Guidelines for Reproductive Rights

​​1. Use reliable contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy during recreational sex (and practice safer sex). There's an old idiom that says "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." It is far easier and more practical to spend a little bit of energy toward preventing the crisis of an unwanted pregnancy than it is to spend enormous amounts of energy repeatedly solving an expensive and highly preventable situation.

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2. From 0 to 22 weeks gestation, you have the option to keep or abort your pregnancy. Before 23 weeks gestation, there is no person in your uterus, therefore, your right to liberty and self-determination permits access to abortion care. Consider carefully; do not make this decision lightly, and do not take your fertility for granted. If abortion is your choice, then the earlier you abort, the better, for several reasons: a) earlier abortions typically cost less money than later abortions, b) pregnancy places stress on your body that intensifies as the pregnancy progresses, and c) earlier abortion experiences are significantly less painful and less gruesome than later procedures or giving birth.

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3. From 23 weeks gestation to the end of gestation, there are three rare situations that instigate a need for pregnancy termination via abortion OR early delivery. When we say rare, we mean rare. Later abortions are a very rare and serious occurrence. According to the CDC, over three-fourths (77.7%) of abortions are performed before the 10th-week gestation; over nine-tenths (92.2%) of abortions are performed before the second trimester (aka before the 14th-week gestation); and nearly all (more than 99%) of abortions are performed before the 22nd-week gestation. After 22 weeks gestation, three rare situations may necessitate pregnancy termination:

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• Mother’s health crisis: heart disease, lung disease, poor kidney function, uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, autoimmune conditions, stroke, blood-clotting disorders, severe depression/suicidal tendencies, drug addiction, and pregnancy complications such as incomplete miscarriage/stillbirth, preeclampsia/eclampsia, chorioamnionitis, placenta accreta, placental abruption, sepsis, etc. ➜ Very strong preference for early delivery in most cases, however, abortion is permitted to safeguard the mother’s life.

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• Baby’s health crisis: misdeveloped or missing vital organs (kidneys, heart, lungs, brain*, etc.), vital organ failure, inoperable tumors, etc. ➜ Very strong preference for early delivery with supportive, palliative, and/or hospice care as appropriate for the situation. *In the specific case when a fetal body's brain is misdeveloped or missing such that the body will never develop the ability to think thoughts and feel emotions, then abortion is permittable at any time during pregnancy because no living baby will ever exist in that fetal body.

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• Barriers to abortion access before 23 weeks: financial hardship, lack of childcare, human trafficking, abusive living situation, etc. ➜ No person should ever be forced to endure pregnancy unwillingly. These particular situations are challenging, and we need to improve our social programs that work to prevent these situations from happening. In these cases, the options are maternal support services, adoption services, and/or early delivery (but not abortion). If a person wants to remove another person from their body, at any time, they have that right. To force one person to bodily serve another person against their will is not only morally untenable but also unconstitutional (the Thirteenth Amendment prohibits involuntary servitude). Regarding early delivery, it is important to note that current technology is limited in its ability to prevent adverse health outcomes in prematurely delivered babies. In the future, that technology will likely improve, but in the meantime, a pregnant person in this situation has a serious choice to make. You can choose early delivery, or you can choose to carry the pregnancy to term for the sake of supporting the baby's health. The choice to help others in need is always encouraged.

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Ending Remarks

It's important to respect the rights to life and liberty of all people. Through our commitment to respecting those dearly held rights, our Guidelines for Reproductive Rights support both pro-life and pro-choice values. We're not just pro-choice or pro-life; we Respect People!​​

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