LifeSite News reports, Mississippi Becomes Case Study for Reducing Abortions Through Legislation. "After peaking at 8,814 in 1991, the number of abortions in 2002 fell to just 3,605."
That's still 3,605 too many women climbing onto the abortion table, but nobody can deny that it's an improvement. Well, nobody except a radical abortion advocate.
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Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Self-centered whining
Self magazine recently published a whiny piece about what horrible places CPCs are. LifeNews covered it here. Here was my response to them:
Speaking of self-centered whining, there's this whiny turkey who keeps trashed, vacant rental units as shrines to his own real or imagined victimization.
Let's go ahead and say that prolife CPCs are as bad as you say they are. The worst case scenario is that the woman is frustrated and has to make another appointment to get an abortion. How can that even come close to the risks women face walking into abortion facilities, where they can end up comatose, facing a hysterectomy, needing a colostomy, or dead? Where are your priorities?
If you were really concerned about the well being of women, you'd be doing a story on how the National Abortion Federation "safe abortion" hotline promises SAFE abortions, but only requires that members pay dues to get referrals, not that they follow any safety protocols. Ask the mothers of Deanna Bell, Barbaralee Davis, Patricia Chacon, Mary Pena, and other women and girls dead after abortions at NAF member clinics. Investigate the people KILLING women, not the ones ANNOYING them.
Speaking of self-centered whining, there's this whiny turkey who keeps trashed, vacant rental units as shrines to his own real or imagined victimization.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Poll misrepresents Roe, counts false support
An article on Lifenews.com observes that a recent poll misrepresented the Roe vs. Wade abortion decision to the people it polled, generating an illusion of support for the legalization of abortion after 3 months.
This is how you know a movement is losing -- when the only way it can show that people support it is to lie about what it actually is.
This is how you know a movement is losing -- when the only way it can show that people support it is to lie about what it actually is.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
"Wrongful Life" suit rejected
According to this article on Lifenews.com, the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected a "wrongful life" suit filed by a woman claiming that she should have been told about her unborn son's brain abnormality in plenty of time to arrange an abortion, and that failing to give her enough time to arrange an abortion forced life on a child who'd have been better off never having been born.
With the decision, South Carolina joins 27 other states that have rejected so-called "wrongful life" lawsuits. Three states, California, New Jersey, and Washington, allow such litigation.
Prolife activists hail this as a victory, but it underscores the need to clearly define what an obstetritian's responsibilities are toward his patients. I've proposed that we need to clearly distinguish between "Hippocratic" physicians -- those who adhere to the Hippocratic oath and who will not kill or recommend death for their patients -- and "Progressive" physicians who place a higher value on either patient choice or quality of life. This would allow those parents who want a chance to reject their unborn child to choose a "Progressive" obstetrician who will share their philosophy of examining the fetus carefully and considering abortion if there appears to be a problem. And parents who want to stand by their unborn child no matter what could choose a "Hippocratic" physician who they know will do everything he or she can to give their baby a chance at life.
With the decision, South Carolina joins 27 other states that have rejected so-called "wrongful life" lawsuits. Three states, California, New Jersey, and Washington, allow such litigation.
Prolife activists hail this as a victory, but it underscores the need to clearly define what an obstetritian's responsibilities are toward his patients. I've proposed that we need to clearly distinguish between "Hippocratic" physicians -- those who adhere to the Hippocratic oath and who will not kill or recommend death for their patients -- and "Progressive" physicians who place a higher value on either patient choice or quality of life. This would allow those parents who want a chance to reject their unborn child to choose a "Progressive" obstetrician who will share their philosophy of examining the fetus carefully and considering abortion if there appears to be a problem. And parents who want to stand by their unborn child no matter what could choose a "Hippocratic" physician who they know will do everything he or she can to give their baby a chance at life.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Violence against pregnant women
The gruesome murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnet has people talking about the newly-noted problem of violence against pregnant women, primarily related to men who see killing the woman as a way to avoid fatherhood.
Now -- how will our society approach this? After all, the poster-child of the proabortion movement, Geraldine Santoro, sought her fatal abortion because she feared violence from her abusive ex-husband. The prochoice mantra has been that if a pregnant woman fears violence, she should be quickly and cleanly aborted. The idea of protecting her from her abuser never enters the equation. (You'll note that among abortion advocates, once a woman becomes pregnant, the only thing she has a right to is abortion -- things like restraining orders, shelters, psychiatric care, prenatal care, and so forth, are ignored. Abortion is the cure-all for whatever ails her, regaredless of what her actual wishes may be on the matter.)
Are abortion advocates going to be able to leverage this newly-spotlighted problem into greater support for abortion, even among women who want their babies? Or is this new attention going to show the abortion solution for what it is -- dismissing the woman's concerns and forcing her to surrender her body and her values to the brutal dog-eat-dog philosophy that says might makes right?
Now -- how will our society approach this? After all, the poster-child of the proabortion movement, Geraldine Santoro, sought her fatal abortion because she feared violence from her abusive ex-husband. The prochoice mantra has been that if a pregnant woman fears violence, she should be quickly and cleanly aborted. The idea of protecting her from her abuser never enters the equation. (You'll note that among abortion advocates, once a woman becomes pregnant, the only thing she has a right to is abortion -- things like restraining orders, shelters, psychiatric care, prenatal care, and so forth, are ignored. Abortion is the cure-all for whatever ails her, regaredless of what her actual wishes may be on the matter.)
Are abortion advocates going to be able to leverage this newly-spotlighted problem into greater support for abortion, even among women who want their babies? Or is this new attention going to show the abortion solution for what it is -- dismissing the woman's concerns and forcing her to surrender her body and her values to the brutal dog-eat-dog philosophy that says might makes right?
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Neal Horsley stole my stuff!
I just found this page today, in which Christian Gallery lifts all of my hard work and research -- and copyrighted material -- on maternal deaths from abortion. You can even check the source code and see that the thief didn't bother to change the metatags! In some cases he left my name in them!
Suggestions for what to do next? I've already written and told him he needs to link to my articles, no repost them on his site without my permission.
Suggestions for what to do next? I've already written and told him he needs to link to my articles, no repost them on his site without my permission.
What's in a name?
The horrifying murder of Bobbi Jo Stinnett has the media stumbling for words. Her unborn baby was cut from her body and kidnapped.
This story from Fox News, for example, shows how silly it sounds when you try to avoid calling a baby "a baby" because it might offend abortion advocates. Here are some quotes:
"Authorities have charged a woman with killing mom-to-be Bobbi Jo Stinnett (search) and cutting the fetus from her womb."
Okay, at that point the child was still technically a fetus.
Lisa M. Montgomery ... is accused of ... strangling her and taking the woman's premature baby girl.
So far so good -- after being removed, the baby would properly be referred to in this way. But then it gets bizarre:
Montgomery was in possession of the infant believed to be the stolen fetus...
Was this a kidnapped infant or a "stolen fetus?"
[A]uthorities were questioning a man and a woman who were in the place where the baby was found. .... The kidnapped baby, said to be in good health, was taken to a hospital in Topeka, Kan., authorities said.
Now she's a baby again.
Earlier Friday, investigators put out the Amber Alert for the missing fetus ....
Amber Alerts are for kidnapped children. So here a fetus is a child.
Espey said authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm the girl is Stinnett's child.
Now she's a "girl" and a "child."
Several pregnant women have been killed in recent years by attackers who then removed their fetuses, in some cases to pass the children off as their own.
According to Roe vs. Wade, fetuses are most assuredly not children.
In the most recent case, a 21-year-old woman was shot to death in Oklahoma in December 2003, allegedly by another woman who pretended the 6-month-old fetus was her child. The fetus died and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
This gets really confusing. Was this a case where the baby died while being removed from the mother, or was this a "fetus ex utero" that died after being prematurely delivered?
I don't know if this is a sign of a good thing or a bad thing. Are we starting to recognize that, at least past viability, fetuses are indeed children? Or are we starting to view newborns as just fetuses that have changed location?
This story from Fox News, for example, shows how silly it sounds when you try to avoid calling a baby "a baby" because it might offend abortion advocates. Here are some quotes:
"Authorities have charged a woman with killing mom-to-be Bobbi Jo Stinnett (search) and cutting the fetus from her womb."
Okay, at that point the child was still technically a fetus.
Lisa M. Montgomery ... is accused of ... strangling her and taking the woman's premature baby girl.
So far so good -- after being removed, the baby would properly be referred to in this way. But then it gets bizarre:
Montgomery was in possession of the infant believed to be the stolen fetus...
Was this a kidnapped infant or a "stolen fetus?"
[A]uthorities were questioning a man and a woman who were in the place where the baby was found. .... The kidnapped baby, said to be in good health, was taken to a hospital in Topeka, Kan., authorities said.
Now she's a baby again.
Earlier Friday, investigators put out the Amber Alert for the missing fetus ....
Amber Alerts are for kidnapped children. So here a fetus is a child.
Espey said authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm the girl is Stinnett's child.
Now she's a "girl" and a "child."
Several pregnant women have been killed in recent years by attackers who then removed their fetuses, in some cases to pass the children off as their own.
According to Roe vs. Wade, fetuses are most assuredly not children.
In the most recent case, a 21-year-old woman was shot to death in Oklahoma in December 2003, allegedly by another woman who pretended the 6-month-old fetus was her child. The fetus died and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
This gets really confusing. Was this a case where the baby died while being removed from the mother, or was this a "fetus ex utero" that died after being prematurely delivered?
I don't know if this is a sign of a good thing or a bad thing. Are we starting to recognize that, at least past viability, fetuses are indeed children? Or are we starting to view newborns as just fetuses that have changed location?
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Medical opinions
Doctors are so often able to make a diagnosis, to predict what sort of outcome a patient can expect, that we forget one thing. When a doctor gives a prognosis, he's doing the same thing the meteorologist is doing on TV every evening: he's trying to predict the future. And that is something no human being has ever been able to do with 100% accuracy. Give a thought to The Limits of Medical Prognostications.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
How to deal with allegations
This piece on nasty allegations about an abortion clinic looks at the three ways we can deal with these allegations:
1. Believe them.
2. Dismiss them.
3. Investigate them.
Myself, I advocate the third. And I think everybody who does investigate allegations should post their findings online. Knowledge is power!
On a more local note, if you hear anything fishy about Jeff Minana of Johnstown, PA, make sure you check it out! The more you learn about him, the more you want to poke him away with a sharp stick.
1. Believe them.
2. Dismiss them.
3. Investigate them.
Myself, I advocate the third. And I think everybody who does investigate allegations should post their findings online. Knowledge is power!
On a more local note, if you hear anything fishy about Jeff Minana of Johnstown, PA, make sure you check it out! The more you learn about him, the more you want to poke him away with a sharp stick.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
The Fetal Frontier
The Village Voice posted The Fetal Frontier, summarizing a slugfest between Francis Kissling (ex-nun, ex-Catholic, and pretty much the sole member of "Catholics" For Free Choice) and Ellie Smeal of the Fund for a Feminist Majority.
Kissling thinks that the prochoice movement needs to switch to hand-wringing and agonizing over how sad abortion can be in order to win the PR war. Smeal wants a more rah-rah approach that celebrates abortion.
I think they're both right and both wrong. No matter what they do, they'll look pretty heartless -- either because they admit they're killing babies but want to do it anyway, or because they present themselves as CHEERFULLY killing babies.
Let's face it, folks: unfettered abortion is on its way out. Horray!
Kissling thinks that the prochoice movement needs to switch to hand-wringing and agonizing over how sad abortion can be in order to win the PR war. Smeal wants a more rah-rah approach that celebrates abortion.
I think they're both right and both wrong. No matter what they do, they'll look pretty heartless -- either because they admit they're killing babies but want to do it anyway, or because they present themselves as CHEERFULLY killing babies.
Let's face it, folks: unfettered abortion is on its way out. Horray!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Pushed into unwanted abortions
The slogan, "Don't like abortions? Don't have one," doesn't hold water, especially when it comes to supposedly "medically indicated" abortions. The reality of legalization isn't making "needed" abortions safer and more accessible for sick women, or women carrying severely handicapped babies. The realty is women who ordinarily wouldn't resort to abortion being frightened into them by doctors who are giving them inaccurate information.
Deborah Cardamone is fighting to introduce legislation in the US that would protect women from being given bogus information to frighten them into abortions. Debbie knows whereof she speaks: her daughter, Marla, was browbeaten into an unwanted abortion that took her life -- all to abort and "abnormal" fetus that was in all liklihood perfectly healthy!
Deborah Cardamone is fighting to introduce legislation in the US that would protect women from being given bogus information to frighten them into abortions. Debbie knows whereof she speaks: her daughter, Marla, was browbeaten into an unwanted abortion that took her life -- all to abort and "abnormal" fetus that was in all liklihood perfectly healthy!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Abortion Turns Miracle to Tragedy
Silent No More, and David Reardon, are focusing public attention on the topic of coerced abortion. One of the most heartbreaking cases of coerced abortion is that of Allegra Roseberry, who was tricked into aborting a healthy baby, supposedly to save her own life. The abortion killed her.
Deanna Bell's "Uneventful" Abortion
After a Brevitol overdose killed 13-year-old Deanna Bell, the hospital that referred her for the abortion got an interesting thank you note from the abortion facility. It said that her abortion had been "uneventful."
Uneventful? She DIED!
Uneventful? She DIED!
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Was Princess Di post-abortion?
The Drudge Report is saying that allegations have arisen that Princess Diana became unhinged with misery and grief due to an abortion she had in 1994 to cover up an adulterous affair.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
A call to post-abortion women
Why not build a web site on the facility that did your abortion, and/or the abortionist? This can accomplish several things:
1. It counters the, "So you're ONE dissatisfied customer out of many thousands!" argument.
2. It will allow other women who've had abortions at the same place or by the same abortionist to feel it's safe to come forward and band together. Imagine how powerful it would be to have post-abortion women join forces for support, or to close down a seedy abortion mill!
3. If the place is still opening or the abortionist is still active, it serves as a warning to other women.
4. It will provide valuable information to researchers and other activists.
For ideas on how to look for dirt on your facility and abortionist, see Digging for Dirt on Abortionists.
Let me know if you need any help getting started on your research or your web site! And don't forget to post your own story.
1. It counters the, "So you're ONE dissatisfied customer out of many thousands!" argument.
2. It will allow other women who've had abortions at the same place or by the same abortionist to feel it's safe to come forward and band together. Imagine how powerful it would be to have post-abortion women join forces for support, or to close down a seedy abortion mill!
3. If the place is still opening or the abortionist is still active, it serves as a warning to other women.
4. It will provide valuable information to researchers and other activists.
For ideas on how to look for dirt on your facility and abortionist, see Digging for Dirt on Abortionists.
Let me know if you need any help getting started on your research or your web site! And don't forget to post your own story.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Illegal Abortions: The Myth and the Cure
Post-abortion researcher David Reardon of the Elliot Institute is again rallying support for his Illegal Abortion: The Myth and the Cure drive.
Reardon's research is impeccable. He tackles common abortion-advocacy myths, including:
1. Illegal abortions are inherently more dangerous than legal abortion.
2. Legal abortions merely replace illegal abortions 1:1.
3. Once a woman decides abortion is the soultion to her problem, she will stop at nothing to procure it.
Let's educate ourselves, and the public. And let's make it plain that prolifers are opposed to all abortions, the illegal and self-induced as well as the "safe and legal" kind.
Reardon's research is impeccable. He tackles common abortion-advocacy myths, including:
1. Illegal abortions are inherently more dangerous than legal abortion.
2. Legal abortions merely replace illegal abortions 1:1.
3. Once a woman decides abortion is the soultion to her problem, she will stop at nothing to procure it.
Let's educate ourselves, and the public. And let's make it plain that prolifers are opposed to all abortions, the illegal and self-induced as well as the "safe and legal" kind.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Who decides who's human?
Prochoicers often insist that we have no moral obligation to protect the unborn because there is no legal protection for them. But like the unborn, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) had no legal protection in Missouri until 1976 -- when an extermination order was finally recinded!
Would these prochoicers say that it would have been morally acceptable for a serial killer to have prowled Missouri in the 1950s and 60s, as long as he preyed only on Mormons? Let's be serious! The govermnet can err, as it did with the Missouri extermination order, and as it did with Roe vs. Wade. A person's a person. It's wrong to exclude anybody from the human family based on religion, age, size, abilities, or location.
Would these prochoicers say that it would have been morally acceptable for a serial killer to have prowled Missouri in the 1950s and 60s, as long as he preyed only on Mormons? Let's be serious! The govermnet can err, as it did with the Missouri extermination order, and as it did with Roe vs. Wade. A person's a person. It's wrong to exclude anybody from the human family based on religion, age, size, abilities, or location.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Out of the frying pan....
Making abortion legal was supposed to run the quacks out of business. (Exactly how it was gonna do this remains a mystery. Did they really thing these guys were gonna go, "Gee! I'm no longer risking arrest! That takes all the fun out of it. I'll go sell used cars instead."?)
Luis Barquet was just one example of how criminal "butchers" responded to legalization. Or rather, how criminal "butchers" were instrumental in abolishing the laws they'd been breaking so that they could practice their vices openly.
Luis Barquet was just one example of how criminal "butchers" responded to legalization. Or rather, how criminal "butchers" were instrumental in abolishing the laws they'd been breaking so that they could practice their vices openly.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Post-Election Reflections
With the election over and much talk going on about what's gonna happen in Washington, I think it's time to bring back an old piece on P.J. O'Rourke on Government.
My favorite quote:
My favorite quote:
The American political system is like a gigantic Mexican Christmas fiesta. Each political party is a huge pinata - a paper mache donkey, for example. The donkey is filled with full employment, low interest rates, affordable housing, comprehensive medical benefits, a balanced budget, and other goodies. The American voter is blindfolded and given a stick. The voter then swings the stick wildly in every direction, trying to hit a political candidate on the head and knock some sense into the silly bastard.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Quick and easy abortion?
Legal abortion is touted as a quick, easy way to get out of a bad situation. But a woman I call Latisha found her abortion dragging on for a month. And this was a quick, surgical abortion, not the drawn-out chemical abortion.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Common Ground
Is there room for common ground between prolifers and prochoicers? There is, when we're dealing with concerned prochoice citizens rather than with prochoice advocacy groups.
Four areas that have been identified by prochoice and prolife citizens talking together are:
Eliminate sales of abortions to non-pregnant women
Eliminate coerced abortions
Identify underlying causes of abortion and develop strategies to address them
Encourage support for women who don't really want to abort
The question is, when will prochoice citizens catch on to the reality that prochoice organizations and activists do not want to even admit that these issues exist, much less address them?
Four areas that have been identified by prochoice and prolife citizens talking together are:
The question is, when will prochoice citizens catch on to the reality that prochoice organizations and activists do not want to even admit that these issues exist, much less address them?
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Abortionist Philip Rand loses license at last!
Thanks to the Pro Life Forum for alerting me to the fact that abortionist Philip Rand, 86, had his medical license suspended by the state of California. This was a result of a botched abortion at the infamous Nick Braemer abortuary in Santa Ana. Rand took over the killing there when Braemer's license was revoked on Halloween Day 2001. Rand has had over 45 judgements against him and he just filed for bankruptcy in 94 to avoid paying millions of dollars to the families that he had hurt.
I have adding information on Rand to my site at RealChoice.
I have adding information on Rand to my site at RealChoice.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Reminder: Embryonic Stem Cells
Between John Kerry's campaign, and the death of embryonic-stem-cell advocate Christopher Reeve, the use of human embryos for medical experiments is back in the limelight. Mel Gibson has spoken eloquently of how nothing but disasters have befallen those who've tried embryonic stem cells, whereas there are many successful treatments currently available with adult stem cells.
We need to publicize the failures of embryonic stem cells, and the successes of adult stem cells, to awaken the public to the reality behind the push -- it's about money, not about cures.
For more, see:
Mel Gibson Opposes California Embryonic Stem Cell Research Measure
Mel Gibson Joins Fight
Stem Cell Research: Facts vs. Myths
We need to publicize the failures of embryonic stem cells, and the successes of adult stem cells, to awaken the public to the reality behind the push -- it's about money, not about cures.
For more, see:
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
3D and 4D Ultrasound: Friend and Foe
The new 3D and 4D ultrasounds can be a powerful tool for life, as they allow parents to see and bond with their unborn children.
But they can also be a tool for eugenecists, who want to use the new technology to identify ailing fetuses and target them for abortion.
Overall, abortion-rights activists tend to view the ultrasounds with animosity, as though truth itself is rallying against them. And it's their gut horror of anything that helps mothers bond with their unborn children that leads me to conclude that this new technology is going to be beneficial in the long run to families.
But they can also be a tool for eugenecists, who want to use the new technology to identify ailing fetuses and target them for abortion.
Overall, abortion-rights activists tend to view the ultrasounds with animosity, as though truth itself is rallying against them. And it's their gut horror of anything that helps mothers bond with their unborn children that leads me to conclude that this new technology is going to be beneficial in the long run to families.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Beware "Maternal and Fetal Indications"
Women who don't want abortions are being frightened into them by doctors who recommend abortion at the first hint of trouble.
Claims that legalizing abortion only makes it available to women who want abortions ring hollow when compared to the reality of women browbeaten into unwanted abortions. We as a society need to decide which we prefer: for women who truly want abortion to have to go to some trouble to arrange it, or for women who want to have their babies to have to fight tooth and nail against a medical establisment urging them to abort. We're told that legalization is at worst the lesser of two evils. Evidence is that legalization has unleashed a whole new set of evils upon mothers and children.
Claims that legalizing abortion only makes it available to women who want abortions ring hollow when compared to the reality of women browbeaten into unwanted abortions. We as a society need to decide which we prefer: for women who truly want abortion to have to go to some trouble to arrange it, or for women who want to have their babies to have to fight tooth and nail against a medical establisment urging them to abort. We're told that legalization is at worst the lesser of two evils. Evidence is that legalization has unleashed a whole new set of evils upon mothers and children.
Hebrew Words Give Biblical Reflection
By looking at the original Hebrew words, we can come to a greater understanding of what the Bible says on life issues.
For example, did you know that the Hebrew word translated "compassion" can also be translated, "womb?" Think about it!
For example, did you know that the Hebrew word translated "compassion" can also be translated, "womb?" Think about it!
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Arlen Spector
There's talk of putting Arlen Spector (R-PA) in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Arlen Spector was District Attorney in Philadelphia in 1972. He looked the other way while "Dr." Harvey Karman (pictured) performed dangerous, experimental, illegal abortions on a busload of minority women bussed to Philadelphia by the "Jane" syndicate in Chicago. It was a fiasco.
Spector has a long record of allowing abortionists to do as they please, regardless of the law, regardless of the safety and well-being of women.
When will ordinary citizens start to see that the "prochoice" movement, and "prochoice" politicians, are the bootlickers of the abortionists, and have no more concern for the real needs of women than a telemarketer has for the real needs of somebody he's pestering at dinnertime?
Arlen Spector was District Attorney in Philadelphia in 1972. He looked the other way while "Dr." Harvey Karman (pictured) performed dangerous, experimental, illegal abortions on a busload of minority women bussed to Philadelphia by the "Jane" syndicate in Chicago. It was a fiasco.
Spector has a long record of allowing abortionists to do as they please, regardless of the law, regardless of the safety and well-being of women.
When will ordinary citizens start to see that the "prochoice" movement, and "prochoice" politicians, are the bootlickers of the abortionists, and have no more concern for the real needs of women than a telemarketer has for the real needs of somebody he's pestering at dinnertime?
Friday, November 05, 2004
A Mother's Nightmare
"Mistie Guthrie's mom tried frantically to halt her underage daughter's abortion. Despite parental consent laws, Dr. James R. Brillhart at Indianapolis Women's Center performed the abortion that both of Mistie's parents were trying to stop.
To add insult to injury, when Mrs. Guthrie sued the clinic, a judge dismissed the suit.
Mistie was hospitalized for suicidal depression after her abortion.
Legalization has certainly emboldened abortionists, and removed protection from women and young girls.
To add insult to injury, when Mrs. Guthrie sued the clinic, a judge dismissed the suit.
Mistie was hospitalized for suicidal depression after her abortion.
Legalization has certainly emboldened abortionists, and removed protection from women and young girls.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
On November 4, 1977, Louchrisser Jackson, a 23-year-old mother of five, died of complications of a botched legal abortion.
After causing a massive tear in her uterus and calling a non-emergency ambulance service, her abortionist tried to transfuse her with his own, incompatable, blood.
After causing a massive tear in her uterus and calling a non-emergency ambulance service, her abortionist tried to transfuse her with his own, incompatable, blood.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Okay, now what?
Bush is in the White House for another four years. This may seem like a prolife victory. But we'd do well to remember that the largest drop in abortions came during the rabidly proabortion Clinton administration.
We can't simply sit back and expect Bush to do the work. We need to redouble our efforts to:
1. Educate the public about the false promise of embryonic stem cell research, and the real results from adult and cord blood stem cells.
2. Break down the public perception that women and their unborn children are natural enemies.
3. Promote life-affirming options for end-of-life care.
4. Clean up the abortion industry.
5. Continue the push to portray those with disabilities as people with lives, the same as anybody else.
Now that the election's over, let's get back to work!
We can't simply sit back and expect Bush to do the work. We need to redouble our efforts to:
1. Educate the public about the false promise of embryonic stem cell research, and the real results from adult and cord blood stem cells.
2. Break down the public perception that women and their unborn children are natural enemies.
3. Promote life-affirming options for end-of-life care.
4. Clean up the abortion industry.
5. Continue the push to portray those with disabilities as people with lives, the same as anybody else.
Now that the election's over, let's get back to work!
Moris Helen Herron, Abortion Death
On November 3, 1983, 26-year-old Moris Helen Herron died of complications of a legal abortion performed by a Bakersfield, California, doctor.
When chastized for his treatment of Helen, the doctor insisted that he did not perform elective abortions but was merely doing a D&C after a miscarriage.
When chastized for his treatment of Helen, the doctor insisted that he did not perform elective abortions but was merely doing a D&C after a miscarriage.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Two abortion deaths to remember
November 2 is the sad anniversary of the abortion deaths of Latachie Veal in 1991, and Karretu Jabbie in 1989.
It's especially important to note that although Latachie's death was discussed by her abortionist at a National Abortion Federation event attended by two CDC employees, the CDC didn't count any abortion deaths among women of Latachie's death and age range for 1991. So much for their vigilance in noting abortion deaths.
It's especially important to note that although Latachie's death was discussed by her abortionist at a National Abortion Federation event attended by two CDC employees, the CDC didn't count any abortion deaths among women of Latachie's death and age range for 1991. So much for their vigilance in noting abortion deaths.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Election eve reflections
There's been a lot of finger-pointing during this election, and I admit to being as guilty of it as the next person. I think we'd all do well to reflect on II Chronicles 7:14:
Read more on God's Instructions for His People.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Read more on God's Instructions for His People.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Angelica Duarte, Abortion Death
On November 1, 1991, 21-year-old Anjelica Duarte died of complications of a safe and legal abortion.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Saturday, October 30, 2004
October Abortion Deaths
Legal, illegal, professional, and amateur, abortion has claimed far too many women's lives over the years. Here are the women I know of whose deaths occurred in October:
Brenda Banks, Diane Boyd, Alice Corbett, Arlin della Cruz, Katherine DiDonato, Erna Fisher, Christina Goesswein, Barbara Hanson, Eleanor Haynes, L'Echelle Head, Rosie Jiminez, Giseline Lafontant, Harriet Lichtenberg, Maria Lira, Natalie Meyers, Maria Ortega, Catherine Pierce, "Tammy" Roe, Sharonda Rowe, Angela Satterfield, Carole Schaner, Deloris Smith, and Jane Ward.
Keep in mind that these are just abortion deaths where I had enough information to write up at least a sentence or two about the woman, and I could veryify that she died in October. This is not a comprehensive list of all women who lost their lives to abortion in the month of October.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Brenda Banks, Diane Boyd, Alice Corbett, Arlin della Cruz, Katherine DiDonato, Erna Fisher, Christina Goesswein, Barbara Hanson, Eleanor Haynes, L'Echelle Head, Rosie Jiminez, Giseline Lafontant, Harriet Lichtenberg, Maria Lira, Natalie Meyers, Maria Ortega, Catherine Pierce, "Tammy" Roe, Sharonda Rowe, Angela Satterfield, Carole Schaner, Deloris Smith, and Jane Ward.
Keep in mind that these are just abortion deaths where I had enough information to write up at least a sentence or two about the woman, and I could veryify that she died in October. This is not a comprehensive list of all women who lost their lives to abortion in the month of October.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Abortionist Richard Ragsdale dead
Illinois abortionist Richard Ragsdale died Saturday, October 23, from cancer.
Read this piece for an overview of Ragsdale's life and career, that included child pornography involving his own three-year-old foster daughter, along with numerous allegations of abortion malpractice.
Ragsdale was instrumental in doing damage control for the abortion industry in Illinois after the Chicago Sun-Times did their "The Abortion Profiteers" expose in the late 1970s. He successfully blocked efforts to ensure oversight of abortion practice in the state, including blocking a provision that would have required a positive pregnancy test prior to selling women abortions.
Read this piece for an overview of Ragsdale's life and career, that included child pornography involving his own three-year-old foster daughter, along with numerous allegations of abortion malpractice.
Ragsdale was instrumental in doing damage control for the abortion industry in Illinois after the Chicago Sun-Times did their "The Abortion Profiteers" expose in the late 1970s. He successfully blocked efforts to ensure oversight of abortion practice in the state, including blocking a provision that would have required a positive pregnancy test prior to selling women abortions.
Jane Ward, Abortion Death
On October 28, 1947, 22-year-old heiress Jane Ward died of complications of a criminal abortion.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Giseline Lafontant, Abortion Death
On October 28, 1993, 25-year-old Giseline Lafontant died of complications of a safe and legal abortion performed at a New Jersey clinic.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Not exactly prochoice....
Contrary to what "prochoice" activists say, just because a guy does abortions doesn't mean he's any friend to women, or a champion of choice. Pravin Thakkar stands as an example. Three of his patients indicated that he seduced them, then forcefully aborted the resulting pregnancies.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Downi Creations
Celebrating the unique beauty of the child with Down Syndrome, Downi Creations produces dolls suitable for children, parents, medical professionals, and collectors. Help spread the word about these beautiful dolls, and the fact that any child, incliding one with Down Syndrome, is a gift from God.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Deloris Smith, RIP
On this date in 1979, Delores Smith, age 15, died of lingering complications from an abortion performed on her when she was just 14 years old. Delores was fatally injured because staff left her unattended with an anesthesia drip running while they attended to Angela Scott, a 19-year-old abortion patient who had stopped breathing in the recovery room. The girls were injured on June 2. Angela died on June 11.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Katherine DiDonato, Rest in Peace
On this date in 1936, Katherine DiDonato, mother of two, died from compications of an illegal abortion performed by Dr. Aloysius Mulholland.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Diane Boyd, Rest in Peace
On this day in 1981, 19-year-old Diane Boyd died after an abortion performed by Robert Crist.
Diane was not the last woman to die after Crist's tender ministrations. Seventeen-year-old Latatchie Veal bled to death after an abortion by Crist in 1991. Twenty-two-year-old Nichole Williams died of DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy) after an abortion by Crist in 1997.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Diane was not the last woman to die after Crist's tender ministrations. Seventeen-year-old Latatchie Veal bled to death after an abortion by Crist in 1991. Twenty-two-year-old Nichole Williams died of DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy) after an abortion by Crist in 1997.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Thursday, October 21, 2004
Scriptural reflections
Assorted Scriptures and Abortion
2 Chronicles 25:3 "...The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, or the children be put to death for the fathers..."
Jeremiah 7:6 "...and do not shed innocent blood in this place..."
Matthew 25:40 "...whatever you did for the least of one of these my brothers and sisters, you did for me."
Romans 12:1 "...offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..."
1 Corinthians 10:24 "Nobody should seek for his own good, but the good of others."
James 2:26 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
1 Peter 4:9 "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."
2 Chronicles 25:3 "...The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, or the children be put to death for the fathers..."
Jeremiah 7:6 "...and do not shed innocent blood in this place..."
Matthew 25:40 "...whatever you did for the least of one of these my brothers and sisters, you did for me."
Romans 12:1 "...offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God..."
1 Corinthians 10:24 "Nobody should seek for his own good, but the good of others."
James 2:26 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
1 Peter 4:9 "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Carole Schaner, Rest in Peace
On this date in 1971, Carole Schaner became the second woman in four months to bleed to death from an outpatient hysterotomy abortion performed by former criminal abortionist Dr. Jesse Ketchum. Carole left four children motherless.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Christina Goesswein, Rest in Peace
On this day in 1990, Christina Goesswein died of a botched abortion at the hands of Dr. Moshe Hachamovitch.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Silent No More Rally
Post-abortion women and their loved ones can start making plans to attend the Silent No More Rally this January in Washington, DC. There are also other events throughout the country.
Those of you who have not been there, done that, be prepared to counter the proabortion claim that women have only abortions that they "need" and freely choose. Read:
"Don't Like Abortions? Don't Have One!"
Being Pro-Life Will Not Protect You From Abortion
Beware of "Maternal and Fetal Indications"
For further resoursed, see:
Unwanted Abortions
Those of you who have not been there, done that, be prepared to counter the proabortion claim that women have only abortions that they "need" and freely choose. Read:
"Don't Like Abortions? Don't Have One!"
Being Pro-Life Will Not Protect You From Abortion
Beware of "Maternal and Fetal Indications"
For further resoursed, see:
Unwanted Abortions
Friday, October 15, 2004
Stem cell science
In Stem the Debate, columnist Julia Gorin cuts to the chase:
This column is spot-on!
While the world fixates specifically on embryonic stem cells, the cells cultured from adult and umbilical cord tissue have been making all the breakthroughs — just as one questioner cited at last week's presidential debate. The embryonic stem cell controversy is as charged as it is not because of religious right-wing zealots, as proponents of the research would have us believe, but because of abortion-on-demand zealots: it's a sneak tactic to reinforce dehumanization of the embryo. But the successful right-wing-zealot spin on the debate has more than half of Republicans supporting taxpayer funding of it.
This column is spot-on!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Brit "service" arranges back-alley abortions
Making a Killing
Our disclosure ...of the links between the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and a Spanish clinic practising illegal abortions arose from an investigation by this newspaper .... In July, Ann Furedi, the chief executive of BPAS, said: "We are able to provide women with details of clinics abroad where post-24-week abortions are permitted." In the case of Spain.... Abortion is indeed permitted by Spanish law up to full term where there is a "grave or serious threat to the physical or psychological wellbeing of the mother". But... "There is a loophole in the law . . . So if you have a normal pregnancy but still you want [an abortion], what we do is put on the paper that there was a gynaecological emergency." ..... The women who take advantage of the system established by BPAS are no doubt troubled, frightened and, in many cases, morally confused. But what BPAS advises them to do is illegal in Spain. Worse, it dehumanises the woman herself, reducing her to the status of a "client", steered cheerily towards late abortion as an easily available service rather than a horrendous last resort.... How ironic that those who campaigned most vigorously against back-street abortions have conspired to create a new, glossier but no less sinister marketplace of death.
Our disclosure ...of the links between the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and a Spanish clinic practising illegal abortions arose from an investigation by this newspaper .... In July, Ann Furedi, the chief executive of BPAS, said: "We are able to provide women with details of clinics abroad where post-24-week abortions are permitted." In the case of Spain.... Abortion is indeed permitted by Spanish law up to full term where there is a "grave or serious threat to the physical or psychological wellbeing of the mother". But... "There is a loophole in the law . . . So if you have a normal pregnancy but still you want [an abortion], what we do is put on the paper that there was a gynaecological emergency." ..... The women who take advantage of the system established by BPAS are no doubt troubled, frightened and, in many cases, morally confused. But what BPAS advises them to do is illegal in Spain. Worse, it dehumanises the woman herself, reducing her to the status of a "client", steered cheerily towards late abortion as an easily available service rather than a horrendous last resort.... How ironic that those who campaigned most vigorously against back-street abortions have conspired to create a new, glossier but no less sinister marketplace of death.
Monday, October 11, 2004
The Abortion/Suicide Link
The post-abortion woman has a higher riks of suicide than her non-aborted counterpart.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Do "bubble zones" protect lunatics?
Abortion advocates insist that "bubble zones" are necessary around abortion facilities to protect patients and staff from violence. But Canadian abortionist Garson "Gary" Romalis was attacked and stabbed within the confines of a bubble zone. Did the absence of prolifers near Romalis facilitate the attack? Read more.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Is This the Face of the Enemy?
Feminists for Life's Question Abortion campaign cuts to the chase and asks: Is this the face of the enemy?
Friday, October 08, 2004
Study Links Abortion, Women's Violent Deaths
Post-abortion researcher David Reardon repoted that a major study of death certificates and medical records in Finland has shown that the risk of death from suicide is six times higher for women who have had an abortion compared to women who gave birth.
This finding reinforces an inadvertent finding made by the Centers for Disease Control in a study published in Public Health Reports in July of 1978. The CDC study, "Deaths After Legally Induced Abortion," found a higher number of women suffering traumatic death (accident, homicide, and suicide) in the months following their abortions than would be expected in the general population of women.
Read more
This finding reinforces an inadvertent finding made by the Centers for Disease Control in a study published in Public Health Reports in July of 1978. The CDC study, "Deaths After Legally Induced Abortion," found a higher number of women suffering traumatic death (accident, homicide, and suicide) in the months following their abortions than would be expected in the general population of women.
Read more
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Covering Up Illegal Abortion Deaths
Abortion advocates claim that pre-legalization mortality numbers were grossly underreported. After all, they say, doctors aren't going to alert the health department when they kill a patient during the commission of a crime. What these abortion advocates don't take into account is how many other people could alert authorities to the real reason a woman died.
Criminal Abortion Deaths Uncovered
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Criminal Abortion Deaths Uncovered
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Alternatives to stem cells
Listening to the news lately, one would get the impression that the only hope for just about anything that ails you is fetal tissue stem cell research and organ donation -- in other words, if you're not willing to have somebody else die for your benefit, you're out of luck.
This is just a reminder that there are exciting new treatments that give new life without anybody else having to die. Check out New Life for Heart Patients.
This is just a reminder that there are exciting new treatments that give new life without anybody else having to die. Check out New Life for Heart Patients.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
What if Roe goes?
According to a recent AP news story, abortion would become, to varying degrees, illegal in 30 states should Roe vs. Wade be overturned.
Were this to happen -- highly unlikely, since there are enough abortion fanatics in positions of power and influence to prevent it -- watch the vultures circle, the way they did when the Hyde Amendment went into effect. They'll be looking for another Rosie Jiminez. Never mind the women who die from legal abortions. Real women don't matter to these folks, only their ideas and the hypothetical women who might die should abortion be recriminalized.
Were this to happen -- highly unlikely, since there are enough abortion fanatics in positions of power and influence to prevent it -- watch the vultures circle, the way they did when the Hyde Amendment went into effect. They'll be looking for another Rosie Jiminez. Never mind the women who die from legal abortions. Real women don't matter to these folks, only their ideas and the hypothetical women who might die should abortion be recriminalized.
"Don't like abortions? Don't have one!"
"Don't like abortions? Don't have one." It makes a great bumper sticker slogan. If only it were that simple in real life. Abortion advocates would have us believe that all legalization did was allow those women who would have had dangerous "back alley" abortions to have "safe and legal" abortions instead. It's all supposed to be about each woman making her own choices based on her own religion, her own ethics, her own plans, her own wants. But that's not the way it has turned out in practice.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Helping former abortionists heal
The Society of Centurions was formed to help people to escape from the abortion industry and find healing and peace. Too often, the prolife movement swoops down on recent abortion industry refugees and puts them in the spotlight, forcing them to relive the horror of what they've done, without giving them a chance to do the spiritual and emotional work necessary to maintain their own lives.
Allred reminder
Edward Campell Allred is still running his behemouth Family Planning Associates Medical group, the NAF member abortion chain responsible for the deaths of Laniece Dorsey and so many other young women. Why are the lefties only opposed to "unsafe abortion" when they don't stand to make a profit from it?
Sunday, October 03, 2004
5,000 to 10,000 illegal abortion deaths?
Not hardly. Anybody with a shred of honesty knows those numbers are bogus. For material to squash these absurd claims, go to The Truth of Pre-Roe Abortion Mortality.
Abortion and Suffering
Many arguments in favor of abortion assert that abortion is necessary to save the child from a life of suffering. But is this really possible?
Read Abortion, Suffering, and the Chinese Widow.
Read Abortion, Suffering, and the Chinese Widow.
Doctors and Illegal Abortion
One of the biggest factors separating the prochoice from the prolife is how they perceive the world of illegal abortions. The prochoice see the greasy old man with a coat hanger lurking in an abandoned warehouse, plying his trade with booze on his breath and lechery in his eye. The prolife see a story substantiated by newspapers: doctors doing abortions on the sly.
A few old cases from the archive of the New York Times serve as examples of doctors entangled in abortion cases. Law enforcement was sometimes unable to tell if the doctor was indeed the guilty party who caused the woman's death, but the prevalence of physician involvement in these old abortion cases underscores the research done by Planned Parenthood and by Nancy Howell Lee: most criminal abortions were done by doctors, and most non-physicians performing illegal abortions had physician accomplices who provided support and equipment.
For more, see Doctors and the Back Alley Abortion.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
A few old cases from the archive of the New York Times serve as examples of doctors entangled in abortion cases. Law enforcement was sometimes unable to tell if the doctor was indeed the guilty party who caused the woman's death, but the prevalence of physician involvement in these old abortion cases underscores the research done by Planned Parenthood and by Nancy Howell Lee: most criminal abortions were done by doctors, and most non-physicians performing illegal abortions had physician accomplices who provided support and equipment.
For more, see Doctors and the Back Alley Abortion.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
What are we fighting about?
Prolifers and prochoicers tend to see one another as monsters. To the pro choice, prolifers are slavering maniacs who want to shoot doctors and who don't care if women suffer and/or die. To the pro life, prochoicers are slavering maniacs who want to puree fetuses and who don't care if women suffer and/or die.
Okay, so there seems to be an agreement that prolifers have no love lost for abortionists, and prochoicers don't lose any sleep over a dead fetus (unless it's their own wanted fetus, but that's a further entanglement). Overall, prolifers don't have the well being of abortionists at the head of their list of concerns, and prochoicers don't have the well being of fetuses at the head of their list of concerns. That's agreed. So let's set that aside for a moment.
We still have each side of the abortion battle equally convinced that the other side considers women to be expendable cannon fodder in the Culture War. How have we developed a social battle in which each side is convinced that they alone stand for the rights, safety, lives, and well being of the very same group of people?
Prochoicers have a legitimate concern. It's not easy to confront the bodies of women who died from criminal abortions or self-induced abortions and not want to do something to prevent further carnage. But likewise, prolifers have a legitimate concern. They, too, see the bodies of women dead from botched abortions and want to prevent further carnage.
So here are two groups of people. Each wants to prevent the same tragedy: the woman lying in a pool of blood, abandoned to die of a botched abortion. So why are they at each others' throats?
My son says it's because "the world is full of stupid people." Well, each side sees it that way. The prochoicers believe that if those pig headed prolifers would just leave abortion legal and allow the pro choice movement to police its own, there would be no problem. The prolifers wonder why the pig headed prochoicers are so upset over Geraldine Santoro, who's been dead over 30 years, and so indifferent to women who are dying now.
When you get concerned individual pro life and pro choice people together, and get them to drop their preconceptions and rhetoric, there is a lot of agreement. Abortion should be subject to at the very least the same supervision as, say, any other gynecological surgery. Quacks should not be permitted to practice abortion. Special vulnerabilities of women contemplating abortion should be taken into account when abortion practice is being supervised.
If we agree on so much, why are we fighting so much?
I have seen no evidence of a huge contingent of people who look at the practices of the likes of Bruce Steir (rhymes with "fear") with great contentment and satisfaction. Most people I've communicated with, when presented with Steir's history, roundly condemn him. And there is no big pro life/pro choice split on the matter. There are a few pro choice people (very loud and conspicuous ones) who seem to worship the ground Steir walks upon, and who consider him a hero on a par with Albert Schweitzer. There are a few pro life people (very loud and conspicuous ones) who seem to think the only legitimate use for Steir is for target practice. The vast majority of people, however, seem to have no use for the likes of Steir and believe that he should be given a nice little locked room in which to contemplate his crimes.
So who is the enemy here? Why can't we join forces and lock up the Steirs? Why aren't we working together on the vast areas of agreement? Why aren't pro life and pro choice people working together to eliminate unwanted abortion? To lock up dangerous quack abortionists? To try to make sure that the women who are, indeed, dead set on abortion actually survive (be it to celebrate their freedom or to repent their sins)?
I could say, "If I had the answer to that, I'd be rich." God knows I have plenty of other things I'd love to be doing with my time besides wrestling with people I agree with.
Okay, so there seems to be an agreement that prolifers have no love lost for abortionists, and prochoicers don't lose any sleep over a dead fetus (unless it's their own wanted fetus, but that's a further entanglement). Overall, prolifers don't have the well being of abortionists at the head of their list of concerns, and prochoicers don't have the well being of fetuses at the head of their list of concerns. That's agreed. So let's set that aside for a moment.
We still have each side of the abortion battle equally convinced that the other side considers women to be expendable cannon fodder in the Culture War. How have we developed a social battle in which each side is convinced that they alone stand for the rights, safety, lives, and well being of the very same group of people?
Prochoicers have a legitimate concern. It's not easy to confront the bodies of women who died from criminal abortions or self-induced abortions and not want to do something to prevent further carnage. But likewise, prolifers have a legitimate concern. They, too, see the bodies of women dead from botched abortions and want to prevent further carnage.
So here are two groups of people. Each wants to prevent the same tragedy: the woman lying in a pool of blood, abandoned to die of a botched abortion. So why are they at each others' throats?
My son says it's because "the world is full of stupid people." Well, each side sees it that way. The prochoicers believe that if those pig headed prolifers would just leave abortion legal and allow the pro choice movement to police its own, there would be no problem. The prolifers wonder why the pig headed prochoicers are so upset over Geraldine Santoro, who's been dead over 30 years, and so indifferent to women who are dying now.
When you get concerned individual pro life and pro choice people together, and get them to drop their preconceptions and rhetoric, there is a lot of agreement. Abortion should be subject to at the very least the same supervision as, say, any other gynecological surgery. Quacks should not be permitted to practice abortion. Special vulnerabilities of women contemplating abortion should be taken into account when abortion practice is being supervised.
If we agree on so much, why are we fighting so much?
I have seen no evidence of a huge contingent of people who look at the practices of the likes of Bruce Steir (rhymes with "fear") with great contentment and satisfaction. Most people I've communicated with, when presented with Steir's history, roundly condemn him. And there is no big pro life/pro choice split on the matter. There are a few pro choice people (very loud and conspicuous ones) who seem to worship the ground Steir walks upon, and who consider him a hero on a par with Albert Schweitzer. There are a few pro life people (very loud and conspicuous ones) who seem to think the only legitimate use for Steir is for target practice. The vast majority of people, however, seem to have no use for the likes of Steir and believe that he should be given a nice little locked room in which to contemplate his crimes.
So who is the enemy here? Why can't we join forces and lock up the Steirs? Why aren't we working together on the vast areas of agreement? Why aren't pro life and pro choice people working together to eliminate unwanted abortion? To lock up dangerous quack abortionists? To try to make sure that the women who are, indeed, dead set on abortion actually survive (be it to celebrate their freedom or to repent their sins)?
I could say, "If I had the answer to that, I'd be rich." God knows I have plenty of other things I'd love to be doing with my time besides wrestling with people I agree with.
The Fruits of Roe vs. Wade
Death was puttering around in the shadows until January 23, 1973, when a bunch of black-robed men decided to invite him in the front door. Let's look at some of the fruits of the Roe vs. Wade decision unleashing unfettered abortion in the United States.
We can start with the direct impact on women. Roe was supposed to put an end to the scarred, maimed, and dead women. But if you look at the abortion mortality numbers for the 20th century, you'll see that all Roe did was stop public health officials from making any real effort to tally the casualties of abortion. After all, the dead and maimed women were no longer crime victims; they were merely disgruntled purchasers of a legal "service."
First, let's look at pre-Roe abortion statistics:The Truth of Pre-Roe Abortion Mortality.Abortion deaths were plummeting before legalization. From 1940 to 1945, there was roughly a 50% drop in abortion deaths, thanks to the development of antibiotics. Then from 1945 to 1950 came a tremendous drop, with abortion mortality falling to roughly a third of the previous tally.
What came after 1970? According to the Centers for Disease Control, by 1972 the total abortion death toll (legal, illegal, miscarriage and unknown) was down to 90. The number of dead women counted annually continued to fall, reaching a recorded low of 10 from all abortions (legal, illegal, miscarriages and unknown) of 10 in 1990.
There are two things these numbers fail to tell you:
* How many women really died
* What kinds of deaths these women suffered.
If you look at studies of pre-legalization abortion mortality, you'll find that no stone was left unturned to uncover abortion deaths. After all, a death from an induced abortion was the death of a crime victim. Law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners, funeral directors, health care providers, government officials, and the press were all very interested in induced abortion mortality. It is unlikely, in a time when an anonymous tip could lead to a woman's body being exhumed for autopsy, that many induced abortion deaths went unnoticed and uncounted.
Enter Roe vs. Wade. Abortion was no longer a crime; it was a consumer "service." Law enforcement was no longer interested. Since there was no longer the promise of a spectacular and sordid trial, interest flagged in the press. Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors were no longer required to bring apparent abortion deaths to anybody's attention. Doctors and hospitals who glossed over the cause of death were no longer committing a crime. And government health officials were being stymied by lawsuits declaring that any information having to do with abortion was privileged information that a physician could refuse to disclose to anybody.
Abortion mortality research done prior to Roe found that the official numbers were very much in keeping with the number of deaths uncovered in an intense investigative effort. But research after legalization found that deaths were routinely overlooked by the very people charged with keeping track of abortion mortality.
"Oh, really?" you may ask. Yes, really. Behold:
* What California Found
* What Minnesota Found
Before legalization, two studies involving law enforcement, state agencies, coroners and medical examiners, hospitals and doctors, found no significant difference between the official number of abortion deaths, and the number of abortion deaths that were likely to have really occurred in the United States if their in-depth research was finding more abortion deaths. But after legalization, just one researcher operating out-of-pocket found at least 56 percent more abortion deaths than were officially being reported. Clearly, one of the things Roe accomplished was giving abortionists someplace discreet to bury their dead.
Still skeptical? Then consider this one piece of anecdotal evidence that I think clinches it. In 1991, abortionist Robert Crist sent a 17-year-old Black abortion patient, Latachie Veal, home to bleed to death. Crist openly discussed this death at the 1992 National Abortion Federation Risk Management Seminar in Dallas. Present at that seminar were two -- count 'em, two -- members of the Centers for Disease Control team charged with tracking abortion morbidity and mortality: Stanley Henshaw and Lisa Koonin. Koonin, in fact, was the very employee charged with the task of "verifying" abortion deaths and obtaining death certificates so that other staff could begin the process of investigating and classifying the deaths.
Crist's discussion of Latachie's death was not by any means the only way it could have been brought to the attention of the Centers for Disease Control. Latachie's family filed suit, retaining the flamboyant "Racehorse" Haynes to represent them. The death and ensuing lawsuit were covered extensively by the news media not only in Texas, where Latachie died, but also in Missouri, where Crist had previously been responsible for the death of a 19-year-old developmentally disabled rape victim brought to him for an abortion. Prolife organizations quickly picked up the story and it was disseminated throughout the country in newsletters.
CDC abortion mortality data for 1991 counted no deaths of Black women in the 15-19 age range whatsoever. Latachie Veal's death -- discussed by the abortionist responsible at a seminar attended by two CDC staffers, highly publicized in two states, and trumpeted in prolife newsletters nationwide -- went utterly unnoticed by those responsible for keeping track of abortion mortality in the United States. How, if they were oblivious of Latachie's death, could CDC staffers be expected to notice abortion deaths that were being hushed up by those involved?
Clearly, then, claims that Roe reduced abortion deaths ring hollow. At best, Roe had no impact at all, merely substituting legal abortion deaths for criminal abortion deaths. What is more likely, though, is that Roe simply made it easier to hide abortion deaths even as the number of dead women began to climb with the skyrocketing abortion rate.
And what of the way women died? Surely legalization at least made for an easier death, right? Doubtful. Consider these:
* Jammie Garcia, whose fetus was pushed into her bowel, causing her digestive fluids to back up into her lungs.
* Carolina Gutierrez, who lost limbs to sepsis before finally leaving two small children orphaned.
* Marla Cardamone, whose mother described her thus: "There was my beautiful daughter so horribly disfigured that she was almost unrecognizable. A tube was still protruding from her mouth and I could see that her teeth and gums were covered with blood. Her eyes were half opened and the whites of her eyes were a dark yellow. Her face was swollen and discolored a deep purple."
No improvement here. The only "improvement," if you can call it that, is that none of the abortionists involved faced criminal charges for these deaths. In fact, it is so rare for an abortionist to be held legally responsible for killing a woman on the abortion table that the very fact that he's facing charges -- not the fact that the woman died a horrible death -- is what makes the case newsworthy.
If there's been no improvement on the mortality front, neither has there been an improvement in morbidity (injuries). Women are still left with injuries that can leave them infertile, or lead to hysterectomy or colostomy. Women are still left incapacitated. Not all of the patients who have amputations because of sepsis die. (When I was working at Life Dynamics, I spoke to two prolifers who were providing support to women who had lost limbs to abortion sepsis; one had lost her right leg, the other had lost both feet and both lower arms.) So we have not only the continued horrible deaths, but the accumulation of the wounded, some of whom languish for years in long-term care facilities before they finally die, as did Suzanne Logan.
And let's not forget the children. As abortionists became more bold, they took to doing riskier, later and later abortions, sometimes maiming rather than killing the fetus. Blindness, mental retardation, missing limbs, and cerebral palsy are some of the repercussions innocent children have suffered as a result of the carte-blanc Roe gave to abortionists.
These are just the direct effects of legalizing abortion. The indirect effects -- grieving post-abortion women, skyrocketing breast cancer rates among young women, the dramatic increase in child abuse and abandonment, violence against women who refuse to exercise this "right," chaos on once-quiet streets, abortionists who once feared only the law but who now fear for their lives -- could fill volumes.
Anybody who looks at Roe vs. Wade and sees reason to celebrate has a lot of explaining to do.
We can start with the direct impact on women. Roe was supposed to put an end to the scarred, maimed, and dead women. But if you look at the abortion mortality numbers for the 20th century, you'll see that all Roe did was stop public health officials from making any real effort to tally the casualties of abortion. After all, the dead and maimed women were no longer crime victims; they were merely disgruntled purchasers of a legal "service."
First, let's look at pre-Roe abortion statistics:The Truth of Pre-Roe Abortion Mortality.Abortion deaths were plummeting before legalization. From 1940 to 1945, there was roughly a 50% drop in abortion deaths, thanks to the development of antibiotics. Then from 1945 to 1950 came a tremendous drop, with abortion mortality falling to roughly a third of the previous tally.
What came after 1970? According to the Centers for Disease Control, by 1972 the total abortion death toll (legal, illegal, miscarriage and unknown) was down to 90. The number of dead women counted annually continued to fall, reaching a recorded low of 10 from all abortions (legal, illegal, miscarriages and unknown) of 10 in 1990.
There are two things these numbers fail to tell you:
* How many women really died
* What kinds of deaths these women suffered.
If you look at studies of pre-legalization abortion mortality, you'll find that no stone was left unturned to uncover abortion deaths. After all, a death from an induced abortion was the death of a crime victim. Law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners, funeral directors, health care providers, government officials, and the press were all very interested in induced abortion mortality. It is unlikely, in a time when an anonymous tip could lead to a woman's body being exhumed for autopsy, that many induced abortion deaths went unnoticed and uncounted.
Enter Roe vs. Wade. Abortion was no longer a crime; it was a consumer "service." Law enforcement was no longer interested. Since there was no longer the promise of a spectacular and sordid trial, interest flagged in the press. Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors were no longer required to bring apparent abortion deaths to anybody's attention. Doctors and hospitals who glossed over the cause of death were no longer committing a crime. And government health officials were being stymied by lawsuits declaring that any information having to do with abortion was privileged information that a physician could refuse to disclose to anybody.
Abortion mortality research done prior to Roe found that the official numbers were very much in keeping with the number of deaths uncovered in an intense investigative effort. But research after legalization found that deaths were routinely overlooked by the very people charged with keeping track of abortion mortality.
"Oh, really?" you may ask. Yes, really. Behold:
* What California Found
* What Minnesota Found
Before legalization, two studies involving law enforcement, state agencies, coroners and medical examiners, hospitals and doctors, found no significant difference between the official number of abortion deaths, and the number of abortion deaths that were likely to have really occurred in the United States if their in-depth research was finding more abortion deaths. But after legalization, just one researcher operating out-of-pocket found at least 56 percent more abortion deaths than were officially being reported. Clearly, one of the things Roe accomplished was giving abortionists someplace discreet to bury their dead.
Still skeptical? Then consider this one piece of anecdotal evidence that I think clinches it. In 1991, abortionist Robert Crist sent a 17-year-old Black abortion patient, Latachie Veal, home to bleed to death. Crist openly discussed this death at the 1992 National Abortion Federation Risk Management Seminar in Dallas. Present at that seminar were two -- count 'em, two -- members of the Centers for Disease Control team charged with tracking abortion morbidity and mortality: Stanley Henshaw and Lisa Koonin. Koonin, in fact, was the very employee charged with the task of "verifying" abortion deaths and obtaining death certificates so that other staff could begin the process of investigating and classifying the deaths.
Crist's discussion of Latachie's death was not by any means the only way it could have been brought to the attention of the Centers for Disease Control. Latachie's family filed suit, retaining the flamboyant "Racehorse" Haynes to represent them. The death and ensuing lawsuit were covered extensively by the news media not only in Texas, where Latachie died, but also in Missouri, where Crist had previously been responsible for the death of a 19-year-old developmentally disabled rape victim brought to him for an abortion. Prolife organizations quickly picked up the story and it was disseminated throughout the country in newsletters.
CDC abortion mortality data for 1991 counted no deaths of Black women in the 15-19 age range whatsoever. Latachie Veal's death -- discussed by the abortionist responsible at a seminar attended by two CDC staffers, highly publicized in two states, and trumpeted in prolife newsletters nationwide -- went utterly unnoticed by those responsible for keeping track of abortion mortality in the United States. How, if they were oblivious of Latachie's death, could CDC staffers be expected to notice abortion deaths that were being hushed up by those involved?
Clearly, then, claims that Roe reduced abortion deaths ring hollow. At best, Roe had no impact at all, merely substituting legal abortion deaths for criminal abortion deaths. What is more likely, though, is that Roe simply made it easier to hide abortion deaths even as the number of dead women began to climb with the skyrocketing abortion rate.
And what of the way women died? Surely legalization at least made for an easier death, right? Doubtful. Consider these:
* Jammie Garcia, whose fetus was pushed into her bowel, causing her digestive fluids to back up into her lungs.
* Carolina Gutierrez, who lost limbs to sepsis before finally leaving two small children orphaned.
* Marla Cardamone, whose mother described her thus: "There was my beautiful daughter so horribly disfigured that she was almost unrecognizable. A tube was still protruding from her mouth and I could see that her teeth and gums were covered with blood. Her eyes were half opened and the whites of her eyes were a dark yellow. Her face was swollen and discolored a deep purple."
No improvement here. The only "improvement," if you can call it that, is that none of the abortionists involved faced criminal charges for these deaths. In fact, it is so rare for an abortionist to be held legally responsible for killing a woman on the abortion table that the very fact that he's facing charges -- not the fact that the woman died a horrible death -- is what makes the case newsworthy.
If there's been no improvement on the mortality front, neither has there been an improvement in morbidity (injuries). Women are still left with injuries that can leave them infertile, or lead to hysterectomy or colostomy. Women are still left incapacitated. Not all of the patients who have amputations because of sepsis die. (When I was working at Life Dynamics, I spoke to two prolifers who were providing support to women who had lost limbs to abortion sepsis; one had lost her right leg, the other had lost both feet and both lower arms.) So we have not only the continued horrible deaths, but the accumulation of the wounded, some of whom languish for years in long-term care facilities before they finally die, as did Suzanne Logan.
And let's not forget the children. As abortionists became more bold, they took to doing riskier, later and later abortions, sometimes maiming rather than killing the fetus. Blindness, mental retardation, missing limbs, and cerebral palsy are some of the repercussions innocent children have suffered as a result of the carte-blanc Roe gave to abortionists.
These are just the direct effects of legalizing abortion. The indirect effects -- grieving post-abortion women, skyrocketing breast cancer rates among young women, the dramatic increase in child abuse and abandonment, violence against women who refuse to exercise this "right," chaos on once-quiet streets, abortionists who once feared only the law but who now fear for their lives -- could fill volumes.
Anybody who looks at Roe vs. Wade and sees reason to celebrate has a lot of explaining to do.