Health & Medicine

'Life Chain': Anti-Abortion Groups Speak Out

Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Oct 07, 2013 12:15 PM EDT

Ever since Roe vs. Wade, uppity Christians have been flocking to the streets, Washington, D.C., and abortion clinics everywhere chanting their disapproval--with signs--of abortion.

And this year, they made no exception.

Anti-abortion protestors (more commonly referred to as pro-lifers) formed a four-mile long life chain on Sunday afternoon, marking a 26-year tradition in honor of peaceful prayer in the public eye to end abortion throughout the nation.

Abortion, known as the termination of a pregnancy via the removal of expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability is a procedure that occurs spontaneously and is purposely induced.

News-Journal.com, a publication from Longview, Tex., got in touch with some of the attendants to see how they felt regarding the issue.

Brittney Campbell, who has been attending the "Life Chain" since she was four years old (now 14) was part of the event, via the organization Right to Life of East Texas.

"Abortion is killing children," she said. "People think its different since it's what they call a fetus. Its still a child in the womb."

(Wait a minute. What did Roe vs. Wade say, again?)

The Guttmacher Institute shows that each year, two percent of women aged 15 to 44 have an abortion, and half have had at least one previous abortion. At current rates, statistics also show that at least one in 10 women will have an abortion by age 20 and one in four by age 30. As many as three in 10 will have an abortion by age 45.

Eighteen percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are teenagers; women in their 20s account for more than half of all abortions, non-Hispanic white women account for 36 percent of abortions, non-Hispanic black women for 30 percent, Hispanic women for 25 percent and women of other races for 9 percent.

To add to that, 8 percent of women who have abortions have never used a method of birth control and nonuse is greatest among those who are young, poor, black, Hispanic or less educated.

(Maybe pushing for better educational programs and contraceptive use would be helpful instead of holding signs outside? Programs like Planned Parenthood? Just a thought...)

"If you look at the large number of people, I think people driving by in Longview realize that there's a lot of people in our country who believe in the right to life," added Vera Seilhan, a member of St. Mary's who also made it out to the chain life event, via the news organization.

Well, aren't we all 'pro-life'? Are some people 'anti-life'? It doesn't seem to make much sense, does it?

More to the point, many who are 'pro-life' or anti-abortion are also not 'pro' other things that support life. For instance, statistics show that many are 'pro' war. They're anti-health care. Anti-women, in some cases?

(Does anyone remember Todd Akin and "legitimate rape?")

Anyways, whether you're pro or anti this or that, it's best to get the facts straight before involving yourself in anything. (Again, just a thought.)

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