OR West has more on the seedy NAF member recently closed down in New Jersey, including link to a video report, which I've embedded below:
I'm glad they're covering this, but they missed the fact that this place (and it looks kinda seedy, doesn't it?) is a NAF member.
I'd do more myself to pull this together for you but I'm without a computer right now so I really only get a chance to spend large chunks of time online on weekends.
7 comments:
How is this any better than the botched abortions preformed by physicians before legalization? Has legislation really ensured that abortion is going to be safer? Or is it better regulation, medical techniques, antibiotics, sterilization of equipment, and competent and trained doctors.
Here's the news article:
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzA4NjM5OSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
"How is this any better than the botched abortions preformed by physicians before legalization? Has legislation really ensured that abortion is going to be safer? Or is it better regulation, medical techniques, antibiotics, sterilization of equipment, and competent and trained doctors."
Uh, hello? Before legalization abortions would not be performed by "competent and trained doctors" operating with any regulation much less "better regulation," nor better "medical techniques, antibiotics, sterilization of equipment."
THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE WANTED LEGALIZATION- SO THE PROCEDURES COULD BE DONE WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGY AND METHODS BY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.
Is that in any way unclear?
How can you repeat that line of propoganda without thought? Have you done your research? The following quotes from former abortion providers and abortion rights leaders before Roe give us better insight into pre-Roe abortions.
Dr. Mary Calderone (medical director of Planned Parenthood at the time) in the American Journal of Health in 1960
"...90% of all illegal abortions are done by physicians. Call them what you will, abortionists or anything else, they are still physicians, trained as such; and many are in good standing in their communities. Whatever trouble arises usually comes after self-induced abortions, which comprise approximately 8 percent, or with the very small percentage that go to some kind of non-medical abortionist. Another corollary fact: physicians of impeccable standing are referring their patients for these illegal abortions to colleagues they know are willing to perform them."
And Dr. Bernard Nathanson, co-founder of today's NARAL Pro-Choice America:
"We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000 but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was 1,000,000. Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. The number of women dying cfrom illegal abortions was around 200 - 250 annually. The figure constantly fed to the media was 10,000. These false figures took root in the consciousness of Americans convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law."
Nathanson, Bernard. “Confessions of an Ex-Abortionist” In The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind Regenery Publishing, 1997.
And even now, pro-choice activists fight any sort of medical regulation of clinics and there isn't a current standard for clinics. It seemas the only standards set are those set by a parent agency, such as NAF (and we know that individual clinics don't always follow these nor are they enforced) and how are we to ensure these standards are of the same level of standard as any other profession of medicine which preforms outpatient surgerical procedures? And how can you excuse the poor behavior of the doctor and the clinic?
And there's even a book, entitled "Doctors of Conscious" in which physicians talk about preforming abortions pre-Roe and the consequences on both their professional and personal lives of their chosen profession:
http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Conscience-Carole-Joffe/dp/0807021016
And here are some documented physicians who openly speak about preforming abortions before Roe:
Tom Allen, MD, who performed abortions within the hospital system in Pennsylvania from the 1940s through the 1970s before abortion was legal
Curtis Boyd, MD, who provided thousands of illegal abortions in the 1960s to women at his office in Athens, Texas, and later in Dallas
Benjamin Celniker, MD, who performed illegal abortions in Arizona before Roe v. Wade
Wendy Chavkin, MD, who was part of the Jane Collective, an underground abortion group in Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s
Eugene Glick, MD, who performed illegal abortions in California for several years in the 1960s
Sadja Greenwood, MD, who provided abortions legally at her attending hospital in California
Mildred Hanson, MD, who provided abortions through the hospital system in Minnesota in the 1960s
Jane Hodgson, MD, who was arrested and convicted of providing an illegal abortion in Minnesota before Roe v. Wade
Don Sloan, MD, who provided countless illegal abortions in his office on Park Avenue in New York City before Roe v. Wade
Robert Tamis, MD, who was part of the clergy referral service in Arizona, where he performed legal abortions through the hospital system before Roe v. Wade
http://www.prch.org/press/pr/9_09_05.shtml
In other words, you've fallen for the propoganda that the majority of illegal abortions were all back-alley and preformed with coat-hangers. It's just not true!
"How can you repeat that line of propoganda without thought?"
Rachel it isn't propaganda it's an EXTREMELY obvious logical conclusion. Under a regime where abortion is illegal it will not be able to be conducted under the best circumstances because those circumstances will be obvious and attract the authorities.
Operating a clinic will be difficult. Getting specialty tools for abortion will be difficult. Getting proper training will be difficult. Getting antibiotics will be difficult.
What part of this is really hard for you to believe?
"Dr. Mary Calderone (medical director of Planned Parenthood at the time) in the American Journal of Health in 1960
"...90% of all illegal abortions are done by physicians."
That's fine. But lets focus on what they were NOT: they were not trained abortionists. They were not in possession of full facilities. Those things matter. It;s like telling a person they have to get a route canal at home under unsanitary conditions but it's okay, even though the guy doing it isn't an oral surgeon, he is a dentist! Great, but no not nearly good enough.
"In The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind Regenery Publishing, 1997."
I'll take that recounting with a large salt mine, thanks.
"And even now, pro-choice activists fight any sort of medical regulation of clinics and there isn't a current standard for clinics."
Bull. I don't know of any prolife activists that fight the regulation of abortion clinics by the appropriate authorities (medical review boards). Certainly none of the prolifers here has said as much since I started paying attention to the site. Rather the opposite, it is the prolife side that consistently ignores the medical review board findings in favor of their own biased positions.
As an example- No matter how many courts or review bords find George Tille innocent Christina maintains a visceral hatred of the man.
On the other hand I am quite willing to accept the findings of a review board or cout of law unless some substantial evidence comes forward to suggest they were not impartial.
"And how can you excuse the poor behavior of the doctor and the clinic?"
WHERE POOR BEHAVIOR HAS OCCURED I do not excuse it. In this case the proper authority chose to shut down this facility temporarily and to put into place some further constraints to make sure they adhere to good practices. I have no problem with that at all (again unless some significant evidence comes up to suggest it was a witch hunt, but the burden proof then is on the accuser).
"In other words, you've fallen for the propoganda that the majority of illegal abortions were all back-alley and preformed with coat-hangers. It's just not true!"
You've missed the point. Having an abortion performed by "a physician" is not the same as having one done by a physician who is *trained* to do abortions. This is no different than any surgery, they aren;t usually done by general practitioners but by specialists highly trained in that particular field.
I'd no more want a general practice doctor performing abortions than I'd want one performing neurosurgery. They are doctors but they don't have adequate training for doing specialized surgery.
Secondly, as above it requires an amazing amount of naivete to believe that those doctors who did practice when abortion was illegal also managed to have fully equipped and staffed facilities to use that the authorities just somehow never clued in on.
It may not have been in a back alley but they also weren't by and large performed under sterile clinic conditions, and it may not have been with a coathanger but it also wasn't with specialized materials designed for use in abortion procedures. Nor was it likely to be conducted with the best anaesthesia and antibiotics possible because those items are controlled, meaning a prospective doctor would have to swipe them from their intended purpose to use in abortions, which of course risks exposure.
How much easier and better to simply let the professionals get the proper training and have easy access to the best equipment and drugs for the procedure. That you can argue that care wasn't more difficult under illegality is frankly mind boggling because it is so clearly counter logical.
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