One in Three

If you know three or more women, then it's fairly likely that one of them has had an abortion.  According to the Guttmacher Institute, 35% of US women have undergone this procedure.  Of those women, 61% already have at least one child.

Yet you're not likely to have a happy hour conversation with your best gal pal about the abortion she had last year.  Thus, comedienne Chelsea Handler, who frequently makes light of alcoholism and celebrities' eating disorders, made some waves last week when she openly admitted to having had an abortion at the age of 16.  "Because that's what I should have done.  Otherwise, I would now have a 20 year old kid."

Chelsea Handler:  One in three.

The stigma surrounding abortion is no secret.  Thus, any woman, famous or not, who "comes out" about her abortion is likely to face some hostility or criticism.  Fortunately, the Safe Abortion Project is an organization dedicated to reversing this trend.  This group  encourages women to speak up about their experiences with abortion in order to keep the procedure safe and legal.  There are also forums, such as the National Abortion Federation's blog, which publish women's abortion stories judgment-free to shed light on the myriad reasons why a woman might choose to have an abortion.  These are steps in the right direction.

http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/68790-i-had-an-abortion/

This takes balls

The movement to "break the silence" has unfortunately been co-opted by the other side as well, with religiously-affiliated organizations like Project Rachel and Silent No More.  These groups encourage women to tell discuss their (negative) experiences with abortion in order to address the mythical "Post Abortion Syndrome," and to frighten women out of having abortions themselves.  Nevertheless, women of any religious or political leaning are still more likely than not to clam up about undergoing the most common medical procedure performed in America.

While flipping through channels on any given day, you can see around three shows about boob jobs or facelifts or weight loss surgery, and hear the claims subjects give that this procedure will raise their self esteem or better their lives in some way.  You can also choose from an enormous selection of pregnancy- and baby-related programming, including "Birth Day," "Deliver Me," "A Baby Story," and "Sixteen and Pregnant."  

But the topic of abortion will never rear its head without awkward silence and harsh judgement, because we as a society not only do not respect a woman's right to choose, but barely understand or accept that she might not fucking want to have a kid.  We can accept the idea that plastic surgery or weight loss can positively impact a woman's health or self esteem, but can't acknowledge that the prevention or termination of unwanted pregnancy could have even more profound effects on a woman's ability to support herself financially, finish her education, or better care for already existing children.   Successful women like Rep. Jackie Speier or even Chelsea Handler have attained success in part because they were able to delay childbearing in favor of education and career.  Let's see a TLC two-part special about that.

The Culture of Death

“The Culture of Death” is a phrase that gets tossed around a lot in certain circles.  Very creepy circles, to be fair, so you might not have heard this particular turn of phrase if you don't spend a lot of time researching reproductive rights.  First coined by Pope John Paul II, this emotionally-laden and contrarian saying refers to the prevalence of birth control, abortion, and euthanasia in Western society.  It is also used as the official Root Of All Evil by those who hold to the belief that we somehow desperately need more people in the world.

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/blogs/2010/tv-news/peta-takes-a-dig-at-the-duggars/

Last July, during the commemoration of “the Pill’s” 50-year anniversary, a coalition of Evangelicals hosted an enormous conference in San Antonio, TX, called "The Baby Conference:  A Historic Family Summit on the Triumph of Life Over the Culture of Death."  Highlights of the conference included discussion on the Pill’s adverse effects on society, a vigil for the pre-born victims of abortion and miscarriage, a lecture on "not believing the lie of overpopulation," and a speech by Michelle Duggar on accepting God’s gift of children. The convention center was bedecked with images of chubby white babies and of Terry Schiavo, who has become the unofficial “face” of euthanasia (though her actual cause of death was withdrawal of care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide).  At the root of the discussion was the theme that creepy crawly secular culture was diffusing its “fascination with death” throughout America.

http://www.visionforum.com/news/blogs/doug/2010/04/

This terrifying alternate reality is brought to you by 

Toys R Us & George Orwell

I doubt that attendees ran out of conversation during the conference.  Fifty years after the release of the Pill in America, 88% of sexually active women report having taken hormonal contraception at some point in their lives, and the average fertility rate is 2.04 children per woman.  Ninety-five percent of Americans have had premarital sex, and 43% of women have had at least one abortion.  With all these insults against "pre-born lives," it seems like the "culture of death" may truly be pervading the US.

On the other hand, let me introduce you to the Culture of Life.

http://www.stolenchildhood.net/entry/child-soldiers-recruitment-flourishing-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/

In the DR Congo, abortion is illegal, contraception essentially unheard of, and the fertility rate 6.7 children born to each woman.  Infant mortality is the second highest in the world, at 7.8%, female literacy is 55%, and about 5% of the adult population is HIV positive.  What lesson are we to take from a culture which really truly knows how to accept God’s precious little gifts?

The "culture of death" conversation is laden with both a flippant disregard for real-world problems and a sinister attack on individual freedom and fulfillment.  There is plenty of inherent misogyny, yes, but even deeper than that is the notion that we, all of us, are nothing more than breeders.  There is an outright rejection of humanity and quality of life, a lack of concern for the planet or for the plight of others, a denial that there are some things worse than death.  Absent is any desire to better the world, to create a world worth living in.  Though this group typically dismisses evolutionary theory, they have nevertheless completely co-opted natural selection by making procreation the greatest possible good.  Furthermore, the proponents of the "culture of life" blatantly ignore the fact that the philosophy is completely untenable.  Being able to stand in a sanitary auditorium in front of your nineteen healthy children would not be possible if everyone followed the calling to reproduce as much as humanly possible.  Barring an actual Rapture occurring within the next 50 years, the problems of unrestrained reproduction are going to have to be addressed by scientists who put education and the pursuit of a greater good ahead of procreation.

Worst of all, the sentiment behind the "culture of death" conversation isn't confined to a few Bible-thumping breeder weirdos in a convention center in Texas.  It's behind the House's latest decision to defund the UNFPA, behind abstinence-only sex education, behind bans on condom advertising:  in short, the religiously-fueled idea that we live to procreate is inherent in everything I've ever discussed on this blog.  Rise up, secular world.  We are more than the sum of our parts, and so too should we be more than the fruit of our loins.