Abortion is not popular among the medical community.
On September 29, Live Action writer Cassy Fiano talked about an article in which late-term abortionist Susan Robinson said that abortion providers deal with a lot of stigma from other doctors.
Robinson is not the only abortionist who has discussed the stigma that abortionists face. The pro-abortion website Jezebel also addressed the issue in an interview with retired abortionist Dr. Robert Livingston.
Livingston has been involved in the abortion industry for over 45 years. Before Roe v. Wade, he performed illegal abortions. When Roe was decided, he simply hung up his shingle and began practicing legally. This was a common phenomenon – often the same abortionists who did back-alley abortions simply performed legal ones after Roe.
The article discussed Livingston’s claim that abortion stigma is worse now than it was when abortion was legalized:
…the [abortion] issue has become more “emotionally charged” than it was back in the day… Livingston said he thought the stigma of being an abortion doctor is greater now than it was in the 1960s and that public opposition is stronger than he’s ever seen — including during the 1970s, when his office was surrounded by protestors on a daily basis. But he’s not just talking about national sentiment. He’s only spoken with one of the 300 residents of his retirement community about his pro-choice past, and when he broached the idea of writing an autobiography with his children, they asked him not to because they worried it would ruin their medical practices (they’re all doctors) and anger some of their anti-choice spouses. …
Livingston is dying to talk about his past — but no one wants to listen.
This former abortionist believes that the pro-life movement is stronger now than it has ever been.
And, rather than becoming acceptable after so many years, abortion still has stigma attached to it, and there is more ambivalence among the public than ever. Abortion has negative connotations. The fact that Dr. Livingston’s children actually thought their practices would be jeopardized by their father’s discussion of abortion is very revealing.
Incidentally, the Jezebel article does not mention that in 2007, Dr. Livingston lost his license for not getting treatment for abusing prescription painkillers.
