this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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It's less that the wire hanger is an unknown icon of the abortion struggle (it isn't), and more that the symbol is presented in an unclear way: does the slash mean "no abortions"? Or "no, abortions!" The thing is, both forced birth advocates and pro choice advocates would hate the wire hanger, just for different reasons.
Risky abortions have been around since time immemorial. The coathanger arose during the 20th century as an alternative to poisoning one's self with pennyroyal or ascorbic acid to induce a miscarriage.
The point of modern abortions is they are safe, and in fact considerably safer than pregnancy. Our anti-abortion community wants to punish women for participating in sex, even when they do not consent, either by suffering through pregnancy or through a risky miscarriage.
And their other policy positions reveal they have no actual interest in the welfare of the child.