Abby Davis, FISM News
Pro-life groups are speaking out to clarify their positions on protecting women in response to abortion activists condemning the overturn of Roe v. Wade as an attack on women.
Before signing an executive order on Friday, President Biden said, “I’m asking the Justice Department that much like they did in the civil rights here to do something, do everything in their power to protect these women seeking to invoke their rights in states where clinics are still open to protect them from intimidation, to protect the right of women to travel from state.”
While the president did not explicitly speak about women being prosecuted for having an abortion, numerous pro-choice advocates have condemned the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in part because they say it would allow for legal action against women who obtain abortions.
Many Pro-life organizations have responded to clarify, highlighting their emphatically stated position on prosecuting abortion providers rather than mothers. The National Right to Life Committee (NLRC) responded to misconceptions after the order was signed and referred to a letter the committee published in May stating that they do not support criminal prosecution against women who receive abortions.
“We state unequivocally that we do not support any measure seeking to criminalize or punish women and we stand firmly opposed to including such penalties in legislation.”
The letter explained that the NLRC, which represents millions of individual pro-life individuals across the country, sees women as victims of the abortion industry who suffer psychological trauma and are often isolated from family, friends, and partners as a result of the procedure.
“We are united in our mission to protect unborn children and American women from the greed of the abortion industry,” the committee writes. “We understand better than anyone else the desire to punish the purveyors of abortion who act callously and without regard to the dignity of human life. But turning women who have abortions into criminals is not the way” (emphasis in original).
The NRLC also addressed the treatment of ectopic pregnancies, a misunderstood and often misconstrued discussion point in the abortion debate. Secular Pro-Life, an activist group, released an article on Monday, responding to statements from the America College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others that claim “abortion bans threaten to impede ectopic pregnancy treatment.”
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, often in one of the fallopian tubes, causing cramping, weakness, and internal bleeding. The condition can be fatal to the mother and is treated either with a drug that dissolves the implanted cells or through surgical intervention. Ectopic pregnancies are not viable.
“Since an ectopic baby cannot (with today’s technology) be carried to delivery, ‘abortion’ doesn’t apply to ectopic pregnancy in the same way it does to most other pregnancies. The baby always dies. We treat ectopic pregnancies to ensure the mother lives,” John Bockmann wrote for Secular Pro-Life.
Meanwhile, other pro-life groups are continuing to take action as legislatures decide whether to eliminate or expand abortion in their states. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is engaging with pro-life persuadable voters and low-turnout pro-life voters in 8 states, while the Pro-Life Action League and Rockford Family Initiative are co-hosting a Face the Truth Day tomorrow to alert Rockford, Illinois residents about an abortion provider. The Wisconsin abortionist was previously affiliated with a Rockford abortion center that was shut down in 2011 for safety violations but is now trying to open another facility in the town.