these basic facts about abortion. Are you better informed than 80% of Americans? Shouldn't you be in the 20% of knowledgeable citizens before you vote for legislators making decisions about abortion? Are the legislators themselves in the 20%? http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/08/20/3473440/americans-abortion-science/ Most Americans cant correctly answer basic questions about the risks, frequency, and legality of abortion in this country, according to a new study conducted by University of Cincinnati researchers. The authors found that the people who live in blue states are no more likely to be well-informed about abortion than the people who live in red states. Participants were asked to answer several questions about abortion, including What percentage of women in the U.S. will have an abortion by age 45? and Which has a greater health risk: An abortion in the first three months of pregnancy or giving birth? They were also asked to determine whether a few statements about abortion were true or false, like whether a woman who has an abortion has a greater risk of suffering from breast cancer, mental health issues, and fertility problems.
I suspect you are not going to get a high percentage of those who are aware, simple because its a dying issue most places. Through some classic Canadian lawmaking, the abortion issue was "settled" here about 15 years ago when the Supreme Court struck down the old existing law, with the stated intent of Parliament replacing it. However, they called an election and that little matter got lost in the fog of war elections really are. A minority government replaced the old and the new one was too afraid to touch the abortion file at all. Today Canada stands alone in the world with absolutely NO restrictions in law, other than abortions must be performed by an MD etc. Technically, they could pull a fetus while in labour and it would be "legal". However, the most recent national stats indicate Canada has about the best standards in terms of time, age, conditions etc. and one of the best records vis-a-vis teen pregnancies. I have discovered that I am not at all uncomfortable with that result, that sometimes getting the political/religious agendas out of an equation things have a way of working out.
I'm not American, but I knew all the answers! I agree with FearandLoathing ( rotten sort of name, that), that abortion needs to be a matter of public health and not a matter of morals. Time limits are pointless. Late term abortions are not rare because they're illegal, it's simply because they're not wanted. When the time limit for abortions was reduced from 28 weeks to 24 weeks in Britain, it made absolutely no difference at all to the rate of late term abortions, though it did make it more stressful for women to access them. Some surgeons are so worried about being prosecuted they refuse to carry out abortions past 20 weeks. This is scandalous. During the year before the time limit reduction became law, only 22 babies were aborted past 24 weeks gestation. Eighteen of them were carried out to save the life of the woman and four were because the foetus had a serious abnormality. People just don't want to listen, though.
Having debated abortion for the best part of 20 years I knew the answers and could have added a few more questions as well... one thing I always try to do is to research the issue before I post an OP, it is a great shame that so many here don't do that, they post off the cuff remarks without really having much idea as to what the are talking about. TBH I have never been in a forum where the debates turn so much to addressing the poster and not the post.
Look at some of our local "pro-lifers" when a topic such as....RU-486 ...comes up. Some of them have never even heard of it or understand how and when it is used. They imagine all abortions as taking placing in the six or seventh month of gestation with "little babies chopped up by Nazi abortion doctors, so that slutty single women can go back to drinkinig in bars and getting pregnant every other month". Many don't know about natural abortifacients. They almost never know the statistics on late-term abortions versus first trimester. In some cases, they don't even know the law or how Roe was decided. Or the history of abortion before Roe (How many of them actually believe that abortion was "illegal across the United States" before Roe?) Even their OWN agenda they don't know that well. How many of them have we seen tripped up trying to answer the basic question - "Okay, you ban abortion nation-wide....how EXACTLY will you enforce it?" (and are left babbling "We'll just do it, is all!!!!!") Why? Because they never leave the Echo Chamber of Rightwing and/or "pro-life" Media (Fox, Rightwing Radio, "pro-life" websites/discussion boards, church meetings, etc.)
I'd like to see them asked the question: WHO gets an abortion? What social level, what political party, what religious affiliation do these women have to help erase the stereotype that only Poor/Liberal/Welfare/Democrat/Atheist/SlutsWhoCan'tKeepTheirLegsClosed get abortions.
And you notice how their talking points often contradict themselves? On some occasions they attack women who have abortions and call them "sluts who are killing their babies"..... on other occasions they feign compassion and sympathy for women (especially black women) and say "These poor women are being tricked into having abortions by Planned Parenthood and liberals". They can't seem to keep it straight or consistant.
How many times have we pointed out the numerous dishonesties of some of the "pro-lifers"? So why should contradicting themselves be that surprising?
