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Having lived when abortion was illegal and watched its legalization, I think it's time to have a hard discussion about the role of abortion in 2026.
Abortion is not a new or progressive idea. Throughout human history, both ancient and recent, abortion has been used to end a pregnancy. Pregnant women have had to navigate a lack of the compassion and support now available. Centuries ago, pregnant women could be sent to the workhouse, cast out onto the street or denied medical care, resulting in complications or death. Their children could be forcibly placed in horrific orphanages. These and other tragic situations bring to mind a Charles Dickens novel about exploitation and injustice.
In the more recent past, women could face the denial of schooling, the stigma of having a child born out of wedlock, a lack of material support for mother and child, inadequate health care or loss of employment. Thankfully, these obstacles have been eliminated or reduced. Pregnancy help centers, WIC, medical assistance, cash assistance, antibiotics, DNA testing, mandated child support and adoption agencies are among the available resources. Women living throughout history would marvel at this progress.
Significant advances have also been made in contraception. The birth control pill was a huge game changer. There was a sense of excitement and hope in the 1960s with the introduction of the first oral contraceptive. Women achieved reproductive freedom, and the pill became a milestone in the liberation of women. Soon afterward came more than 12 major forms of birth control, some of which are 97% to 100% effective. Accurate reproductive education is now available. Unprotected sex means you will probably become a parent. Reproducing can be relatively easy, but the focus must shift to choices about birth control and, if no choice is made, giving birth and planning for a baby.
Recent advances in medical technology make it easier to detect prenatal heartbeats, and sonograms are commonly the first pictures in baby albums. We can now literally see unborn babies sucking their thumbs, responding to light, recognizing their mothers' voices, moving and growing. In-utero surgeries are becoming more common, with miraculous results. The unborn baby is a patient, too. There is undeniably another life.
Why is this conversation about abortion important? The answer is simple: Life is important. Human life is valuable and has intrinsic worth. Taking a life must be a difficult choice. Walk into an ICU, and the first glance is at the heart monitor. Arrive at an accident scene, and one automatically checks for a heartbeat in an unconscious victim. Volunteers searching for life under the rubble of an earthquake rejoice when they hear a heartbeat. Abortion stops a beating heart, and that is something to grieve.
We want a better life for our daughters and granddaughters. We have made so many gains, but unrestricted abortion for any reason and at any time devalues all life. The tension lies in balancing the life of the baby with the life of the mother. Both are important. Mothers can be protected without intentionally ending the lives of their children. In the rare case of a mother's life being in danger, abortion should be -- and currently is -- safe and legal. The progression from the birth control pill in the 1960s to abortion in the 1970s to the current allowance of abortions up until the moment of birth in 10 states is not the right choice. It is time to speak truthfully about what really occurs during an abortion. Restrictions on abortion are consistently being removed, yet at the same time, there is more evidence that the baby is a living human being. That young human is deserving of protection.
The abortion issue is a sensitive topic and difficult to discuss, as many people since 1973 have had an abortion, advised someone to have an abortion, paid for one or fought for the expansion of abortion access. But with all the new information available, it is time to revisit that discussion. Life is the ultimate good, and the ultimate challenge is to protect both mother and child. This could be a great time to be alive for both of them. Unfortunately, it is a dangerous time for a baby in the womb. Abortion--a bridge too far. It is time to move beyond abortion.
Linda Burroughs is a Russell resident.