Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Illegal Abortion: Truth Vs. Fiction, Andrew T. Looker Jr.

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Numerous factual errors are made regarding the issue of abortion. These false claims are made in an attempt to scuttle efforts to restrict abortion. Some of the most frequent claims pertain to the effectiveness of pro-life laws themselves. One such claim is that thousands of women died from unsolicited abortions when the procedure was illegal, and that maternal deaths declined rapidly afterwards due to the legal availability of abortion. Another claim is that laws that either restrict or outlaw abortion are ineffective in reducing abortion rates. A comprehensive analysis of the best available data proves these assertions to be undeniably …