The president of the National Organization of Women says that abortion is the cure for the “heartbreak of infant mortality.”
In a blog post to Now.org, Terry O’Neill writes, “From a public health point of view, abortion care, no less than contraception, is an essential measure to prevent the heartbreak of infant mortality, and to prevent another tragedy as well — maternal death.”
What O’Neill is arguing is that abortion could actually improve public health and save lives. But following that logic ultimately leads to the suggestion of aborting babies before they have a chance to die or harm their mother.
O’Neill makes her case citing two statistics from Save the Children: America records 30 infant deaths each day and the premature birth rate in the country is 1 in 8 births. O’Neill argues that these numbers can be directly linked to the failure of the public health system in providing “adequate” contraception and abortion services. “About half of pregnancies in the U.S. each year are unintended, and for those women who carry their pregnancies to term (more than half do), the prognosis is anything but great. They not only experience higher rates of premature birth, but also are more likely to have inadequate prenatal care, low birth weight and small size infants, maternal depression and anxiety,” writes O’Neill.
O’Neill warns that teen mothers may be even more at risk: “[B]ecause teen mothers tend to be poorer, less educated and receive less prenatal care than older women, babies born to teen mothers are more likely to be low birth weight and be born prematurely, and to die in their first month.”
Citing a rise in maternal mortality, O’Neill adds, “[D]o the math — as more states like Texas and North Carolina restrict access to abortion care, more women are dying in childbirth or pregnancy, and more infants are not surviving to their first birthday.” She continues, “Politicians may try to separate out abortion, or abortion and contraception, from the continuum of women’s reproductive health care, but when they do, women’s lives are needlessly cut short. Whatever you call that, you can’t call it “pro-life.”
As the post unfolds, O’Neill’s true motivation is made clear– she wants abortion rebranded as “health care” or “abortion care:”
When we talk about procedures and treatments that prevent heart attacks, we call it cardiac care. Children receive pediatric care, and anyone who takes ibuprofen is dealing with pain care.
So why would anyone object to calling a legal medical procedure that one in three women will utilize in their lifetime abortion care?
That’s why O’Neill ends the blog with this promise:
It’s important to remember, as the political debate continues to escalate, that when we talk about abortion we’re talking about health care.
I’ll continue to fight for reproductive rights and choice — but when I talk about abortion, I’ll call it abortion care. And so should you.
Over 3,000 abortions are carried out against children each day in America. Let’s call it for what it really is.
