Murder vs. “Murder”
685,070 non-medically necessary abortions vs. 33,636 firearms related deaths (according to 2011 data) – Perhaps we should talk about “common sense” abortion control while we’re discussing “common sense gun control”…
The intensity of the outrage in response to numerous mass shootings over the last several years is more than justified. These shocking events jolt us out of the complacency of our relatively “safe” existences and compel us to search for answers. Following each tragedy, public figures and media pundits flood “airwaves” with rhetoric in favor of, or against, additional gun legislation. Though, both tend to be strangely silent about the ongoing carnage in lower socioeconomic communities. For believers, however, the reason for these heinous acts of violence is all too obvious. “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9 NASB). Thus, this is not a discussion of gun ownership or legislation – let that be a matter of your own conviction, conscience and world-view – but rather a discussion of something far more straightforward.
If you believe abortion is an acceptable form of birth control you are entitled to your opinion; however, if you’re serious about protecting innocent lives then read on…
My goal here is merely to illuminate a dramatic difference in the response to two problems plaguing our society; violence and abortion as convenience. I have no intention of delving into the enormously complex issue of gun violence or gun legislation beyond stating the obvious (evil people are doing evil things). That said, I cast no judgment upon anyone who has had an abortion or supported someone during that time,
For 2011, a total of 730,322 abortions were reported to CDC. The CDC also reports 17.8 pregnancy related deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011. Again, according to the CDC, “Of the 1,751 deaths within a year of pregnancy termination that occurred in 2011 and were reported to CDC, 702 were found to be pregnancy-related. The pregnancy-related mortality ratio was 17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011.“
The Guttmacher institute (the other major organization that tracks this data) reported in the years 1987-1988 risk to maternal health at 2.8% and risk to fetal health at 3.3%.
If we use those numbers to interpret our 2011 data (more recent data is strangely difficult to locate) there would have been 20,449 abortions due to risk to maternal health and 24,101 for a combined total of 44,550 abortions performed for medical reasons.
If we add in the total number of pregnancy related deaths and assume they could have been prevented by abortion we have 45,252. Subtracting that from the total number of abortions reported by the CDC for 2011 leaves us with 685,070 abortions performed for other reasons. As an aside, I did not include abortions performed because of rape or incest because the data indicates that the incidence is extremely low. By contrast, the CDC reports 33,636 deaths related to firearms for 2011…
If you’d like to know more about the reasons abortions are performed take the time to do a little research. You might be surprised by what you find.
In the end, I have no expectation that legislators or the American public in general will take an abortion control discussion seriously because we have come to view “a woman’s right to choose” as a fundamental inalienable right. Though, really we are endorsing abortion as birth control as a fundamental right. We have decided that one method of destroying human life is more acceptable than another. As a society, we protect animal species, decry gun violence and fight against capital punishment but endorse birth control abortions. This cognitive dissonance is only reinforced by the breeding ground of ignorance that has evolved from otherwise well intentioned social media tools. Sadly, there is no rectification to this perverse
sense of values in sight…
**it should be noted that the CDC data for total abortions is roughly 300,000 lower than the Guttmacher institute**
