Abortion IS Healthcare
by Marley Lerner (she/they)
Earlier this month, an article was published in Colorado Politics titled “Abortion Isn’t Healthcare — Not Even Close.” The writer, Douglas Groothuis, is a professor at the Denver Seminary. In this article, Groothuis expresses his opinion on abortion in this article and makes some disturbing claims and false facts to support his opinion.
The first thing mentioned is, “women’s health care is often a euphemism for abortion.”He then goes on to address Proposition 115, “which would have prohibited abortions after 22 months.”This is extremely important to address. Pregnancy lasts 38 weeks (about 9 months), not more than 22 months. And the proposition was opposing abortion after 21 weeks, not 22 months. This statement is misinformation and is not an accurate representation of the proposition, or pregnancy for that matter.
Groothuis then makes the point that the word “abortion” has a negative connotation attached to it:
We never use “abortion” for anything happy or planned. A business meeting that is aborted means something went wrong. A military mission might be aborted because it was poorly planned.
He has a point, and this is why the Brazen Project says “abortion” as much as possible, boldly and without shame. But even so, if aborting a mission is the best choice for the members of the mission, then it’s not a bad thing. In the same way, having an abortion is the best option for some folks, and that is not something to view as negative. It is important to protect the person involved.
The next idea Groothuis suggests is that pregnancies are not harmful to the pregnant parent. Maybe we should look at some maternal mortality rates, shouldn’t we?
The CDC states that in 2018, pregnant people of color were 2–3 times more likely to die in childbirth than white folx. Also, pregnancy can be harmful! Postpartum depression is a reality for a lot of people who have children — and it is not to be taken lightly. And, abortions aren’t always happening because of harmful pregnancies, they happen for so many more reasons.
Groothuis then goes on to talk about the fallacy of live births that happen from failed abortions. This is factually incorrect and extremely harmful misinformation and it should not be allowed on coloradopolitics.com or any website for that matter. He states “Fetuses have no safety — even if they are born alive due to a failed or botched abortion.” I’m sorry Douglas, but what?! Where did you get that information?
The last two points that Groothuis makes are infuriating for us Brazen folks, as well as any pro-abortion activists would be. He first states “far from being health care, abortion means the death sentence to the living, human being who is killed by it,” it is disappointing to us that there is no value placed on the individual already alive, who has to go through pregnancy and birth and raising a child:
Who are we to take away such a life and such human potential? Even if some pregnancies are unwanted, no human being is without value. Moreover, a child not wanted by the mother will be wanted by adoptive parents.
Someone ought to educate him on the foster care system, how adoption works, and how many children are still waiting to be adopted. This article is not only filled with incorrect information but is insulting to the lives of people who have experienced pregnancy or abortion. Groothuis has a lot of research to do.
To conclude, Douglas Groothuis uses his personal opinion to justify that abortion is not healthcare by using false information as well as upsetting ideology that would leave a lot of folx uncomfortable. It is important for pro-abortion activists to engage in conversations around these types of ideas so that we can work to debunk them.
