Let’s talk about reality and not spread fake news
To the editor:
What kind of man would abandon his children? It should be illegal! That was the heart-felt sentiment of a recent letter to the editor. Sadly, the reality is different.
I know. I am a registered nurse and I work helping take care of women having to make this hard decision. Some have been told by the doctor that they cannot carry another pregnancy or risk dying in the process. Some suffer from fetal demise or partial miscarriage. Some thought they already went through menopause and are shocked to discover they are pregnant. And some women are brought to the clinic by the men who would be “fathers.” The men frequently insist that the woman have an abortion because they don’t want to be responsible. It is very sad, but without the support from their partner, the women cannot support another child.
The writer is mistaken, however, in thinking taxpayer money funds abortions. In 1976, the Hyde Amendment made federal funding for abortion illegal. In 2009, the Stupak amendment made government funding for abortion illegal in any new “Obamacare” insurance. So, there is ZERO federal funding for abortion except when the life of the mother is at stake. This is a lie, fake news, used to make people angry. It’s just not true.
What is true? It would be great if men would take responsibility for all the children they create. It would be great if women could get paid time off to go through childbirth and adoption. It would be great if politicians would reflect the will of the people – 75% of Americans support the availability of abortion as documented by the Pew Research Center in 2019. Instead, politicians are using this issue to spread fake news and make people angry to try and get votes. Another fact — making abortions harder to get is not going to change anything. The way to reduce abortions is to provide greater access to birth control, according to a study by Washington University, in which they found free or low cost birth control reduces abortion rates by 62 to 78 percent.
So let’s have intelligent, humane policy discussions. Let’s find a way to help women with funding for time off, daycare, help with nutrition and insurance for babies and at least a moral attempt to hold men responsible for the pregnancies they create. But please, let’s not talk about the need to stop government spending on abortion. There just isn’t any. So let’s talk about reality, and things that would be great. If we do, perhaps we can actually make a difference!
Isabel Francis, MPA, MSN, RN
Bokeelia