The Reality of Abortion in

America

Presented by Collegians for

Life

ABORTION- 44 MILLION BABIES KILLED BY AMERICANS

Abortion in America

• Between 1 and 1.6 million abortions per year in the US since 1975

• In 1997, 36,450,000 abortions since legalization in 1973

• In 2003, approximately 43 million abortions since 1973

Abortion in America

• In 2000, 3,600 abortions per day, one every 24 seconds

• In 2000, 140,000 second and third trimester abortions

• In 1997, 360 abortions per 1000 live births

Abortion in America

• 93% women had abortions for “social reasons”: finances, unwanted pregnancy, unready, relationship problems, etc.

• 7% of abortions are for “hard cases”– 1% rape and incest– 3% birth defects or selective termination– 3% for life/health of mother

Abortion In America

• Average cost of an abortion is $375

• Abortion is a $400 million/year industry

• Nearly half of women who have an abortion have already had one or more abortions previously

Abortion in America

• In the year 2000 alone, more American children died from abortion than American soldier casualties in the Revolutionary, Civil, World I, World II, Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars combined– All abortion stats for USA from Alan Guttmacher Institute

(research arm of Planned Parenthood)

Abortion in North Dakota

• 1, 216 abortions performed in 2001

• 115 second trimester abortions in 2001

• Peak number of abortions 3,076 in 1982

• One clinic in Fargo

• ND residents also go to Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Canada

Abortion Procedures

• Dilation and Curettage (D & C)• Suction Aspiration• Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)• Hypertonic Saline• Prostaglandins• Mifepristone and Misoprostol (RU-486)• Partial Birth Abortion• And other rare procedures (hysterotomy, laminaria)

Dilation and Curettage

• Primarily first trimester

• Progressive dilation of cervix

• Use curette to cut baby into pieces

• Scrape lining of uterus and baby into a basin

• Control of bleeding is primary concern

Suction Aspiration

• Most common first trimester procedure

• Paralyze cervical muscle tissue

• Dilation with instruments

• Introduce suction catheter with a knife-tip into uterus

• Fetus and placenta are cut and suctioned from uterus

Dilation and Evacuation

• Second and third trimester procedure

• Dilation of cervix

• Baby is dismembered in uterus and removed piece by piece

• Must use surgical pliers as baby’s skull and spine are beginning to calcify

• Nursing or surgical technician responsibility to reassemble baby to make sure uterus is empty

Hypertonic Saline

• Similar to amniocentesis: inject hypertonic saline into amniotic fluid

• Baby breathes and swallows hypertonic amniotic fluid

• Cause of death is acute hypernatremia: widespread vasodilation, edema, hemorrhage, shock, followed by death

• Length of time from injection to death about one hour• Woman goes into labor and delivers dead baby

Hypertonic Saline

• Second trimester; current decline in use• Complications (Smeltzer & Bare)

– Maternal Cardiovascular collapse– Pulmonary edema– DIC– Renal failure

Prostaglandins

• Normally used to induce labor following fetal demise after 20 weeks gestation

• Used as second trimester procedure

• Side effects: pain, fever, diarrhea• 42.6% complication rate (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

RU-486

• Mifepristone: Progesterone antagonist

• Must be used during first eight weeks of gestation, preferably within ten days of conception

• 10% rate of failure to induce complete abortion

• Used with Misoprostol or other prostaglandin to induce uterine contractions

RU-486

• Prolonged bleeding (Smeltzer & Bare)

• “Considerable pain” – Rousel-Uclaf, manufacturer of RU-486

• This procedure lasts 2-7 or more days

• Woman usually delivers dead baby at home

• Importance of pre- and post- clinic visits

• Severe, life-threatening bleeding: 1-2%

• Holly Patterson

Partial Birth Abortion

• Primarily during third trimester• 80% PBA’s are on “normal” pregnancies with

viable babies• Under operative conditions, infant is delivered

in breech position• Head remains in birth canal• Scissors into base of skull, suction catheter

introduced to remove baby’s brain• Skull is collapsed and baby delivered

Partial Birth Abortion

• Ban passed this year

• No partial birth abortions except for life of mother

• “The facts indicate that a partial-birth abortion is never necessary to preserve the health of a woman, poses serious risks to a woman's health, and lies outside the standard of medical care” (US Congress Declaration).

Partial Birth Abortion

• First national law to put any restrictions on abortion

• Judges in Nebraska, New York and California have issued temporary restraining orders that prevent enforcement of the ban on several abortionists

• Likely that this ban will eventually be reviewed by the Supreme Court

Partial Birth Abortion

• 68% of the American people thought partial birth abortion should be illegal

• 77% of the young adults ages 18-29 were in favor of the ban

• Even those questioned who claimed to be pro-choice were in favor of the ban by a margin of forty six percent

(Gallup poll)

Partial Birth Abortion

Risks and Effects:

• Increased risk of cervical incompetence

• increased risk of uterine rupture, placental abruption, and amniotic fluid embolus

• trauma to the uterus as a result of converting the child to a footling breech position

• Psychologic: having a child die inside of one in a violent manner

Abortion Effects

• Complications:– 1% if less than 6 weeks– 3-6% if during 12-13 weeks– Up to 50% during second and third trimesters

• Mortality:– 2.2:100,000 11-12 weeks– 14:100,000 16-20 weeks, 18:100,000 >21 weeks(Gaufberg, Harvard Medical School)

Abortion Effects

• Surgical complications (anesthesia)

• Retained placenta and baby parts

• Uterine perforation

• Bowel and bladder injury, perforation

• Failed abortion

• Infection and sepsis

• Cervical laceration

Abortion Effects

• Hemorrhage• Infertility, cervical incompetence• Complications of future pregnancies• Cardiac arrest• DIC• Breast Cancer (Kahlenborn)• Postabortion triad

– Pain, bleeding, low-grade fever(Gaufberg, Harvard Medical School and Dept. Emergency Medicine)

Abortion Effects

• CDC: 5% maternal deaths between 1979 and 1986 due to legal abortions (124 deaths)

• Surgeon General Everett Koop: “impossible to provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women”

lack of studies on abortions, free-standing abortion clinics that are not required to keep records, women unwilling to discuss their abortion experiences

Abortion Effects

• Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS)– Guilt– Grief– Depression– Flashbacks and nightmares– Impaired relationships– Suicide ideology and attempts– Low self-esteem

Abortion Effects

• Substance Abuse

• Suicide

• Regrets

• Domestic Violence

• Child Abuse

• Psychological distress from physical damage

• Spiritual distress

Laws

• US: Abortion legal throughout all 9 months

• No US prohibitions on abortions of any type or at any stage, except partial birth abortion ban

• ND: Abortion legal throughout all 9 months

• After 12 weeks, abortion must be done in a hospital, no abortions after viability except for life of mother or substantial mental/physical health risks

Laws

• Babies born alive must receive same treatment as prematurely-born infants

• ND minors must have parental consent from both parents. Other states: 1 or none

• ND: No research, experimentation, or transplantation may be done with aborted babies

• 1999: ND passed PBA ban

Laws

• 13 states recognize as victims unborn children who are killed through violent crime after a certain gestational age (e.g. 12 weeks)

• 15 states recognize as victims unborn children who are killed regardless of gestational age

• Lacy and Connor’s Law, and others

• US Congress and Senate passed Unborn Victims of Violence Act 2004

Men’s Issues/Rights

• Men have no legal rights to their children until the child is born

• Once the child is born, men have many legal, financial, and social rights and responsibilities

• Woman does not need consent of partner to have abortion

• About 50% of abortions result in death of a baby boy

Men’s Issues/Rights

• The personal side of it all. . .

Ethics

• When does human life begin?– If uncertainty of life, benefit of a doubt– Is there a period of non-life?– DNA genetic code

• What constitutes life?– Biological growth– Response to stimuli– Metabolism – Cell reproduction

Ethics

• If unborn child is truly “alive”, can we kill it?

• Do medical personnel need to assist with procedures to which they are morally opposed?

• Is abortion ethical if the child has birth defects?– Grief over natural versus unnatural deaths– Disabilities – Abilities – Discrimination

Ethics

• Is abortion ethical when protecting the mother’s health?– “Today it is possible for almost any patient to be

brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal disease such as cancer or leukemia, and if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save the life of the mother” (Alan Guttmacher, president Planned Parenthood)

What are the alternatives to this?

Alternatives

• Family, friends, community

• Pregnancy and Parenting community resources– PERC -Nursing Center– Altru -Etc.

• Women’s Crisis Pregnancy Centers:– Blessed Gianna’s Maternity Home (Warsaw)– The Perry Center (Fargo)– Women’s Pregnancy Center (Grand Forks)

Alternatives

• Crisis Pregnancy Hotlines

• Safe Abandonment Laws

• Post-abortion Counseling and Retreats– Rachel’s Vineyard

• Adoption– Open– Semi-open– Closed

What Can I Do?

• Educate yourself• Support friends, acquaintances, family who are

in crisis situations, provide options and love• Speak out with logic and charity• Vote pro-life• Pray• Get involved• Contact your legislators