Abortion isn’t as great as the abortion lobby might paint it out to be, and even a recent pro-abortion play underestimates its gruesomeness and sends the false message that legalized abortion will save lives.   

According to The New York Times attendees at Harold Pinter Theatre in London, England, are routinely fainting during an abortion scene as part of a production called “The Years,” which is based on the autobiography of a Frenchwoman named Annie Ernaux. If people start fainting from a theatre abortion scene, imagine how awful and painful it is for women and preborn children.  

“The Years” is set in post-World War II France and captures the nation’s shift towards secular feminism. During the play, Annie attempts to carry out an at-home abortion, which is described in graphic detail. The abortion fails, and she almost bleeds to death. Annie’s character then receives a back-alley abortion before undergoing a miscarriage. According to the play’s director, Eline Arbo, at least one audience member fainted during every performance.   

The performance is also meant to showcase the reality of womanhood as it follows Annie throughout her life. It begins with Annie’s childhood, growing up in the aftermath of World War II, and details her coming of age, including her first sexual encounters. It follows her political activism as she fights for so-called “abortion rights,” and of course, includes the abortion scene.  

Before coming to London, “The Years” was first adapted for the stage in the Netherlands, where several audience members also fainted. Despite this, Arbo decided to keep the scene, claiming that it was natural to include the abortion scene because the “fight for reproductive rights” is not only integral to Annie’s story, but it is an essential part of womanhood. Romola Garai, who plays Annie as a young adult, said that she expected London audiences to react differently from their Dutch counterparts.   

Garai believed that Londoners, accustomed to bloody Shakespeare plays, would be less phased by the graphic scene. Garai acted out the abortion during her first audition and told the New York Times that she felt it was a “great, accurate depiction” of women’s experiences before legalized abortion. Arbo expressed a similar sentiment, saying she didn’t understand why audiences kept fainting. It’s undeniable that Annie’s abortion moves audiences in a way that they aren’t by other onstage violence. The show’s creators may not understand it, but there certainly is a theory, more of a fact, that Students for Life of America (SFLA) has been saying for years:   

The “reproductive rights” mantra is nothing but a euphemism for a horrible reality for women who choose abortion and kill their children. It is bloody, physically painful, and emotionally taxing. Those who have bought into the “good” of abortion and celebrated it are blinded to its inherent evil.   

But, for the average pro-choice Joe or Jane, there’s a reason that they’re fainting during Annie’s abortion scene. They may have rationalized the procedure, but deep down their subconscious realizes something is wrong. That part of them is forced to the surface when faced with the reality of an abortion procedure. Arbo claims that the scene is an argument for legalized abortion; that if abortion is legal, these graphic scenes won’t happen. The audience is meant to believe that legalizing abortion is the solution to preventing the second-hand trauma they are experiencing.   

However, we know that legalizing abortion won’t help protect women. In the United States, removing all the REMS around Chemical Abortion Pills has led to more preborn deaths and injuries for women. Common physical complications include profuse bleeding, blot clots, body shakes, nausea, diarrhea, uncontrollable sweating, fever, and chills, as well as severe pain, infection, short-lasting hot flashes, and undetected ectopic pregnancies, which are life-threatening.  Additionally, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) admitted that an increased number of women died from Chemical Abortion Pills, with thirty deaths recorded. It’s highly likely that there could be more, given that the United States has no National Abortion Reporting Law and Chemical Abortion Pills remain unregulated and easily accessible to women, minors, and abusers.  

Most importantly, all abortions involve the graphic poisoning and/or dismemberment of a preborn child. In fact, legalized abortion only increases the number of preborn children being violently ripped apart.  

Abortion zealots like Arbo suffer from the classic case of toxic and ill-informed empathy, which is arguably not genuine empathy at all. While Arbo and his associates scratch their heads at why their audience would have such a reaction, we, and anyone with an intact moral compass, can see the gruesome reality.   

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