Recently, I attended Violence, Health, and Sexual and Reproductive Rights – a daylong event hosted by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Organization of American States, the Inter-American Commission of Women, and others to discuss violence against women and reproductive rights in Latin American countries. There was a seemingly expert and widespread panel of speakers, ranging from Caroline Bettinger- Lopez (The White House advisor on violence against women) to Leonel Briozzo (A Uruguayan gynecologist), and I was hopeful that a fruitful conversation would take place. However, at the end of the day, I was quite disappointed with the outcomes of our discussion.
While the panelists were all from different organizations, and even different countries, what they had to offer in conversation was more or less the same. Each and every speaker heralded with great confidence and conviction, that the only real solution to violence against women is the worldwide legalization of abortion. As each person stood on the stage and repeatedly proclaimed this solution, I could not grasp how this could possibly be the solution, let alone the unanimous one. And it was interesting, and honestly frustrating, to see that in the realm of violence against women, the main focal point is abortion. While I wholeheartedly disagree with this approach on all fronts, there are a few key points that are stumbling blocks for me when it comes to this issue.
As I mentioned, I do not understand how abortion can be the only viable solution to ending violence against women. From a simply logical point of view, abortion is not the root of the problem. Violence against women is not occurring because abortion is illegal. Therefore, its legalization and increased accessibility will not fix the problem. The inability to access abortion is not the root of the violence problem. Very simply put, legalizing abortion will not stop rape, it will not stop partner violence, and it will not stop violence against women from happening in these very real and tangible ways.
The abortion solution is an attempt to deal with unwanted pregnancies that often occur as a result of violent acts against women. The abortion “solution” tries to treat the symptoms and not the cause. It is a very poor attempt at a band aid, no matter how many pro-abortion champions try to convince themselves that it is a magical healer. In fact, the abortion solution is not even a band aid; it is rubbing salt in the wounds made by these acts of violence. During her introduction to the day, Karen Hanrahan, the Chief Program Officer at the Center for Reproductive Rights, explained that legalizing abortion would ultimately uplift women and be the best way to invest in them. Yes, these women who are victims of violence are dealing with unspeakable pain, but it has been proven that the abortion “solution” quite often leads to increased and long-term trauma. This hardly seems like a solution that would uplift womenand express genuine investment in their well-being. You cannot fight violence with violence; it only produces deeper roots of violence.
While abortion is not a viable solution, I also don’t believe that it is a solution that people really want in Latin American countries. On the front of reproductive rights, the United States is seen as one of the most progressive countries. More than any country in the world, America really thinks that abortion and sexual reproductive health are necessities to freedom and equality. That being said, America’s position in the world allows us to push our practices on other countries. We think we know what is best when it comes to reproductive health, and we want other countries to adopt our mindset on the issues of sex in general. But Latin American countries have a completely different cultural makeup than we do. Generally, most Latin American countries are deeply, culturally Catholic, with a deep love for and focus on family. In 2014, the Pew Research Center did a study on the public opinion regarding the legality of abortion in a plethora of Latin American Countries. The numbers are quite clear; in almost every country over half of the population expressed an overwhelming desire for abortion to remain illegal. America needs to rein in its moral and cultural imperialism. We cannot just go into a country and deal with issues exactly how we would deal with them, and expect cultures to change based on the cultural expectations of America.
As I said, these are just a few of many issues I have with this solution, but I am deeply disappointed that we could not engage in a fruitful conversation about the real root of the violence. Instead of putting an inordinate amount of strength and money into the abortion solution, let’s put our time and resources to use in two different ways. First, let’s invest in more programs and legislation that will help deal with the consequences in productive ways. This could include programs that help these women to heal physically and emotionally, as well as legislation and law enforcement that cracks down on the perpetrators. Second, let’s put more energy into finding and eradicating the roots of the problem. Abortion is not causing violence, so what are some of these causes? And how can we stop them? Let’s do these women justice by representing them well and fighting for them rightly.
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