The goal: safe and rare

Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal: You might think it can't happen here -- girls bleeding in dirty rooms, women driving hundreds of miles to find a doctor, prosecutors levying charges against doctors who perform abortions.
But in state after state, legislation to outlaw abortions is gaining traction. South Dakota's ban -- meant to re-test the historic Roe v. Wade decision -- forbids all abortions except those to save the life of a pregnant woman. Rape and incest victims who get pregnant will be forced to bear the children, and doctors who perform abortions face felony charges. If upheld, this law will likely force the closure of the state's only abortion clinic. Lawmakers in 11 other states are proposing similar bans.
With three weeks left in Florida's 2006 session, it's unlikely that abortion will become a flash point this year. But Florida lawmakers have been working for many years to undermine abortion rights.
Florida lawmakers are facing the same high-pressure lobbying tactics from anti-abortion groups seen in other states. They should remember, however, that although abortion can be criminalized, it won't be stopped.
An essay in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine revealed how grim the reality is for women of El Salvador, where abortion is strictly banned and women face up to eight years in prison -- or aggravated homicide charges, if the pregnancy is advanced -- for attempting to abort a fetus.
Even those opposed to abortion should recognize that the best way to reduce its occurrence is to stop unwanted pregnancies. Many states have mandated that health insurance policies cover birth control. Realistic sex education that describes ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies would reduce the state's growing trend toward teen parenthood.
Florida lawmakers should keep abortion safe and legal while doing their best to make it rare.