An anniversary just went by: twenty years ago, football star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering two people. One was a waiter named Ron Goldman, someone Simpson didn’t know. He knew the other one, though: she was his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. And judging by 911 calls and court documents, Nicole knew something about him too.
His history of violence.
In 1989, Simpson plead no contest to domestic violence charges. Nicole’s diary was introduced at her ex-husband’s murder trial, and there entries about the beatings Simpson allegedly inflicted. It also said he called her “a fat pig” while she was pregnant and demanded an abortion. Another woman would make similar allegations.
Girlfriend Christie Prody claimed she aborted two children while dating O.J. and feared for her life during their relationship. While the man she accused may have been famous, the story she told wasn’t unusual.
There’s evidence that more than half of women who have abortions feel pressured to do so. It’s not hard to imagine why; after all, abortion is a lot cheaper than child support. Sometimes that pressure takes the form of blackmail or financial coercion. Other times, threats of violence are used.
They aren’t always empty.
Joseph Miner’s ex-girlfriend discovered that when he firebombed her house. She died, along with her three-year-old daughter. Tanner Hopkins’ ex discovered it too, testifying that he “was mad because he had wanted me to get an abortion.” Hopkins unleashed a vicious beating when she refused, causing the death of his pre-born daughter. “Her name was going to be London Marie Hopkins,” the mother explained.
Hawa Gabbidon, Sonya Hayes, Shamari Jenkins, and Lorena Rivera never got got to tell their stories: all four were shot to death for refusing to abort. Leah Diver suffered multiple stab wounds for the same reason. She survived, but Tasha Rossett didn’t. Roxanne Fernando and Shaniesha Forbes didn’t either. Cases like these help illustrate why homicide is a leading cause of death during pregnancy.
Something else they illustrate? The need for tougher laws against violence and coercion. This year, Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill that made stalking or assaulting pregnant women a felony. It also outlawed firing a woman or denying her any legally entitled financial aid unless she aborts. That might seem like common sense, but Planned Parenthood (America’s largest abortion chain) didn’t approve, claiming the law was “unnecessary.”
If you want to support vulnerable pregnant women who may otherwise be pressured into an abortion, contact your elected representatives and demand similar legislation. Because valuing your baby’s life should never cost you your own.
Author’s Note: Please read this article if someone is pressuring you to abort.
