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This is a copy of a letter published in The Purdue Exponent, April 27, 2000.
Please cite as: Deflem, Mathieu. 2000. “Article Misstates Facts of Abortion.” Letter. The Purdue Exponent, April 27, p. 6.
On a normative issue as delicate as abortion, we should at least keep the facts clear. In an article on the pro-life demonstrations on campus that appeared in the April 20 edition of the Exponent, the statement appeared that "abortion is legal during all nine months of pregnancy." This could be understood to mean that all abortions are always legal without further qualification. That is not so, as all U.S. states have restrictions in place —varying in degree and kind— on the legality of abortions.
In Indiana, for instance, the State Code regulates abortion under Title 16, Article 34. Amongst other restrictions, the Indiana statute allows abortions after viability only when a physician judges it necessary to prevent a "substantial permanent impairment" of the pregnant woman's life or physical health.
The code is available online at http://www.state.in.us/legislative/ic/code/title16/ar34/.
Mathieu Deflem, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Purdue University
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