Abortion debate continues, 35 years later

The Coeur d'Alene Press ^ | Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - 10:29:01 pm PST | SUZANNE JACOBSON

[narses]

Pro-life legislation continues to be proposed by lawmakers

COEUR d'ALENE -- Roe vs. Wade was decided Jan. 22, 1973, but for many the decision that guaranteed a woman's right to choose abortion was not so final.

The debate continues 35 years later.

Every year, pro-life legislation arises, leaving debate framers on both sides to reinvigorate one of the most divisive topics in American life.

This year's possible legislation is, for now, confidential, said Kerry Uhlenkott, Right to Life Idaho's legislative coordinator. Nor could she say who is sponsoring possible legislation.

Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, introduced a bill last year that would have made coercing a woman to have an abortion illegal. It failed.

Tim Hunt, North Idaho field organizer for Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest, said his camp opposes the bill.

"We simply think the government should stay out of the bedrooms of America," he said.

Hunt said he heard rumors of a new bill that would define personhood as starting at conception. Hunt called that a "thinly-veiled attempt" at illegalizing abortion.

"We're not pro-abortion. What we are is pro-choice. Anything that interferes with that is likely to raise our hackles," Hunt said.

New statistics from the Guttmacher Institute say that abortion rates are falling. In 2005, the institute reported that 1.21 million abortions were performed. This number was down from 1.31 million in 2000.

While about 6 percent of pregnancies in Idaho ended in abortion during 2005, 93 percent of Idaho's counties had no abortion provider in 2005. Nationwide, 19 percent of pregnancies during 2005 resulted in abortions.

Nancy Tefft, executive director of Open Arms Pregnancy Care Center in Coeur d'Alene, has been facilitating post-abortion groups for 10 years.

"Looking at women I know that have been very wounded by abortion, I think that was a sad day," she said about Jan. 22, 1973.

But, "we still want to be here to support women in whatever place they find themselves," Tefft added.

There are no abortion providers in North Idaho, and no Planned Parenthood clinics. There is a Right to Life Coeur d'Alene, which could not be reached for comment.

Area women who choose to have an abortion usually travel to Spokane, said Jet Tilley, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest.

"It's really important for Planned Parenthood that people understand our conversations primarily don't have anything to do with abortion," she said.

Much of their energy, Tilley said, is spent expanding access and information about contraception and advocating for laws that support choice.

"The Supreme Court has always upheld that women's health must be the paramount consideration," Tilley said. "The latest findings have not stuck to that standard."

A federal ban on abortions during the second trimester of pregnancy was upheld in April 2007. Planned Parenthood subsequently denounced the decision, saying it made no allowances for women's health.

Right to Life in 1976 celebrated the Hyde Amendment, which prohibited federal funding for abortions. Uhlenkott said the amendment has "saved over one million lives."

A recent pro-life victory provides that women "at least be offered" the ability to see an ultrasound of their unborn child. Uhlenkott said women who view ultrasounds are more likely to cancel their abortion.

"There's a real mood in this country to protect the rights of the unborn," Uhlenkott said. "I think it's just a matter of time before (Roe vs. Wade is) overturned."

Planned Parenthood works to limit unintended pregnancies, the number of which Tilley said is a key indicator to how many abortions occur.

Decreasing unintended pregnancies and sexual education can be as controversial as abortion. Those on the pro-life side often support abstinence until marriage.

Uhlenkott said she advocates "striving for a good family life." Promoting interaction between children and parents helps promote abstinence, she said.

According to Tilley, "What we know about abstinence-until-marriage education is that it doesn't work."

Tilley said birth control use is up. And the pro-choice movement celebrated in 2006 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the emergency contraceptive's over-the-counter sale.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 86 percent of women who receive abortions are unmarried. According to Open Arms Pregnancy Center, more than 80 percent of relationships terminate after an abortion.

For Uhlenkott, abortion is akin to slavery. "This isn't a thing. It's a human being that's being killed."

[narses]

“Would you still believe in democracy?”

I never have believed in that sad delusion, sorry that you do.

[RobbyS]

Much of their energy, Tilley said, is spent expanding access and information about contraception and advocating for laws that support choice.

"The Supreme Court has always upheld that women's health must be the paramount consideration," Tilley said. "The latest findings have not stuck to that standard."

A federal ban on abortions during the second trimester of pregnancy was upheld in April 2007. Planned Parenthood subsequently denounced the decision, saying it made no allowances for women's health.

The underlying contention is that a pregnancy is a great risk to a woman's physical health. But an abortion in a clinic is just as risky as a full-term pregnancy.