 The UnLetter Follow-Up
Featured Letter to the Editor, 4 of 4
Here is the fourth and final letter in the "unwanted" series. You can use it now or in your next planning meeting. Whether you write one letter today, another when the issue comes up in the news, or conduct a group letter-writing campaign over several months, it matters!
Coercion comes in many forms. It may be direct, indirect or even violent. Multiple forms of coercion often happen simultaneously during a short window of vulnerability. Most women reported feeling "rushed" or "uncertain" before their abortions. Many individuals, couples or families are simply seeking information, support, a helping hand or a referral. Coercion can happen in schools, hospitals, the workplace, or even in the helping professions, or at home behind closed doors.
This particular letter focuses on some of the more aggressive, even violent forms of coercion. We encourage you to write again when you see similar examples in current news headlines. You can also download Forced Abortion in America for more examples to use in letters or elsewhere.
In print or online, Letters to the Editor are a well-attended public forum. Use the sample below as an idea-starter. But remember to write in your own words and maintain a respectful, non-presumptive tone that simply educates people about important new evidence they may not have heard. Remind them that abortion endangers the fundamental human rights and lives of both the unborn and women.
4. "Unwanted Abortions Are Common. Women Deserve Real Choices, Not the Illusion of Choice."
Dear Editor,
A former abortion clinic security guard testified at a Massachusetts legislative hearing that anti-abortion protesters were not a major threat to women. Instead, he said, women were regularly threatened and abused by the boyfriends and husbands who took them to the clinics to make sure they underwent their scheduled abortions.
Many women have even been killed for refusing unwanted abortions. Ohioan Cassandra Betts was shot in the head by her boyfriend in 2000. Arkansas teen Stephanie Burnett was beaten to death by her boyfriend in April 2002. A California man admitted to shooting his wife when she was just one week from her delivery date.
Studies show that most women feel forced to have abortions they don't really want. Research published in a major peer-reviewed medical journal indicates that 64% felt pressured into abortion. Most felt rushed or uncertain and 84% were not fully informed. (Learn more at www.TheUnChoice.com.) Women deserve real choices, not the illusion of choice.
Take action. It matters!
Find this and similar messages to share in a downloadable MS Word document, plus other tips and resources on our Letters to the Editor page.
Abortion touches everyone in one way or another. Do not limit yourself to traditional online or print news media. You can write anywhere -- from school, church or civic news sites and publications to youth groups, parents, men's, women's, or senior citizen publications -- and you will reach individuals and families who need to hear this or others who can help.
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