Mission Statement

This is the web site of AbortionAbout.com.

We can be reached via e-mail at Contact Us

MISSION STATEMENT:

Thousands of unborn children die every day from abortion. Innocent, yet unloved, these children will never be cuddled, giggle, or play. They will never eat an apple, climb a tree, go to school, read a book, or learn a nursery rhyme. They will never have friends, never have families, and never have dreams.

Some of these children will die because of fear, some will die because of selfishness. Some will die because of ignorance, some will die because of apathy. Some will die because they are sick, handicapped, or "not quite right". Some will die because they are little girls and some will die because they are little boys. They will die unnamed and alone, with no final resting place other than in the grieving hearts and minds of their mothers and families as the years go by.

Too often in history atrocities that should have never begun are subsequently stopped too late. The witch hunts, slavery, and the holocaust all come immediately to our minds as terrible injustices that were allowed to continue for all the wrong reasons.

One target of AbortionAbout.com's mission is to work to stop this atrocity. But to stop one atrocity and cause or leave another unresolved is not a complete solution. In order to successfully resolve a "problem" all factors must be addressed.

This brings us to the "root cause" of abortion. The root cause of abortion is unintended or unwanted pregnancy. To simply stop legal abortions without working to resolve or relieve the issues of unintended or unwanted pregnancy would only create other atrocities. Therefore, the second target of AbortionAbout.com's mission is to help create and/or provide or enable access to viable alternatives to unintended or unwanted pregnancies.

AbortionAbout.com believes that by taking the two-pronged approach as stated above, the just due of all involved parties can be met and the dignity of human life can be maintained with the best of health possible.

AbortionAbout.com is committed to the belief that to the extent that abortion is deemed a "problem," it is best addressed by helping women resolve the issues that surround unintended or unwanted pregnancies. We believe that focusing on resolving those issues associated with unintended or unwanted pregnancies, such as the need for sex education for our youth, better, more available contraception, improved adoption laws and options, unbiased pregnancy counseling, etc.—not as a way of backing away from or sidestepping the issue of abortion rights, but—as a means of reducing the need for abortion is in the best interests of all concerned. Addressing the root cause of abortion in a constructive way responds realistically to the problems that many people face in trying to responsibly manage their reproductive lives.

Unfortunately, most of the world's infrastructure is not currently designed to facilitate the issues and needs of women facing unintended or unwanted pregnancies. The lack of readily available, adequate health care that includes contraceptive supplies and services, is a major issue for many. In the United States alone, one in five women of reproductive age lack health insurance, and even those who are insured may lack adequate coverage for contraception, placing some of the most effective methods beyond their financial reach. Sex education falls short of addressing the realities of today's society and the needs of our youth, often failing to discuss the benefits of contraception or portraying it in a negative light.

We believe that future reductions in abortion levels and the eventual realization and cessation of the atrocity wrought on our unborn children is unlikely to occur without a bold, worldwide, societal commitment to helping people avoid or address unintended or unwanted pregnancy. But such a commitment, that ends in success, is possible. For example, during the 25 year period between 1965 and 1990 in the United States, society achieved a drastic 40% reduction in smoking rates. Prior to the U.S. Surgeon General's first report on the harmful effects of smoking in 1964, a reduction of this magnitude would have seemed impossible. But with the encouragement and involvement of all levels of government, the United States's public health infrastructure designated and addressed smoking as a major public health problem, and through a concerted effort, was enormously successful in doing so. Given this example, there is every reason to believe that with the support of a nation's leaders and infrastructure, comparable or better success could be achieved in resolving the issues of unwanted or unintended pregnancies.

Unfortunately, the similarities between the two examples are few. The abortion issue has much deeper and farther reaching roots with greater implications for an impact on civilization as a whole. Smoking can be eliminated without a great need for a substitute because smoking is the problem. Abortion is different. Where the option of abortion is reduced or removed, another option must take its place. The void created by an elimination of abortion as a solution to a problem cannot be ignored, because the problem has not been resolved, we have only removed a solution. If we can agree that unintended or unwanted pregnancy is the real problem, then we must first begin to address and resolve the issues that surround the problem before we attempt to remove or replace a solution. If we do not, we will be setting ourselves up to fail.

Historically, many pro-choice leaders have been resistant to the notion of putting prevention first for fear of casting abortion in a negative light and implying that contraception, as an intervention, is preferable to abortion for women and for society. This stance has made the pro-choice community seem out of touch with society as a whole as poll after poll has shown that while many people want abortion to be legal, they are also uncomfortable with abortion and want it to be treated as a last resort. In the United States, public opinion polls have consistently demonstrated support for maintaining the legality of abortion, but even stronger support for publicly subsidized family planning services and other measures designed to increase access to contraception.

It is of great interest that in the Netherlands, with the lowest abortion rate in the world, some of the factors that facilitated their rapid transition to a contraceptive society were: a voluntary family planning movement, fear of overpopulation, a strong, supportive role by general practitioners in providing family planning services, and inclusion of family planning in the national public health insurance system. In the Netherlands, acceptance of contraception preceded liberalization of abortion.

Let us make that point crystal clear: "In the Netherlands—with the lowest abortion rate in the world—acceptance of contraception preceded liberalization of abortion."

In the Netherlands, society accepts abortion as only a last resort. Their sexual sterilization rate is higher than that in other European countries (25% vs. 0-23%). They have special family planning programs that target groups at risk of unwanted pregnancy, particularly teenage pregnancy. Almost all of their secondary schools and about 50% of their primary schools address sexuality and contraception. Sex education has been widely integrated into their general health education programs. The mass media addresses adolescent sexuality and preventive behavior. Positive, large scale, non-moralistic, public education campaigns aimed at addressing problems specific to teenage sexual behavior appear to be successful. Teens have easily accessible contraceptive services through general practitioners who maintain confidentiality and do not require a vaginal exam and also through government subsidized family planning clinics.

And yet, while the path the Netherlands has taken is certainly a positive route for addressing the problem of unintended or unwanted pregnancy, is it the final destination?

We do not think it is.

Our ultimate goal is zero abortions and a 100% reduction in unintended and unwanted pregnancy.

Is this realistic? We know it is not. Not in the imperfect world in which we live.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't chase the dream and pray that the world be blessed with these conditions.

Oh, and one other thing, we reserve the right to do whatever we feel is necessary to win the battle against abortions, including going against everything we say.

AbortionAbout.com