Abortion doesn’t help trafficking victims. It does the opposite.

A recent article in Ms. Magazine attempted to shed light on the complexities of the issue of abortion for human trafficking victims. Sadly, it missed the mark, claiming that pro-life laws hurt trafficking victims more than they help them. 

But is that really true? 

The horror of human trafficking casts a dark and pervasive shadow, with a staggering 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time. These victims endure forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of unimaginable abuse. Within this grim reality, abortion is often presented as a potential solution for trafficking victims facing pregnancy. However, the reality is that abortion not only compounds that trauma, but it also creates another victim — the preborn child — in the process. 

Unveiling abortion’s enablers: Predators

In April, Idaho Governor Brad Little approved House Bill (HB) 242, which allows individuals who help minors get abortions in other states or obtain abortion pills without their parents’ consent to be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

The need for laws like HB 242 is rooted in the disheartening reality that those accompanying human trafficking victims for abortions are often the very predators who exploit them. Live Action’s Aiding Abusers investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern of child sexual abuse cover-ups within Planned Parenthood, spanning several decades. The investigative video series revealed recorded cases, interviews with former workers, and shocking instances of sex trafficking involvement.

Sex Abuse Cover Up at Planned Parenthood - Overview

Many cases have brought to light instances where the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood, offered assistance to actual predators. Planned Parenthood even provided guidance to actors portraying traffickers, coaching them to deceitfully pose as guardians of minors and encouraging them to falsify the ages of their child victims.

These revelations underscore the need for heightened vigilance and measures to combat the intersection of human trafficking and the abortion industry. Without proper legal measures in place, predators can coerce victims into undergoing abortions without facing any repercussions.

A double blow: How abortion compounds trauma 

The Ms. Magazine article falls short on several fronts. But perhaps its most egregious failure is overlooking the profound impact of abortion on trafficking victims. Rather than alleviating their pain, abortion compounds it, and intensifies the emotional and psychological burden they carry.

According to the article, “Trafficked youth already struggle to receive stigma-free and trauma-informed reproductive healthcare. Laws like Idaho’s threaten to undermine abortion access for survivors of sexual violence and trafficking.”

The reality is that abortion should have no place in “trauma-informed healthcare.” As Live Action News has repeatedly reported, abortion is not health care. It is a procedure that directly and intentionally ends an innocent human life and often results in trauma for the mother. 

Abortion trauma is very real. A study published in SAGE Open Med in October 2018 established a clear link between abortion and mental illness. The research revealed several significant findings, including that abortion is consistently associated with higher rates of mental illness compared to women who have not undergone abortions and it directly contributes to mental health problems for some women.

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