Must See Public TV
Frontline has what looks to be a fascinating documentary tonight, “The Last Abortion Clinic:”
Pro-life advocates have waged a successful campaign to reduce abortions in many places throughout the country. By using state laws to regulate and limit abortion and by creating their own clinics to offer alternatives to women, they have changed the facts on the ground. On Nov. 8, FRONTLINE investigates the steady decline in the number of physicians and clinics performing abortions and focuses on local political battles in states like Mississippi, where only a single clinic performs the controversial procedure.
Good job, Mississippi.
UPDATE: Now that the show has aired, the website has tons of extra content, including this:
A 2003 CBS/New York Times poll showed that only 35 percent of women aged 18-29 agreed that “abortion should be available to anyone who wants it,” down from 50 percent among the same age group in 1993.
Are hearts and minds changing?
What else sways a pregnant woman? Taking a high-tech look at her growing fetus. Tiffany says she frequently refers her clients to another clinic nearby that’s equipped with ultrasound machines. “I’ll just remind them that all of our services are free — ‘Are you sure you don’t want a free ultrasound?’ And often they’ll say, ‘Well sure, I’ll have one, if it’s free.’ Once they see the baby’s heart beating and realize this is really a living creature, it changes their mind.” Practitioners at these clinics have estimated that at least 50 percent of women who see that image decide against abortion, and several states are considering legislation that would require abortion providers to offer patients an ultrasound or show images from someone else’s.
related articles
- The War Within (July 1st, 2007)
- Five Years Later: Americans Trapped in Saudi Arabia (June 27th, 2007)
- Anti-immigrant Immigrant? (June 13th, 2007)
- WorldNetDaily: Elrod v. Thompson (June 11th, 2007)
- The Price of GOP Control (October 27th, 2006)
