The Abortion of the Wanted Child

August 21, 2011

Everyone is discussing this piece, by Ruth Padawer, that ran in the New York Times, and, since it is infuriating, I figured I would too. Ms. Padawer has written a hard-hitting piece. I think it presents all views as fairly as can be expected and it does not mince words. Full disclosure, it took me three attempts to read it through. I then sent a very annoyed letter to the author because I felt she was justifying something that is wrong. While I still feel that this is an attempt at justification, perhaps I did not give the writer enough credit for revealing what has been, and continues to be, a somewhat hidden aspect of both abortion practice and artificial fertility treatments. Please, if this topic is of interest to you, read it all.

The article discusses women who have had fertility treatment(s) and who found themselves carrying twins (in one case triplets) as a result and who chose to “reduce their pregnancies” to only one fetus...

...This article reveals that abortion has truly become an “on demand” procedure to be used as part of a range of on demand reproductive services. It is clear that to these folks it is no longer about “the children” it is about fulfilling their own, highly particularized needs.the rest

The women in this article may feel, may actually be, overwhelmed. But they are absolutely not the poor, alone, desperate “in trouble” women for whose needs we have always been told abortion must be kept safe and legal and (we hope) rare, to borrow President Clinton’s oft quoted phrase.

These are all abortions of wanted children and it is extremely disturbing.