The Telegraph Journal:
One boilerplate rationalization for legal abortion is prevention of deaths from "back alley" or "coathanger" illegal abortions, but prevalence of that in pre-legalization says has been grossly exaggerated. According to Statistics Canada (Reported Abortion Deaths in Canada, 84-203) there were 11 deaths of women from illegal abortions in 1969 and 13 in 1966 - tragic for the handful of victims and their loved ones to be sure, but hardly the butchery holocaust abortion advocates have made it out to be.
And completely preventable...if they just hadn't opted for abortion.
Don't want to die from an illegal abortion? Don't have one! It's in every woman's power.
From their ethically stunted perspective, the abortion question is based in sophistry about "controlling one's own body," conveniently ignoring the fact that more than one body is involved. A pregnant mother is custodian of the human being growing inside her womb, but that occupant is not part of her body, but an individual human being who should be accorded full human rights and protections.
(...)
Encouragingly, there's evidence the tide of public opinion is turning.
Well, it does provide some encouragement, but let's keep things in perspective.
What would really be a change is if larger numbers of people advocated for more restrictions on abortion.
To me, that is the true measure of pro-life sentiment. Polls about labels might underscore who has momentum, but I want actual support to go up.
