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The UnChoice
An epidemic of unwanted, coerced or forced abortions

plus aftereffects including injury, grief, trauma & death 

 

“You mean you didn't want to have an abortion?"

Her question pierced my heart.  WOW, I thought, she doesn't know. 

 

Most abortions are unwanted or coerced. Many are forced. New evidence of abortion's injustice/risk to both the unborn & women

  

Portrait of a non-choice ...

  • 64% of American women felt pressured by others1

  • More than half felt rushed or uncertain, yet 67% received no counseling,1 and

  • 79% were not told about available alternatives1

  • 65% suffer symptoms of trauma1

  • Coercion to abort can escalate to violence against women2  

  • Coerced abortion is an internationally recognized human rights abuse4

  • Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women1, 2

 

"The rhetoric of choice suggests no coercion, direct or indirect."

"Concealing relevant information should be recognized as coercion. Deceptive information presented as fact also acts coercively."

"There seems to be no real screening process to protect women from unwanted abortions. If abortion providers ignore evidence of force being applied, they are complicit in forced abortion." - Melinda Tankard Reist, Giving Sorrow Words

 

Experts and others who deny the many faces and forms of unwanted, coerced or even forced abortion ... or dismiss the heartbreaking aftershock of grief, injury and death, dismiss basic human rights, add salt to the wounds ... and put other teens and women at risk, too.

 

"Every time abortion is debated, it sounds 10 times as loud ...
 it hurts 10 times as much."
- anonymous

 

 

What is the UnChoice?

Unwanted abortions, widespread coercion, personal or professional ultimatums, forced abortion in America and elsewhere, false or inadequate information from experts, deceptive counsel from trusted medical or guidance professionals, pregnancy-related blackmail, discrimination or non-support, medical and other professional negligence, non-disclosure, abuses and malpractice. Teens and others are at risk of coercion, botched abortion and post-abortion injury, grief, trauma and suicide, as well as other heartbreaking, dangerous aftereffects for women, men and families.

»  the UnChoice definition
»  top 10 reasons it's the UnChoice

 

Coercion is common. It comes in many direct and indirect forms. It can include personal pressure and threats that can escalate to violence; abuse of authority by trusted school, guidance or healthcare counselors, social service or other gatekeepers; profit-driven sales tactics; personal or professional ultimatums and negligence, non-disclosure or false information presented as fact.

 

Such tactics often work synergistically and cannot be referred to as "choice" in the conventional and fair understanding of the term. The web site Abortion Concern has noted: 
 

"Some claim an abortion is only ‘forced’ if physical force — e.g., kidnapping —
is involved, and that all other abortions have been ‘chosen’ ... even where women have been harassed or brutalized to cause them to comply. [We consider] the distinction between ‘forced’ and ‘coerced’ abortions irrelevant, as both are internationally recognized as human rights abuses ...

 

 A HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE

"'Coerced abortion is explicitly recognized as a violation of basic rights and principles.'"
» UN PopulationFund4 

"The ‘forced’ versus ‘coerced’ argument:

 

a) dismisses the fact that coerced abortions are human rights abuses,
b) legitimizes abuse of women by implying that any woman who had an abortion because she was unable to withstand being psychologically or physically abused, got what she deserved. ...
 

"Both ‘forced’ and ‘coerced’ abortions should be opposed as fundamental human rights abuses."

 

 


 

1. 1. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16 (2004).

 

2. See the special report Forced Abortion in America.
 

3. I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, “Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998,” JAMA 285(11): 1455-1459 (2001); see also J. Mcfarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100: 27-36 (2002).

 

4. United Nations Population Fund.

 

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