REDUCING THE INCIDENCE OF ABORTION

Endeavour Forum has joined the campaign by the Australian Family Association to reduce the incidence of abortion. The first step in the campaign is to lobby for a Parliamentary Inquiry into Abortion. The reasons are:

Lack of accurate data: Despite the 9l, 000 annual abortion estimate provided by the Health Department in answer to Senator Boswell's January Questions on Notice, other researchers claim "There are no data currently available for deriving accurate numbers of induced abortions in Australia" [Annabelle Chan and Leonie C Sage MJA 2005; 182 (9): 447-452]. Health Minister Tony Abbott refers to l00,000 abortions. It is important that we get an accurate count - taxpayers are subsidizing these procedures and state governments should be required to provide the information. There needs to be separate Medicare Numbers distinguishing between abortion and a D & C after a miscarriage

Advances in medicine and science: With the visual evidence of the marvellous documentary “In the Womb”, which shows the development of a baby in 3D/4D pictures of a 12-week fetus bouncing around in utero, sucking its thumb, smiling, the humanity of the fetus can no longer be denied. Abortion providers can cease to claim that the fetus is “just a clump of cells” or a “blob of tissue”.

There have also been major advances in medicine since the 70s so that abortions for "health" reasons are no longer necessary - if they ever were. Many disabilities in the fetus can be corrected in utero or after birth so that parents worried about fetal anomalies can be reassured. As premature babies are surviving at 24 weeks gestation, what justification is there for aborting a fetus of that age (or older) for "social reasons"?

Damage to women: We now have more than three decades of information about the damage done to women as a consequence of abortion: physical, and psychological. The claim by the Health Department in answer to Senator Boswell's Questions on Notice (31 January 2005, #9) denying the link between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer is false and Endeavour Forum can provide expert evidence to refute the WHO statement of 2000 and the 2004 Lancet article.

A new study in France shows that an induced abortion can increase the risk of premature birth in subsequent pregnancies by as much as 70 percent. Abortions can damage the lining of the uterus, can damage the cervix and can cause infections which flare up in subsequent pregnancies. Premature birth is one of the greatest risk factors for the physical and mental health of children, and one of the major causes of cerebral palsy.

Planned Parenthood of Australia lists on its Informed Consent form these "Complications of a First Trimester Termination":

Post abortion syndrome, blood clots accumulating in the uterus, bleeding or pain requiring another suctioning
*Excessive bleeding that may require a blood transfusion
Residual products of conception may be left in the uterus requiring a repeat procedure
Infections, most of which are easily identified and treated if the woman carefuly observes the discharge instructions given and explained to her prior to leaving the facility
A tear in the cervix which may require stitches
Perforation of the wall of the uterus and/or organs that may heal themselves or may require surgical repair or rarely hysterectomy
Excessive bleeding due to failure of the uterus to contract which may require a blood transfusion
Incompetent cervix/stenosed cervix (too tight or too loose cervix which may impair future fertility)
Asherman's syndrome (cessation of periods) and adhesions in uterus which may impair future fertility
Depression or mood disturbance, suicide
False passage/channel in the cervix not allowing entry into the uterus

Planned Parenthood of Australia also lists many risks associated with anaesthesia.

PP should have added the increased risk of breast cancer and of premature birth in subsequent pregnancies. The first Abortion/Premature Birth damages case has been launched in the USA.

We need an audit of the results of the funds given for abortion "counselling" - this is a separate item to the funding for abortion procedures. Millions of our dollars for "counselling" are given to pro-abortion counsellors, akin to funding the tobacco industry to run a QUIT campaign. We need to know how many women "counselled" by Family Planning Associations and Children by Choice choose abortion or continue their pregnancies.

Abortion providers' staff tend to ignore indications that many girls and women are coerced into abortion by parents, boyfriends, de factos and husbands, telling them not to be silly if they appear reluctant to undergo the procedure. Abortion is often not the woman's choice.

There should be mandatory reporting of child sex abuse by abortion providers and counsellors when a girl under the age of consent (16) presents for abortion. The disposal of the fetus disposes of evidence which could convict the abuser of rape, incest or sex abuse.

Possible fraud: From questions asked by Senator Harradine it appears that some abortion providers are "double dipping" by bulk billing AND claiming Medicare payments.

(a) The Health Minister could decree that second trimester pregnancies can only be terminated in public hospitals. David Baartz, ob-gyn at the Royal Women's Hospital in Brisbane said there had been cases of women being admitted to hospital after private-clinic abortions with complications including hysterectomies, uterine perforations and bladder and bowel tearing, all requiring surgery. "It has totally destroyed fertility in a number of women", Dr. Baartz said. He was backed by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Medical Association, which said late terminations should be performed only in public hospitals.

(b) "Counselling" funding to pro-choice agencies should be re-directed to pregnancy support services so they can provide ultrasound pictures and advertise on billboards that women can hear that help is available - and also see and hear their baby's heartbeat.

(c) The Coalition Government is establishing "Family Relationship Centres" which will design "parenting plans" for divorcing couples so that custody, residence and other issues in regard to children can be resolved without bitter disputes. These Centres could be expanded - or separate government Centres established - where pregnant girls and women can receive advice and assistance on how they can continue with their pregnancy without abandoning their education or chosen career path. Where possible the fathers of the babies could be included in the "parenting plans". These government centres should not be "neutral" but should be life affirming as 100, 000 abortions every year are NOT IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST. Purely from an economic perspective, Australia needs these babies.

'The Cost of "Choice" - Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion" edited by Erika Bachiochi includes essays by professors, legal scholars and doctors, including surgeon Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, Vice President, Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. Published by Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2004. US$17.95. Excerpt selected by Dr. Arthur Hartwig, Queensland doctor.

Elizabeth M. Shadigan M.D. is a clinical associate professor of obstetrics & gynaecology at the University of Michigan, & a fellow of the American College of Obstets. & Gynae. Her contribution to the publication above is as follows:

"Most of the Medical Literature published since the legalisation of abortion has focussed on short-term surgical complications, improvement of surgical techniques and training abortion providers. Long-term complications are not well studied because of politics - specifically the view that studies of this kind would be used either to limit or to expand access to abortion..The political agenda of the researcher is questioned more in the study of induced abortion than in any other field of medicine. Many in the medical community fear that conclusions are too easily influenced by the author's beliefs about women's reproductive autonomy and the moral status of the unborn

"Researchers can observe only the effects of women's reproductive choices, since women are not exposed to induced abortion by chance.... Nevertheless, given a few methodological caveats, current research suggests that a history of induced abortion is associated with an increased long-term risk of 1) breast cancer; 2) placenta praevia; 3) preterm birth; 4) maternal suicide.

"The risk of breast cancer increases with induced abortion when: (a) the induced abortion precedes a full-term pregnancy; (b) the woman is a teenager; (c) the woman is over the age of 30; (d) the pregnancy is terminated at more than 12 weeks gestation; or (e) the woman has a family history of breast cancer.

"Three studies showed induced abortion increased the risk of placenta praevia by approximately 50 per cent. "Twelve (of 24) studies found an association that almost doubled the risk of pre-term birth. Seven of those twelve identified a 'dose response effect' which means a higher risk exists for women who have had more abortions. Also notable is the increased risk of very early deliveries at 20-30 weeks after induced abortion. "Two studies, one from Finland and one fron the U.S. have shown increased rates of suicide after induced abortion... In addition self-harm is more common in women who have had induced abortion. In England, psychiatric admission as a result of suicide attempts is three times more likely for women after induced abortion; but the same pattern does not hold for women prior to abortion.

"The Centres for Disease Control (U.S.) officially maintains that for every 100,000 abortions there is approximately one maternal death (within 42 days of the procedure”. (On current U.S. abortion rates that is 12-13 deaths per year).

Elizabeth concludes: "Given the wide spread utilisation of elective abortion, the health consequences of the procedure are of profound importance to society. It is imperative for professional medical organisations, governments and health agencies to fund research that follows throughout their lifetime, women who have had elective abortions, so as to document & quantify health risks... In the meantime, there is currently enough medical evidence to inform women about the long-term health consequences of induced abortion, specifically breast cancer, placenta praevia, pre-term birth and maternal suicide... Women deserve accurate medical information to help them in their medical decisions, AND THIS INCLUDES INFORMED CONSENT FOR ABORTION. Doing anything less is a disservice to women, especially to women who may make or already have made difficult decisions concerning an unintended or crisis pregnancy".

Keep in mind Australian Doctors are required to acquaint patients of a 1 in 14,000 risk.

Adult Stem Cells can Multiply: Available From Human Skin Adult stem cell success stories are raising new questions about whether there's a need to explore unproven embryonic stem cell research. In a groundbreaking study, scientists at Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh, have discovered that adult stem cells have the same ability to multiply as embryonic stem cells. “Scientists have typically believed that adult or post-natal stem cells grow old and die much sooner than embryonic stem cells, but this study demonstrates that is not the case," said Dr. Johnny Huard, Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh. " This study should erase doubts scientists may have had about the potential effectiveness of post-natal stem cells." Meanwhile, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine managed to isolate stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory, and enabled them to become fat, muscle, and bone cells. “These cells should provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for organs as well," Dr. Anthony Atala, director , Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, told the press. “Because these cells are taken from a patient's own skin, there would not be problems with organ or tissue rejection."