Very revealing NYT article on women in an abortion clinic in Arkansas. Notice how most of the women are returning patients; and with only one exception, all the women interviewed believe they are doing something wrong. Is it compassionate to offer an abortion who says these things?
Leah, 26, said money was a factor in her decision to have an abortion. A former college track athlete, she works in a clothing boutique, a job that she said did not pay enough to support a child.
Like many women at the clinic, Leah had conflicted feelings about what she was doing. "I always said I would never, ever have an abortion," she said. "I probably will regret it. I'm pro-choice for cases of incest or rape, but if it's your own fault, you should accept responsibility. And it's my own fault."
Is there any other medical procedure where a patient reports she expects to regret the procedure and the doctor steams right ahead? And that's considered ethical?
As for the price: $525-$1800 for a 3-5 minute procedure? With more than one doctor, they can be doing 25 abortions/hour or more. Those clinics are making money hand over fist. The story highlights the fact that poverty is a big factor in abortion, but doesn't question the cost. A cynical friend once suggested to me that if pro-lifers really wanted to reduce abortions, they ought to press for price controls on the procedure. That'd close up a lot of clinics right away, and we'd see how much humanitarian service-to-the-poor was really motivating the industry.
And here's a sickeningly unfortunate use of language:
Kori, 26, who was having her third abortion, asked to watch the procedure on the ultrasound monitor. "I wanted to see what it was like," she said. "It was O.K. to watch. Once you had your mind made up to do it, you just suck it up and go with it."
