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WASHINGTON (LifeSiteNews) — Two police officers have accused the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., of forcing them to have an abortion to keep their jobs while they were cadets in the department’s training program.

In a community meeting October 19, Assistant Police Chief Chanel Dickerson stated that when she was a cadet in the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) training program in 1988, she was told to abort her child or be removed from the force. On October 20, another woman came forward and accused the force of giving her the same ultimatum in 1997.

“When I was [18 years old] as a police cadet, I was told I had to have an abortion or be fired from the MPD cadet program,” Dickerson said. “Wow. My choice to have a baby was personal and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum.”

Dickerson, who stated that she never ended up becoming a mother, also said she witnessed other instances of misconduct at the hands of the department, including a time a mother on the force asked for a shift change to be able to care for her child, and “she had to do things no woman should ever have to do to care for her child.”

Karen Arikpo came forward with a similar accusation, stating that in her case the class sergeant in charge went as far as referring her to a local doctor that would perform the infanticide procedure.

“If we were pregnant, we needed to get an abortion or we would be fired,” stated Arikpo. “So later that day, I went and told my class sergeant that I was pregnant. And she said I needed to have an abortion and she referred me to a doctor in D.C. to get it done.”

At the time of both incidences, in 1988 and 1997, Democrat and now-convicted felon Marion Barry was the mayor of D.C.

Dickerson’s statements are pursuant to a $100 million dollar lawsuit in which she and other former cadets are seeking damages for abuse and mistreatment suffered at the hands of the MPD.

In addition to the coerced abortion, the suit alleges that when the plaintiffs cooperated with an internal investigation looking into the conduct of one of their superiors, they were met with retaliation and abuse after the department broke protocol and allowed him to read their statements against him.

In response to the troubling allegations, the MPD said, “While we cannot discuss the specific allegations due to pending litigation, the Metropolitan Police Department is committed to treating all members fairly and equitably throughout our organization. We take these allegations seriously and we will be reviewing them thoroughly and responding accordingly.”

If the allegations against the MPD prove true, the department would become one of many pro-abortion entities that value a woman’s career over the life of an unborn child.

In 2019, Hollywood actress Busy Phillips credited having an abortion at 15 with the fact that she is now successful enough to have a “beautiful f—ing home” and a “hybrid car.”

“I have all of this, all of it, because I was allowed bodily autonomy at 15,” she declared.

The Women’s National Basketball Association players’ union released a similar statement in an advertisement disseminated last week in response to new pro-life legislation enacted in Texas that protects unborn children with a detectable heartbeat from being killed in utero.

“As professional athletes, our bodies are our instruments. Our livelihoods. Our craft. Which means control of — and over — our bodies, both on and off the basketball court, is about much more than athletic performance, earning potential or personal politics.”

“Abortion, birth control, and fertility care are vital—not just for athletes who can get pregnant, but for all families and gender identities,” the statement added.

Despite the claims of pro-abortion activists that abortion is a necessary aspect of women’s health, it has been shown that there is a direct link between having an abortion and going on to experience mental health disturbances linked to the procedure.

In a scientific paper in the British Journal of Pschiatry, Dr. Priscilla Coleman found that “women who have undergone abortion have an 81% increase in the risk of mental health problems, and an even greater risk for substance misuse and suicidal behaviour (230% and 155% respectively).”

“Nearly 10% of the incidence of all mental health problems was shown to be directly attributable to abortion.”