file: /pub/resources/text/Pro-life.News/1994: PLN-0404.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 4, No. 4 March, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve or the assistant editor Sean ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) On the National Front (US) *Lansing, Michigan:* Sex-based abortion bans proposed Doctors and pro-abortion activists are criticizing a proposed Michigan law that would prohibit abortions based on a fetus' gender. The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Alvin Kukuk. He said remaining silent about gender-based abortion would set a dangerous precedent. Under the measure, doctors could lose their licenses if they performed abortions for women who admitted seeking the procedure based on the child's gender. Dr. Larry Weiss, of Henry Ford Hospital, also criticized the measure. He said he knows of no doctors in the state who would perform the genetic test that is necessary to determine a fetus' sex. [Such criticism is misleading, because all genetic fetal tests (such as Amniocentisis) positively establish the sex of the child, and even the ubiquitous ultra-sound tests usually provide clues as to the baby's gender unless you are actively _not_ looking for them. (Corrections or clarifications of this understanding would be quite welcome) Ed.] *Chattanooga, Tennessee*: New start for Chatanooga's Abortion Clinic Following the 1993 bankruptcy proceedings and an intense local fund-raising campaign, the only abortion clinic in Chattanooga was purchased by the Pro-Life Majority Coalition of Chattanooga(ProMACC). After remodeling, the building has recently opened its doors again, only this time as a counseling center for pregnant women, including free pregnancy testing, a 24-hour crisis line, temporary shelter, financial aid, foster care, clothing, food, medical referrals, information on adoption and various types of counseling, including post-abortion and post-adoption. Outside the building there stands a memorial with nameplates for each of the estimated 35,000 of children destroyed there during the eighteen years the building was operated as an abortuary. This "National Memorial to the Unborn" was unveiled Jan. 23 to mark the 21st anniversary of _Roe vs. Wade_, the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion-on-demand throughout the United States. Attempts to open another clinic in Chattanooga evidently were scrapped due to legal wrangling and a lack of funds. *Boston, Massachusetts:* OR Priest has conviction overturned Operation Rescue member Fr. Thomas Carleton had his 1992 conviction for illegally blocking abortion clinics overturned on the grounds of improper jury selection. The Massachusetts Court of Appeals determined that Assistant Attorney General Andrea Cabral did not present sufficient justification for excluding three prospective jurors with Irish surnames (Kellegher, Cantwell, and McConaghy). The court also criticized Superior Court Judge Wendie Gershengorn for not finding that the prosecutor "had shown a pattern of discriminatory intent." The prosecution became well-publicised when a motion was made (and later withdrawn) to forbid Fr. Carleton and co-defendant Fr. Hegarty from wearing their normal preistly garb while in the courtroom. Philip Lawler, speaking for Operation Rescue, said that the "decision reminds us that even activists in an unpopular cause may enjoy basic Constitutional rights." Father Carleton was released on parole from jail in Dec., 1993, having served one year of a two-and-a-half-year sentence. This decision releases Father Carleton from the terms of his parole. [From an article in the March 4th Boston _Pilot_.] *Montpelier, Vermont*: Printers can turn down jobs based on their beliefs Franklin Superior Court ruled that Print shop owners Malcolm and Susan Baker's First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion outweighed the claim made by Linda Paquette under Vermont's anti-discrimination law. Paquette, supported by the ACLU, sued the St. Albans print shop owners because they refused to print pro-abortion membership cards for an organization called 'Catholics For Free Choice'; Paquette claimed that her stance as a 'Catholic who supports abortion rights made her the target of religious discrimination - and the Vermont Human Rights Commission had agreed with her. Judge Levitt's Feb. 18 decision, which overturns the Human Rights Commission Ruling, is expected to be appealed to the state Supreme Court. Levitt wrote that "It cannot be said as a matter of law that the state of Vermont's interest in eliminating discrimination overrides a person's rights to free speech and free exercise of religion." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2) On the International Front: *London, England* English Clinic to Dispense RU-486 to Foreigners Helen Axby, The director of the Marie Stopes Health Clinic in London, told the Times that Britain's health department will allow RU-486 to be dispensed to nonresidents under strict conditions. Nonresident women must pay $500, prove they are less than nine weeks pregnant, obtain the approval of two doctors at the London clinic, and stay long enough in Britain for a follow-up exam a week after the child is aborted. Axby has been quoted as stating that RU-486 was made available at the Stopes clinic in 1991, and since then several hundred British women have used the drug. *The Hague, Netherlands*: Wanted child gets abortionist off the hook In February, a Dutch court rejected damages sought by a woman who gave birth after a botched abortion. In the first Dutch court case of its kind, Sijgje Baaten sued gynecologist Dr. Jacobus Favier for 100,000 guilders [~$51,900] after he failed in his attempt to abort her child seven weeks into the pregnancy. Baaten gave birth to a healthy daughter in February last year, but sued for damages, claiming compensation for mental anguish and the cost of childrearing. The court rejected the case on the grounds that the parents are happy with the child. *Dublin, Ireland:* Pro-abortion student groups enter receivership The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children(SPUC) succeeded in an application to the High Court to have a receiver appointed to the Union of Students in Ireland and Trinity College Students' Union. Some years ago SPUC was successful in court actions to prevent both groups from distributing abortion information. It eventually won costs for legal fees amounting to #29k which have yet to be paid. [From the 28 Feb. edition of _THE IRISH EMIGRANT_, (No.369). To subscribe contact editor Liam Ferrie .] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3) Short Profile: Depo Provera There were a number of responses to a question in v4n3 concerning Depo Provera (D-P). To summarize, Depo Provera is an injectable abortifacient contraceptive that prevents fertility for at least three months. It has been pushed extensively in developing countries by US AID and other population control agencies, and more recently has seen more use here in the US. Depo Provera has an interesting story. I don't know that much, but I know experiments have been made using it as a chemical castration device on rapists. In an issue of Health magazine sometime last year, there was an article on how a judge ordered a convicted rapist to undergo shots of depo provera as part of his probation I believe. Anyway, it effectively causes impotence in men but has not been used much on rapists due to uncertain side effects and other moral dilemmas. On the other hand, D-P is being encouraged for use as a contraceptive [and has been for some time (see below)], sold to women as yet another chemical savior from the fetus. D-P is an abortifacient, causing the uterine wall to be hostile to the 7-day old embryo. the embryo is flushed from the womb, much the same as it would be with Norplant and in some cases with the Pill. As an end note, Norplant and Depo Provera can get away with calling themselves contraceptive, even though they don't stop conception, because in the 1960s the AMA adopted a new definition of pregnancy: It is no longer conception that begins pregnancy, but implantation. Essentially, the AMA falsely claims that conception is _not_ the start of a pregnancy - so anything that stops implantation gets labeled as a contraceptive, which hides the reality from the public and those doctors who don't want to understand what is really meant. - Valerie McCarty -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- D-P as an Overseas Export: Depo Provera is used as an injectable birth control substance used in almost all of the approximately 100 countries in which the U.S. Agency for International Development has a population program. It is undoubtedly used in the few remaining where diplomatic issues prevent bilateral "aid" but is promoted through United Nations programs similar to the US AID Programs (or, in the case of China, worse). Depo Provera use, both in an experimental form and as a means of curbing births in developing countries, has been promoted at least since the mid-1970s. However, in the late 1970s, there was quite a scandal about its use in the developing world. Most women's groups that objected to it simply thought it went out of use. But this is not the case, and apparently never was. At least as it is used abroad, it has numerous and sometimes severe complications. It is all the worse over there because under a foreign-sponsored population control program, complications are rarely acknowledged and almost never treated. Presumably the dosages have been refined, and the unpredictable consequences are probably not so unpredictable anymore. As for all of the complications, here is a short (but incomplete)list of them: Nausea, vomiting, weakness, anemia, hair loss, nervousness or depression, loss of energy, and possibly insomnia. But a number of these after-effects are almost routine for hormonal contraceptive use. My friend from Nigeria described what happened to her aunt after a D-P injection. She began to have regular pain and discomfort in the abdomen, and some kind of growth apparently started because she swelled up and her stomach got very hard. It never got better, at least so far as she knows. In the late 1970s, _Mother Jones_ ran a long feature about the drug. In any case, one complication attributed to D-P (or some other sponsored contraceptive) was extensive blood loss (menstrual disorder). One of the big honchos with a company that acts as a contractor for USAID made light of the problem, of course, but finally conceded that it might be a bit of a nuisance in places where sanitary napkins are in short supply. But to all these complications, you have to add the developing country factor. If one bleeds too much here, at least we can get some kind of antidote, most likely. Or at least nutritional supplements. Not so for many women who get the needle from us overseas. If infection is a risk, it is far less likely to be diagnosed in Bangladesh or Bolivia than here, and even less likely to be cured before deathly illness or permanent sterility occurs. These things happen not only because there is not the abundance of profitable outlets for drugs that we have here, but perhaps more importantly, no one is particularly worried about class action suits. - Elizabeth M. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4) On-Line Resources Straight from Arkansas Collegians For Life: Internet Pro-Life Journal Take part in an informative Internet newsletter - The Internet Pro-Life Journal takes you beyond the oft-heard propaganda to deal with the subject of abortion from an intellectual, scientific, and analytical pro-life perspective. To be placed on the IPLJ mailing list, please send an email to Mark White, the associate editor, at and he can also answer any further questions you may have. Steve Ertelt, Editor Internet Pro-Life Journal (IPLJ) before March 15th or after March 28th -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- "Examining a Manichaean Approach to Abortion: A Response to _The Outer Limits of Life_" From the _New Oxford Review_, this is a response to a fascinating but deeply flawed book on molecular biology and its implications. Mark Shea does a wonderful job presenting the strengths (popular science) and carefully examines and counters the weaknesses (popular theology) of _The Outer Limits of Life_. A must-read for anyone interested in countering the popular theological views that run counter to the Christian witness to the sanctity of life. [ Ask for "MarkShea" ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) Announcements *March 25-26, 1994 - Bloomington, Indiana* "Restore Life, Bloomington" weekend to be sponsored by Collegians Activated to Liberate Life (CALL). It promises to be incredible! - Patrick Roos -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- *July 27-30, 1994 - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina* AANFP Annual Meeting The American Academy of Natural Family Planning (AANFP) invites you to submit an abstract for presentation at its annual meeting, to be held July 27-30, 1994, at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Abstracts are welcome in the following topic areas: natural family planning - infertility - vaginal discharge - reproductive anatomy and physiology - anatomy and physiology of the cervix - psychosocial dimensions of family planning - abstinence-based prevention of adolescent pregnancy - and other topics relevant to natural family planning. Abstracts may be of original research (clinical or basic science), literature reviews, theoretical development, or demonstration projects. All abstracts must be received by April 15, 1994. Notification of acceptance will be sent by May 20, 1994. For abstract instructions or questions, please contact > Joseph B. Stanford, MD, MSPH > Chairperson, AANFP Science and Research Committee > > Department of Family and Preventive Medicine > University of Utah, 50 North Medical Drive > Salt Lake City, UT 84132 > > email: > voice: (801) 581-7234 fax: (801) 581-2759 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Reader Responses ICPD Draft Document Available [v4n3]: A full text and critique of the ICPD draft document is available from the Information Project for Africa, Inc. A donation of $5 is requested for the critique (which is *very, very interesting*) and $10 for both. It is quite a shocking document. And hopefully, people will know something about it so that it cannot be simply adopted over the objections, so to speak. For the materials, please write: > Information Project for Africa, Inc. > Distribution Ctr. > 509 1/2 East Unaka > Johnson City, TN 37601 - Elizabeth M. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Reader Questions Abortion and Birth Control Equivalence? Referring to the v4n3 issue, many international groups such as the U.N. -sponsored International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) don't use the word "abortion" in their resolutions concerning birth control and family planning. Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge about why this is so? Do they leave the word "abortion" out so as not to further trigger the anger of the pro-life movement, or is it possible that some international bodies don't automatically consider abortion to be a method of birth control as so many Americans unfortunately do? - John Stith -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Fetal Survivability Info? I am trying to remember information regarding a baby who was born at 19-20 weeks. If I remember right the name was Marcus Richardson and he would be about 10-12 years old now. Is that right? - Fred Worth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "I believe that _individual_ life begins at conception and that efforts to label it something else until a future date is a well-meaning attempt to attain a desired social goal... Those who are in favor of abortion would far better serve their cause by presenting arguments which take reality into consideration instead of avoiding it." - Marilyn Vos Savant, responding to the question 'Does life begin at conception?' +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - Chattanooga -many thanks to Eric Ewanco; | | Boston - many thanks to Richard Chonak. | | 2 - The Hague - many thanks to Fred Worth and Eric Ewanco | | QOM - Many thanks to Steve Kellmeyer and Steve Chaney. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.