Perhaps one of the most defining issues of the last era in American society has been the issue of abortion. Ever since 1973, the Roe v. Wade decision has, depending on your opinion, either empowered women or legalized infant murder. Regardless of your stance, however, the Pro-Choice faction had made significant strides since then, with more and more women turning to abortion.
However, the results of the general election concerning both the House and Senate leaves the legislation branch within the hands of the GOP. Even with a Democratic White House, there is only so much the Democrats can do to halt the passing of Pro-Life Legislature. Since the election, the "new congress is introducing anti-women's health bills at a rate of one per day" with a goal to "ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy on the day of the Roe v. Wade anniversary".
As a result, Pro-Choice have copied a move out of the LGBT movement's playbook: increasing awareness and tolerance. Many movement leaders hope that the increased awareness for the number of women engaging in abortion currently would help the general populace gain sympathy and tolerance for the cause, in essence: combat the stigma rather the law. Therefore, many women have been encouraged to come out with their experiences on abortion and how it helped them throughout life whether through stability or timing.
By fighting the stigma, the Pro-Choice faction hope to help women feel comfortable talking about their choices as well as gain momentum in the wake of an impending legislative downpour.
Question for Reflection
While the decision to attack stigma rather the law seems rather effective, as seen in the LGBT community, it ignores the root complexities of the abortion controversy in which caused the toxic division in the first place. By adding more individuals to the conversation, will it gain sympathy as predicted or generate more opposition?
Sources
http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/next-goal-for-abortion-rights-backers-reducing-stigma/
Abortion is, without a doubt, one of the most controversial health related issues of the present day. As you mentioned, the Pro-Choice faction has decided to try to increase awareness about abortion to combat the stigma, which I agree is a great strategy. You also stated that this strategy ignores the root of the controversy: abortion essentially being legal infanticide. While awareness may increase the support for abortion, it will not be able to counter accusations of taking a baby's life. The question here is a question regarding the definition of life: Does life start at conception, or after birth? If the Pro-Choice faction wants to overcome the stigma of abortion, they must convince the public of the latter.
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