Sencia was a hilot (local midwife) outside of Cebu City, Philippines until 4 months ago. After performing a “massage” on a pregnant woman in her village, causing her to miscarry her baby, she was put in jail. She wasn’t jailed for malpractice; she was convicted of inducing an abortion. The formerly pregnant woman was also imprisoned.

Predominantly Catholic, the Philippine Islands have banned all abortion, except that which saves the life of the mother. Yet there are an average of 470,000 abortions induced annually.

Filipinas do not have the same socio-political climate as we do in the United States. There is no taxi service to public abortion clinics, judicial waivers, or counseling sessions. If you are caught having an abortion in the Philippines, it’s against the law and you are thrown in jail – plain and simple.

Of the women who are successful in inducing their own abortions, many go to great – and often grotesque – lengths to achieve their goal. Most of them take some form of anti-clotting or aspirin-related drugs, to induce bleeding. Some drink incredible quantities of alcohol. When all else fails, they throw themselves down flights of stairs or beat on their stomachs, with the “help” of a local midwife… others self-catheter their vaginas. All of these violent practices greatly endanger the mother as well; it’s shocking that a woman would harm herself like that for an abortion.

I’m not detailing this because I think pregnant Filipinas should have it cushy like we do in the States. No way! I believe just the opposite: The Unites States needs to outlaw abortion, now. I’m amazed at how desperate we are, as a civilization, to kill unborn babies and end inconvenient pregnancies. It is stunning that the world feels so entitled to its desires and personal gain that we have huge social movements trying to protect murder on demand. Think hard about that. Murder on demand – on a worldwide scale.