"You're a baby killer!" "U.S. out of my Uterus!" "If you don't like abortion, get a vasectomy!"
With a whole slew of slogans, the abortion debate is one of the most divisive in politics today. You're either pro-life or pro-choice and you have a boatload of reasons for where you stand. It is often an issue where one stands firmly and there's no compromise.
The debate occurs at the intersection of morality and privacy, with slogans shouted somewhere in the middle. While the slogans get very strong messages across, they aren't getting to the central point of the matter: the decision of a woman to get an abortion and the complicity of her doctor. For years, the Democrats have said abortion is a decision between a woman and her doctor. The presumption is doctors know best and doctors are doing what's best for each patient. Now, I know not all Democrats think this at all times given John Edwards' propensity for taking doctors to court in medical malpractice suits, but that's neither here nor there. The point is — why don't we take a closer look at the abortion doctors and their motivations and experiences?
Tomorrow night, Wednesday, Oct. 5, the College Republicans along with ASM are hosting a speech by Dr. Anthony Levatino, who is a former abortion provider. Levatino is an ob-gyn who, during his residency and early professional career, performed abortions frequently. In the mid 1980s, he realized that he could not perform abortions anymore due to the emotional turmoil that he was inflicting on others as well as himself.
In his speech, Levatino will be discussing his experiences as a doctor and abortionist. He knows he exploited women when he performed abortion for his own economic gain. Levatino will not be taking the typical moral highroad to talk about the value of life but will emphasize how this procedure hurts women and exploits them financially.
He is quoted as saying, "I have perforated uteruses. I have had all kinds of problems — bleeding, infection — lord knows how many of those women are sterile now" (Pro-Life Action League website). How can some claim that the doctor is abiding by the Hippocratic Oath when his patients receive more than they bargained for, to their detriment?
Levatino also remarked, "As a doctor, you know that these are children. Because you see the children in there — hearts beating, arms flinging." We can't dismiss abortion as the destruction of merely a group of cells when we know that it is so much more. In fact, Levatino has warned us that aspects of his talk may be graphic.
There are approximately 3,561 abortions performed daily. This number is greater than the number of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and more than the number of American soldiers we have lost in Iraq. The number of procedures is overwhelming. When are we going to say enough is enough, we can't condone this type of "medical procedure" anymore?
If you want to learn more about why abortion hurts women, please come out Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to 1195 Grainger to hear an informative and thought-provoking presentation about abortion that you won't hear anywhere else.
Jordan Smith (jordansmith@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in political science and pursuing a certificate in business. She is the chair of the College Republicans.