Anti-Abortion Dishonesty & Spinning the Facts

Many pro-”life” proponents have attempted to use the Kermit Gosnell case as a platform for their anti-abortion stance. Here Representative Tim Murphy goes into detail about the gruesome goings-on in the clinic Gosnell called Women's Medical Society at the H.R.358 markup on February 11, 2011.



But let's look a the facts:

Important fact #1 - The clinic had not been thoroughly inspected in 17 years. The grand jury report stated that,

“The Pennsylvania Department of Health abruptly decided, for political reasons, to stop inspecting abortion clinics at all. The politics in question were not anti-abortion, but pro. With the change of administration from Governor Casey to Governor Ridge, officials concluded that inspections would be 'putting a barrier up to women' seeking abortions.”

It also stated that nail salons are more thoroughly inspected. See, now this is what happens when we let political motivations be what drives this issue. The decision to stop inspecting abortion clinics was so foolish I can't even tell you. I don't care if the person making it claims to be on “my side” of this issue what is important is making it SAFE! That's what the reason for making it legal was/is in the first place.



Important fact 2 - Late term abortions are ILLEGAL in Philadelphia which is what Mr. Gosnell was preforming. So when anti-choice politicians try to use this case to make a case against LEGAL abortion they are being deliberately dishonest or are to dumb to be representing anyone. The truth is clinics like the one Gosnell ran are what you get when abortion is illegal.


For a more detailed discription of what an “abortion clinic” is like when it is not regularly inspected and the procedures it provides are NOT legal see the video below.




In response to all this spin a group of Philadelphia abortion providers have spoken out and the message sounds not-so-shockingly familiar to what sex workers rights advocates have been saying about sex work for years, "Making it legal is not enough. We must destigmatize it." I couldn't have said it better myself.





Finally, I want to address a statistic I see thrown around by anti-abortioners often as of late ant that is that 51% of Americans are “Pro-Life.” Is the video below conveys the “pro-life” vs. “pro-choice” dichotomy is actually false. What we should be asking is, “Do you think the woman and her doctor should have jurisdiction over a pregnancy or are you for the illusion that the state can ever really have control over a woman's pregnancy?”




We must remember. Even when we think we have taken all abortion options away a woman can and will resort to a coat hanger and I hope I am right when I say no one wants that.