I want abortion to be safe and legal AND rare AND convenient and unshameful and covered by insurance

[Nine]

Anybody got a problem with that?

[PeaceNikki]

1. You should drop the antiquated "rare" bit.

[gopiscrap]

2. I agree

[enough]

4. I think "rare" is still a desired outcome.

It means good access to reliable contraception and people taking good care of themselves. It means men taking responsibility also, and men not raping.

[PeaceNikki]

7. No. "Rare" is subjective. And numbers are meaningless w/o context.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, almost half of all pregnancies among American women in 2005 were unplanned or unintended. And of those, four in 10 ended in abortion. (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html#1) In other words, between one-fifth and one-quarter of all pregnancies ended in abortion. Without any other information, those statistics can sound scary and paint a picture of women as irresponsible or poor decision-makers. Therefore reducing the number of abortions is a goal that reproductive health, rights and justice activists should work toward, right?

Wrong.

If the 1.21 million abortions that took place in 2005 (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html#1) represent the number of women who needed abortions (and in my opinion, if a woman decides she needs an abortion, then she does), as well as the many women who chose to terminate pregnancies that they very much wanted but could not afford to carry to term, then that number is too high. The work of reducing the number of abortions, therefore, would entail creating an authentically family-friendly society, where women would have the support they need to raise their families, whatever forms they took. That could include eliminating the family caps in TANF, encouraging unionization of low-wage workers, reforming immigration policies and making vocational and higher education more accessible.

On the other hand, if those 1.21 million abortions represent only the women who could access abortion financially, geographically or otherwise, then that number is too low. Yes, too low. If that’s the case, then what is an appropriate response? How do we best support women and their reproductive health? Do we dare admit that increasing the number of abortions might be not only good for women’s health, but also moral and just?

It's also dangerous. It stigmatizes a medical decision.

http://thecoathangerproject.blogspot.com/2008/08/reclaiming-morality-of-abortion-and.html

[Control-Z]

16. Thank you so much, PeaceNikki!

When I hear rare I immediately think of every baby ever found in a trash can, and the women who try DIY abortions, and the women who are parenting a child they never wanted, and that child who is unwanted, or hungry, or abused. I could go on and on.

I don't understand why it is so hard for some people to think outside their own personal experience/religion/lifestyle.

[Daemonaquila]

8. Absolutely.

It is, and it isn't necessary to say so - and actually say it is a form of shaming. "Tsk, tsk, those naughty girls should be having so many abortions..."

[idwiyo]

3. Depends. Are you talking about your own choice or are you trying to force "rare" BS on others?

It's none of your business why, when and how many abortions another person decides to have.

[Cirque du So-What]

5. 'Rare' is really nobody's business except the woman's

All that anyone else can do is support education and ensure access to healthcare and contraception for any woman who wants it. 'Rare' comes across as judgmental, and it's the kind of opinion best kept to oneself.

[Nine]

11. "Rare," by definition, relates to more than an individual's personal decision.

When talking about rate of incidence, that has to do with numbers at a big level, like statewide, nationwide, etc.

As many others have said, "rare" has nothing to do with shame. Abortion can be rare because of obstacles that make them difficult to obtain. Or they can be rare because of improvements in sex education, increased access to contraceptives, reduction of crimes against women, etc. When liberals say they want abortion to be safe, legal, and rare, I think we can assume they mean the latter. Just as when liberals say they want fewer starving children, we can assume they don't want to achieve that through having more kids die of hunger.

Having less of a need for abortion because of fewer unplanned pregnancies (including those caused by rape) is a no-brainer. Every progressive should support that, and to argue that "rare" means anything other than that when used by liberals is just a bizarre interpretation. Let's not get caught up in silly semantic games. Reducing abortion through progressive social policies that reduce unplanned pregnancies is something we should all support.

[Wait Wut]

15. Perfect.

"Just as when liberals say they want fewer starving children, we can assume they don't want to achieve that through having more kids die of hunger."

[Gravitycollapse]

6. Yes, the "rare" meme is a form of female shaming.

So, yes, I have a problem with that.

[Pab Sungenis]

9. Look, no one wants abortion to be commonplace.

But it needs to be an available option.

I'd rather work to prevent many of the causes of abortion -- poverty, lack of education about sex, lack of access to birth control, abuse -- than get rid of abortion itself. Treat the diseases rather than the symptom.

[Wait Wut]

13. Yep.

"I'd rather work to prevent many of the causes of abortion..."

I couldn't agree more, and I think that's probably what the OP meant to say. Not that it needs to be rare because it is a 'shameful' thing, but because there are more appealing options. Like treating some of the causes that you mentioned so that abortion becomes less frequent. I don't know of any woman that would have preferred to have an abortion to not getting pregnant in the first place, except in the case of medical necessity.

I'd love to see the day when abortion was as infrequent as the plague. Legal, safe, infrequent and covered by insurance...just as the OP said. Just like I'd love to see the day that cancer was as rare as polio.

[Wait Wut]

10. No, I don't.

I agree with it 100%...as a woman.

I want all medical procedures to be rare. It means that we've found cures/options to prevent the need for them. I have zero problem with that.

[leftstreet]

12. What makes people think it's not 'rare' now?

Jesus Jumping Christ on a Pogo Stick!

What is with the shaming on this? Where is this passive/aggressive faux concern coming from?

Isn't abortion legal? Is there something in the legal language that claims an abortion is only legal if it's 'rare?'

[Nine]

14. "Safe, legal, and rare" has been used by liberals for over 20 years.

Some so-called liberals think that instead of fighting the people who want to make abortion illegal or at least near-impossible to obtain, we should start picking fights with other liberals about the semantics of a phrase that has been used for a couple decades now. That's what I call "faux concern."