Citizens For A Pro-Life Society

USE OF “Abortion Victim Photos” or “Abortion Victim Photography” IN PRO-LIFE WORK

New Study Destroys Pro-Abortion Arguments Against Parental Notification

by Paul Rondeau | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 3/7/14 1:05 PM

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For decades, pro-choice lobbyists have fought any legislation that puts parents between minors and the so-called reproductive healthcare services sold by chains like Planned Parenthood. One argument was that parental notification laws would cause adolescents to avoid or delay “necessary” reproductive and sexual healthcare resulting in increased teen pregnancies and, in turn, abortions. However, a major new study dramatically undercuts that argument.

According to Guttmacher, “55 percent of parents participating in a 2002 survey said that overall, proposed laws requiring that parents be notified before their minor children obtain prescription contraceptives are a good idea,” but 96 percent also feared that unintended consequences may include an increase in teen pregnancies.

Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Nottingham—an institution ranked in the top one percent of schools worldwide—found no evidence that mandatory parental consent laws for the dispensing of contraceptives to minors drive up teen pregnancy.

Sourafel Girma, chair of economics at the School of Economics in Nottingham University, and David Paton, chair of industrial economics at Nottingham University Business School, published “Does Parental Consent for Birth Control Affect Underage Pregnancy Rates? The Case of Texas” in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Demography. Paton, an expert on teen pregnancy and a member of three editorial boards for peer-reviewed journals, stated via e-mail: “The reason for looking at Texas is that it is one of the few cases in the world where a parental consent rule has been implemented and so it is one of the few places on which it was possible to test the impact of such rules on teenage pregnancy.”

In January 2003, Texas started enforcing a mandate passed in 1999 for parental consent for the provision of state-funded prescription contraception to teenagers below the age of 18. Critics suggested at the time that “the law would lead to more than 5,000 additional births and 1,600 additional abortions per year amongst minors in the state” or an increase of “about 20 percent, with an estimated direct medical cost of about $44 million.”

However, Girma and Paton found that the projections, based on the “conjectural response of minors,” did not actually translate into additional pregnancies and costs. In fact, they found, “For the youngest age group (those aged under-16), there is some evidence that, at the state level, pregnancy rates went down after the parental consent mandate relative to older teenagers who continued to be able to obtain state-funded contraception without parental consent.”

That finding is likely no surprise to the vast majority of involved parents.  Parents are the biggest influence in a child’s life.  No parent should ever approve of teens having sex outside of marriage and the vast majority of parents do not.

A 2012 survey conducted by GfK Custom Research, LLC confirmed that over 75 percent of parents strongly disapprove of their teens having  sex and up to 76 percent of teens reported that their parents would strongly disapprove of them sex.

While the authors note that minors may have gotten birth control from alternative sources, another explanation they offer is that minors responded to the actual parental involvement law by “reducing their aggregate level of risky sexual activity” more than their conjectural responses to potential laws predicted.

In other words, instead of the promise of casual sex without conscience or consequences—the siren call of contraceptive marketers—when minor teens are faced with parents and reality, they change their sexual behavior.

LEARN MORE:

http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/07/new-study-destroys-pro-abortion-arguments-against-parental-notification/

Why miscarriage matters when you’re pro-life

Photo Credit: Sarah Thompson @ Sarah T. Photography

Back in my former life, I was a proofreader.

We were a fabulous group of gals. But, I’m not going to lie — we were pretty nitpicky. And NOT the most popular in the office. In fact, we had not just one book, but multiple books by which we would mentally check each word, each phrase, each sentence.

We had rules about whether a dash should be the size of a capital “N” or a capital “M” (and yes, we did measure). We ensured the proper use of “insured,” then assured all the writers that, yes, everyone gets those words mixed up. And of course, we must never forget to correct the spacing on an ellipsis. (#.#.#.#). Very important, that one.

But we had one rule that trumped all rules:

Consistency was king.

You see, on most issues, you could get away with breaking a rule or two — as long as you were consistent.

And now, after both quitting my job and going through 3 first-trimester losses in a row (primarily surrounded by pro-lifers), I really wish I could say the same thing about life. And about pregnancy loss.

I must make a disclaimer (to all my friends and family reading this) — You did the best you could. And for the most part, I felt loved and I knew that so many of you grieved with me.

To be perfectly honest, before my losses, I didn’t quite understand that the way we pro-lifers treat miscarriage is important.

And yet after we lost Olivia, it didn’t take long for me to realize that in this Christian microcosm of ours, somehow an aborted baby had so much more to offer the world than a miscarried one.

Both babies may have died at the same gestation — one by choice, the other by chance. But the value attached to each child completely depended on how that child died.

Here are some of the mixed messages I received — sometimes just hinted at, other times outright:

An aborted baby deserves to be grieved. A miscarried one deserves to be gotten over. And quickly. 

An aborted baby could have been the next Einstein or Bach or Mother Theresa. A miscarried baby was probably damaged goods.

An aborted baby was killed against God’s design. A miscarried baby fulfilled God’s plans.

An aborted baby was a real person, and should have the rights as such. A miscarried baby was not a real child — naming them really is kinda weird. Speaking of weird . . . counting them in the line-up of your children? THAT’S weird!

An aborted baby should always be missed in this world. God had created them for a purpose, no matter what health issues they may have had. A miscarried baby was meant for heaven — and we moms should just be so thankful we have a baby in heaven, and should not grieve the loss of their place on earth. After all, they never TRULY had a place on earth, did they?

An aborted baby is a tragedy. A miscarried baby is slight bump on the road of life.

An aborted baby could never be replaced. A miscarried baby can always be replaced — “Oh, don’t worry, hon — your time will come again. You’ll have more. Just relax and trust God. You’ll see.”

An aborted baby’s mom should know exactly what she’s missing out on if she has living children. A miscarried baby’s mom should not grieve that loss, but instead, should just be thankful for the lives of her living children.

This isn’t a debate about abortion. Really, it’s not.

It’s a call to those of you who say you are pro-life. It’s a call to be consistent.

Do you really believe life — personhood — begins at conception? If so, standing up against abortion is understandable. But so is treating a miscarriage as a real death of a real person.

Perhaps instead of just standing outside of Planned Parenthood . . . Instead of just posting on Facebook your outrage at the laws in the land . . . Instead of praying for your neighbor’s cousin’s boyfriend’s daughter who is considering abortion . . .

What if you took it one step further?

What if you held the hand of a grieving mom who miscarried at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 18 weeks or more?

What if you never compared the loss of a 4-weeker to a 20-weeker?

What if you never said anything that started with, “At least . . . ” As in, “At least it happened early.” Or, “At least you didn’t get too attached.” Or, “At least you have one living child. You should be thankful for them.”

What if you didn’t try to stifle her tears? What if you welcomed them? And matched her tears with your own?

What if you held back any trite, easy answers that promised God’s will and promised easy comfort? What if you just wrapped your arms around her the way Christ would?

What if you made that meal, bought those flowers and wrote that card?

What if you went to the hospital and sat in the waiting room for her, even if you wouldn’t see her? Just because she is your friend. Just because that’s what you do when someone is sick in the hospital or their child is dying.

What if you called her child by name?

What if you went to the service if they planned one? What if you helped her find a support group? What if you offered to go with her?

What if you prayed constantly for that hole in her heart that will one day scab, one day scar, but will never fully heal?

What if you were consistent? What if all your actions when dealing with loss of any kind, affirmed that fact that all life — ALL LIFE — is good, worthy of recognition and worthy of grief.

What if you didn’t just affirm to the world that all babies are valuable — but you also affirmed to a bereaved mom that HER baby was irreplaceable, and would forever be missed?

A person is a person . . . no matter how small.

And I would add . . . no matter when or how they died.

LEARN MORE:

http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/07/pro-lifers-need-to-be-consistent-when-it-comes-to-miscarriage/

http://thelewisnote.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-miscarriage-matters-if-youre-pro.html

Students for Life President: Ignoring Abortion Like Ignoring Holocaust

by Katie Yoder | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 3/7/14 6:49 PM

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Here’s a message the media won’t want to hear: the dangers of ignoring the devastation of abortion.

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins compared remaining silent on abortion’s destruction to ignoring trains heading towards concentration camps. To a gathering of pro-lifers preparing to pray in front of abortion clinics, Hawkins declared, “We’re literally on the train track. Because this is where women are being led – to slaughter their children.” Hawkins spoke during a candlelit vigil on March 5 to kick-off the Washington D.C. 40 Days for Life campaign.

40 Days for Life is a campaign of prayer and fasting for the unborn and their mothers held worldwide in 253 locations this spring. The movement, which went national in 2007, boasts 600,000 participants and over 8,200 babies alive today because of members who prayed outside of Planned Parenthoods and other abortion clinics for a period of 40 days.

Standing in front of the D.C. Planned Parenthood, Hawkins explained how she once met a pro-life activist who spoke with a man from Germany about the Holocaust. He shared a childhood memory of how his church sang hymns louder when trains passed by with Jews screaming from inside. Continues after the video.

Hawkins said, “I couldn’t help but think how many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are just singing. How many of them are saying ‘I’m with you, I’m there, I agree abortion is bad. I don’t like Planned Parenthood. I know they do bad things. I would never have an abortion. I’m pro-life, but …”

Hawkins continued to compare the Holocaust to the millions of babies aborted:

And these people are literally singing. That’s all they do is they’re singing and what our job is to ask them to come out and join us during forty days for life. Right here, this is train track. We’re literally on the train track. Because this is where women are being led. – to slaughter their children. This is where women are being deceived. This is when the whole life that she had planned for herself leads her to this building, believing that she has no other option than to kill her baby.

Other speakers at the event included Blessed John Paul II Chaplain Fr. Gregory Gresko and Project Rachel volunteer Rebecca Baehrend. The 40 Days for Life team leader Brett Manero opened with prayer.

No media attended the vigil other than the Media Research Center. The Media Research Center reported on past vigils held in fall 2012, spring 2013 and fall 2013. A search of ABC, CBS, and NBC showed no coverage on 40 Days for Life – ever.

LEARN MORE:

http://www.lifenews.com/2014/03/07/students-for-life-president-ignoring-abortion-like-ignoring-holocaust/

Psychological Risks: Traumatic Aftereffects of Abortion

Despite the claims of Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice organizations, women who abort are more likely to suffer from emotional problems than women who have not had an abortion.

Suicide

— 6-7 times higher suicide rate. Two national from Finland based on medical records revealed that aborting women were six-seven times more likely to commit suicide in the following year than were delivering women.(1)

— Up to 60% have suicidal thoughts. According to a recent study in a major scientific journal, 31% had thoughts of suicide after abortion. In another survey, approximately 60% of women with post-abortion problems reported suicidal thoughts, with 28% attempting suicide and half of those attempting suicide two or more times.(2)

— 154% higher risk of suicide. Another study of more than 173,000 American women who had abortions or carried to term found that, during the eight years after the pregnancy ended, women who aborted had a 154% higher risk of suicide than women who carried to term.(3)

— Higher suicide risks for teens. Teen girls are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide if they have had an abortion in the last six months than girls who have not had an abortion, and 2-4 times more likely to commit suicide after abortion compared to adult women.(4)

Depression

— 65% higher risk of clinical depression. A longitudinal study of American women revealed that those who aborted were 65% more likely to be at risk of long-term clinical depression after controlling for age, race, education, marital status, history of divorce, income, and prior psychiatric state.(5)

— Depression risk remained high, even when pregnancies were unplanned. Among a national sample of women with unintended first pregnancies, aborting women were at significantly higher risk of long-term clinical depression compared to delivering women.(6)

Trauma

— 65% report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In a study of U.S. and Russian women who had abortions, 65% of U.S. women experienced multiple symptoms of PTSD, which they attributed to their abortions. Slightly over 14% reported all the symptoms necessary for a clinical diagnosis of abortion-induced PTSD, and 25% said they did not receive adequate counseling. 64% said they felt pressured by others to abort.(7)

— In the above study, 60% of American women reported that they felt “part of me died” after their abortions.(7)

— Twice as likely to be hospitalized. Compared to women who deliver, women who abort are more than twice as likely to be subsequently hospitalized for psychiatric illness within six months.(8)

— More outpatient psychiatric care. Analysis of California Medicaid records shows that women who have abortions subsequently require significantly more treatments for psychiatric illness through outpatient care. (9)

— Multiple disorders and regrets. A study of post-abortion patients only 8 weeks after their abortions found that 44% reported nervous disorders, 36% experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor.(10)

— Generalized anxiety disorder. Among women with no previous history of anxiety, women who aborted a first, unplanned pregnancy were 30% more likely to subsequently report all the symptoms associated with a diagnosis for generalized anxiety disorder, compared to women who carried to term.(11)

— Sleep disorders. In a study of women with no known history of sleep disorders, women were more likely to be treated for sleep disorders after having an abortion compared to giving birth (nearly twice as likely in the first 180 days afterwards). Numerous studies have shown that trauma victims often experience sleep difficulties.(12)

— Disorders not pre-existing. In a New Zealand study, women had higher rates of suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other disorders after abortion. The study found that these were not pre-existing problems.(13)

Eating disorders & substance abuse

— 39% had eating disorders. In a survey of women with post-abortion problems, 39% reported subsequent eating disorders.(14)

— Five-fold higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse. Excluding women with a prior history of substance abuse, those who abort their first pregnancy are 5 times more likely to report subsequent drug and alcohol abuse vs. those who give birth.(15)

— Substance abuse during subsequent pregnancies. Among women giving birth for the first time, women with a history of abortion are five times more likely to use drugs, twice as likely to use alcohol, and ten times more likely to use marijuana during their pregnancy, compared to women who have not had an abortion.(16)

— Alcohol abuse linked to other problems. Alcohol abuse after abortion has been linked to violent behavior, divorce or separation, auto accidents, and job loss.(17)

Coercion, guilt, repressed grief

— Coerced to violate their beliefs, values and conscience. The “decision” to abort is often based on the demands or threats of others – even when it violates the woman’s own moral beliefs and desire to keep the baby.(18) This is a known risk factor for psychological complications after abortion.(19)

— 64% of abortions involve coercion. A recent study of women who had abortions found that 64% of American women reported that they felt pressured by others to abort.(7)

— Common negative reactions. In a survey of women reporting post-abortion problems, 80% experienced guilt, 83% regret, 79% loss, 62% anger and 70% depression.(2)

— Forbidden grief. After abortion, societal expectation, personal shame and public and professional denial result in repressed grief, causing serious problems including clinical depression, eating disorders, self-destructive lifestyles and suicide.(20)

Divorce and chronic relationship problems

— Women with a history of abortion are significantly more likely to subsequently have shorter relationships and more divorces. This may be due to lowered self-esteem, greater distrust of males, sexual dysfunction, substance abuse, and increased levels of depression, anxiety, and volatile anger.(21)

— More poverty and single parenthood after repeat abortions. Women who have more than one abortion (nearly half of those seeking abortions each year)(22) are more likely to become single parents and to require public assistance.(23)

— 30-50% of post-abortive women report experiencing sexual dysfunctions such as promiscuity, loss of pleasure from intercourse, increased pain, and aversion to sex and/or men.(23)

Not counseled before or after the abortion, many wanted alternatives

In a study of American and Russian women who experienced abortion:

— 67% of American women reported that they received no counseling beforehand

— 84% reported they received inadequate counseling beforehand

— 79% were not counseled about alternatives

— 54% were not sure about their decision at the time.(7)

Unresolved trauma and child abuse

— 144 % more likely to abuse their children. One study found that women with a history of induced abortion were 144% more likely to physically abuse their children than women who had not had an abortion.(24)

— Child abuse linked to unresolved trauma. Abortion is linked with increased violent behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, replacement pregnancies, depression, and poor maternal bonding with later children. These factors are closely associated with child abuse and would appear to confirm a link between unresolved post-abortion trauma and subsequent child abuse.(25)

Repeat abortions, self-punishment and risk factors

— 48% of aborting women have had a previous abortion.(22) Women who have had an abortion are 4 times more likely to abort a current pregnancy than those with no prior abortion history.(21) This may reflect aspects of self-punishment.(26)

— Studies have identified factors that put women at risk for negative reactions to abortion, including feeling pressured into unwanted abortions, lack of support, being more religious, prior emotional or psychological problems, adolescence, being unsure of her decision, and receiving little or no counseling prior to abortion. An analysis of 63 medical studies that identify risk factors concluded that the number of women suffering from negative emotional reactions could be dramatically reduced if abortion clinics screened women for these risk factors.(19)

To learn more, see Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion. To order, call: Acorn Books: 1-888-412-2676.

BTW: What is Planned Parenthood’s response to all this? A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Illinois posted the following advice on their website:

“You can say or yell “stop” whenever you have disturbing thoughts… if you find yourself fantasizing too often about what the child may have been like, you should substitute another fantasy: a baby crying because you have no time to give it.”(28)

LEARN MORE:

http://clinicquotes.com/psychological-risks-traumatic-aftereffects-of-abortion/