Monday, December 31, 2007
Searches: Llewelyn Crooks, phony docs, and an abortion suicide
Anniversary: Shoved out the door to bleed to death
Eighteen-year-old Sylvia Moore underwent an abortion at the hands of Arnold Bickham (pictured) on New Year's Eve of 1986. She was in the second trimester of her pregnancy, but Bickham used a suction technique suitable for a first-trimester pregnancy. After the abortion, Bickham gave Sylvia repeated injections of Demerol because she was reporting severe abdominal cramps.
According to Sylvia's mother, Sylvia was bleeding, weak, and unable to walk. When Sylvia tried to get to her feet and collapsed, Bickham called her "lazy," put her in a wheelchair, and physically ejected her from his Chicago clinic.
Sylvia's mother took her to a nearby hospital, where staff tried in vain to save Sylvia, who had arrived with no pulse and no blood pressure. An emergency hysterectomy was done to remove her lacerated uterus, which still had a plastic instrument embedded in it. The instrument was embedded in a 6.5 cm laceration, and Sylvia also had a 2.2 cm laceration of her vagina. Sylvia bled to death.
Bickham claimed that he "didn't think there was anything wrong" with Sylvia, and said that he'd merely been helping her with the wheelchair. He blamed Sylvia's death on the hospital, saying, "They were successful in repairing the damage done in the abortion, but in doing that, they perforated an artery causing there to be blood loss in the chest cavity. That was something she was not able to survive." The autopsy report, however, noted the chest tube incision but noted "lungs are well expanded and the pleural cavities are free of fluid and adhesions." An attorney with the Department of Professional Regulation said, "This patient would never have been allowed to leave Bickham's clinic with her mother.
The postmortum report said: "The circumstances of injury, review of the Medical records, the findings at autopsy examination, and subsequent investigation of the circumstances of the case provide evidence of gross negligence and abandonment on the part of the original treating physician. In consideration of the above, the manner of death is determined to be Homicide." However, no charges were pressed against Bickham.
The suit filed by Sylvia's survivors noted that Bickahm had failed to perform an ultrasound, and failed to have adequate staff or equipment. The specimen of abortion tissue sent from clinic contained segments of placental tissue, umbilical cord, and fetal intestinal parts and liver.
Sylvia left one child motherless.
Bickham's license was revoked by Illinois in October of 1988 due to Sylvia's death. He was arrested in September of 1989 for practicing medicine without license, and sentenced to 30 months probation and 2,600 hours of community service in lieu of 6 months jail, in addition to a $10,000 fine.
According to Sylvia's mother, Sylvia was bleeding, weak, and unable to walk. When Sylvia tried to get to her feet and collapsed, Bickham called her "lazy," put her in a wheelchair, and physically ejected her from his Chicago clinic.
Sylvia's mother took her to a nearby hospital, where staff tried in vain to save Sylvia, who had arrived with no pulse and no blood pressure. An emergency hysterectomy was done to remove her lacerated uterus, which still had a plastic instrument embedded in it. The instrument was embedded in a 6.5 cm laceration, and Sylvia also had a 2.2 cm laceration of her vagina. Sylvia bled to death.
Bickham claimed that he "didn't think there was anything wrong" with Sylvia, and said that he'd merely been helping her with the wheelchair. He blamed Sylvia's death on the hospital, saying, "They were successful in repairing the damage done in the abortion, but in doing that, they perforated an artery causing there to be blood loss in the chest cavity. That was something she was not able to survive." The autopsy report, however, noted the chest tube incision but noted "lungs are well expanded and the pleural cavities are free of fluid and adhesions." An attorney with the Department of Professional Regulation said, "This patient would never have been allowed to leave Bickham's clinic with her mother.
The postmortum report said: "The circumstances of injury, review of the Medical records, the findings at autopsy examination, and subsequent investigation of the circumstances of the case provide evidence of gross negligence and abandonment on the part of the original treating physician. In consideration of the above, the manner of death is determined to be Homicide." However, no charges were pressed against Bickham.
The suit filed by Sylvia's survivors noted that Bickahm had failed to perform an ultrasound, and failed to have adequate staff or equipment. The specimen of abortion tissue sent from clinic contained segments of placental tissue, umbilical cord, and fetal intestinal parts and liver.
Sylvia left one child motherless.
Bickham's license was revoked by Illinois in October of 1988 due to Sylvia's death. He was arrested in September of 1989 for practicing medicine without license, and sentenced to 30 months probation and 2,600 hours of community service in lieu of 6 months jail, in addition to a $10,000 fine.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Clearing up what they're really all about
Longtime life activist Ed Snell of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was seriously injured when a man pushed him off the top of his car outside the Hillcrest abortion mill.
Ed and his wife and children frequently took troubled young women into their home. They cared for a woman's children while she was in prison. They've always been there when they're needed. Ed may be a thorn in Hillcrest's side, but he's a kind, gentle man who would give you the shirt off his back.
Then, when some young punk pushed him to the ground, causing the 69-year-old man head trauma, multiple spinal fractures, a broken shoulder blade and other injuries, the compassionate response of Hillcrest staff was to say that Ed "got what he deserved".
After New Year's I think I'll call Hillcrest and ask if they also think Kelly Morse got what she deserved.
Police refused to arrest the perpetrator, even as they were watching the wounded elderly man being loaded into an ambulance.
I guess it is really all about might making right. It's okay to kill the unborn because they're young and small and helpless, and it's okay to nearly cripple an old man because he's weak and fragile. It's all about the young, strong, and healthy getting whatever the hell they want, regardless of the cost to anybody else.
Thank you, Hillcrest and the Harrisburg police department for clearing that up.
HT: Catholic Musings
Ed and his wife and children frequently took troubled young women into their home. They cared for a woman's children while she was in prison. They've always been there when they're needed. Ed may be a thorn in Hillcrest's side, but he's a kind, gentle man who would give you the shirt off his back.
Then, when some young punk pushed him to the ground, causing the 69-year-old man head trauma, multiple spinal fractures, a broken shoulder blade and other injuries, the compassionate response of Hillcrest staff was to say that Ed "got what he deserved".
After New Year's I think I'll call Hillcrest and ask if they also think Kelly Morse got what she deserved.
Police refused to arrest the perpetrator, even as they were watching the wounded elderly man being loaded into an ambulance.
I guess it is really all about might making right. It's okay to kill the unborn because they're young and small and helpless, and it's okay to nearly cripple an old man because he's weak and fragile. It's all about the young, strong, and healthy getting whatever the hell they want, regardless of the cost to anybody else.
Thank you, Hillcrest and the Harrisburg police department for clearing that up.
HT: Catholic Musings
Babies as consumer goods
Outsourcing your pregnancy is becoming increasingly popular, it seems, since surrogate moms are much cheaper in India.
Now, infertility is a heartbreaking thing. I'm not belittling the anguish of dealing with that. But this idea that kids are a consumer good that you order from overseas because it's cheaper that way is a bit of a problem for me.
I wonder how many of the women hiring somebody to have a baby for them are the same ones insisting that we need abortion because there are so many kids who already need homes. You know, people who have the money and the resources to adopt, but just choose otherwise, becasue, you know, it's all about them choosing what they want. Because what they want is all that matters.
Just curious.
Now, infertility is a heartbreaking thing. I'm not belittling the anguish of dealing with that. But this idea that kids are a consumer good that you order from overseas because it's cheaper that way is a bit of a problem for me.
I wonder how many of the women hiring somebody to have a baby for them are the same ones insisting that we need abortion because there are so many kids who already need homes. You know, people who have the money and the resources to adopt, but just choose otherwise, becasue, you know, it's all about them choosing what they want. Because what they want is all that matters.
Just curious.
Anniversary: Back alley death in Chicago
On December 30, 1924, 21-year-old Agnes Nazar died at Chicago's St. Joseph's Hospital from an abortion performed earlier that day. On January 6, 1925, Rogie Hatal, whose profession was not listed in the source documents, was held by the coroner as the guilty abortionist. Mike Nazar, whose relationship to Agnes is not listed, was arrested as an accessory, as was Sarah Babian. Hatal was indicted for felony murder on February 15, 1925.
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.
Anniversary: The macabre fate of Jacqueline Smith
Over the years, may details of the Jacqueline Smith case have been muddled, and the story often is dismissed as an urban legend. But strange and macabre as the story is, it was all too true.
Jackie was a 20-year-old fashion designer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who had moved to New York City to start a career as a fashion designer. She took an apartment with two other women, but began spending more and more time with her boyfriend, Thomas G. Daniels, age 24. She all but moved in with him.
On December 30, 1955, Jackie's father arrived for a visit, but there was no sign of his daughter. He met with Daniels and the two of them went to the police to report her missing. The police were quickly suspicious of Daniels and began to question him more closely. Daniels finally told police that Jackie had gone into the bathroom and stabbed herself to death due to his refusal to marry her, and that he had dumped her body in the Hudson River.
This story didn't hold water, and the police pressed Daniel until the story came out. Jackie had told Daniels that she was pregnant. Daniels did not want to marry Jackie and instead arranged for a scrub nurse, Leobaldo Pejuan, to perform an abortion at Daniels' apartment on Christmas Eve. After performing the abortion, Pejuan became alarmed at Jackie's condition, and summoned Dr. Ramiro Morales, who told him that Jackie was dead.
Daniels and Pejuan cut Jackie's body into pieces and took it to Pejuan's home, where over the next several days they cut into as many as 50 pieces, which they wrapped in Christmas paper and disposed of in trash cans along side streets off Broadway, from 72nd to 80th.
Police investigated, and found medical instruments in Pejuan's apartment. Pejuan pleaded guilty and testified against Daniels. Pejuan was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, and Daniels was sentenced to 8 years.
Jackie was a 20-year-old fashion designer from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who had moved to New York City to start a career as a fashion designer. She took an apartment with two other women, but began spending more and more time with her boyfriend, Thomas G. Daniels, age 24. She all but moved in with him.
On December 30, 1955, Jackie's father arrived for a visit, but there was no sign of his daughter. He met with Daniels and the two of them went to the police to report her missing. The police were quickly suspicious of Daniels and began to question him more closely. Daniels finally told police that Jackie had gone into the bathroom and stabbed herself to death due to his refusal to marry her, and that he had dumped her body in the Hudson River.
This story didn't hold water, and the police pressed Daniel until the story came out. Jackie had told Daniels that she was pregnant. Daniels did not want to marry Jackie and instead arranged for a scrub nurse, Leobaldo Pejuan, to perform an abortion at Daniels' apartment on Christmas Eve. After performing the abortion, Pejuan became alarmed at Jackie's condition, and summoned Dr. Ramiro Morales, who told him that Jackie was dead.
Daniels and Pejuan cut Jackie's body into pieces and took it to Pejuan's home, where over the next several days they cut into as many as 50 pieces, which they wrapped in Christmas paper and disposed of in trash cans along side streets off Broadway, from 72nd to 80th.
Police investigated, and found medical instruments in Pejuan's apartment. Pejuan pleaded guilty and testified against Daniels. Pejuan was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison, and Daniels was sentenced to 8 years.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Four safe and legal annivesaries, one pre-dating Roe
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Friday, December 28, 2007
It's even worse than I remembered
For those of you too young to remember, you might want to keep your minds unsullied. It's -- William --- Shatner's --- dramatic rendition -- of -- Rocket --- Man!
Broken link fixed, updated
I had a number of dead links because of the way my pages transferred from the old About.com site to the new RealChoice site. Well, one of them got pointed out and I've fixed it by building a new page: Ana Rosa vs. the National Abortion Federation, about how National Abortion Federation member Abu Hayat, the same guy who performed the fatal abortion on Sophie McCoy, tried to perform an illegal third-trimester abortion in his New York office, resulting in the birth of a maimed baby, her right arm traumatically amputated at the shoulder.
New quackery page: Saihb Sinuhe Halil
Saihb Sinuhe Halil lost his medical license, thank God, over the care of these three patients:
The medical board addressed the care of patient T.G., age 19. I will call her Thelma. The following account comes from California medical board Case No. D-5193, OAH Case No. L-60576.
Thelma was 22 weeks pregnant when she went to Women's Medical Center of Los Angeles on December 28, 1988. Halil performed the first of two pre-abortion laminaria insertions. The medical board noted failure to perform an examination prior to planning surgery, and a lack of informed consent.
After a change of laminaria on the 29th, Thelma returned on December 30 for her abortion. Despite what Halil clearly knew, from the two laminaria changes, was an advanced pregnancy, he first attempted to perform a suction abortion without any anesthesia.
Thelma, in so much pain that she had difficulty remaining still, repeatedly screamed, "You're killing me!" "I'm dying!" "Stop!" and "I can't stand the pain!" She lost consciousness multiple times.
There was no mystery to why Thelma was in such horrible pain; Halil had pulled so hard on her internal structures that he bent his forceps, then "broke the sterile field by using an unsterilized pair of desk scissors to cut inner body organs of [Thelma]." Halil pulled out Thelma's right ovary and fallopian tube, severed her left fallopian tube, and caused a large uterine rupture. He "lacerated and rendered necrotic almost four feet of small intestine" and "left the fetus floating in the abdominal cavity."
Halil didn't monitor Thelma's blood loss during the procedure, then delayed transferring her to a hospital and delayed his own arrival to treat her, allowing her to go into potentially fatal hypovolemic shock from blood loss.
Before transferring her, Halil had gotten Thelma to consent to a diagnostic laparoscopy at the hospital, but instead Halil "proceeded to perform a full invasive surgical procedure." He worked to repair "what was left of her uterus," and removed of about 4 feet of her small intestine.
After surgery, Halil instructed Thelma to return for follow-up care.
Thelma attended regular follow-up appointments January through May of 1989. During those visits, Halil did not inform Thelma of "the full extent of damage she had sustained as a result of the abortion."
To add creepiness to his other wrongdoing, while Thelma was at Halil's office for appointments, he "kissed her face and lips, caressed her face, rubbed her shoulders, and suggested they go out together,"
Thelma accepted an invitation to go to lunch. "While at lunch, [Halil] rubbed her thigh, knee, and shoulders, hugged and kissed her, and told her he would like to see more of her. After that luncheon, [Thelma] terminated all contact."
I have information on two other cases involving Halil:
Martha H., age 20, filed suit against Halil, and the medical board investigated her case. She went to La Clinica Feminina on November 23, 1988, for a 7-week abortion to be performed by Halil. He failed to perform a proper examination of Martha before proceeding. He punctured her uterus twice and her bowel at least once, but neither informed Martha of this nor noted it on her chart. He allowed his unlicensed staff to make the decision to discharge the patient from the facility. On November 27 she was admitted to a hospital, and there the inuries were discovered and surgically treated. On December 20 she had to be again admitted to the hospital and required additional surgery to treat a bowel obstruction, periappendicitis, and peritonitis. (LA County Superior Court Case No. C720334; Los Angeles Times 7-6-93; California medical board Case No. D-5193, OAH Case No. L-60576)
The medical board investigated the case of Vivian Q. Vivian underwent laminaria insertion by Halil at La Clinica Femenina on November 3, 1987. Halil did not perform an adequate physical examination or properly determine the gestational age. As a result he did not use enough laminaria to adequately dilate Vivian's cervix. "[Halil] halted the procedure because he suspected he had perforated the patient's uterus." Halil performed an ultrasound, which "determined that the pregnancy was still intact (albeit with a maimed fetus)." Rather than accurately charting this or informing Vivian, he discharged her. On November 7, Vivian was admitted to the hospital, suffering from a perforated utuers and a necrotic sigmoid colon. She required a colostomy and surgery to repair her uterus. One bright spot was that on February 28, doctors were able to repair her bowel and restore normal function without the colostomy. (Los Angeles Times 7-6-93; California medical board Case No. D-5193, OAH Case No. L-60576)
Searches: Seth again, scars, diaper-clad perverts, and more
Searches: Parsley and pennyroyal, perforated bowel, and more
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Today's searches: Quacks, abortion as birth control, nastiness, and complications
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Today's Quackfest
Anniversary: Safe and legal abortion leads to infection, death, for teen
Arnetta Hardaway was 18 years old when she had a mid-trimester abortion performed by Dr. George Tucker in Atlanta on December 23, 1985. Arnetta continued to bleed, and developed infection, after her abortion. On December 27, she died from her complications.
Tucker had an active medical board order on his license as of January 4, 2002. The Georgia medical board web site does not reveal the details of the order.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Tucker had an active medical board order on his license as of January 4, 2002. The Georgia medical board web site does not reveal the details of the order.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
"That's the pain talking"
I remember when I was in labor with my daughter. When the pain got to be so bad that I had dry heaves and was going into spasms on the bed, I begged for drugs. The midwife sat down with me and very patiently explained to me that this was the pain talking, that I -- the me that was rational and not thrashing around in pain -- wanted to try to do this without drugs.
Pam wanted to make sure that I made a rational choice about how to deal with the pain. She took the better part of an hour, using snatches of time between contractions, to find out how much was me changing my mind based on how much pain there actually was verus how much I'd anticipated. We talked about what my values were, what my reflections on this experience were going to be after my baby was born, how the pain was impacting the progress of my labor, et cetera. Pam took a lot of time, going over every pain relief option with me, and finally the rational part of me chose a small dose of Nisintil to just take the edge off and allow me to use the breathing techniques I'd learned. And the Nisintil did the trick.
Pam let ME, Chirstina, make the decision about the medication. She didn't let the pain override the choosing part of me.
Some abortion advocates often smugly gloat that many of the women undergoing abortions sob about how they never thought that they would end up on the abortion table, how abortion goes against their values, their core beliefs, their identity. But they feel trapped. They feel they have no other choice.
My choice was about how much medication to use when I was in labor. It was hardly a life-altering, life-shattering choice. But Pam remembered the discussions we'd had, the plans I'd made. I was shooting for drug-free. Pam wasn't going to stop me from changing my mind if I had really changed my mind. But she wasn't about to let the pain make a decision for me that I would regret later. And I had changed my mind. Drug-free was my ideal, yes, but I was in so much pain that it was slowing my labor. What were my options? What would the impact of my choices be on me and my baby? Pam considered it worth the time. I changed my mind from "drug free" to "something to take the edge off the pain", under careful guidance from somebody who really cared about me an about my choices. Pam prevented me from just screaming for an epidural, a choice I probably would have regretted later and seen as a cop-out, with my hippie flower-child natural-childbirth values. Pam spent the time to get past the pain to the choosing part of me.
Why aren't women weeping in the abortion clinic, about to make a life-shaking, life-altering decision, entitled to the same care and concern I got from Pam? Why is there nobody to say, "Is this really a choice that you are making rationally, based on new information? Or is this the pain talking? How are you -- with your values, your goals, your priorities -- going to look back on this choice?"
When women who oppose abortion -- be it for all women or only for themselves -- end up on the abortion table, hardocre abortion advocates then hold them up as "proof" that even women who hate abortion "need" abortion.
But is the woman signing the consent form as she wets it with her tears being served or being used?
The answer is pretty clear to anybody who has eyes to see.
Pam wanted to make sure that I made a rational choice about how to deal with the pain. She took the better part of an hour, using snatches of time between contractions, to find out how much was me changing my mind based on how much pain there actually was verus how much I'd anticipated. We talked about what my values were, what my reflections on this experience were going to be after my baby was born, how the pain was impacting the progress of my labor, et cetera. Pam took a lot of time, going over every pain relief option with me, and finally the rational part of me chose a small dose of Nisintil to just take the edge off and allow me to use the breathing techniques I'd learned. And the Nisintil did the trick.
Pam let ME, Chirstina, make the decision about the medication. She didn't let the pain override the choosing part of me.
Some abortion advocates often smugly gloat that many of the women undergoing abortions sob about how they never thought that they would end up on the abortion table, how abortion goes against their values, their core beliefs, their identity. But they feel trapped. They feel they have no other choice.
My choice was about how much medication to use when I was in labor. It was hardly a life-altering, life-shattering choice. But Pam remembered the discussions we'd had, the plans I'd made. I was shooting for drug-free. Pam wasn't going to stop me from changing my mind if I had really changed my mind. But she wasn't about to let the pain make a decision for me that I would regret later. And I had changed my mind. Drug-free was my ideal, yes, but I was in so much pain that it was slowing my labor. What were my options? What would the impact of my choices be on me and my baby? Pam considered it worth the time. I changed my mind from "drug free" to "something to take the edge off the pain", under careful guidance from somebody who really cared about me an about my choices. Pam prevented me from just screaming for an epidural, a choice I probably would have regretted later and seen as a cop-out, with my hippie flower-child natural-childbirth values. Pam spent the time to get past the pain to the choosing part of me.
Why aren't women weeping in the abortion clinic, about to make a life-shaking, life-altering decision, entitled to the same care and concern I got from Pam? Why is there nobody to say, "Is this really a choice that you are making rationally, based on new information? Or is this the pain talking? How are you -- with your values, your goals, your priorities -- going to look back on this choice?"
When women who oppose abortion -- be it for all women or only for themselves -- end up on the abortion table, hardocre abortion advocates then hold them up as "proof" that even women who hate abortion "need" abortion.
But is the woman signing the consent form as she wets it with her tears being served or being used?
The answer is pretty clear to anybody who has eyes to see.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
The Guitierrez Abortion: A wretched Christmas
Carolina Gutierrez, only twenty years old, remained on a respirator in an intensive care unit of a Miami hospital over Christmas of 1995. She had been hospitalized since December 21, when her family had called an ambulance in their alarm over her difficulty breathing. She had arrived at the emergency room already in septic shock.
Two days of trying to contact Maber Medical Center, where Carolina had undergone an abortion on the 19th, over her husbands objections, had yielded no help. The young mother, who had no medical insurance, had been suffering from fever and pain since the evening of the 19th.
Doctors at the hospital had performed an emergency hysterectomy, trying to halt the spread of infection from her perforated uterus, but the sepsis raged on.
Carolina spent Christmas on a respirator, sepsis raging through her body. Her two children spent most of their time in the care of relatives as their stepfather, Jose Linarte, spent as much time as he could by Carolina's side, waiting and praying.
The ICU staff cared as best they could for their critically-ill patient, but the sepsis was getting worse instead of better.
Two days of trying to contact Maber Medical Center, where Carolina had undergone an abortion on the 19th, over her husbands objections, had yielded no help. The young mother, who had no medical insurance, had been suffering from fever and pain since the evening of the 19th.
Doctors at the hospital had performed an emergency hysterectomy, trying to halt the spread of infection from her perforated uterus, but the sepsis raged on.
Carolina spent Christmas on a respirator, sepsis raging through her body. Her two children spent most of their time in the care of relatives as their stepfather, Jose Linarte, spent as much time as he could by Carolina's side, waiting and praying.
The ICU staff cared as best they could for their critically-ill patient, but the sepsis was getting worse instead of better.
Anniversary: Horrifying Christmas discovery
On Christmas day of 1934, the nude body of a young woman was found in a thicket near a highway south of New York City. She had been dead between 12 and 24 hours.
Laura and Joseph Devine, whose 19-year-old daughter, Loretta Wilson, had been missing since December 19, contacted authorities and were able to positively identify the body.
Loretta had left home at noon on the 19th, telling the landlady that she was going to see a doctor.
Loretta's family had reported her missing on the 20th.
When an autopsy revealed the cause of death as abortion, Loretta's husband of two years indicated that he had not even been aware that Loretta was pregnant.
A physician, John H. Becker Jr., who admitted to having examined Loretta on December 17, was charged with homicide in the death. He denied performing the abortion.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Laura and Joseph Devine, whose 19-year-old daughter, Loretta Wilson, had been missing since December 19, contacted authorities and were able to positively identify the body.
Loretta had left home at noon on the 19th, telling the landlady that she was going to see a doctor.
Loretta's family had reported her missing on the 20th.
When an autopsy revealed the cause of death as abortion, Loretta's husband of two years indicated that he had not even been aware that Loretta was pregnant.
A physician, John H. Becker Jr., who admitted to having examined Loretta on December 17, was charged with homicide in the death. He denied performing the abortion.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Monday, December 24, 2007
A blessed Christmas
It's Christmas morning here in Korea. My best gift will be meeting me in the lobby of the 63 Building in Seoul at noon: my friend from Sokcho that I last saw exactly one year ago, last Christmas.
God is good. It's just easier to see it when you're looking forward to seeing a friend in a few hours.
God is good. It's just easier to see it when you're looking forward to seeing a friend in a few hours.
Anniversary: Tragic holiday surprise
On the morning of Deceber 24, 1885, Dr. Sawdy of Howard City, about 40 miles north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, got an unexpected visit from the father of Harry McDowell, who had been courting Sawdy's 21-year-old daughter, Sylvia.
On December 10, Sylvia had taken a train to Grand Rapids, saying that she was going to visit with Harry's mother. The senior McDowell told Dr. Sawdy that he'd gotten a telegram from Harry, that Sylvia was very sick and wanted her mother to go to her.
Dr. Sawdy would not learn the truth until he picked up the newspaper the following morning: Sylvia was dead, and Harry was the prime suspect in her death.
It came out in Harry's trial that in November, Sylvia had consulted with Drs. Bodle, Hake, and Bradish, indicating that she was pregnant. Evidence indicated that McDowell had performed an abortion on Sylvia on December 23, and that she died that day. McDowell was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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On December 10, Sylvia had taken a train to Grand Rapids, saying that she was going to visit with Harry's mother. The senior McDowell told Dr. Sawdy that he'd gotten a telegram from Harry, that Sylvia was very sick and wanted her mother to go to her.
Dr. Sawdy would not learn the truth until he picked up the newspaper the following morning: Sylvia was dead, and Harry was the prime suspect in her death.
It came out in Harry's trial that in November, Sylvia had consulted with Drs. Bodle, Hake, and Bradish, indicating that she was pregnant. Evidence indicated that McDowell had performed an abortion on Sylvia on December 23, and that she died that day. McDowell was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
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Sunday, December 23, 2007
Search: Dr. Robert F. Meger
Somebody was searching for Dr. Robert F. Meger. Here are the cases I have on file:
Mary L., age 29, filed suit against Dr. Robert F. Meger and Birth Control Care Center after an abortion she underwent there at Meger's hands on November 24, 1986. The suit says that Meger "punctured [Mary's] uterus and gouged out a portion of [her] colon." Twice Mary called the clinic to report pain, fever, and bleeding. Meger diagnosed her trouble as a urinary tract infection. Three days after the abortion, Mary was admitted to ths hospital, "wherein an intact fetus of 12 approximate weeks gestation, including an umbilical cord, and placental tissue were removed from Mary's abdominal cavity." Rather than remove the fetus, Meger had shoved it through a hole in Mary's uterus and left it there. Mary had to undergo surgery to repair her damaged uterus and colon. She was hospitalized for seven days. (Clark County District Court Cse No. A275976)
Ms. C, age 33, sued after an abortion by Meger (probably Robert F. Meger), affiliated with Birth Control Care Center, without first properly performing Rh factor testing and without administering Rho-gam. As a result, Ms. C became Rh-sensitized, and her subsequent baby, bing Rh-negative, required a total blood exchange. Ms. C was permanently Rh-sensitized, and will have problems with all future pregnancies.
Ms. P, age 35, alleged that on day two of a second-trimester abortion by Meger (probably Robert F. Meger), her uterus was perforated, resulting in bleeding into her abdomen. She went into shock and was transported to a hospital. There, she was found to have blood pressure of 40/20. She required five hours of surgery, including a hysterectomy.
Mary L., age 29, filed suit against Dr. Robert F. Meger and Birth Control Care Center after an abortion she underwent there at Meger's hands on November 24, 1986. The suit says that Meger "punctured [Mary's] uterus and gouged out a portion of [her] colon." Twice Mary called the clinic to report pain, fever, and bleeding. Meger diagnosed her trouble as a urinary tract infection. Three days after the abortion, Mary was admitted to ths hospital, "wherein an intact fetus of 12 approximate weeks gestation, including an umbilical cord, and placental tissue were removed from Mary's abdominal cavity." Rather than remove the fetus, Meger had shoved it through a hole in Mary's uterus and left it there. Mary had to undergo surgery to repair her damaged uterus and colon. She was hospitalized for seven days. (Clark County District Court Cse No. A275976)
Ms. C, age 33, sued after an abortion by Meger (probably Robert F. Meger), affiliated with Birth Control Care Center, without first properly performing Rh factor testing and without administering Rho-gam. As a result, Ms. C became Rh-sensitized, and her subsequent baby, bing Rh-negative, required a total blood exchange. Ms. C was permanently Rh-sensitized, and will have problems with all future pregnancies.
Ms. P, age 35, alleged that on day two of a second-trimester abortion by Meger (probably Robert F. Meger), her uterus was perforated, resulting in bleeding into her abdomen. She went into shock and was transported to a hospital. There, she was found to have blood pressure of 40/20. She required five hours of surgery, including a hysterectomy.
Anniversary: Two children orphaned by safe, legal abortion
"Kimberly" was 25 years old and 18 weeks pregnant when she underwent an abortion in New York City on December 23, 1970. During the abortion, she went into cardiac arrest and died, leaving behind two children.
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, December 22, 2007
Top Ten Mysteries of the Orient
10. Why can't Korean doctors prescribe a full course of antibiotics? Why make you come back every three days?
9. Where did Koreans get the idea that no pizza is complete without corn and sweet potatoes? It's tough to get a pizza that doesn't feature at least one of those toppings, even if you don't order it. While we're at it, why can't they make pizzas to order? Why must you stick only with their pre-ordained combos? Which, again, tend to include corn or sweet potatoes.
8. What's with Koreans and their love of wet floors? Why can't the shower drain in the shower? I nearly broke my neck this morning stepping into my bathroom, because it had slipped my mind (ha!) that after a shower, my entire floor is sopping wet for hours because the shower stall drains out into the bathroom. The main drain is under the sink. I'm just glad I finally got an apartment that doesn't have a washing machine that drains onto the floor, like my last three apartments.
7. Would it kill Koreans to put erasers on their pencils? I pass out pencils to my students and two seconds later I'm bombarded with pleas for erasers. I used to keep a supply of erasers in my basket but I got sick of the kids bouncing them off the floor and started just saying, "If you make a mistake, cross it out. And when you grow up, become a pencil manufacturer and put erasers on the ends of the stupid things!"
6. While we're on the topic of Korean pencils, could they improve the overall quality just a bit? The leads are ill-centered and fragile. One Korean pencil is usually good for three or four sharpenings and then it's nothing but a stub. And you have to sharpen them constantly because the leads break all the time. Conspicuous consumption has found its acme in the Korean pencil industry. Which may be why they don't bother putting erasers on them. You're going to throw the darned thing out before you have a chance to use the eraser anyway.
5. Other than the drunks, who smell like soju and kimchi, Koreans don't smell bad. How to they manage that in a country where you can't buy underarm deodorant?
4. Why are the standard envelopes in Korea too small to fit a standard sheet of paper into unless you fold it into strange configurations?
3. While we're on the subject of envelopes, why don't Koreans gum the darned flaps? You have to seal them with Scotch tape. See pencils and erasers, above. And why don't they gum their postage stamps? You have to glue them to the envelopes.
2. Why do Koreans put sugar on garlic bread?
And the Number One Mystery of the Orient:
1. How can a country so oblivious of safety be so densely poplated? Given the number of Koreans that must be flung through windshields because they never wear seatbelts, having their necks snapped when they roller-blade down the stairs, crushed between their mom and the dashboard because they ride on her lap, hit by the cars that get the signal to turn onto a street just as pedestrians are getting the green light to cross it, killed by falling material in constrution sites that pedestrians are free to wander through, run off the road by maniacal bus drivers, electrocuted by ungrounded outlets, and flattened and killed skatboarding without helmets in traffic, it's a wonder there are any of them left to reproduce.
9. Where did Koreans get the idea that no pizza is complete without corn and sweet potatoes? It's tough to get a pizza that doesn't feature at least one of those toppings, even if you don't order it. While we're at it, why can't they make pizzas to order? Why must you stick only with their pre-ordained combos? Which, again, tend to include corn or sweet potatoes.
8. What's with Koreans and their love of wet floors? Why can't the shower drain in the shower? I nearly broke my neck this morning stepping into my bathroom, because it had slipped my mind (ha!) that after a shower, my entire floor is sopping wet for hours because the shower stall drains out into the bathroom. The main drain is under the sink. I'm just glad I finally got an apartment that doesn't have a washing machine that drains onto the floor, like my last three apartments.
7. Would it kill Koreans to put erasers on their pencils? I pass out pencils to my students and two seconds later I'm bombarded with pleas for erasers. I used to keep a supply of erasers in my basket but I got sick of the kids bouncing them off the floor and started just saying, "If you make a mistake, cross it out. And when you grow up, become a pencil manufacturer and put erasers on the ends of the stupid things!"
6. While we're on the topic of Korean pencils, could they improve the overall quality just a bit? The leads are ill-centered and fragile. One Korean pencil is usually good for three or four sharpenings and then it's nothing but a stub. And you have to sharpen them constantly because the leads break all the time. Conspicuous consumption has found its acme in the Korean pencil industry. Which may be why they don't bother putting erasers on them. You're going to throw the darned thing out before you have a chance to use the eraser anyway.
5. Other than the drunks, who smell like soju and kimchi, Koreans don't smell bad. How to they manage that in a country where you can't buy underarm deodorant?
4. Why are the standard envelopes in Korea too small to fit a standard sheet of paper into unless you fold it into strange configurations?
3. While we're on the subject of envelopes, why don't Koreans gum the darned flaps? You have to seal them with Scotch tape. See pencils and erasers, above. And why don't they gum their postage stamps? You have to glue them to the envelopes.
2. Why do Koreans put sugar on garlic bread?
And the Number One Mystery of the Orient:
1. How can a country so oblivious of safety be so densely poplated? Given the number of Koreans that must be flung through windshields because they never wear seatbelts, having their necks snapped when they roller-blade down the stairs, crushed between their mom and the dashboard because they ride on her lap, hit by the cars that get the signal to turn onto a street just as pedestrians are getting the green light to cross it, killed by falling material in constrution sites that pedestrians are free to wander through, run off the road by maniacal bus drivers, electrocuted by ungrounded outlets, and flattened and killed skatboarding without helmets in traffic, it's a wonder there are any of them left to reproduce.
What real informed consent would look like
I posted this long ago on the old Pro Life Views forum at About.com. Now I submit it for the commentary/perusal of visitors here. What would constitute adequate informed consent for abortion?
First, the woman should be told that panic is normal, and that it usually passes. She should be informed of the normal psychology of pregnancy so that she can get a handle on whether she's just in the throes of normal early pregnancy stress, or if there is something bigger going on. She should also be told about the impact of stress on decision-making, so she can assess to what degree stress may be coloring her choice, overriding her real wishes and needs.
Second, she should be informed of the range of responses women have from abortion, from the satisfied customer to the women who suffer unspeakable anguish the rest of their lives. She should be given a collection of post-abortion women's writings, and an opportunity to speak to women who have had abortions, along the spectrum of experience. And she should be given information on risk factors so she can assess which is more likely to be her reaction to abortion.
Third, she should be informed of the particular physical risks of pregnancy and abortion as they relate to her specific case, including her age, any medical conditions she has, etc. This should include telling her exactly how much controversy there is in the medical community about exactly how high the risks are, to her body and to subsequent pregnancies. And she should get this information from people without an axe to grind -- say, a prochoice ob/gyn who does not perform abortions but has treated abortion complications, or a perinatologist who has experience with high risk pregnancies, depending on her specific situation.
Fourth, she should be informed about the entity that the abortion will destroy, including being shown a realtime ultrasound of her embryo or fetus, and pictures or models. After all, she's bound to find out sooner or later, so better to find out while she is still able to back out or go ahead. And she does need to be prepared for what she might see if she expels a whole fetus or fetal parts. She should explore her own ideas of when prenatal life is entitled to protection, and when it is wrong to kill an unborn entity. She should be warned that any moral qualms she has now will likely only intensify after the abortion, rather than fade.
Fifth, she should be informed of resources available to her, not only in her community, but national groups such as The Nurturing Network should she choose to go elsewhere to complete the pregnancy. This should include information relevant to her specific needs, particularly if she is considering abortion for maternal or fetal indications.
Sixth, she should be offered a consult with a clergyperson of her faith -- one whose beliefs are similar to her own. No taking the one prolife Unitarian minister in the county, or the only prochoice Roman Catholic priest. If she's a prochoice Unitarian, get her a consult with a prochoice Unitarian. If she's a prolife Unitarian, it'll be a little tough, but she should be able to sort out the spiritual ramifications of what she's considering while she's still making up her mind, and not when it's too late.
Finally, she should also be offered the opportunity to meet with people who've suffered any complications she has uneasiness about, like a colostomy or a hysterectomy.
The decision to end a pregnancy with a dead fetus instead of a live baby is a one shot deal that she'll carry with her for the rest of her life. We trivialize it, and then trivialize her pain if she's rushed into a bad choice. That's not right.
Please provide any feedback, and suggested links.
First, the woman should be told that panic is normal, and that it usually passes. She should be informed of the normal psychology of pregnancy so that she can get a handle on whether she's just in the throes of normal early pregnancy stress, or if there is something bigger going on. She should also be told about the impact of stress on decision-making, so she can assess to what degree stress may be coloring her choice, overriding her real wishes and needs.
Second, she should be informed of the range of responses women have from abortion, from the satisfied customer to the women who suffer unspeakable anguish the rest of their lives. She should be given a collection of post-abortion women's writings, and an opportunity to speak to women who have had abortions, along the spectrum of experience. And she should be given information on risk factors so she can assess which is more likely to be her reaction to abortion.
Third, she should be informed of the particular physical risks of pregnancy and abortion as they relate to her specific case, including her age, any medical conditions she has, etc. This should include telling her exactly how much controversy there is in the medical community about exactly how high the risks are, to her body and to subsequent pregnancies. And she should get this information from people without an axe to grind -- say, a prochoice ob/gyn who does not perform abortions but has treated abortion complications, or a perinatologist who has experience with high risk pregnancies, depending on her specific situation.
Fourth, she should be informed about the entity that the abortion will destroy, including being shown a realtime ultrasound of her embryo or fetus, and pictures or models. After all, she's bound to find out sooner or later, so better to find out while she is still able to back out or go ahead. And she does need to be prepared for what she might see if she expels a whole fetus or fetal parts. She should explore her own ideas of when prenatal life is entitled to protection, and when it is wrong to kill an unborn entity. She should be warned that any moral qualms she has now will likely only intensify after the abortion, rather than fade.
Fifth, she should be informed of resources available to her, not only in her community, but national groups such as The Nurturing Network should she choose to go elsewhere to complete the pregnancy. This should include information relevant to her specific needs, particularly if she is considering abortion for maternal or fetal indications.
Sixth, she should be offered a consult with a clergyperson of her faith -- one whose beliefs are similar to her own. No taking the one prolife Unitarian minister in the county, or the only prochoice Roman Catholic priest. If she's a prochoice Unitarian, get her a consult with a prochoice Unitarian. If she's a prolife Unitarian, it'll be a little tough, but she should be able to sort out the spiritual ramifications of what she's considering while she's still making up her mind, and not when it's too late.
Finally, she should also be offered the opportunity to meet with people who've suffered any complications she has uneasiness about, like a colostomy or a hysterectomy.
The decision to end a pregnancy with a dead fetus instead of a live baby is a one shot deal that she'll carry with her for the rest of her life. We trivialize it, and then trivialize her pain if she's rushed into a bad choice. That's not right.
Please provide any feedback, and suggested links.
Anniversary: Back-alley abortion proves fatal
On December 22, 1891, a Swedish girl named Tillie Thom was found dead at the office of Dr. Franklin Brooks in Chicago. Tillie had died of an abortion performed there that day. Brooks was found responsible for Tillie's death by Coroner's Verdict.
Tillie's abortion was typical of those before legalization in that it was performed by a physician.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Tillie's abortion was typical of those before legalization in that it was performed by a physician.
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, December 21, 2007
Searches: Klopfer, death, saline, self-induced, and more
The Guitierrez Abortion: Into the ICU
On December 21, 1995, 20-year-old Carolina Gutierrez, already ill from an abortion performed in a Miami clinic two days earlier, could barely breathe. Her family called 911 and she was rushed to the hospital. She arrived at the emergency room already in septic shock.
Carolina had tried over the previous two days to contact staff at the clinic, Maber Medical Center in Miami. She had been suffering pain in her chest and abdomen since the evening of the 19th. She kept getting an answering machine, but her messages were not returned. When somebody finally did answer the phone, they had hung up on her. Carolina had no medical insurance. She needed help. She tried to tough it out, to no avail.
Doctors at the hospital performed an emergency hysterectomy, trying to halt the spread of infection from her perforated uterus. After surgery, Carolina was put into the intensive care unit, where she battled for her life against the raging sepsis.
Relatives cared for her children, a five-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy from a previous relationship, while Carolina's husband, Jose Linarte, spent as much time as he could by her side. "I can't sleep. I try to take my mind off it, but it's impossible," he told the Miami Herald.
His wife lay there on a respirator. All Jose could do was wait and pray.
Carolina had tried over the previous two days to contact staff at the clinic, Maber Medical Center in Miami. She had been suffering pain in her chest and abdomen since the evening of the 19th. She kept getting an answering machine, but her messages were not returned. When somebody finally did answer the phone, they had hung up on her. Carolina had no medical insurance. She needed help. She tried to tough it out, to no avail.
Doctors at the hospital performed an emergency hysterectomy, trying to halt the spread of infection from her perforated uterus. After surgery, Carolina was put into the intensive care unit, where she battled for her life against the raging sepsis.
Relatives cared for her children, a five-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy from a previous relationship, while Carolina's husband, Jose Linarte, spent as much time as he could by her side. "I can't sleep. I try to take my mind off it, but it's impossible," he told the Miami Herald.
His wife lay there on a respirator. All Jose could do was wait and pray.
Anniversary: Abortion stopover proves deadly for Australian woman
Denise Holmes, a 24-year-old Australian woman living in Texas, decided to undergo an abortion at Avalon Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on her way home for Christmas of 1970.
Denise checked into Avalon Hospital (an abortion facility owned by Edward Campbell Allred) on December 21. Denise suffered an amniotic fluid embolism that carried pieces of fetal bone marrow into her lungs. She was pronounced dead by Edward Allred at Avalon at 5pm.
Denise is the first confirmed abortion death at an Allred facility. She died before the National Abortion Federation was founded, with Allred's Family Planning Associates Medical Group as a member.
Other young mothers known to have died after abortion at Allred's facilities include:
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
Denise checked into Avalon Hospital (an abortion facility owned by Edward Campbell Allred) on December 21. Denise suffered an amniotic fluid embolism that carried pieces of fetal bone marrow into her lungs. She was pronounced dead by Edward Allred at Avalon at 5pm.
Denise is the first confirmed abortion death at an Allred facility. She died before the National Abortion Federation was founded, with Allred's Family Planning Associates Medical Group as a member.
Other young mothers known to have died after abortion at Allred's facilities include:
- Patricia Chacon, age 16, 1984
- Mary Pena, age 43, 1984
- Josefina Garcia, age 37, 1985
- Lanice Dorsey, age 17, 1986
- Joyce Ortenzio, age 32, 1988
- Tami Suematsu, age 19, 1988
- Susan Levy, age 30, 1992
- Deanna Bell, age 13, 1992
- Christina Mora, age 18, 1994
- Kimberly Neil, 2000
- Chanelle Bryant, age 22, 2004
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Anniversary: Abortion by midwife proves fatal for teen
On December 21, 1926, fifteen-year-old Emily Mueller died from complications of a criminal abortion performed somewhere in Chicago on December 11. A midwife, Magdelane Stegeman, alias Motzny, was booked on December 28. The coroner cleared Stegeman, but she was nevertheless indicted for felony murder by the Grand Jury on February 15, 1927.
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.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The things we do for "love"
Lori Borgman at Jewish World Review penned a haunting look at the price children pay for their mothers' willingness to tolerate anything, just to have a man, any man, even a slimebag man, in their lives.
I once listened to a tape of a National Abortion Federation meeting -- nurses fretting about how to get women to follow up on aftercare. The biggest problem was getting the women to abstain from sex for six weeks while they healed -- or to at least have their "partners" use a condom. But, the nurses commiserated, these women were in "relationships" with men who would not tolerate "No." (Isn't that rape?) Men who refused to wear condoms. Men who were festering ambulatory petri dishes of STDs because they were having sexual relations with every woman they could bully into putting out. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 82% of abortions are performed on unmarried women. How many of them are aborting to keep these "boyfriends" happy? The same "boyfriends" who are only too happy to keep them in an endless cycle of desperate unprotected sex, abortions, and life-endangering STDs?
Dr. Laura asked, "Is a woman just a wo-wo-wo on a man?" Evidently even the "wo-wo-wo" isn't necessary. He doesn't have to be Prince Charming. Any toad will do. As long as he has the Y chromosome, he'll suffice.
Why are so many women willing to sacrifice their self-respect, their bodies, their health, their children, just to have a man? And what men! Men that any reasonable community would tar, feather, and run out of town on a rail.
This is the end result of the Sexual Revolution, which holds that our best and highest calling is to capitulate to the urge every time our hormones tell us to rut. Or, in the case of these women, to capitulate to the man's urges every time his hormones tell him to rut. Human bonds of love fall by the wayside. The hunger for something more is denegrated. It's puritanical. It's old-fashioned. It's Ward and June. It's turning back the clock. It's unrealistic.
It's doable. And it's worth it.
P.S.: I'm not saying this from the comfortable ivory tower of a happy marriage. I've been divorced for about sixteen years now, and walked the chastity line since I became a Christian some thirteen years ago. I fell off that line a couple of times early on, picked myself back up, and have managed to tell my hormones and loneliness where to get off for eight or nine years now. It's doable. But it's an uphill climb in a society that treats you like a freak for even trying. Chastity isn't easy. We need to stop making it needlessly harder.
I once listened to a tape of a National Abortion Federation meeting -- nurses fretting about how to get women to follow up on aftercare. The biggest problem was getting the women to abstain from sex for six weeks while they healed -- or to at least have their "partners" use a condom. But, the nurses commiserated, these women were in "relationships" with men who would not tolerate "No." (Isn't that rape?) Men who refused to wear condoms. Men who were festering ambulatory petri dishes of STDs because they were having sexual relations with every woman they could bully into putting out. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 82% of abortions are performed on unmarried women. How many of them are aborting to keep these "boyfriends" happy? The same "boyfriends" who are only too happy to keep them in an endless cycle of desperate unprotected sex, abortions, and life-endangering STDs?
Dr. Laura asked, "Is a woman just a wo-wo-wo on a man?" Evidently even the "wo-wo-wo" isn't necessary. He doesn't have to be Prince Charming. Any toad will do. As long as he has the Y chromosome, he'll suffice.
Why are so many women willing to sacrifice their self-respect, their bodies, their health, their children, just to have a man? And what men! Men that any reasonable community would tar, feather, and run out of town on a rail.
This is the end result of the Sexual Revolution, which holds that our best and highest calling is to capitulate to the urge every time our hormones tell us to rut. Or, in the case of these women, to capitulate to the man's urges every time his hormones tell him to rut. Human bonds of love fall by the wayside. The hunger for something more is denegrated. It's puritanical. It's old-fashioned. It's Ward and June. It's turning back the clock. It's unrealistic.
It's doable. And it's worth it.
P.S.: I'm not saying this from the comfortable ivory tower of a happy marriage. I've been divorced for about sixteen years now, and walked the chastity line since I became a Christian some thirteen years ago. I fell off that line a couple of times early on, picked myself back up, and have managed to tell my hormones and loneliness where to get off for eight or nine years now. It's doable. But it's an uphill climb in a society that treats you like a freak for even trying. Chastity isn't easy. We need to stop making it needlessly harder.
Anniversary: Criminal abortion by midwife proves fatal
On December 20, 1926, 23-year-old Mary Paradowski died at Chicago hospital from complications of a criminal abortion performed on December 13. On January 15, 1927, a midwife named Josephine Petrova was indicted for felony murder in Mary's death.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
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, December 19, 2007
Searches: Self induced and quacks
That's it for now. Time to hop in the shower and head for work.
Carolina Gutierrez: The abortion
Carolina Gutierrez, who had come to the United States as a refugee from Nicaragua at age 13, was 20 years old when she went to Maber Medical Center in Miami for an abortion on December 19, 1995. Carolina's husband did not want her to have the abortion, so Carolina got a friend to drive her back and forth to the clinic.
The evening after her abortion, Carolina had pain in her chest and abdomen. She called the clinic for help, but whoever answered the phone hung up on her.
What followed will unfold on this blog over the same time it played out in real life.
The evening after her abortion, Carolina had pain in her chest and abdomen. She called the clinic for help, but whoever answered the phone hung up on her.
What followed will unfold on this blog over the same time it played out in real life.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Searches: assorted butchery, for the most part
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
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Searches: Quacks again. And another person trusting PP's honesty.
For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:
To email this post to a friend, use the icon below.
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