A 17-year-old Florida girl found out she was pregnant last fall. Her family insisted she get an abortion even though she told them she didn’t want one. She was given an ultrasound at an abortion clinic in Florida, but they refused to show it to her and made arrangements to fly her to Chicago for the procedure against her will.
Her family refused to let her out of the house, go to school, or use her phone to get help.
Her boyfriend did what any decent young man would do, he took action to protect the girl and rescue their baby from death. He contacted Liberty Counsel.
Richard Mast, attorney for Liberty Counsel told Pregnancy Help News that he immediately sent a demand letter to the family explaining it is illegal in every state to force or coerce anyone, including minors, to have an abortion, that because their daughter was a minor she was entitled to their protection and care, but she alone was responsible for, and entitled to give life and care to her baby.
The letter defined coercion and legal penalties for forcing an abortion on the girl or causing the death of her baby. It also described the immediate legal action that would take place if they didn’t cancel the abortion appointment and plane ticket that same day.
The family desisted in their plans. In July, the girl and her boyfriend welcomed a baby girl into their lives. They live in his parents’ house now, and the baby’s father is working hard to earn money and finish school, Mast said, and added that the father “took responsibility and is caring for both mother and child.”
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Abortion coercion and forced abortion all too common
Coerced or forced abortion happens when a girl or woman undergoes an unwanted abortion due to threats of violence, threats of estrangement from family ties or other relationships, loss of employment, education, scholarships, or housing. It may happen when medical personnel present elective abortion as the only option.
Coercion can come from many sources:
- family members
- father of the baby
- coach, school counselor or teacher
- abortion clinic staff
- OB/GYN doctor
- genetic counselor
- employer
- sex trafficker
One study showed 60% of abortive women would have given birth with enough support
The Charlotte Lozier Institute reported in the article, “Hidden Epidemic: Nearly 70% of Abortions Are Coerced, Unwanted or Inconsistent With Women’s Preferences,” that in a study of women who had elective abortions “67% reported their abortions were ‘accepted but inconsistent with their values and preferences’ (43%) or ‘unwanted or coerced’ (24%). Sixty percent would have preferred to give birth if they had received either more emotional support or had more financial security.”
According to this study most women are not freely choosing abortion. They feel pressure to undergo an unwanted abortion.
Easy, unregulated, online distribution of abortion drugs has brought about “a disturbing trend involving women being pressured, deceived or even secretly given abortion drugs. This is not choice,” Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing for Heartbeat International, told Pregnancy Help News in an email.
“Coercing a woman into an abortion, or administering abortion drugs without her knowledge or consent, is a profound violation of her safety and autonomy,” Trudden added.
“Through Option Line and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, we hear heartbreaking accounts from women who are being pressured into abortions they do not want,” Trudden said.
Tweet This: Coercing a woman into abortion or administering abortion drugs w/out her knowledge/consent is a profound violation of her safety & autonomy
Pregnancy center staff can identify coercion and intervene
Trudden advised, “Pregnancy help organizations can play an important role in identifying coercion by
- speaking with clients privately,
- recognizing warning signs,
- affirming that no one has the right to force an abortion,
- and helping women develop a safe plan for seeking medical, legal, or emergency assistance.”
Heartbeat International offers training through Heartbeat Academy on identifying and intervening for victims of sex trafficking and coerced or forced abortion. Class titles include Identifying and Assisting Victims of Sex Trafficking in the Center, Human Trafficking and the Pregnancy Center, Serving Survivors of Sex Trafficking, Sex Trafficking & Abortion, and OnWatch Training, and Preventing Forced Abortion from the Justice Foundation.
“Heartbeat’s nationwide Abortion Pill Poisoning Tracker documents publicly reported incidents involving abortion drugs used through deception, coercion, or pill swapping. By gathering these cases in one place, we hope to demonstrate that these incidents are not isolated and raise awareness among women, families, medical professionals, pregnancy help organizations and policymakers,” Trudden said.
“For women who suspect they may have been given abortion drugs without their knowledge, Heartbeat has assembled information and immediate steps they can take at:
https://abortionpillreversal.com/suspect-poisoning,” Trudden added.
Unlike abortion businesses, pregnancy care centers offer women facing an unplanned pregnancy emotional support, practical help, and real choices.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
