Pro-abortion Dems blocking trafficking bill

Of all the brutalities and traumas experienced by women and girls enslaved by human traffickers, forced abortion is perhaps the most disturbing. It is one of the key tools used by pimps, for whom pregnancy is anathema, to keep their victims on the market and “ready for work.”  

Forced abortion is also the injustice most likely to be overlooked by some politicians who, although they may feel deeply for victims of human trafficking, owe a greater allegiance to America’s abortion interest groups.

{mosads}That’s the scenario playing out right now in the U.S. Senate. With lobbyists from Planned Parenthood, EMILY’s List and their ilk whispering, perhaps shouting in their ears, Senate Democrats are ruthlessly blocking a vote on the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Their beef? The legislation contains a provision to make funds generated by the Act subject to the Hyde Amendment, and thereby unobtainable for the purposes of abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.  

For weeks, Senate Democrats have ignored the plight of domestic human sex trafficking victims and the extent of abuse they experience. What is it really like for women and girls trafficked right here in the United States? The harsh reality was documented last year in an exhaustive law review article that appeared in the Loyola University Law School’s Annals of Health Law.  Written by human trafficking expert Dr. Laura Lederer and then-University of Virginia law student Christopher Wetzel, the article documents the horrific health consequences of sex trafficking for women.  It is not even remotely a scene from Pretty Woman.

Based on a questionnaire-and-interview sample of more than 100 women, the Lederer-Wetzel paper quantifies the physical, emotional, and psychological scars inflicted on trafficked women.  Take a moment and let the toll sink in:

·           The most frequently reported physical health problem was neurological, with 91.5 percent of victims reporting memory problems, poor concentration, or insomnia.

·           70 percent of victims reported physical injuries, most commonly to the head or face.

·           67.9 percent reported cardiovascular or respiratory difficulty.

·           98.1 percent reported at least one psychological health issue during their trafficking, and survivors noted an average of more than a dozen such issues.

·           The most frequently reported problems were depression (88.7 percent), shame/guilt (82.1 percent), and anxiety.

·           41.5 percent had attempted suicide with one respondent reporting nine such attempts.

·           67.3 percent of trafficked girls and women reported some form of STD/STI.

·           On average, the respondents reported 13 sexual buyers per day.

Abortion likewise wreaked havoc on trafficked women.

·           55.2 percent reported having at least one abortion and 29.9 percent reported multiple abortions.

·           Eighteen of the 34 women willing to discuss the matter indicated that one or more of their abortions was at least partly forced upon them.

·           One respondent had 17 abortions while being trafficked.  Overall, there were 114 abortions.

Why then are Senate Democrats holding up a bipartisan measure to provide aid to women and girls who have escaped this torture?  

“It is our reproductive system. In a sense this has been a battle for our identity. There are many of us who believe this is one small step for womankind,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

Breathtaking, isn’t it? Privilege and ignorance radiate.  

That Planned Parenthood, EMILY’s List, and NARAL have Senate Democrats by the ear is clear. But why are these so-called trusted defenders of women and their health stopping a measure to help their favored constituency?   

One other element of the frightening Lederer-Wetzel study is worthy of particular mention.  Nearly all of the women contacted for the study reported visiting a healthcare provider.  The most frequently cited were emergency rooms and Planned Parenthood, in that order.  In virtually no case (sometimes, of course, due to intimidation by their pimps) were the women asked about their situation and offered a way out.  Unwittingly or negligently, health care providers were merely returning them to their situation.
This is the real issue with abortion and trafficking.  It facilitates the trade, serves the interest of the traffickers, and does further harm to the dignity of the woman and fatal harm to the life of the child. Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) bill helps trafficking victims and excludes abortion funding, in keeping with longtime Congressional policy on other spending measures.   

The policy is right on all counts, and Senate Democrats’ desire to open a new abortion funding spigot in this instance is just wrong. It’s time for Senate Democrats to put the best interests of trafficking victims above those of their close friends in the big abortion lobby.

Dannenfelser is the president and an original organizer of the Susan B. Anthony List, a network of more than 365,000 pro-life Americans nationwide dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion.