Women willing to have an abortion are perpetually given false information about reproduction. This is what the study carried out by Rutgers University found out.
In the United States, it is a law that when a woman wants to get an abortion, they are given an informational leaflet so she can have “informed consent” with the procedure. However, this research studied these leaflets that are given out and discovered that a good 30% of them are misleading, scientifically inaccurate and aiming at “scaring the woman away” from proceeding with the abortion.
These materials provided false information concerning the development of the fetus during the first three months of the pregnancy, which is when most abortions are carried out. The study found that in this material, there is a great emphasis on the “baby-like characteristics” that the fetus develops, which are presented as though greater than they are: it is shown that the fetus has extremities developed and that the internal organs are formed already. Also, the terminology used is mostly about the “baby” and the “unborn“, instead of the fetus.
All these are techniques used to create a sentimental response on the pregnant woman, so that she is discouraged from the abortion. Cynthia Daniels, the leading author of the report, is a professor of political science and gender studies, and she finds that these facts about the informational material is deeply disconcerting. It is a gesture that goes beyond the state’s right to express preference of birth over abortion, which is their legal right. Daniels calls for reviewing of these laws, in a direction towards reproductive freedom for women.
By Jonah Winter, Truth Inside Of You
