By: Christine M. Ryan/Massachusetts Independent Voter
I am a 72 year old wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, niece who wants to bring my perspective to the topic of abortion.
According to the Guttmacher Institute in a January 17, 2024 article the “first 10 months of 2023 there were an estimated 878,000 abortions in the formal US health care system.” I will include this link below. The article starts with the statement that “the number of aboritons in the US is likely to be higher in 2023 than in 2020. You can access all sorts of data but there is one common denominator in most of it…it’s not complete because not all states report.
I will start off by stating I am pro life. I am a registered independent voter who is conservative. When Justice Alito’s draft decision was “leaked” I read it. He identified 3 types of people on the topic of abortion at the start of his decision. I saw myself as # 3. Those that “think that abortion should be allowed under some but not all circumstances, and those within this group hold a variety of views about particular restrictions that should be imposed.”
How were my beliefs on the subject formed? I was raised and still am a Catholic but that’s not where I really formed my pro life stance.
I got a job as a ward secretary in college in Boston, Mass in the early 1970s. I wanted to work in healthcare so I saw this job as a way to view the healthcare system up close and personal. I was a biology/chemistry major at Boston State College and worked while attending college to pay my own tuition. My parents could not afford the tuition even back then and being the oldest of 4 children and having very young parents who did not go to college themselves they had no knowledge of college or student loans etc. So I worked and paid the state college tuition in full. Granted the “full” cost of tuition was no where near what it is today but I will restate my parents did not have any extra amount of money back then so it is all relative. And as an aside I do not wish to pay for anyone else’s college education as the Biden/Harris administration has the taxpayers doing by unconstitutionally transferring college debt to the taxpayers and the deficit. But I digress. I graduated from Boston State College and went one more year to a VA hospital school for medical technology. I did work in that field as a registered medical technologist MT( ASAP) for more than 20 years.
When I worked as a ward secretary at a Boston hospital in the early 1970s during college it was during the time when abortion was first made legal. At that time a procedure called “saline infusion” abortion was performed on the ward I worked (performed when the baby was further along than what was called a D&C -dilation and curettage procedure could be used for the abortion) which was the procedure for more early term abortions at the time. (Look up what saline does to a babies organs.) The abortion patients were primarily very, very young (younger than me a the time) so teens, girls of color. During my time working there I did see one very young white girl (again teen) give up a baby for adoption. The abortion patients were sprinkled into the same ward with those giving birth. These young girls would be given the saline infusions which made them go into hard labor in their cubicles. They were in obvious (to me) terrible “labor” pain. They would sometimes walk around to ease their pain but as a result they would sometimes abort the fetus onto the floor. It was horrific to me. It made such a devastating impression on me I cannot unsee it. And for that reason I can’t get my head around how anyone can call abortion “woman’s healthcare” or “the right to choose.” Call it what it is. Abortion-to abort-terminate-to end! I had a discussion today and the way I understood her is she does not want the government involved at all. I understood that to her this is what “my body, my choice’ means. No control over someone else. “My body, my choice” This is the catchy phrase. Oh, does that mean lawlessness? The doctor is God? We have heard it’s between the woman and her doctor. The last time I checked neither primary care doctors not gynecologists do abortions. So you must be referring to the abortion doctor and or the aboriton clinic. That’s like going to a surgeon. They want to do surgery. Aboeriton doctors do abortions. The woman’s doctor…right like we all have abortion doctors. Again, this is separate from the exceptions.
I would like to point blank ask Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pelosi, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and all the others who they now call ‘progressive’ (but are really socialist/Marxist) democrats at what point in the mother’s term do they believe in abortion? Waiting for this answer. You may say late term abortion is rare and after birth abortion is not legal in the US. But we have heard after birth abortion (Infanticide) discussed by Former Virginia Gov Ralph Northam in 2019 when discussed a third term late term abortion measure like he was discussing the weather. Politifact reported in June 2022 abortion is available at any point of pregnancy and for any reason in Alaska, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont.
The American people need to hear their answers so they can then make their political decisions when they vote. But they have not answered and I doubt they will. Because the American people would be horrified athteir answers and the Dems would upset their base.
I recall the subject of later term abortion coming up in a 2016 Trump/Clinton debate where Trump was quite graphic in explaining the later term procedure and Hillary replied something to the effect that’s not what happens. Oh, but it is what happens Hillary.
At this time I support the states having the abortion authority. I DO believe (as I stated above) there are exceptions but these exceptions need to be crystal clear in the state law. If the exceptions are not clear anyone who is or has been negatively affected should lobby their particular state to make certain they are clear.
What the Democratic left calls women’s rights, reproductive freedom on and on is barbarism. What about the baby’s rights and freedom especially if these abortions are done later term, up until or after birth, or after a certain viable point in time.
I am in favor of how the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and send the decision making to the individual states where they have an interest in protecting prenatal life” per Justice Alito. The draft decision differs somewhat from the final. I have included a link below where it shows the draft and the changes. It’s the only the only link I could find showing both. You can certainly read both but it’s difficult to know the changes. There are articles you can look up as well if you don’t like the below link or find fault with it.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/06/us/supreme-court-abortion-dobbs-decision-changes
Both Justice Alito’s draft and the final are quite graphic regarding the current abortion later term methods in that Alito explains that currently most abortions after 15 weeks employ “dilation and evacuation procedures which involves the use of surgical instruments to crush and tear the unborn child,” and the decision concluded that the intentional commitment of such acts for the non therapeutic or elective reasons is barbaric practice, dangerous for the maternal patient, and demeaning to the medical profession.” “Demeaning? I would go further than that! You call this woman’s healthcare, freedom? The Wikipedia definition of healthcare: ” The improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration, or <<<cure>>>of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental. Do you know that the original meaning of cure comes from “care of souls?” Instead abortion crushes the body and soul.
I do realize that the SCOTUS decision is entitled Dobbs vrs Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is an abortion clinic so call it Jackson Women’s Abortion clinic and whatever else it does….abortion is not women’s health
I am only a person who witnessed (as a young woman) these ABORTIONS back in the 1970s.
So why am I writing this piece?
I am not here to argue law. I am not a lawyer. SOTO affirmed that abortion is not in the Constitution. I agree with that decision. Alito slammed the liberal justices saying they ” have no regard for a State’s interest in protecting prenatal life.” He said their implication in their dissent is clear- that the liberal judges believe the “Constitution doesn’t permit states to regard the destruction of a ‘potential life’ as a matter of any significance.” Do you pro choice advocates really agree with that liberal sentiment that destruction of human life has no significance?
I want to argue “heart!” The hearts of the babies being aborted. The hearts of the women who choose these barbaric methods.
Most/many may not realize what an abortion involves. You hear healthcare, freedom, woman’s rights, reproductive freedom, reproductive rights on and on! As women it all sounds like great issues to advocate for! What you don’t hear is about the procedure(s) and what women go through and how the babies are torn apart and die! There are videos online you can watch that show the procedure. If you are all for abortion…I dare you to watch one.
To me, the current democratic party is Marxist/ anti family pushing this as their main agenda item constantly. I read an article dated in the NY Times several years ago by Thomas Edsall where it was noted that “The Democratic Party over the past few years has gotten into the position of appearing to oppose and scorn widely cherished institutions -conventional nuclear family, religion, patriotism, capitalism, wealth, norms of masculinity, and femininity, then saying vote for me.” This article goes on to say that the democrats have been fighting a “culture war” against the American family for a long time on a lot of family fronts including their insistence on the desire for universal pre school staring at age 3 and subsidized daycare.
That was then and this is now. The Democrat Party has gone so far left it has fallen head first into the Pacific Ocean. It is not longer the party of JFK (which my Mom and Dad favored and I grew up favoring.)
On March 14, 2024 Karmala went to an abortion clinic in Minnesota and the press touted this as the first of its kind for any president or VP. So let me ask Ms. Harris who they reported as meeting with the workers and CEO have you witnessed any abortions Karmala? Waiting for your response. Because if you have not you have no idea what you are talking about with your “infringement of reproductive freedom”…the word is ABORTION! This is the VP who was given the responsibility of the US Southern Border (which is now an unmitigated disaster) and never went to the actual US Southern Border (only to El Paso-June, 2021) and not the Rio Grande Valley) during the past 3 plus years where drugs like fentanyl are pouring in and have killed 100,000 Americans in 2021 (per CDC), 73,654 US deaths in 2022. An NPR article states 2023 overdose deaths were 112,000. But Harris went to an abortion clinic for the photo op to get Democratic votes. The Biden/Harris administration has lost more than 300,000 illegal migrant children. Do you really think they care about women and children with their open border policies? My educated guess is those children are not ‘lost.” They are either dead or have been sold into sex, drug slavery. Biden/Harris are promoting present day slavery at the US Southern border! Let that sink in.
Just look on Instagram and see all the Democrats/far left posts pushing abortion! But when have you heard specifics from them? Go back to the first question I asked where I asked that you point blank ask the Dems about their specific stance! Do they believe in abortion (currently known as procedural) up until mid term, late term, and after birth? If that answer is yes, it should stop you in your tracks to rethink all this. None have answered to date. If they don’t answer that should stop you in your tracks as well because their non answer is their answer and it’s a yes, abortion whenever!
Freedom you say. Ask the woman who have had an abortion if she feels free including free from guilt?
Additionally I am respectfully requesting that you ask your GOP candidates where they specifically stand on the exceptions and the same questions as you ask democratic candidates (listed above) then make your decisions. Don’t ASSume the answers. But get the answers.
Instead of Elizabeth Warren standing on the capital steps screaming like a bobble headed lunatic (as she does all the time) after the supreme court decision leak and her stating something to the effect, among other things that the decision hurts mothers who are already struggling to support the children already have. Bingo….she is advocating using abortion as birth control. Can we please stop using abortion as birth control?
I respectfully ask that women like Kate Cox lobby her state lawmakers to make the abortion exceptions clear. Maybe the need to travel out of state gave her more time to ponder her important decision. Rather than be used a political pawn for the Democrats pro abortion push I would love to see Kate work closely with the state of Texas lawmakers to lobby where she feels the law was wrong. Again, (I feel) THESE DECISIONS SHOULD REMAIN WITH THE STATES where they are now.
Can we find some common ground here and stop screaming at each other or maybe the ones screaming are doing so to be above the screams of the babies. Can we talk about the human responsibility of not getting pregnant if you do not want a baby? The Democrats gave free abortions at their Democratic Convention but I heard nothing of free birth control.
BUT LET’S GET THIS RIGHT. Ask the questions, get the answers. THE LIVES OF MOTHERS AND BABIES ARE AT STAKE!
It was JFK who said “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and the best hope for the future. I am speaking out for the children. I hope you will also.
Christine M. Ryan, Massachusetts resident
#Abortionmeanstoabort #Abortionisnothealthcare #Abortiontellitlikeitis #speakingoutforthebabies
Independent Woman 
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