informed
about alternatives.3
84% reported that they did not receive adequate
counseling.4
45% of men
interviewed at abortion clinics recalled urging
abortion (including 37% of married men).5
In 95% of all cases
the male partner played a central role in the
decision.6
Simply being pregnant
places women at higher risk of being attacked.7
Murder is the leading
cause of death among pregnant women.2
A former abortion
clinic security guard testified that women were
routinely threatened and abused by the boyfriends
and husbands who took them to the clinics to make
sure they underwent their scheduled abortions.8
Women and girls are
often pushed by clinic staff who sell abortions.9
In many cases, a
trusted pastor, physician, parent or counselor made
the decision.10
Many men, women and
families feel betrayed by coercion, deception or
non-support from those experts, counselors and
others in authority.10 |
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Unwanted
Most abortions are unwanted or coerced. Many forced.
"Look, I'll give you 5 minutes to think about it."
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"I collapsed in sheer exhaustion. I told her that I had been outside
for hours.
"I cried hysterically ... with my head in my hands. The pressure
was on. ...
"The counselor told me that if I was going to abort
then I would have to do it right now.
"The counselor said, 'Look, I'll
give you five minutes to think about it and when I come back, I want your
answer.'
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"Now I was going into a state of panic and
shock. I could barely speak ...
"The counselor glared at me, sighed a deep sigh and said,
'Look, they're all waiting for you, you know ... "
Genevieve, from the book
Giving Sorrow Words |
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Click the image for an ad
about
unwanted
abortions
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Coercion poses a risk and injustice to
teens and all pregnant women |
"The rhetoric of choice suggests there are a lot of choices,
all good and of equal weight ... it suggests no coercion,
direct or indirect."
–
Melinda Tankard Reist in Giving
Sorrow Words
New evidence reveals that abortion is not about a woman's freedom to
choose. Studies show that abortion often results from the demands,
threats and non-support of others whom the woman or girl depends on for
support; or as a result of deceptive or false information presented as
"fact" by those in authority. Many abortions take place even when it
violates the mother's own beliefs, values and desire to
keep the baby.
The pressure often comes from all sides at a time when some women are most
vulnerable. Others are just seeking honest information or a helping hand
at a challenging time.
Women who have had abortions come from all walks of life. But
despite their many differences, many were deceived and manipulated or
actively blocked
– ironically – from the "choice" they wanted. Many
were directly or indirectly forced into unwanted abortions. Still others
were blackmailed or threatened, sometimes violently. It's no wonder that a
growing number of women see abortion as a tool by which many teens and women
of all ages have been abused, abandoned and exploited.
For millions of women hurt by pregnancy-related
injustices and post-abortion injury, or death ... it was
never about authentic, free, fair or fully informed "choice."
Abortion on demand is often a demand, an ultimatum, a threat, a shell
game, or an unfair substitute for accurate information, full disclosure,
authentic support and meaningful alternatives.
Coercion is common and comes
from all sides |
 "Every
Tuesday, a bus picked up students from all the area high schools and took
them to the Planned Parenthood clinic. … It was all so organized.
…They were all particularly careful to
find out when my parents would not be home … On the bus, I felt as
though I had no control over what was happening to me… still today, I feel
like I did not decide to have the abortion." –Gaylene
"The night I told him I was pregnant, he destroyed our
apartment. He was screaming at me, telling me I was a whore, slut,
pig ... you name it. He told me that the kid would be retarded,
abnormal, and to get rid of it. NOW! The whole time he cornered me
in the bedroom, throwing things and killing me with his words. ... He
was so mean. ... His eyes were so black with anger. … The abortion
ripped my world apart." –Mary, in
Forbidden Grief
"[My parents]
... told me to leave
the house and forget that I was their daughter."
I left the house with no job, no money, no home
and nowhere to turn, feeling utterly abandoned and alone. Still, I was
certain I would not get an abortion. I wanted my child.
... my father sent several messages urging
me to have an abortion. I refused. But as I began to feel more
desperate, I shut down my feelings ... functioning more like a surreal
observer than someone in control.
–Theresa
link to these and other
stories about unwanted, coerced or forced abortions
Coercion can escalate to violence,
forced abortion or homicide |
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Women have been forced into
clinics or restrained when they tried to escape an unwanted
abortion.
Women have been silenced
when they were uncertain or when they asked "too many
questions."
Some who refused to abort have been subjected to
terrible abuses, such as forced injections, stabbings,
beatings, strangulation, gunshots, bombings.
Coercion
can escalate to violence or even homicide if
women won't abort. Homicide is the
leading cause of death for pregnant women.
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Click the image for
our Forced
Abortion Report |
info &
downloadable resources
about unwanted, coerced and forced abortions
Citations
1. Woo J., “Abortion Doctor’s Patients Broaden Suits,”
Wall Street Journal Oct. 28, 1994, B12:1.
Zimmerman MK,
Passages Through Abortion; (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1977) 69;
see also Los Angeles Times
Poll, March 19, 1989, question 76.; and Skelton G., “Many in Survey Who
Had Abortion Cite Guilt Feelings,” Los Angeles Times, March 19,
1989, p.28.
2. 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.
3. Rue et. al.,
"Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary
comparison of American and Russian women,"
Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16,
2004.
4. DC Reardon,
Aborted Women, Silent
No More (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 2002) 336.
5. Arthur Shostak
& Gary McLouth, Men and Abortion: Lessons, Losses and
Love (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1984).
6. Mary K.
Zimmerman, Passage Through Abortion (New York,
Praeger Publishers, 1977).
7. J. Mcfarlane
et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent
Implications for Women's Health,"
Obstetrics & Gynecology 100: 27-36, 2002.
8. Brian
McQuarrie, "Guard, clinic at odds at abortion hearing,"
The Boston Globe, April 16, 1999.
9. Carol Everett
with Jack Shaw, Blood Money (Sisters, OR: Multnomah
Books, 1992). See also Pamela Zekman and Pamela Warwick,
“The Abortion Profiteers,” Chicago Sun Times special
reprint, Dec. 3, 1978 (originally published Nov. 12, 1978),
p. 2-3, 33.
10. For
examples, see the books
Giving Sorrow Words and
Forbidden Grief, as well as personal stories on the
The UnChoice Stories page
on this site.
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