Whatever you think about a woman’s right to choose, this should concern you. The hypocrisy is staggering: anti-abortion activists take pride in pressuring young women out of abortions, then require doctors “to screen women to determine whether they were pressured into having abortions.” Young women’s lives should not be a battleground (a point made marvelously here). It is one thing to make abortion illegal; it’s quite another to make it shrouded, shameful and maddening. Even if you think abortion is immoral, women who have them – legally or otherwise – should not be denied our compassion and care.
This pending law in Nebraska correlates abortion with mental weakness; it suggests that women who are pressured to have an abortion should be handled with kid gloves. First of all, women face all kinds of pressure from all sides at this juncture: lovers, friends, family, and even circumstances themselves. Making a choice under pressure doesn’t mean that it’s a bad choice. Most important choices in life are made this way. Second of all, if we’re honest about these pressures, then we can see this law for what it is: an attempt to use the stigma of mental illness against women considering abortion.
As you probably know from reading this blog, I’m all about de-stigmatizing mental illness. This stigma leads to suicide all the time – every day. It killed my sister, who took her own life before she was willing to take an anti-depressant (even after she filled a prescription). So the thought of using this stigma, reinforcing it, for political victory makes my blood boil. Whatever your position on abortion, we must do better than this law.
Douglas Faneuil is the founder of Living Proof Productions, a not-for-profit devoted to suicide prevention based in New York City. He also designs database solutions for companies throughout the Northeast.