Claremont Independent

Last Updated: 12/19/06 Section: Opinion

Often, pro-life individuals are labeled as strict, religious, and anti-feminist. The organization Feminists for Life attempts to counteract this false stereotype, describing itself as "a nonsectarian, nonpartisan organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges that women face." Their goal of reducing abortions is a positive one, as it focuses less on the act of abortion itself or the debate on whether or not a fetus is a human life, and more on the conditions that might lead a woman to feel compelled to have an abortion. No one considers abortion to be a positive experience; it is traumatic and leaves emotional scars long after the physical scars have healed. To ensure that women do not feel compelled to undergo such a traumatic experience, schools must teach comprehensive sex education and communities should provide wider support and care for young women with unplanned pregnancies.
I interviewed a woman, who wished to remain anonymous, about her feelings toward an abortion she had when she was younger. She says that going to the clinic "was so easy…they did mention options briefly, but it was the abortion that was pushed." This is not the correct way to support a woman who, in her own words, "didn't know any better, and had been convinced that it was [her] only way out." Though this woman has had years to reflect on her abortion, she says that the memory of seeing "a nurse flushing away what had been removed" still haunts her. The staff of the clinic made the procedure seem insignificant and, this woman, left with deep regret, had no support system to help her cope. Her pain could have been prevented either with better sex education or realistic support once she became pregnant.
As any sex educator will say, the most effective form of birth control is abstinence. Abstinence-only education is hardly practical, however, in view of the sexual practices of today's youth. According to statistics from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 60.5 percent of high school seniors in the United States reported having had sexual intercourse. Only 57.9 percent of "currently sexually active" high school students reported having used condoms during their last intercourse, and only 18.2 percent reported using some form of oral contraceptive. It is troubling that the use of birth control is not widespread, despite sex being so common.

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