Lie: Having more unwanted children results in more child abuse Truth: Child abuse has not decreased since abortion was legalized, but has dramatically increased. If children are viewed as expendable before birth they will be viewed as expendable after birth. It is illogical to argue that a child is protected from abuse through abortion since abortion IS child abuse. Lie: Abortion helps solve the problem of overpopulation and raises the quality of life. Truth: The current birth rate in America is less than what is needed to maintain our population level. The dramatic decline in our birth rate will have a disturbing economic effect on America. Overpopulation is frequently blamed for our problems with other causes. If there is a population problem that threatens our quality of living, the solution is not to kill off part of the population. The quality of life concept is breeding a sense of human expandability that has far-reaching social implications. Lie: If abortion is made illegal, tens of thousands of women will again die from back-alley abortions. Truth: For decades prior to its legalization, 90% of abortions were done by physicians in their offices, not in back alleys. Women still die from legal abortions in America. We must not legalize procedures that kill the innocent just to make the killing process less hazardous. The central horror of illegal abortion remains the central horror of legal abortion. Lie: Abortion is a safe medical procedure, safer than full-term pregnancy and childbirth. Truth: Abortion can produce many serious medical problems. Even if abortion were safer for the mother than childbirth, it would still remain fatal for the innocent child. Abortion is not safer than full-term pregnancy and childbirth. Here's why; Less than one in ten thousand pregnancies results in the mothers death. Government statistics indicate the chances of death by abortion are even less. But while deaths from childbirth are accurately reported, many deaths by legal abortion are not. This completely skews the statistics. Furthermore, abortion actually increases the chance of maternal death in later pregnancies. (David C. Reardon, Aborted Women: Silent No More (Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1987), 113.) This means that some maternal deaths are actually caused by earlier abortions, creating a double inaccuracy. Even if abortion did result in fewer maternal deaths, that wouldn't make it safer. The nonfatal but significant complications of abortion are much more frequent and serious than those of full-term pregnancy. Lie: Abortion relieves women of stress and responsibility, and thereby enhances their psychological well-being. Truth: The many post-abortion therapy and support groups testify to the reality of abortion's potentially harmful psychological effects. The suicide rate is significantly higher among women who have had abortions than those who haven't. Many professional studies document the reality of abortions adverse psychological consequences on a large number of women. Abortion can produce both short and long term psychological damage, especially a sense of personal guilt. Lie: Abortion providers are respected medical professionals working in the women's best interests. Truth: Many clinics are in the abortion industry because of the vast amount of money involved. Clinic workers regularly mislead or deceive women about the nature and development of their babies. Clinic workers commonly prey on fear, pain, and confusion to manipulate women into getting abortions. Abortion clinics often exploit the feminist connection, making it appear that their motive is to stand up for women. Hard case: What about a women whose life is threatened by pregnancy or childbirth? Truth: It is an extremely rare case when abortion is required to save the mothers life. When two lives are threatened and only one can be saved, doctors always save that life. Hard case: What about a women whose unborn baby is diagnosed as deformed or handicapped? Truth: The doctor's diagnosis is sometimes wrong. The child's deformity is often a minor. Hard case: What about a women who is pregnant due to rape or incest? Truth: Pregnancy for rape is extremely rare, and with proper treatment can be prevented. Rape is never the fault of the child; the guilty party, not the innocent party, should be punished. The violence of abortion parallels the violence of rape. Abortion does not bring healing to the rape victim. No adverse circumstance for one human being changes the nature and worth of another human being. It is possible to love a child conceived out of rape. Lie: The antiabortionists are a bunch of men telling women what to do. Truth: More women than man oppose abortion. The great majority of pro-life workers are women. Of women who have had abortions, far more are pro-life activists than pro-choice activists.   Lie: Antiabortionists talk about the sanctity of human life, yet they favor capital punishment. Truth: Not all pro-lifers favor capital punishment. Capital punishment is rooted in a respect for innocent human life. There is a vast difference between punishing a convicted murderer and an innocent child. Lie: The antiabortionist distort the facts and resort to emotionalism to deceive the public. Truth: The facts themselves make abortion an emotional issue. It is not the pro-life position but the pro-choice position that relies in emotionalism more than truth and logic. The pro-life position is _base_d on documented facts and empirical evidence, which pro-choicers ignore or distort. The pro-choice movement consistently caricatures and misrepresents pro-lifers and their agenda.