News

Jun 1, 2010

An Illinois-based pro-life group says lost in the politics of the abortion debate is the surprising evidence that most -- not some -- abortions are unwanted or coerced, and many are forced.

The Elliot Institute has updated a study on forced abortion in America. One aspect of the study focuses on the risks that women and girls often face when they refuse to have an abortion. Amy Sobie with the Elliot Institute says updated information confirms a previous conclusion that the number-one cause of death among pregnant women is homicide.

"We believe from the research and from anecdotal evidence that a lot of abortions, probably the majority of abortions in the United States, are unwanted or coerced in one way or another," she shares. "That could be from pregnancy discrimination [or] that could be from pressure. One study shows that 64 percent of women having abortions in the U.S. reported feeling pressured by others."

Pregnancy discrimination, says Sobie, involves employers who push an employee to have an abortion -- and she adds that such complaints are on the rise. She believes states are doing a poor job in screening abortion seekers for pressure factors.

"The state of Nebraska recently became the first state to actually pass a bill that would hold abortion clinics liable," says the pro-lifer. "Basically it allows for lawsuits when [clinics] fail to screen for coercion or force, and when they fail to screen for risk factors that put women at risk for psychological problems after abortions."

Sobie contends all abortion clinics ought to be screening the women for risk factors anyway. She emphasizes that lawmakers in the various states ought to require it, mimicking the legislation Nebraska passed.