From Our Files: Moral Decline, Still Just Around the Corner

In light of comments by the metamorphosed columnist (from ex-NZ Herald to current Bay of Plenty Times) Garth George about the continued decline of  “the fabric of our nation through the breakdown of the traditional family unit” etc. etc., all of which, (need you ask) is primarily caused by abortion, I thought it might be fun to jump back to the 1950s, when Sexist White Men were making almost exactly the same dire warnings about the decline of the fabric of the nation through the breakdown of the traditional family unit.

From 21 October 1979 originally published in The Guardian's Le Monde section. The headline was John Paul II Addresses the World.

But wait, how come, if abortion is the main cause of this decline, and almost no one had access to legal abortion in the 1950s, there was still a decline? Hmm, the cause of the 1950s decline must have been something different. But wait, there was no TV or internet, which GG lists as secondary causes of the current degeneration, and the primacy of men in society (the decline of which is another factor, says GG) was still, well, in its prime. True, in the 1950s, there was “greed generating poverty and a growing deprived underclass”, (I appreciate GG’s focus on poverty and greed!) though not so much multiculturalism.

It starts to look suspiciously like analyses by Sexist White Men about the imminent collapse of society reflect whatever it is at the time that they find particularly threatening. Then: radio, high wages for adolescents, mothers having jobs, etc. Etc. Now, abortion, abortion, abortion, TV, Internet, multiculturalism, poverty and mothers having jobs. Wouldn’t it be cool if just one time they did some actual research and ran a few tests on their “abortion is the primary cause of everything that I think is wrong with society” analysis.

Roe v. Wade, 39 Years On

–Post by ALRANZ National President Dr. Morgan Healy–

On the 39^th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the seminal US Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal up until the point of ‘viability’, I want to take a moment to think how New Zealanders can play a role in ensuring abortion rights are protected in the 21^st century. Remember Roe v Wade is not simply a celebration (or a call to arms) for American pro-choicers, but should be extended beyond the national context of America and considered within a wider campaign for reproductive health and rights. To this end, I want those of us here in New Zealand to consider what will it take for us to reform our own abortion laws?

2012 Blog for Choice Day (US)

Jan 22nd marks the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that effectively legalised abortion in the USA. It is also the seventh annual Blog for Choice Day in the US, organised by NARAL Pro-Choice America. Over at NARAL’s website there is a huge list of bloggers and activists who have contributed blog posts in honour of the day. Some have responded to this year’s Blog for Choice day question: “What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?”, while others have written more generally about the importance of Roe v. Wade.

I’m working my way through the posts, and thought I’d share a couple of my favourites so far. I’ll add more to this list later today.

Blog for Choice Day! Yes, that choice. Valerie at Capitol Records asks why Roe is still important, and nicely summarises some of the recent challenges to Roe that chip away at the right to choice in the United States.

Make 2012 the Year of the Pro-Choice Voter. Colleen at Get off My Soapbox writes about how important it is for pro-choicers to talk about abortion, and suggests we could learn something from the LGBT movement in terms of personalising the issue and telling our own stories.

First, we’d actually have to find a pro-choice politician. Anna at The Feminist Librarian reframes this years question, and wonders “how do you go about taking action to ‘help elect pro-choice candidates’ when, essentially, you don’t feel there are any pro-choice candidates?”

Blog for Choice: The 2 Battles of Choice. Madeline at Fem 2.0 urges us to “stop hiding sex, contraception and abortion and put it out on the table to discussion and education.”

Blog for Choice Day, a letter of thanks/apology to Roe vs. Wade. Megan at STFY Fauxminist apologises for taking Roe v. Ward for granted.

What Would An Abortion Ban Look Like?

With news of a new Lancet study showing abortion rates tend to be higher where abortion is illegal,  it’s worth revisiting the question: What Would an Abortion Ban in Aotearoa-New Zealand Look Like? ALRANZ blogged about that (over at our old place) in November 2009. It’s something those campaigning through the courts and elsewhere to ban abortion in New Zealand don’t tell the truth about: No, an abortion ban in New Zealand would not mean no New Zealanders had abortions (an outcome only supportable if it’s the result of there being no unwanted pregnancies); Yes, an abortion ban in New Zealand would likely mean scores of women being forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, but many many more would instead seek out other ways to end those pregnancies. Thus, abortions would shift from being safe and legal to being illegal, often unsafe, via Internet pills or backstreet operators or DIY abortions. For those who could afford them, safe and legal abortions could still be had via trips to Australia or elsewhere.

Back in the 70s, before Misoprostol and Mifepristone and the Internet, women tried all kinds of ways to end unwanted pregnancies.  Dr. Rex Hunton, the medical director and one of the founders of the AMAT clinic, which opened in 1974 and helped prompt the panic that led to our current backward law (yes, we have good abortion care, but that’s despite an archaic restrictive law), gave evidence to the 1975-77 Royal Commission on Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion on the self-care methods his patients told him they had tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to end unwanted pregnancies. (This was at a time when very few legal abortions were performed in NZ):

Fact Sheets

Those of you who have visited ALRANZ’s official website may have seen that we recently added some new fact sheets to our resources. We have decided to move these to this blog – if you look up at the top of this page, you will see there is a new tab labelled ‘Fact Sheets’. A number of the fact sheets take the form of Q&A, and we hope these will come in handy for answering common questions you might have, or for helping you talk to other people about abortion. Questions include: “Does emergency contraception cause an abortion?”, “Does abortion increase the risk of breast cancer?” and “Do young people need to tell their parents that they are getting an abortion?” There is also information about early medication abortion and about the current state of abortion law in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you have a question about abortion that you would like answered in a Fact Sheet, let us know in a comment or send us an email.

Pro-choice morsels (6 Jan)

A few quick links from the end of 2011 and the start of 2012.

Gill Greer, former executive director of NZ Family Planning was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the British New Year’s Honours List, for her work in the area of sexual health for women and girls around the world.

Abortion pioneer Merle Hoffman talks to Salon about her recently published memoir Intimate Wars.

Sunsara Taylor answers the question ‘Should a woman feel sad about her abortion?’ with a resolute ‘No’.

Amanda Marcotte at RH Reality Check discusses the war on contraception that escalated in the US in 2011.

IPAS have been busy raising awareness about sexual and reproductive rights as fundamental human rights across Latin America.

Still in Latin America, abortion up to 12 weeks is set to be decriminalised in Uruguay!

And, coming up soon:

January 22 is the seventh annual Blog for Choice Day in the US. On this day (the anniversary of Roe v. Wade), pro-choice bloggers and activists from around the US will write blog posts responding to this year’s question: “What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?” There will definitely be some good reading in there, and we will link to the list of bloggers participating on the day.

Have any other pro-choice news or articles you want to share? Post a comment, or email us if you have something you think would be good for our next ‘Pro-choice morsels’.