In Andrew Shadoff's letter regarding “The A(bortion)-Bomb,” he calls out Bill English for failing to supply statistics in support of his ideas regarding abortion. Given that Shadoff himself cites very little hard data, readers have a right to see some actual numbers.
According to Planned Parenthood, 1.31 million abortions are performed in the United States every year, which boils down to roughly 3,600 abortions per day. Half of all U.S. women will have an abortion by age 45. One out of every five pregnancies in the United States will end in abortion. One fifth of each of the last three generations has been aborted.
Shadoff asserts that “many... who undergo abortions do so only as a last resort, and as a result of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life.” According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, these combined reasons account for approximately 4 percent of all abortions, with most studies citing “not ready for responsibility” as the most common explanation for the decision to abort. And although Shadoff states that public opinion on abortion tends to be static, a Gallup poll from 2003 found that teenagers were significantly more likely to be pro-life than their parents.
The time has come for politicians and citizens to recognize the sheer enormity of abortion and to give the issue serious and intelligent thought. Statements such as Shadoff’s, claiming that “there is merely no room for negotiation” regarding abortion, only lead to division and disagreement.
Very few people would argue that an abortion is a positive experience for a woman. Activists on both sides of the issue should be working to empower and inform men and women of their right to choose, not to abort, but to avert unwanted pregnancies, and to create a culture that provides real support and encouragement in such circumstances.
Jared McCauley
Trinity ’06
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