Abortion Myths

There are a lot of myths created and spread by anti-choice advocates who want to scare women and prevent us from knowing the truth about abortion. We’d like to take the opportunity now to dispel some of those myths so that women’s reproductive choices are based on fact, not fiction.

Myth: Abortion is dangerous.

Fact: While all medical procedures carry some level of risk, abortion is a quick and safe procedure, when done legally and by professionals. There are also no known connections between abortion and increased risk of cancer.

Myth: All women have access to contraceptives, which makes abortion unnecessary.

Therefore, women who have abortions are irresponsible.

Fact: Women ARE responsible. Men frequently leave us with the sole responsibility of providing contraception, they don’t help with the costs of birth control, and they resist wearing condoms. Contraception is also expensive, and most health insurance plans don’t cover it. But even if birth control was available to every woman, some women can’t use it for various reasons. And as is the case for some women, sometimes it just doesn’t work. Almost 60% of women having abortions used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant. NOT all contraceptive methods are appropriate for every person, and some women are simply more fertile than others.

Myth: Women use abortion instead of birth control, and that’s wrong.

Fact:  Women do not routinely use abortion as their sole means of birth control. For many women, abortion is inaccessible because it’s outrageously expensive ($500-$1000), and 86% of counties in the U.S. don’t have an abortion provider. And while most women would probably rather forego the logistical, financial and social hassle of trying to get an abortion, the fact of the matter is Abortion IS birth control, and it’s not wrong that a woman wants control over her own body.

Myth: Abortion is emotionally traumatic.

Fact: While all women are different, most women who have abortions don’t feel traumatized afterward— they feel relieved! What’s traumatic is being forced to carry and give birth to an unwanted child. If a woman feels guilty or regretful about having an abortion, it is likely because people constantly tell her she should, or else because she actually wanted to have a baby. 

Myth: My religion says abortion is murder, so it should be outlawed.

Fact: The United States is not a theocracy, and right-wing fundamentalists who seek to outlaw abortion DON’T speak for the majority of women. No group’s religious beliefs should be forced upon another.

Myth: Pro-choice advocates don’t want women to have children

Fact: Choice means the right of women to decide WHEN and IF we have children. It’s for this reason that we also fight for women’s right to have things like universal childcare and healthcare, and for men to do their share of the child-rearing— things that will make it possible for women to have children if they want to.

Myth: The Morning-After Pill is a dangerous drug that causes abortion

Fact: The Morning-After Pill prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation, making it difficult for sperm to swim, or by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. It is NOT the same thing as RU-486, the abortion pill. The American Medical Association and 70 other medical groups have said that the Morning-After Pill (MAP) is a safe and should be available over-the-counter. MAP is made from the same stuff that’s in birth control pills, and is most effective in preventing pregnancy within the first 24 hours after sex. Don’t be fooled—

people who are against the Morning-After Pill are really just against birth control, period.

Myth: Abortion will never be outlawed, so I’m not going to worry about it.

Fact: In 2004, George Bush signed legislation banning a specific procedure used in performing some late term abortions. Not only does this dangerous law ban what is many women’s safest medical option, the bill also does not say WHEN an abortion becomes “late term”— meaning that it could be used to ban ALL abortion. Bush and other right-wing conservatives have also worked to decrease women’s access to contraceptives— effectively making so that women who don’t want children have no choices before sex, and no choices after sex either.

All reproductive rights are under attack RIGHT NOW by anti-choice and anti-birth control activists in our legislature, our courts, and our medical schools. That’s why it’s important to support an organization that works to protect your reproductive rights.

Join the National Organization for Women, and be a part of the pro-woman, pro-choice community.