There have been numerous recent discussions about banning birth control and drugs/ procedures that are used to terminate pregnancies. If you dig down even the slightest bit, you will find that some of these drugs/ procedures are also used to reduce post birth bleeding, which can be fatal if left untreated. Other drugs are used to treat ectopic pregnancies, which can be fatal if left untreated. Inadequately treated miscarriages can result in loss of life or the woman’s uterus. I never thought I would see something like this become policy in the United States, but perhaps it explains why the U.S. is not a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. If we were, perhaps a number of our U.S. Supreme Court Justices, politicians, and others would be considered international criminals for deciding that forced pregnancy is U.S. policy now.

Forced pregnancy is considered a war crime or a crime against humanity depending on the circumstances. The United States has the highest rate of pregnancy related maternal deaths as compared to other wealthier countries. In some nations, pregnancy complications are one of the leading causes of death for young women. If a woman/ child is forced to remain pregnant and later dies from pregnancy/childbirth related complications, should the man, perpetrator of incest or rapist then be charged with wrongful death? The logical answer is, yes they should be. Lastly, if conservative’s actual intent is forced surrogacy as portrayed in The Handmaid’s Tale series, human child trafficking is also illegal.

Don Cavallaro

Rye