The claim that Senator Elizabeth Warren likened abortion to a tonsillectomy has circulated widely online. While Warren did draw a comparison, the viral quote often attributed to her is misleading. This article examines the context and accuracy of the claim.
Examining Elizabeth Warren’s Statements on Abortion Safety
The controversy stems from a manipulated image featuring Senator Warren and a fabricated quote: “‘Having an abortion is no different than someone having their tonsils removed.’” This is not a direct quote from Warren. Instead, she compared the safety of legal abortions to tonsil removal in several instances, arguing that modern abortion procedures are statistically safer.
Warren’s first documented comparison appeared in a 2018 Time magazine op-ed marking the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. She wrote, “thanks to Roe vs. Wade, abortion is now safer than getting your tonsils out.” This assertion was reiterated in a Senate floor speech opposing a 20-week abortion ban and a Marie Claire article criticizing Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
The Basis of Warren’s Comparison: Medical Data
Warren’s comparison wasn’t arbitrary. She cited a 2015 study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology that analyzed 54,911 abortion procedures. The study found a 2.1% complication rate for abortions, significantly lower than the 7% complication rate for wisdom tooth removal and the 9% rate for tonsillectomies. This data underscores Warren’s argument that legal abortions, performed by medical professionals in appropriate settings, carry a lower risk of complications than common surgical procedures.
Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, the study’s author, confirmed these findings in an interview with Time magazine. The data suggests that the risk of complications from a legal abortion is statistically lower than that of a tonsillectomy.
Distinguishing Safety Comparisons from Equating Procedures
It’s crucial to understand that Warren’s comparison focused solely on the relative safety of the procedures, not on their inherent nature or ethical implications. She used the comparison to highlight the safety of legal abortions performed under proper medical supervision, contrasting it with the dangers of illegal abortions prevalent before Roe v. Wade.
The viral quote misrepresents Warren’s argument by falsely claiming she equated the two procedures. While she used the comparison to advocate for women’s reproductive rights and the safety of legal abortion, she never stated that having an abortion is “no different” than a tonsillectomy.
Conclusion: Misinformation and the Importance of Context
The claim that Elizabeth Warren said abortion is “no different” than getting tonsils out is a misrepresentation of her actual words. While she compared the safety of the two procedures based on medical data, her argument was manipulated to create a false narrative. This underscores the importance of accurately representing public figures’ statements and understanding the context in which they were made. The focus should remain on Warren’s original point: that legal abortion is a safe medical procedure when performed under appropriate conditions.
