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| “You mean you didn't want to have an abortion?" Her question pierced my heart. WOW, I thought, she doesn't know.
Why is abortion The UnChoice?  Most abortions are unwanted or coerced.1 Many are forced.2
This site offers documented information and resources about these and other abuses and risks that endanger the rights and lives of both unborn children and women. Coercion is common, takes many forms and often comes from all sides in many sectors of society. It can involve financial, employment, emotional, familial, professional or societal pressure, or deceptive, negligent, exploitative or otherwise coercive counseling. It may happen when individuals or couples already under pressure are merely seeking answers, referrals or a helping hand. Many are told that no help is available or further pressured when women clearly express that they want the baby. A student reported that her school ran a weekly bus to the clinic. A school counselor told the scared girl, "One day, you'll look back on this and laugh," before putting her on the bus. Once at the clinic, the nurse said, "this is no time for questions." Coercion can come from employers, social service gatekeepers and guides, even trusted family pastors, such as the one who gave a young woman - who had been praying for help - money for an abortion. It can escalate to violence, torture or death. In Indiana, a pregnant woman was thrown from a bridge. A Connecticut woman was killed just two weeks before her due date. Others have been forcibly restrained, beaten or killed in unthinkable ways. Homicide5 is the leading killer of pregnant women. (Forced Abortion in America report.) Before or after abortion, mothers are dying, too.
"The dogma of choice is trotted out as though it were infallible and beyond question,
but question it we must. We are obliged to ask - whose choice are we talking about?
The boyfriend's choice? The pushy mother's choice? Society's choice?" excerpt After abortion, women suffer further trauma, including higher death rates
Trauma, injury and nearly 4 times higher maternal death rates plus higher suicide rates. Unwanted abortions and heartbreaking aftereffects are not about "choice" in the true sense of the word. This and other risks are well documented. This site was developed by the Elliot Institute. It is home of The UnChoice campaign to educate the public with new evidence compassionately presented. Learn more about "before abortion" and "after abortion." You are welcome to use and share The UnChoice ads and resources, or donate to support and speed this urgent outreach. The subtle - or not-so-subtle - synergy of coercion |
"Coercion" comes in many forms. It is typically not any one but several factors that can escalate to loss of home, family, employment or even life. Some women are fighting for the life of their child and their own life. Many youth or individuals and families facing a challenging situation are especially vulnerable to coercion "The rhetoric of choice suggests no coercion, direct or indirect." "Concealing relevant information should be recognized as coercion. Deceptive information presented as fact also acts coercively. If abortion providers ignore evidence of force being applied, they are complicit in forced abortion." –Melinda Tankard Reist, Giving Sorrow Words  > 64% of American women felt pressured by others1
> More than half felt rushed or uncertain, yet 67% received no counseling1 > 79% were not told about available alternatives1 > 84% said they were not fully informed > 65% suffer symptoms of trauma1 > Coercion can escalate to violence, putting women & children at risk2 > Coerced abortion is an internationally recognized human rights abuse4 > Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women3
> After abortion, maternal death rates are 4 times higher8 > Post-abortion suicide rates are 6 times higher within the first year9 See also: Forced Abortion in America Special Report and fact sheet.
Coerced or forced ... both are human rights abuses |
"Some claim that abortion is only 'forced' if physical force— e.g., kidnapping—is involved, and that all other abortions have been 'chosen' ... even where women have been harassed or brutalized to force them to comply. [We consider] the distinction between 'forced' and 'coerced' abortions irrelevant, as both are internationally recognized as human rights abuses.
The 'forced' versus 'coerced' argument dismisses the fact that coerced abortions are human rights abuses. It legitimizes abuse of women by implying that any woman who had an abortion because she was unable to withstand being psychologically or physically abused, got what she deserved. ... "Both 'forced' and 'coerced' abortions should be opposed as fundamental human rights abuses."6 | 
| | Click here for the Forced Abortion in America Report |
"Coerced abortion is explicitly recognized as a violation of basic rights and principles." -- United Nations Population Fund4 Coercion runs the gamut ...
from pressure, bullying, emotional or financial blackmail from all sides to poison, torture, pistols and hit men.
A senior doctor was convicted of spiking a woman's drinks in an attempt to cause an abortion. He had reportedly made strenuous efforts to persuade her to undergo an abortion. When she refused, he took matters into his own hands. ...
"Despite his failure to kill his own child, it was a horrific case, clever and calculated in its execution, which a friend of mine described as 'the kind of bizarre evil which Agatha Christie writes about.'
"The question that is not being asked in the wake of this disturbing case is the extent to which his behaviour is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to coercive and forced abortion. His actions may have been extreme, but I know from experience working in the pro-life movement, that there are plenty of [others like him] around who persuade, bully and emotionally blackmail women into abortions and get away with it. ... "I once had a tearful student tell me that when she told her mother she was pregnant, shortly before travelling to England to start her studies, her mother frogmarched her to the doctor to get the RU-486 drug and commanded her to take them, telling her she was a stupid girl who had let everyone down.
"The dogma of choice is trotted out as though it were infallible and beyond question, but question it we must. We are obliged to ask - whose choice are we talking about? The boyfriend's choice? The pushy mother's choice? Society's choice?" - excerpted from a pro-life blog by Fiorella De Maria Learn more/share more: 8 fast-track, research-based fact sheets & flyers:
Citations 1. VM Rue et. al. "Induced abortions and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women," Medical Science Monitor 10(10):SR5-16 (2004). 2. See the special report Forced Abortion in America. 3. IL Horton and D Cheng, "Enchanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality -- Maryland, 1993-1998," Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 285(11):1455-1459 (2001); see also J. McFarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology 100:27-36 (2002). 4. United Nations Population Fund. 5. I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, "Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998" JAMA 285(11): 1455:1459 (2001); J. Mcfarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health." Obstetrics & Gynecology 100: 27-36 (2002). 6. Quoted from the website www.abortionconcern.org. 7. Gissler M., et. al., “Pregnancy Associated Deaths in Finland 1987-1994 -- definition problems and benefits of record linkage,” Acta Obsetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76:651-657 (1997). See also: Kaunitz, "Causes of Maternal Mortality in the United States, Obstetrics and Gynecology 65 (5), May 1985; Frank, et.al., "Induced Abortion Operations and Their Early Sequelae," Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 35(73):175-180, April 1985; Grimes and Cates, "Abortion: Methods and Complications", in Human Reproduction, 2nd ed., 796-813; M.A. Freedman, "Comparison of complication rates in first trimester abortions performed by physician assistants and physicians," Am. J. Public Health 76(5):550-554, 1986)
8. Gissler, Hemminki & Lonnqvist, "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland, 1987-94: register linkage study," British Journal of Medicine 313:1431-4, 1996, and M. Gissler, “Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,” European J. Public Health 15(5):459-63, 2005. See also DC Reardon et. al., “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women,” Southern Medical Journal 95(8):834-41, Aug. 2002.
for post-abortion counseling referrals, call 1-877-HOPE-4-ME or click here.
copyright 2006 Elliot Institute. All rights reserved.
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