Those Pesky Facts

I love the site RH Reality Check. They provide such great factual information, and have such cool sections, including Policy Watch, Issue Briefs, Election 2008 (which posts surveys that candidates filled out), Fact. v. Fiction and Reckless Rhetoric.

Today their blog has a fantastic article by Dr. Poppema, who was an abortion provider for many years. She completely takes down four common myths about abortion, including my favorite, the "Abortion should not be used as a method of birth control" cry. I have never, ever heard of, let alone met, someone who used abortion as their only method of birth control. But anti-choice people always assure people that there are Evil Women out there who have tons of unprotected sex, then skip off to get an abortion. Yeah, because it's so cheap and easy on a woman's body. Dr. Poppema says:

I hear this one so frequently and yet in decades of providing abortion services to more than 30,000 women, I met only two women who used abortion as a birth control method...These two women experienced blood clots while on birth control pills, ectopic pregnancies with the IUD, and they were allergic to latex condoms and spermicide. Using the rhythm method with abortion as backup was the best method for them. I've never met a woman who cavalierly chose abortion as her method of birth control.

I've always wanted to see statistics to back that claim up as well. So far none of the anti choicers using that as a reason to ban abortion have been able to provide any factual support for that assertion.

My second favorite is the assumption that only stupid or irresponsible sluts need abortions. The good doctor tackles that one as well:

Until we have a foolproof, easy-to-use form of birth control-in my opinion, that would be a pill, paid for by insurance, taken only once a year, with absolutely no side effects or adverse reactions, and absolutely no failures -- then we cannot condemn women for having unintended pregnancies.

Bingo!