How else to explain several new California laws that will undoubtedly reproduce themselves in other states?
One measure forces OB/GYN residents to learn how to perform abortions. Another mandates that physicians treating rape patients prescribe abortifacient “emergency contraception” upon request.
The worst new law does two very harmful things. First, it allows non-physicians to perform chemical abortions. Second, it defines abortion as a “fundamental right” in California law.
By definition, fundamental rights are “goods” the State holds up as worthy of respect by every citizen. Hence, our Founding Fathers enshrined “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as our nation’s primary rights. Fundamental rights are inalienable and “endowed by our Creator.” Given these facts, it is hard to see how enshrining abortion as a “good” in California law is, well, good.
This leads to an essential question: Why do pro-abortion forces push something as a “good” when it is so bad for women (not to mention their unborn children)?
For instance, the deVeber Institute, a nonprofit bioethics group in Toronto, has released a comprehensive review of world medical literature that strongly associated abortion with breast cancer, pelvic infection, infertility, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, and subsequent premature births — with higher rates of children born with cerebral palsy.
The breast cancer-abortion connection is especially troubling. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle studied breast cancer and found women who had abortions before the age of 18 or after age 30 had a 100 percent increased chance of developing this disease. Another study showed women who had abortions before age 45 doubled their risk of contracting breast cancer, and this risk rises even further with two or more abortions.
Furthermore, women who elect to undergo chemical abortions must consider serious side effects. RU-486 manufacturer Danco Laboratories last year issued a warning letter to doctors stating two women died and six women developed serious illnesses after taking the drug. One Iowa woman bled for two weeks.
Then there are the psychological after-effects. In a study done in Ohio by Suicide Anonymous Hotline, of the 4,000 women who called over a 36-month period, 1,800 had previously had abortions. Of those who had abortions, 1,400 were between the ages of 15 and 24, the age group with the fastest growing suicide rate in the country. A 1987 study of women who suffered from post-abortion grief found 60 percent had contemplated suicide, 28 percent had attempted suicide, and 18 percent had attempted suicide more than once, often several years after the event.
In their drive to make abortion acceptable, pro-abortion forces have sacrificed the health and safety of the women they purport to represent. They speak of keeping it “safe” and “rare,” but judging by the bills that have recently come before the Legislature, I would say that this is just rhetoric.
California Assemblyman Tim Leslie represents his state's Fourth Assembly District, which stretches from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento. He may be reached by e-mail at assemblymember.leslie@assembly.ca.gov.
