• Launch of August Outreach Campaign Nears

• U.K. Study Finds Women Having Repeat Abortions More Likely to Be Abused

• Article on How to Coerce an Abortion Removed From Web Site After Complaints

• UnChoice Lens Reached #3 on Squidoo

• Learn More, Lend A Hand

Launch of Outreach Campaign Nears

We are getting closer to the launch of our Outreach Campaign in August, and we are very excited about the response so far. Please continue to watch your emails for updates on the campaign as we get closer to the launch date.

Thank you to everyone has participated so far. Here are a couple of things you can do to help, if you haven't done so already:

To give us your feedback about our work by taking our survey, click here.

To become an Outreach Partner by planning to tell your friends and family about our campaign, click here.

Thank you so much for your support!

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U.K. Study Finds Women Having Repeat Abortions More Likely to Be Abused

The research follows a U.S. study published last December showing that women who had abortions were more likely to report a history of sexual abuse and to have experienced stressful events in adulthood, such as miscarriage, physical violence or being in a life-threatening accident. The U.S. researchers noted that women who experience domestic violence are more likely to abort compared to women who are not in violent situations. 

Learn More: Download the special report Forced Abortion in America and find more information and resources here.

Take Action: Learn about the Elliot Institute's model bill here.

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Citation

1. Aston, G, Bewley, S. "Abortion and domestic violence." The Obsterician and Gynaecologist 2009, 11: 163-168.

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Article on How to Coerce an Abortion Removed From Web Site After Complaints

An article on a popular men's web site that offered advice on how to pressure or coerce your wife or girlfriend into an unwanted abortion has been removed after receiving a flood of criticism from people on both sides of the abortion debate.

The article, published at AskMen.com, described a situation in which a woman become pregnant after she and her partner agreed not to have a baby. The author, Isabella Snow, wrote about things the man could say to persuade the woman to have an abortion, even if it was unwanted.

Especially disturbing was the advice that the man threaten to withdraw his support if the woman has the baby anyway, which is a form of coercion. Snow tells men that they aren't obligated to support their child "beyond what your conscience and the law expects of you."

"This was her decision, not yours, and the bulk of the responsibility is now hers," Snow wrote. "Take a moment to spell this out for her when she gives you her final decision; it just may sway her over to your side."

And while Snow warns men that "blaming the woman for getting pregnant or threatening to end a relationship rarely gets positive results," nowhere does she suggest that such behavior is wrong. Instead, elsewhere in the article she tells men to back up their position by laying out the reasons they can't have a baby, asking questions about how they will afford the child or who will take care of the baby. Women and girls report that this is a technique often used  at abortion businesses to make them feel that they can't have the baby and that abortion is their only option.

Coercion Is Happening Everywhere

Many readers expressed anger, disappointment and dismay at the author for endorsing and even encouraging coercive actions that can lead to unwanted abortions. There is strong evidence that these concerns may be warranted and that many abortions are, in fact, unwanted or coerced.

A survey of American and Russian women who had abortions found that more than half of American respondents reported feeling rushed or uncertain about the abortion and 64 percent reported feeling pressured to abort by others.

Further, there is no evidence that abortion businesses are attempting to give women viable options or make sure that the woman or girl really wants to abort. The same survey found that:

• 67 percent of American respondents said they received no counseling beforehand,

• 84 percent said they did not receive adequate counseling, and

• 79 percent said they were not counseled on alternatives to abortion.

Men, too, can often be the victim of coercive tactics on the part of abortion counselors or may be told that they have no say in the abortion decision. Several posters on the AskMen site pointed out that men have no legal right to stop an abortion from happening if they do want to have their child.

Although the article has now been withdrawn, it points to a need for better efforts to stop unwanted, coerced and dangerous abortions. The Elliot Institute has proposed legislation that would hold abortion businesses liable for failing to screen for coercion or for other factors that put the woman or girl at risk for psychological problems after abortion.

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Learn More: Download the special report Forced Abortion in America and find more information and resources here.

Take Action: Learn about the Elliot Institute's model bill here.

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UnChoice Lens Reached #3 on Squidoo

A few weeks ago, we launched an effort asking you to help us put our "lens" on Squidoo into the Top 5. Squidoo is a popular web site where people can build "lenses" (web pages) on any topic. Those that reach the Top 5 in any category are listed on the Squidoo's home page where millions of visitors will see them.

Thanks to your help, "The UnChoice" lens at Squidoo was in the Top 5 in the News/Politics category for more than two weeks, reaching as high as #3!

This means that many, many people had the opportunity to read our information about widespread unwanted, coerced and forced abortions and the risks of abortion and injustice to women and girls everywhere.

We recently climbed back from #21 to #15, which means that people are still visiting the lens. Thank you for all your help, and please continue to spread the word by forwarding the lens to leaders, parents, youth groups, educators, counselors, or others who might want to learn more about this issue or make use of these resources. Invite your family and friends to visit our lens, too.

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