MISCELLANEOUS FACTS ABOUT ABORTION James and Joan Werning 714-596-3444 (see end for more complete references) STATISTICS Over 1.5 million abortions are done per year in the United States, over 18 million since 1973. (Scientific American, p.88, 6/81),(Christian Action Council newsletter, 7/31/86). About 55 million abortions worldwide were to occur in 1985. (The Plain Truth Magazine, 5/85.) Of the women having abortions in America, 75% are unmarried, 32% are teenagers, and 20% are "repeat customers." (Newsweek, p.39, 6/5/78) Who has abortions? (statistics for U.S., 1981) AGE GROUP NUMBER OF ABORTIONS % DISTRIBUTION under 15 15,240 1.0 15-19 433,330 27.5 20-24 554,940 35.2 25-29 316,260 20.0 30-34 167,240 10.6 35-39 69,510 4.4 over 40 20,820 1.3 TOTAL 1,577,340 100.0 RACE MARITAL STATUS White.... 70.2% Married..... 18.9% Nonwhite. 29.8% Unmarried... 81.1% (Alan Guttmacher Institute, as seen in "Abortion: The New Militancy", Gannett News Service, 12/85.) A 1985 survey of 1,500 adults got the following results: "A woman should be able to get a legal abortion for any reason (37%); if she is not married and does not want to marry the father (41%); if she is married and does not want any more children (40%); if the family has a very low income (44%), if the woman is pregnant from rape (81%); if there is a serious chance of defect in the baby (79%). (Abortion: The New Militancy, Gannett News Service, 12/85.) THE MEDIA AND ABORTION A national survey by Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance called "American Values in the 80's" showed that 65% of the general public believes that abortion is 'morally wrong'. In stark contrast, only 35% of those in the media feel abortion is morally wrong. (Americans Against Abortion newsletter, Vol 1, No. 2, Summer 1986). RAPE AND ABORTION Over 98% of all abortions are done simply because the mother does not want the baby. Only one out of every 25,000 abortions is done because of a pregnancy occuring from rape. Multiple studies show that less than 1% of the women who are raped become pregnant. (Basile J. Uddo, "On Rape, Incest and the Right to Life," The Human Life Review, Vol X, No. 3, Summer 1984, p.58.), ("What the Public Really Thinks About Abortion," Concerned Women For America, 122 C. St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001), (Dr. & Mrs. Wilke, Abortion: Questions & Answers, Hayes Publishing Co.). "BACK-ALLEY ABORTIONS" Most "back-alley abortions" were not done in back alleys. A study in 1958 showed that 84 to 87% were done by "reputable physicians." (Dr. & Mrs. J.C.Wilke, Abortion: Questions and Answers, Hayes Publishing.) A past president of Planned Parenthood stated in 1960 that "90% of all illegal abortions are presently done by physicians." (M. Calderone, "Illegal Abortion as a Public Health Problem," Amer. Jour. of Health, Vol. 50, 7/60, p.949.) In 1972 (the year before legallized abortion) only 39 deaths were recorded from abortion. Dr. Bernard Nathanson admits to having falsely circulated a much higher figure ('thousands') before the Supreme Court hearings in order to bring about legal abortion. However, after presiding over 75,000 deaths as the head of the world's largest abortion clinic, Dr. Nathanson came to believe that he was killing little people. (Aborting America, by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, see "The Questions Most People Ask About Abortion", Americans Against Abortion.) The federal government listed only 160 maternal deaths from abortion in 1967. ("Never to Live, Laugh or Love", Right To Life League of So. Calif.). Now that abortion is legal, women still die. Abortion is the sixth most common cause of maternal death. (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 5/85.) In 1981, French women had about 80,000 illegal abortions, and more than 180,000 legal ones. (The Plain Truth Magazine, 5/85.) WHERE WOMEN HAVE ABORTIONS 74% of women have abortions in non-hospital clinics, 18% in private hospitals, 4% in public hospitals, and 4% in physician's offices. ("Abortion: The New Militancy", Gannett News Service.) 87% of late term abortions are performed in hospitals. 72% of these are saline abortions. (Christian Action Council newsletter, 7/31/86). HIPPOCRATIC OATH "I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest such counsel, and in like manner, I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion." Hippocrates, 460 to 366 B.C. This statement is part of the Hippocratic Oath which doctors have taken for centuries as a moral standard governing their work. Needless to say, they have now excluded this section. PLANNED PARENTHOOD In 1939, Margaret Sanger formed "Planned Parenthood Federation of America". PPFA is now one of more than 90 national affiliates of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (London headquarters) with an annual budget of $45,000,000, about 40% of which comes from American taxpayers. PPFA runs 51 abortion centers, and is the largest abortion conglomerate in America. They performed 83,000 abortions in 1982. (Right To Life Bulletin, 8228 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231.) PPFA's goals in Margaret Sanger's own words, "Women's rights are to live... to love... to be an unmarried mother... to create... to destroy." She had two husbands, sundry lovers and advocated "voluntary association" between sexual partners. To quote her elitist goals, "More children from the fit; less from the unfit - that is the chief aim of birth control," and "Birth control: To create a race of thoroughbreds." She called the Slav, Latin, and Hebrew immigrants of her day "human weeds". In 1939 she wrote "We need to hand pick black ministers, as the most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members." (Monstrosity of Planned Parenthood, Intercessors of America, Box 1289, Elyria, OH 44036.) Large amounts of state and federal Family Planning money is targeted for today's immigrants and minorities. In 1985, $6,247,171 went from the California Office of Family Planning to Los Angeles for training "counselors" for "family planning" of Asians/Pacifics, Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. Planned Parenthood received 25% of this money. ("The office of Family Planning" Center for Documentation, P.O.Box 60087, Los Angeles, CA 90087.) State affiliates of Planned Parenthood get $30,000,000 a year from Title X federal grants, which is 56% of all Title X money! Almost 2/3 of Planned Parenthood money comes from taxes! (PP was found misusing Title X funds for lobbying purposes - to get more tax money!) (NRTL Educational Trust Fund, 419 7th St., N.W., Suite 402, Washington, D.C. 20004.) Since 1970, almost $1.5 billion of taxpayer money has gone into PPFA. (Americans Against Abortion newsletter, vol 1, no. 1, 4/86). In Birmingham Alabama, P.P. is receiving $550,000 in bond revenue funding approved by the city council. They applied under legislation that allows such funding specifically for facilities that provide "housing, care and treatment of persons requiring special care, including orphans and persons who are elderly, sick, physically disabled or handicapped, or mentally ill or retarded," although they offer none of these services. (The Rutherford Institute newsletter, 7/86). PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN COURT The following litigation was won by Planned Parenthood in the U.S. Courts: A husband has no right to protect his unborn child, or to be consulted before the abortion of his unborn child. (P.P. v. Danforth, 1976; P.P. v. Ashcroft, 1980.) The parents of a minor girl need not be involved in the child's decision to abort. (P.P. v. Danforth, 1976; P.P. v. Ashcroft, 1980.) It is not necessary for a mother to wait 24 hours after making her decision before having an abortion, despite the serious nature of the decision. Additionally, the mother need not be told of her unborn child's development and activities appropriate to his gestational age, and the potential risks and complications of abortion, so that she can make an informed choice. (P.P. v. Alexander, 1979; P.P. v. Bellotti, 1980; P.P. v. Ashcroft, 1980; Women's Medical v. Roberts.) The salt poisoning method of abortion used in 2nd trimester abortions is acceptable, despite the fact that it is admittedly very painful to the child, burning the skin and causing hemorrhaging and convulsions, and sometime lasting for hours. No attempt at a "humane death" need be pursued. (P.P. v. Danforth.) When there is a chance that a child may survive abortion, as in a late term abortion, it is not necessary that a second doctor be on hand. (P.P. v. Ashcroft.) Despite the fact that the abortion industry is heavily funded by tax dollars, no organization which helps women who choose to give birth may receive public funding. (P.P. v. Kempiners, 1982.) (More information about these cases is available from: P.R., 500 S. Broadway 245-B, Santa Maria, CA 93453.) UNFPA The United Nations Fund For Population Activities has committed $100 million to the brutal Chinese population program, assisting in their forced abortions. (Greater Pomona Valley C.P.C. newsletter, 5/86). FETAL DEVELOPMENT 18-25th day HEART is beating 3-4th week Eyes, spinal cord, brain, thyroid gland, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines forming. 4th week Head is taking definite shape, arms and legs forming. 5th week 1/3" tall, eyes, retina, lens, ear clefts, fingers, toes forming. 6th week Facial features, mouth and tongue, teeth forming in gums, major muscles, begins to move, brain waves (EEG), reproductive organs forming. 8th week Eyes open, swimming strokes, major organs functioning, grasps with hands, urinates. BABY IS CAPABLE OF FEELING PAIN! 12 weeks 3 1/2" tall, swallows, vocal chords, fingernails, sucks thumb, facial expressions. 16 weeks 5 1/2" tall, weighs 6 oz, eyebrows and lashes, kicks, somersaults. 18-20 wks All further development is simply maturing. Babies have survived outside of the womb from this age. (Life or Death, Hayes Publishing Co.) POST-ABORTION COMPLICATIONS After legal abortion, it has been shown that there is increased: Sterility 5% higher Psychiatric aftermath (England) 59% higher Tubal Pregnancies 3.5% higher (Handbook on Abortion, Dr. & Mrs. J.C.Willke, Hayes Publishing Co.). The risk of the following are also increased: Miscarriage 85% higher Premature birth 67% higher Low birthweight 32% higher Labor complications 47% higher Delivery complications 83% higher (Study by HEW's National Institutes of Health, 5/78). The most extensive study ever including 2,000,000 abortions over 17 years in Europe showed that after abortion: Miscarriage 120% higher Premature birth 100% higher Tubal pregnancy 130% higher Damaged cervix >100% higher Loss of interest in sexual activity 1 out of 3 women (The Medical Tribune, 2/5/75), (also see The British Medical Journal, 5/29/76). Among teenagers, the risks are even higher. "The cervix of the teenager, pregnant for the first time, is invariably small and tightly closed and especially liable to damage on dilatation." This quote was made by Dr. J.K. Russell based on records he kept on 62 pregnant teenage patients, 50 of whom had abortions, 19 of whom later miscarriaged and 5 of whom had premature births (none of the girls who kept their babies had these complications). ("Legalized Abortion and the Public Health", p.61, National Academy of Sciences Study, 1975). POST-ABORTION STRESS Dr. Anne Catherine Speckhard, Ph.D. of the University of Minnesota published a study on women who had abortions. The women reported: Preoccupation with the aborted child 81% Flashbacks of the abortion experience 73% Feelings of 'craziness' after abortion 69% Nightmares related to the abortion 54% Perceived visitations from dead child 35% Hallucinations related to the abortion 23% 72% said they held no religious beliefs at the time of their abortion, yet 96% now call it the taking of a life or murder. (Crusade For Life-Pomona Valley newsletter, 7/86). LIVE BIRTHS 400 to 500 children are born live as a result of abortion each year in America. (Greater Pomona Valley C.P.C. newsletter, 6/86). Of 607 2nd trimester abortions done at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, 45 resulted in live births. (Prostaglandin abortion). Although a fetus may live only a few hours, it must be pronounced dead by a physician, must receive both a birth and death certificate, and is sent to a funeral director for burial or cremation. A more expediant solution is offered in the publication of the International Correspondence Society of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (Nov. 1974): "At the time of delivery it has been our policy to wrap the fetus in a towel. The fetus is then moved to another room while our attention is turned to the care of the gravida (the former mother-to- be)... Once we are sure her condition is stable, the fetus is evaluated. Almost invariably all signs of life have ceased. Hysterotomy gives the fetus the best chance for survival, but it is allowed to die through neglect or sometimes killed by a direct act. In 1977 a Boston jury found Dr. Kenneth Edelin guilty of manslaughter for killing the fetus of this type of abortion. Dr. William G. Waddill, Jr., an obstetrician in California, was indicted and tried in January 1977 for allegedly strangling to death a baby born alive following a saline abortion. The trial resulted in a hung jury when the judge introduced new thoughts on the California definition of death. The former mother-to-be sued for $17 million on grounds that she was not adequately informed of the possible outcome of the abortion. In 1977 the medical staff at Hollywood's Memorial Hospital (Florida) protested, "We've had preemies that have lived that were less developed than some of these abortions were." ("Whatever Happened to the Human Race?" Francis Shaeffer & Dr. C. Everett Koop, Crossway Books, Westchester, IL). CALIFORNIA LAW A minor girl may have an abortion without parental consent or knowledge, although she must get consent for other things like ear- piercing. However, the parents are liable in event of complications. Unborn children do have certain rights. They have the right to inheritance, to damages received while yet unborn, to get a blood transfusion over his mother's objection, to have a guardian appointed, and other rights of citizenship. However, they do not have the right to live! (5 Ways To Kill an Unborn Child, Knights of Columbus). WHEN DOES HUMAN LIFE BEGIN? "The majority of our group could find no point in time between the union of sperm and egg, or at least the blastocyst stage, and the birth of the infant at which point we could say that this was not a human life." (The conclusion of sixty major scientific authorities at the First International Conference on Abortion, Washington, D.C., 10/67.) ABORTION METHODS Suction abortion: Over 85% of all abortions in U.S. and Canada are done by this method. The cervix is stretched open and a powerful suction tube is inserted. This tears apart the body of the developing baby and his placenta, sucking the "products of pregnancy" into a jar. D & C abortion: Performed between 7 and 12 weeks, this method utilizes a loop shaped steel knife. The abortionist cuts the tiny body to pieces and slices the placenta from the walls of the uterus. D & E abortion: Performed between 12 and 18 weeks, this method utilizes a sharp toothed pliers-like instrument. The abortionist grasps a part of the body of the baby and tears it away. This dismemberment of the living baby continues without any fetal anaesthetic until all parts, plus the deeply rooted afterbirth, are removed. Bleeding is profuse. Prostaglandin abortion: Prostaglandin, a drug manufactured by Upjohn Company, causes the woman to go into labor at any stage of pregnancy. It is used in middle and late pregnancy to induce abortion. It's major "complication" is "live birth". It also can cause serious maternal injury. Salt poisoning: This method is done after 16 weeks. A long needle is inserted through the mother's abdomen into the baby's sac and a solution of concentrated salt is injected into it. The baby breathes in and swallows the salt and is poisoned by it. The outer layer of skin is burned off by this, the most painful method of abortion for the baby. It takes over an hour to kill the child, and then the mother will go into labor about 24 hours later. Hysterotomy: This method is exactly like a Caesarean Section, but the baby is not allowed to live. Morbidity for the mother is 15 times greater than that of saline abortion. (Life or Death, pamphlet by Hayes Publishing Co., Inc.) ROE VS. WADE The Roe vs. Wade decision by the Supreme Court in 1973 allowed abortion on demand throughout the full term of pregnancy, based on the newly created 'right to privacy'. The court stated that abortion in the last trimester should be justified as protecting the health of the mother (which includes mental health), but ample precedence (U.S. Supreme Court, Yuitch case) has shown that this amounts to abortion on demand until the moment of birth. In Roe vs. Wade, the Court ruled that a child in the womb is not a person, even though he may be 5 minutes from being born. This is much the same as the Dred Scott Decision in 1857, where the Supreme Court ruled that black people were not "persons". They could be bought, sold, or even killed as the property of their owners. That decision, of course, was overturned by the 14th Amendment and enforced by the Civil War. The Court ruling that the unborn child is not a person is not a new tactic. Hitler was able to get full support for exterminating the Jews by decreeing that they were less than human. (Abortion: The New Militancy, Gannett News Agency, 12/85), (Life or Death pamphlet, Hayes Publishing Co.). BATTERED CHILDREN A study by Dr. Edward Lenoski of the University of Southern California has shown that 91% of battered children were planned pregnancies. (Life or Death pamphlet, Hayes Publishing Co.). In 1972 there were 60,000 reported child-abuse incidents in the U.S. In 1976, the number had soared to over 500,000! Child Abuse is now the fifth most frequent cause of death among children. (Francis Shaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop, "Whatever Happened to the Human Race?", Crossway Books, Westchester, IL.) PREGNANCY SUICIDES Suicide among pregnant women is almost unknown. In Minnesota, in a 15 year period, there were only 14 maternal suicides. 11 occurred after delivery. None were illegitimately pregnant. All were psychotic. (Life or Death pamphlet, Hayes Publishing Co.). QUALITY OF LIFE Well documented studies have shown that there is no difference between handicapped and normal persons in their degree of life satisfaction, outlook of what lies ahead, and vulnerability to frustration. (Paul Cameron & D. Van Hoeck, American Psychologic Assn. Meeting, 1971., Life or Death pamphlet, Hayes Publishing Co.) Dr. C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General of the United States questioned whether no life was better than a life of low quality. He decided that the person to ask is the individual who has a disabling birth defect. His interviews returned comments like: "Because the start was a little abnormal, it doesn't mean you're going to finish that way. I'm a normal, functioning human being..." "At times it got very hard, but life is certainly worth living." "I really think that all my operations and all the things I had wrong with me were worth it, because I really enjoy life and I don't really let the things that are wrong with me bother me..." ("Whatever Happened to the Human Race", Francis Shaeffer & C. Everett Koop, Crossway Books, Westchester, IL.) POPULATION EXPLOSION "Population size adjusts to productive conditions rather than being an uncontrolled monster." ("The Ultimate Resource", Julian L. Simon, 1981, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.) In 1798, an Englishman named Thomas Malthus published an influen- tial book titled "An Essay on the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future Improvement of Society". His dismal theorem proposed that man was multiplying faster than the food supply, and our overpopulation problems would be cursed with famine, pestilence, and war if not control- led. He argued that higher wages meant larger families. Contrary to Malthus, the people of India, China, and Europe are better fed now than ever before, despite the fact that their populations have more than doubled in the last 200 years. Also, the rise in wages has brought about a lowering of the birthrate. And contrary to Malthus's most fundamental belief, population does not grow in a constant geometric pattern. Instead, a major improvement of economic and health conditions produces a sudden increase in population, which gradually moderates. ("The End of Man", John Whitehead, 1986, Crossway Books, Westchester, IL.), ("The Ultimate Resource", Julian L. Simon, 1981, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.) Fertility in the United States has dropped to below 1.9. (Life or Death pamphlet, Hayes Publishing Co.). Adoption agencies have very long waiting lists because of the shortage of children to adopt. HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION Private abortion clinics in England have been selling live, aborted babies for research. Dr. Lawrence Lawn, of Cambridge University's Department of Experimental Medicine, was quoted as saying, "We are only using something destined for the incinerator to benefit mankind..." Mr. Phillip Stanley, a spokesman for a clinic selling fetuses, said that they were "aged between 18 and 22 weeks", or 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months! (Handbook on Abortion, Hayes Publishing Co.). Experiments are being done on live aborted babies by Finnish researcher Dr. Martii Kekomaki. One nurse observed: "They (the doctors) took the fetus and cut its belly open. They said they wanted its liver. They carried the baby out of the incubator and it was still alive. It was a boy. It had a complete body, with hands, feet, mouth and ears. It was even secreting urine." The baby had no anesthetic. Asked to explain the implications of his research, Kekomaki said, "An aborted baby is just garbage." (International Life Times, 11/7/80, p.9) Six months after the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States, Dr. Peter A. J. Adam, an associate professor of pediatrics at Case Western University, reported to the American Pediatric Research Society concerning research he and associates had conducted on twelve babies (up to twenty weeks old) who had been born alive by hysterotomy abortion. These men decapitated the babies and cannulated the internal carotid arteries. They kept the diminutive heads alive, much as the Russians kept dogs' heads alive in the 1950's. Note Dr. Adam's retort to criticism: "Once society's declared the fetus dead, and abrogated its rights, I don't see any ethical problem... Whose rights are we going to protect, once we've decided the fetus won't live?" ("Post Abortion Fetal Study Stirs Storm," Medical World News, 6/8/73, p.21.) BIBLICAL POSITION For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. Psalm 139:13,15 "Children are a gift of the Lord." Psalm 127:3 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones." Matthew 18:10 "You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 1:5 "There are six things the Lord hates... hands that shed innocent blood...etc." Proverbs 6:16-17 See Psalm 10:68,82; Galatians 1:15; Luke 1:15; Matthew 25:40,45. No Distinction is made in the Scriptures between babes in the womb and those already born. (example: 'brephos' used to describe Elizabeth's baby prenatally in Luke 1:41 and postnatally in Luke 18:15- 17.) The word means "an unborn child, embryo, fetus, a newborn child, an infant, brephos, a babe." (Thayers Greek English Lexicon, p.105). What does God require? "Hold back those who are stumbling to slaughter. If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does He not know it who weighs your heart? Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not requite man according to his work?" Proverbs 23:11-12 Americans Against Abortion, Box 70, Lindale, TX 75771-0070 Christian Action Council, 701 W. Broad St., Suite 405, Falls Church, VA 22046. Crusade For Life-Pomona Valley, 1684 Lakewood Ave., Upland, CA 91786. Gannett News Agency, Box 7858, Washington, D.C. 20044 Greater Pomona Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center, 515 N. Laurel Ave., Ontario, CA 91762. Hayes Publishing Co., Inc., 6304 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45224. National Communication Services, Box 1210, Lindale, TX 75771-1210. The Plain Truth Magazine, 300 W. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91123. Right To Life League of S. Cal., 1616 W. 9th St., Suite 220, L.A., CA 90015 The Rutherford Institute, Box 510, Manassas, VA 22110. For more information and pamphlets concerning abortion write to: Americans Against Abortion Christian Action Council Box 70 701 W. Broad St. Suite 405 Lindale, TX 75771-0070 Falls Church, VA 22046