Abortion is majority phenomenon

THE EDITOR: While poor women bear the brunt of the harm from a criminal abortion law, they do not account for the majority of abortions in our country.

Women who can afford private medical services account for the majority of our abortions. And the majority of those are in stable unions, married and common law. It is true that about 4,000 poor women are admitted to public hospitals every year. However, they are merely a small portion of the 20,000 to 25,000 abortions that take place annually. By age 45, most women in our country, more than 60 percent, have had at least one abortion. Since they need men to get them pregnant,  this means that most men have contributed to an unwanted pregnancy that ended in abortion. Abortion is a majority phenomenon.

Poor women are simply the worst manifestation of a massive social problem, one that needs to be addressed by law reform. We know nothing of the quality of care that women seeking abortions from private physicians receive. We do know that the price of any service deemed to be “illegal” is normally inflated, even though the law is ignored on a massive scale! What we must all admit is that the criminal law of abortion has not stemmed abortions. It has not saved any “unborn children.” It has simply ensured that all women suffer — especially poor women. Is it not time we review the law?

EMILE ELIAS
Maraval