Children of Women

»http://www.truthout.org/article/michelle-goldberg-children-women

by: Michelle Goldberg, The Guardian UK

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News of abortion rates declining could mean stricter laws are preventing the procedure. (Photo: CNN )

The abortion rate in the US has fallen to a 30-year low, but the reasons for the decline are not cause for celebration.

The news that the abortion rate in the US has fallen to its lowest level since Roe v Wade seems, at first, unambiguously heartening. After all, despite what some on the right may think, no one, not even the most zealous pro-choice activist, likes abortion. Even if you don't think there's anything immoral about terminating an unwanted pregnancy, it is always painful for the woman involved, both physically and, in many cases, emotionally. So it seems like great news that, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, America's premier sexual and reproductive health thinktank, abortion rates, declining since 1990, reached a three-decade low in 2004, the last year for which data is available.

Before we start celebrating, though, it's worth noting that while abortion has declined, accidental pregnancy has not. It would be fantastic if American abortion rates had gotten so low because, thanks to better access to family planning, fewer women were finding themselves pregnant when they didn't want to be. But according to a previous Guttmacher study, about 49% of pregnancies in the US are unintended, a number that's been pretty consistent since the mid-1990s. Certainly, not all of those pregnancies were regarded as calamities. For some women, they were probably happy surprises. But there is no reason to believe that unintentional fecundity is any more welcome now than it was in the past. Yet more women are carrying their unplanned pregnancies to term. Is that a good thing?

If it's really a result of women's choices, it's certainly not a bad thing. Perhaps American women are becoming more anti-abortion, and are acting on that conviction, which no one can argue with. Yet there's evidence that part of the reason abortion rates are falling is because, due to increased restrictions and a shrinking number of providers, women are finding it harder to terminate their pregnancies. "Based on the knowledge that we have, we think [the decline] is kind of a mixture of decreased access, at least for some women in some parts of the country, and, for some populations of women, better use of contraceptive methods," said Rachel Jones, a senior research associate at Guttmacher who served as the abortion study's project manager.

Wyoming, for example, measured one of the steepest declines in its abortion rate - a decrease of more than 73% since 1996. At the same time, it's become much harder to get an abortion in that state. Since 1996, there's been a 21% increase in the number of Wyoming women who live in counties without an abortion provider. The state once had eight doctors performing abortions. Now it has two.

For the anti-abortion movement, no doubt, this is good news. And it cuts against evidence from other countries showing that there is very little connection between abortion's legal availability and its incidence. Worldwide, some of the highest abortion rates are in South America and East Africa, both regions that also have some of the world's strictest abortion laws. (In 2004, America's abortion rate - the number of abortions per 1,000 women, was 19.7. Compare that to World Health Organisation figures which show that there are 29 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a startling 39 per 1,000 women in East Africa). The Guttmacher study, then, offers some evidence that anti-abortion legislation can do what it sets out to do, which is to prevent women with unwanted pregnancies from ending them.

For those who care about reproductive rights, though, the news from Guttmacher is far more mixed. Recently, there's been lots of talk about abortion reduction as a bipartisan approach to an issue that perennially inflames American politics. This approach has much to recommend it, as long as it focuses the underlying problem, which is unwanted pregnancy. So far, the US record on that front is spotty. America has been pretty successful in tackling the teen pregnancy rate, which has gone down overall, but less successful in getting contraceptives to adult women who need them. We still have insurance plans that cover Viagra but refuse to pay for birth control, and far too many women who don't have any reproductive healthcare at all.

Anti-abortion campaigners sometimes say that women deserve better than abortion, and they're right. They deserve help in protecting themselves, as much as possible, from unwanted pregnancy. Until there's a healthcare system that does that, it's hard to see much progress.

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Moment of Zen: Pathetic piece of tape



Thanks to Jon Stewart and my grumpy old doppelganger and soulmate, Jack Cafferty.

See the full Oct 1st, 2008 episode here http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=186763 Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

POST TURTLE


While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, whose hand was
caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation
with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her
political bid.

The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Palin is a 'Post Turtle'". Not being
familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The
old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road you come across a
fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle".

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued
to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong
up there, and she doesn't know what to do while she's up there, and you just
wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with".

(I've also seen this on the Web in relation to Obama, so I suppose one can insert the name of one's choice)

***

by James Ebb Huggins, Jr.

There once was a turtle found sitting on a post.
Why it was there is a secret unknown to most.
How did it get there, and why? Who did this devious deed?
The issue will be settled with deliberately little speed.

Did it climb there? Was it placed there? What mystery will it share?
What story from an unknown source will be released with much care?
Will the doer of the deed be prepared to repent?
For the Angel of Truth and Justice will surely be sent.

The farmer who found the turtle on that fateful day,
Says, "The evil one who put it there will surely have to pay".
For with his own hands he planted the mighty post so strong.
And with his own will, he shall find the doer of the wrong.

The moral of the story is, if you put a turtle on a post,
Be prepared for the final penalty from the Master Host.
Be prepared to justify your actions, no untruths shall you send,
For the Angel of Truth and Justice will triumph in the end.

But the farmer could not discover who put the turtle on the post,
Even though he searched the land from sea to shining coast.
For falsehoods and untruths abound, and all were very tall,
And denial and contradictions were soon to overcome all.

So when the children saw the turtle sitting on the post.
They ask, "Who put it there, and why? Will truth ever boast?"
The leaders of our Country the answers they would not share,
For either it was politically incorrect, or perhaps they did not care.

So as the children grew and got a little older,
They became accustomed to the turtle on the post's shoulder.
In fact by the time they were grown,
All posts without a turtle were completely gone.

To them a post with no turtle looked so out of place.
Could it be that they were taught a clean post was a disgrace?
So to them, the thought of a clean post did not have a good ring.
Please sing dear Angel of Truth and Justice, please sing! Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Compare and Contrast - a foretaste of tonight's debate?


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