#IM PRO CHOICE AND PRO LIFE FREE#

Since education and birth control have a greater effect on abortion rates than banning abortion, it makes more sense to me to vote in favor of womenвЂ™s reproductive rights, which at this point is the domain of the pro-choice movement. Pro-choice proponents generally advocate for greater access and funding for those things. One fatal flaw with the pro-life movement is that the same people who want to ban abortion also support legislation that restricts access to birth control and defunds programs that provide the education and contraceptive access that lead to lower rates of abortion.

#IM PRO CHOICE AND PRO LIFE FREE#

So that begs the question: Why arenвЂ™t more pro-life advocates out marching for better access to birth control? Why arenвЂ™t more pro-life advocates out campaigning for contraception to be free and easily obtained for all women? I mean, if thatвЂ™s the goal - to actually lower the number of abortions taking place - isnвЂ™t that where we should be putting most of our energy? It is the only thing I have found in my research that is definitively proven to make a significant dent in abortion rates. The key to lowering abortion rates appears to be reliable birth control.

The key to those falling rates is not the legality or availability of abortion. Abortion laws vary by state, but abortion rates have fallen in both states with abortion restrictions and those without. Here in the United States, the abortion rate has fallen to levels not seen since Roe v. In fact, countries where abortion is illegal tend to have higher rates of abortion than countries where it is legal. Outright bans on abortion have not been proven to reduce abortion rates. I believe that policy should be based on the best data and facts we have available, not an individual or groupвЂ™s ideology.ДЄnd the data shows that the only things consistently proven to reduce abortion rates are good health care for women, comprehensive reproductive education, and easy access to affordable contraception. Those beliefs are all rooted in my religious faith, and are why the idea of abortion generally doesnвЂ™t sit well with me.Д«ut I canвЂ™t laud the separation of church and state and also want my religious beliefs to be the basis for public policy. I believe that choosing to terminate a life because of inconvenient timing is wrong. I believe that an embryo and a fetus are unique human beings. I personally believe that life begins at conception. As a religious person, I appreciate that no one faith can preempt another when it comes to our countryвЂ™s policies and laws - and that includes laws concerning abortion. One of the wisest moves our Founding Fathers made when framing the American system of government was instituting a separation between church and state.

Im pro choice and pro life