Abortion waiting period is reasonable legislation

The sobs seemed to resonate. My co-worker, a young, single mother of two, was tearfully telling her teenage sister that she could not give her money for an abortion.

The sense of urgency was great; the teenager needed the money that day so that she could have the procedure performed the following day. She knew she was far along in her pregnancy, and time was of the essence.

The possibility of having same-day abortions will soon end in Alabama thanks to the passage and signing into law of the Women's Right to Know Act. The law requires a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion is performed, during which the woman must be informed of the following:

Providers who are not in compliance with the Women's Right to Know Act will be charged with a misdemeanor for the first two offenses and a felony for the third. They will also be in danger of losing their licenses.

There were the usual cheers and jeers marking the bill's passage. The pro-life camp was gleeful, feeling confident of the constitutionality of the law, which is based on a Pennsylvania law that has withstood legal challenges. Pro-choice proponents warned of the demise of protections and the accessibility afforded by Roe v. Wade.

Laws such as these, however, will not force abortion providers to close their doors. Nor will such laws move legions of women to decide, upon looking at the shadowy ultrasound image of their "baby," to save their unborn offspring.

For many women having to make this difficult decision, little will change. The law does not prevent a woman from having an abortion, but it lets her know what her options are and gives her time to assess those options.

They say that knowledge is power. And in this case it is the power over life or death.

If the law is met by a challenge, it may come from an unexpected foe. The law states that no one, not even parents or guardians of minors, can coerce a woman into having an abortion. Parental authority is a sensitive issue. And parents can become quite defensive when feeling that their sovereignty over their children is being challenged.

But they need not worry. The law may serve as a blessing in disguise for parents, who also can get caught up in the emotion of the situation.

The 24-hour waiting period may serve as a cooling-off period for everyone and may ultimately result in more rational and informed decisions.

And about my co-worker's sister. She did get the money. And yes, she did have the abortion that very next day.

When they performed an ultrasound, it confirmed her worst fear: The fledgling "infant-to-be" was more than 4 months old.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable law to me. I wonder how the Liberals will take it.

Probably about like this: "Blah, blah, blah.....infringing upon a woman's right to choose.....blah, blah, blah..... uneccessary burden for women..... blah, blah, blah.....backdoor attempt by the radical religous right....blah, blah...."

Both laws like this and parental notification laws are very reasonable. People who are opposed to such laws show their true colors with their opposition. They are sick and evil.

While this is the first I've heard about this it seems like a constructive approach to the desire to reduce the incidence of abortion (as much as I'd like to see it, we'll never completely stop all abortions...any law would be ultimately unenforceable). As a man, I can't imagine the emotional strain of an unwanted and unplanned pregnancy for a woman, particularly a teenager. Couple that with the inherent emotional rollercoaster hormones can create as the body changes and one can easily see how a woman could feel that "she has no choice" when effectively she does. A chance to privately discuss options with a compassionate councillor, see that there is a real human being growing, and then have some time to reflect and reconsider seems to make a whole lot more sense to me than verbally assaulting confused and upset young women going into clinics (I've seen it happen folks, and it's ugly and infuriating, as much as I understand and agree with what they mean to accomplish).

Scared young women need support. They may feel they have no one to turn to and no options and subsequently make a decision that may haunt them for the rest of their lives. Giving them a chance to see that there are alternatives will make a difference in many cases, IMHO.

This is only part of the solution, however. Efforts must be made to ensure that adoption is promoted and made easier for families wishing to adopt. Women who will consider bringing the baby to term must feel confident that their child will really have a better life than they feel they can provide, not end up in some vile situation constantly bounced between foster homes and potentially abusive situations. I often reflect on the fact that had abortion been readily available in the early 1960's there's a good chance wouldn't be here right now. Fortunately, the woman that gave birth to me had the courage to complete the pregnancy and put me up for adoption where I could be adopted as an infant by parents that gave me a truly princely upbringing. That being said, when I read about some of the horrors unadopted children have gone through I can say without a moment of hesitation that if that would have been my fate I would just as soon never seen the light of day.

Want to reduce abortion? Work the whole picture. Support and encouragement for the woman, a secure place to go in the case of a family who for whatever reason won't provide loving support to her through a difficult time, and an adoption system that gives the woman confidence that her child has a bright future. Very few but the most confused women want to "kill their baby." Don't preach, don't moralize, support with compassion and hope. It's a step forward.

Good day, all.

To my further surprise, the only reader response the AJC printed to this editorial was a positive one. It appeared here:

Law would have deterred abortion
I agree completely with the column on a waiting period for abortion ("Abortion waiting period is reasonable legislation," @issue, May 14). I had an abortion when I was 18. I was scared and needed help. Although I was only eight weeks along in the pregnancy, there was this rush to perform the abortion. No one told me about the physical risks involved or the emotional problems I would have to deal with later. My counseling consisted only of a reassurance that I could have babies later.
I truly believe that if I had been shown the baby or heard a heartbeat, and had been given viable options while waiting 24 hours, not only would I have the two beautiful children I have now but they would have an older sibling, a child I will miss every day of my life.
LORI MATTHEWS, Lawrenceville

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