HENTOFF: New president, more abortions

Where do I even begin? The very title of this op-ed is based on a falsehood. Bans on abortion don't reduce the abortion rate, and the most pro-choice countries in the world have the lowest abortion rates. As long as there are unintended, unwanted, and unhealthy pregnancies, there will be abortions. Promoting all birth control methods and providing optimal pre-natal care to all women reduces unintended, unwanted, and unhealthy pregnancies and reduces abortions. But these are things that the so-called pro-life movement don't believe in. Their tactics are more likely to increase abortion, make the procedure more dangerous, and increase the number of children living in poverty. While the Freedom of Choice Act might not define viability, neither does the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The law bans the procedure, not when it's performed, even if it's done before viability or when viability will never exist. That ban has nothing to do with viability, has not prevented any abortions, and does not conform to the guarantees outlined in Roe v. Wade. Parental consent and notification laws for minors only limit young women's options and place them in danger. Should teenage girls tell a parent or guardian of their pregnancy? In most cases, that's probably a great idea, because parents and guardians can be supportive. But should these young women have to by law only if they choose abortion? Absolutely not. Women at any age should have the right to decide what to do with an unintended pregnancy without the interference of government, family, or anyone else. If a teenager doesn't have to get permission from her parents to continue pregnancy, then she shouldn't have to get permission to terminate it. "Informed consent" for abortion is anything but informed. There is no higher risk of mental health problems after abortion. Abortion does not cause breast cancer. Claiming that an embryo is a separate human being does not make it scientific law and is still only an opinion. For something to be informed consent, it has to be true, but states that require women to sign such forms are lying to them. If abortion is so horrible for women and society at large, then pro-life politicians wouldn't have to lie about it to con women out of making their own decisions. And again, no woman who decides to give birth has to sign an informed consent form that says that she's more likely to die from giving birth than from abortion and that 100% of women with post-partum depression gave birth shortly before the onset of symptoms. They're allowed to make that choice for themselves. Anyone can believe whatever they want about abortion, and The Freedom of Choice Act isn't going to change that. You can think it's wrong. You can think it's murder. You can think a zygote, embryo, or fetus is a person. But as long as that zygote, embryo, or fetus is living inside and off of a woman's body, then what to do with it is her decision.