Pro-Life Bumper Sticks Prompts Teenage Mom to Reconsider Abortion by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor August 15, 2005

Millinocket, ME (LifeNews.com) -- When pro-life advocates Dave and Mary Labun left their house, they didn't expect to see a note on their car. What they found surprised them. In their hands they held not a complaint from a neighbor or a police citation. Instead, a teenager told them their pro-life bumper sticker prompted her to reconsider a decision to have an abortion.  Maine residents Dave and Mary Labun sport a sticker with the phrase "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart," on their vehicle. The unnamed girl left the couple the following note: 

Hello, This might be very weird, but I wanted to thank you. I'm not sure what you believe in, but I'm a strong believer in God, and right now I am 17 and pregnant. And on my way to school one day, I was really wondering what to do – I was really thinking about abortion, because I was scared.

As that thought came to mind, I walked past your car, and happened to look over and saw your bumper sticker, “Abortion Stops a Beating Heart.” My heart dropped. I believe God was talking to me, through that sticker, and I also believe I will never think about it again. I'm going to keep my baby, and I'm not that scared any more.

Thank you so much for helping me make the best choice of my life. God bless – a very happy mother-to-be.

Australia Court Holds Hearing on Abortion Malpractice Case

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor August 10, 2005

Sydney, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- An Australian court has held a hearing on the case of a Sydney doctor charged with performing an illegal abortion. Suman Sood gave a 20 year-old woman an abortion drug and asked her to come back to her office the next day. The woman gave birth the next morning to a baby who survived about three hours before dying.

Sood, the owner of the Fairfield abortion business Australian Women's Health, faces one charge of manslaughter and one of administering a drug with intent to procure a miscarriage.During the hearing, Dr. Robert Gerard Buist, an obstetrician at The Royal Women's Hospital in Sydney, told the court that the woman was put at risk because Sood gave her improper medical care. He said the woman should have been referred to someone else after asking for the drugs.

Crown Prosecutor Paul Leask told the court Sood gave the woman the abortion drugs and told her to go home after taking them orally and vaginally. Buist told the court the woman should have been referred to a counselor to make sure she was ready to undergo the abortion. "We need to be sure that a woman is comfortable with her decision (to abort)," he said, according to an article in The Advertiser newspaper. He also said Sood should have done more to check on the woman's post-abortion situation to prevent or monitor complications.

"There is the danger of an unattended birth, especially bleeding of the undelivered fetus and placenta," he said. "There is the risk of hemorrhage and infection if the circumstances are not sterile."Under cross-examination, Sood's attorney, Phillip Boulten, asked why the woman didn't take advantage of abortion alternatives. She indicated she talked with her parents about caring for the baby, but they were planning to move overseas to retire. "I thought about (having the baby) and knew I wouldn't be able to raise a child," she said. "I was sad about that and then angry. I knew what I had to do."

Leask told a local court the abortion was illegal because she did not inform the woman of her prospects of carrying the pregnancy to term or whether the abortion carried any risks. The woman was 21 to 24 weeks pregnant at the time -- too late for an RU 486 abortion and at the point at which unborn children begin surviving on their own outside the mother's womb.  Sood only told her the abortion would cost $1500 and asked if she would pay that much. The woman says Sood never explained the abortion procedure to her. The Advertiser reports the hearing will resume in October.

'Aborted' baby born alive, court told

By John Stapleton and Nicola Lipman August 11, 2005   From: The Australian

A YOUNG mother was shocked when she gave birth to a live baby boy at home in the early hours of the morning after allegedly being given a pre-abortion pill, a NSW court heard yesterday.

The mother, aged 20 at the time of the incident in 2002, was giving evidence in a committal hearing against Suman Sood, the first doctor in NSW to be charged with the manslaughter of a fetus and the first to be charged over a termination since the early 1970s.

The mother, who cannot be named, gave birth to the baby on a toilet at her mother's house on May 21, 2002, when she was about 23 weeks' pregnant, Liverpool Court heard. Ambulance officers fished the 520g baby out of the toilet and wrapped it up, presuming it was dead.

They discovered when handing the baby over to doctors that it was alive and struggling to breathe. It lived for several hours.

The mother told the court yesterday that she was given no counselling or warning by Dr Sood or a nurse attending her at the clinic that she may suffer psychological harm as a result of the abortion.

She also said that issues such as alternatives to the abortion, including adoption by her parents or others, were not discussed. "She (Dr Sood) never asked me so why should I tell her," the mother said.

She said she inquired only about the cost and any potential health risks. She said there was no discussion about how she might feel after the abortion.

After having disagreements with both her parents and her boyfriend over her intention to have an abortion, the mother went to the private clinic. Australian Women's Health.

An expert in late-term abortions, Robert Buist, senior lecturer at the University of NSW and senior practitioner at the Royal Hospital for Women, told the court that in the public system, the woman would have been seen by a social worker and most likely have undergone a psychiatric assessment.

If a decision was made to proceed, she would not have been allowed to go home after the administration of the pills.

He said he did not believe a doctor on their own could make the proper psychological assessment about whether an abortion was necessary according to legal criteria.

The case was adjourned to November 1.

Apology: The website was hit by hackers who performed a denial of service attack which took us off-line for a week. We are investigating our options and apologise for any hassles and frustrations this may have caused you. Your prayerful support is requested.

Michigan Abortions Decrease 11 Percent, Abortion Death Ignored  by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor August 1, 2005

Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Michigan abortions decreased a whopping 11 percent last year, according to new figures from the state's health department. However, state officials, in their report on complications resulting from abortions, failed to note the death of a Detroit teenager early last year.  The Michigan Department of Community Health reports 26,269 abortions were performed in Michigan during 2004 compared to 29,540 Michigan abortions in 2003, a decrease of 11.1 percent. Since 1987, there has been a 46.5 percent decrease in Michigan abortions.

Right to Life of Michigan, which has promoted numerous pieces of legislation designed to reduce the number of abortions and run a longtime television advertising campaign linking women with pregnancy centers, hailed the new stats. "Michigan is showing a true climate of life with the decrease of abortions. More and more women are rejecting abortion and making the positive choice of life for their babies," RLM president Barb Listing said.

The Michigan abortion report showed that most abortions occurred on women living in state who were not married. Most women went to an abortion business without a referral and doctors sent women for abortions in just 2.9 percent of the cases, down from 6.6 percent in 2003. More than 60 percent of the women having abortions had a prior pregnancy and the number of repeat abortions is on the rise.

The state report also showed that abortions on teenagers are lower than their high in 1985. Surprisingly, the Michigan health department made no mention of a woman's death in 2004 in its complications report. The department only noted that thirteen women reported complications, including shock, cervical lacerations, incomplete abortions and two unidentified complications.

However, Tamia Russell, 15 years-old, died from a second-trimester abortion in January of 2004. Steven Brown of the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office told LifeNews.com that the cause of death for Russell was listed as, "Uterine infarction with sepsis, due to status post second trimester abortion."

However, the Michigan Department of Community Health makes no mention of infection complications in its 2004 report. Sparking the strong decrease in the number of abortions in Michigan, Listing pointed to laws that have reduced abortions, such as allowing parents to prohibit a minor teen from having an abortion and ensuring women considering abortion are told about abortion's risks and alternatives.

She also said the new bill allowing women visiting an abortion business to see an ultrasound of her unborn child will also help drive down abortion rates. "We will continue to reach out to women in need so that they know that abortion is not their only option," Listing concluded. "There are far too many women who enter an abortion clinic thinking they have no other choices. Our seven resource centers and our toll-free 1-800-57WOMAN number are designed to help women find real choices for themselves and their children."

Related web sites: Right to Life of Michigan - http://www.rtl.org
Latest Michigan Abortion Figures - http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/abortion/intro.asp

Premature Babies Born at 23 Weeks Survive, British Study Shows
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A new study by British researchers finds that almost half of the unborn children who are born at 23 weeks into the pregnancy survive the premature birth. The results may prompt British lawmakers to move back limits on late-term abortions and could be used to strengthen laws in other countries. The study appears to confirm the thesis that advancements in medical science and technology are making it easier for doctors to treat babies who are born prematurely and to do so at earlier ages. Researchers at University College Hospital London found that 42 percent of the babies born at 23 weeks survived and 72 percent of the babies born at 24 weeks into pregnancy survived the birthing process as well. Yet each year in Britain, more than 1,200 babies are aborted between 22 and 24 weeks into pregnancy and most of the babies were health and aborted for noncontroversial reasons. Some lawmakers and pro-life groups have called for extending the limits on late-term abortions, to prohibit abortions on babies older than 20 weeks into pregnancy. However, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he opposes the change because he doesn't want to subject women to criminal prosecution. Read the complete story.

New Study Finds Higher Substance Use Rates Among Pregnant Women After Abortion

Findings Show Women With "Unwanted" Pregnancies Aren't More Likely to Use Drugs or Alcohol

 Springfield, IL (July 12, 2005)-- A new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology has found that women with a history of induced abortion are three times more likely to use illegal drugs during a subsequent pregnancy. The study supports a growing body of evidence which suggests that later pregnancies may arouse unresolved grief over prior abortions which women may seek to suppress by increased reliance on drugs and alcohol.

Researchers from Bowling State University, the University of Texas, and the Elliot Institute examined data from a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The data included 1,020 women who gave birth in one of eight Washington, D.C.-area hospitals during 1992. Analyses of the data revealed that while women who had induced abortions were significantly more likely to engage in substance use during subsequent pregnancies, women who had experienced miscarriages or stillbirths were not.

Previous studies have found that women with a history of abortion are subsequently at increased risk for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal tendencies and psychiatric hospitalization. At least 21 previous studies have linked abortion with increased rates of subsequent drug and alcohol abuse.

"Most women have deeply conflicted feelings about their past abortions," said Elliot Institute director Dr. David Reardon, one of the authors of the new study. "Later pregnancies may arouse or aggravate unsettled emotions. Some women will experience increased anxiety, perhaps about the health of their unborn baby. Others are so awed by the life within them that they begin to question their past choice and feel drowned in self-blame.

"Still others may find that they have a lot of unmourned grief related to a past abortion that is interfering with their ability to enjoy and bond with their new baby. Whatever the individual experience, it is clear that pregnant women with a history of abortion are at greater risk of trying to suppress their turbulent emotions by relying on more alcohol, cigarettes, or illegal drugs."

Substance use during pregnancy is an increasing public health concern. Alcohol and drug use has been linked to numerous problems in infants such as congenital birth defects, low birth weight, developmental and learning problems, and death.

This new study confirms a study recently published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that also revealed higher rates of substance use during later pregnancies among women with a history of induced abortion.

"Medical professionals should be aware of these issues so they can more easily identify which pregnant women are at greater risk of substance use," Reardon said. "Referral to post-abortion counseling and substance abuse programs may not only help protect the unborn child from exposure to dangerous substances, it may also help the mother to resolve issues related to the traumas of a past abortion."

Study Citation: Priscilla K. Coleman, David C. Reardon, and Jesse R. Cougle, "Substance use among pregnant women in the context of previous reproductive loss and desire for current pregnancy," British Journal of Health Psychology (2005), 10:255-268.

The above news release, along with other news on recent studies related to abortion complications, is posted at www.afterabortion.info/news

God's amazing Providence:

Yoav, a young Israeli Defence Force soldier was stationed in the city of Hebron. At four o’clock one morning he was shot by a sniper and left for dead. Another soldier happened to hear something and though not totally sure, went to investigate. He found Yoav bleeding to death and immediately began to stabilize his wound. While waiting for help he had to apply manual pressure to keep Yoav alive – he was literally holding Yoav’s life in his hands. When Yoav’s parents arrived at the hospital to see their son and to thank the man who had saved his life the man had already left When they contacted the army to find out his name, it was discovered that it had not been recorded on the incident report.

Yoav’s parents owned a grocery store in Kiryat Malachi, so they put up a poster in their shop describing what had happened and asking if anyone knew the identity of Yoav’s saviour. Months passed with no response. Finally after a year a woman saw the sign. She was positive her son Doron had mentioned such an account. Sure enough it was he who had saved Yoav’s life and soon all the families gathered together for a joyful ‘reunion’. Doron’s mother pulled Yoav’s mother aside and told her, “There is a specific reason why I came to your shop today. You don’t remember me but 20 years ago I was standing here feeling lost and forlorn. You and your wonderful husband asked me what was the matter and I explained I was pregnant and overwhelmed. I had decided that the only way out was to have an abortion.

“You both stopped everything and calmly and lovingly sat with me. You listened to me. Then you offered me so much encouragement and support. Because of you I chose to keep my baby. I no longer live around here, but I happened to be passing through and figured it would be nice to visit your shop to thank you for all that you did for me.

“The name of that precious baby was Doron. My beloved Doron, who would not have been born, were it not for you, grew up to save your son, Yoav’s, life.”                                        From George, a Jewish medical doctor in Jerusalem and a believer in Yeshua

IF SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE, ABORTION ILLEGAL IN ONLY SEVEN STATES
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- If the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, a pro-life law firm says only seven states would have enforceable laws on the books making abortion illegal. In the rest of the states, the scrapping of the infamous decision would make no immediate difference.

SUPREME COURT WILL AGAIN CONSIDER ABORTION PROTEST CASE
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Supreme Court will again take up a legal case that has been raging for nearly two decades and pits abortion advocates against pro-life protesters. The nation's leading abortion supporters sued to stop abortion facility protests claiming that those involved violated federal racketeering laws.

Visit a ProLife Website and lose your job!

Quotes from Abortion Clinic Workers and Doctors
compiled by Sarah Terzo (Name used with permission)

New Zealand Abortions Decrease as Pro-Life Group Targets Law by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor June 14, 2005

Wellington, New Zealand (LifeNews.com) -- The number of abortions dropped for the first time in New Zealand since 1998, according to new figures released by Statistics New Zealand. The agency also reported that the general abortion rate is down as well.

At its lowest point in seven years, the number of annual abortions in New Zealand was 1.6 lower from 2003 to 2004. In 2003, 18,510 abortions were performed and there were 18,210 in 2003, a 1.6 percent decrease. That's a change from sharp increases of 6.5 percent in 2003 and 5.9 percent in 2002. The abortion rate, or the number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, dropped from 21.0 in 2003 to 20.5 per 1,000 in 2004.

As in the United States, women between the ages of 20-24 had the most abortions of any age group, accounting for approximately 30 percent of all abortions in 2004. They also had the highest abortion rate of any age category with 39 per 1,000 women. Women between 25-29 had the next highest abortion rates followed by teenagers between 15 to 19. Over the last decade, abortion rates have increased for all age groups, Statistics New Zealand reports.

The new numbers come at a time when pro-life advocates are taking a 1977 abortion law to the nation's high court saying that it was intended to provide abortion guidelines but has, instead, been used to promote unlimited abortions for any reason. Right To Life New Zealand filed suit against the Abortion Supervisory Committee saying the agency has misinterpreted the law.

The measure was approved "with the objectives of stopping abortion on demand and to provide effective legal protection for unborn children," the group said in a statement. However, the pro-life group said that nation governments since 1978 have failed to correctly apply the act. The group, which also sued the country's attorney general, said 98 percent of abortions have been approved for mental health reasons, even though studies show abortion has a negative impact on a woman's physical and emotional health. "It is our belief that these abortions are for socioeconomic reasons masquerading as psychiatric," the statement said.

Women having abortions over and over 33% repeat in Britain, procedure's risks allegedly swept under rug

A dramatic rise in repeat abortions has reinforced fears that women are increasingly having terminations for lifestyle reasons, reports the London Daily Mail.  One in three abortions is now carried out on women who have had at least one before, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

Women between 20 and 24 have taken over from teenagers as the largest age group to have abortions -- while only one in 100 abortions is carried out solely because of a medical risk to the baby. Some observers warned the emotional and physical risks of abortion were being "swept under the carpet." The procedure can make it more difficult for women to ever start a family, and many later suffer depression.

Broadcaster and author Anne Atkins, whose book "Child Rearing For Fun" encourages people to embrace parenthood, said the abortion trend was "desperately sad."

The mother of five said: "No one in their right mind should think abortion is a good thing that can be entered into lightly as a lifestyle choice. It is not a form of contraception. It can be harmful to women physically and emotionally, and these figures should worry everyone, even those who are pro-choice. Something is going wrong here and work needs to be done to address the problem. (WorldNetDaily, May 16, 2005, http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44299).

Poland Defeats Legislation to Overturn Pro-Life Laws on Abortion
Warsaw, Poland (LifeNews.com) -- The Polish parliament has turned back an effort to legalize abortion and change the eastern European nation's status as one of the few countries in that part of the world that prohibits the grisly procedure.

Wisconsin Abortion Numbers at Lowest Levels Since 1974 by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor May 27, 2005

Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Thanks to pro-life legislation and education, abortion rates in Wisconsin are at their lowest levels since 1974, according to new state figures. Abortion advocates and pro-life groups disputed the reasons for the decline. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, there were 9,943 abortions in the state last year, less than half of the all-time high of 21,754 in 1980.

In addition, the abortion rate is also less than half of its peak. Last year, there were 14 abortions for every 100 births in Wisconsin while there were 29 abortions per 100 births in 1980. The state health department also shows that there were nine abortions per 1,000 Wisconsin women in 2004 but a high of 20 per 1,000 women in 1980. Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, told the Associated Press her group is "absolutely elated that (abortions) continue to go down."

Lyons said the number of abortions is one the decline because younger state residents are more pro-life, because of television commercials her group has run directing women to crisis pregnancy centers.

Lyons also cited a 1998 law requiring abortion facilities to tell women about abortion's risks and alternatives. Similar laws in other states have reduced the number of abortions by about one-third. But, Lisa Boyce, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, told AP that "the reduction in abortions can be directly attributed to improved access to birth control and responsible sex education." Other states have shown similar record declines in the number of abortions.

The number of abortions performed on Kansas women has declined 10% since 1996 and abortions in Kentucky have been steadily dropping for more than a decade with 3,502 in 2002 and 9,590 in 1991. New statistics in the state of Illinois show a whopping 10 percent drop in the number of abortions performed last year. The new numbers take the state to its lowest number of annual abortions in thirty years. Since 1988, abortions have dropped a whopping 53 percent in South Carolina. After peaking at 8,814 in 1991, the number of abortions in 2002 in Mississippi fell to just 3,605.

Related web sites: Wisconsin Right to Life - http://www.wrtl.org

Michigan House Approves Ultrasound Before Abortion Bill

by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor  May 25, 2005

Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- Members of the Michigan state House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would require abortion businesses to allow women considering an abortion to first see an ultrasound of their unborn child before performing one. The House approved the measure on a 69-37 vote and it now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

State Representative Dave Robertson, the lead sponsor, said his bill allows women to get fetal development information they might otherwise not receive. He also hopes the ultrasound will help women rethink their abortion decision. "It would be very informative to the woman and she should be given that opportunity," Robertson said, according to an Associated Press report. "I hope it will save women from the emotional agony of knowing they have aborted their baby."

A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said his group opposed the measure, House Bill 4446, and could possibly file a legal challenge if it becomes law. Sarah Scranton of Planned Parenthood of Michigan claims the proposal is unnecessary because most women that come to her group's abortion facilities do not want to see ultrasound photos of their unborn children.

Michigan currently has a Right to Know law, which allows women certain information about abortion alternatives and abortion risks not normally given out by abortion practitioners. Polls show women believe that ultrasounds are important for those considering abortion.

An August 2003 poll shows that an overwhelming majority (81 percent) of women support a pro-life bill that would fund grants to pregnancy centers in order to purchase ultrasound machines to show women contemplating abortion pictures of their developing baby. Care Net President Kurt Entsminger said that, regardless of women's views on abortion, "the vast majority agree that providing additional ultrasound services is worthwhile." Nearly nine-in-ten women (87%) said that it is important for non-profit women's health centers to provide ultrasound services, including a considerable majority (64%) who believe this is a "very important" priority.

Respondents also said it was important for women considering abortion to view ultrasound pictures. Over half of those surveyed (51%) said that was important and 31% claim that seeing an "image of what's inside" would make such a decision more difficult. Commissioned by Care Net, the poll was conducted by The Polling Company and included 802 registered women voters.

Related web sites: Michigan legislature - http://www.legislature.mi.gov
Right to Life of Michigan - http://www.rtl.org
Care Net - http://www.care-net.org

Life—a gift from God (Click Here)    by Dr Mathew Piercy, Australia

'Abortion/Breast Cancer link' Information Meeting:

Monday 23rd May - see a new DVD on this link with Guest Babette Francis of the Endeavour Forum

Location: 22 Rigby St, Annerley

RSVP: Liz Preston by Friday 20th May on 3892 5349

Revealed: how an abortion puts the next baby at risk By Michael Day (Filed: 15/05/2005) From news.telegraph.co.uk

Having an abortion almost doubles a woman's risk of giving birth dangerously early in a later pregnancy, according to research that will provoke fresh debate over the most controversial of all medical procedures.

A French study of 2,837 births - the first to investigate the link between terminations and extremely premature births - found that mothers who had previously had an abortion were 1.7 times more likely to give birth to a baby at less than 28 weeks' gestation. Many babies born this early die soon after birth, and a large number who survive suffer serious disability. The research leader, Dr Caroline Moreau, an epidemiologist at the Hôpital de Bicętre in Paris, said the results of the study, which appear in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, provided conclusive evidence of a link between induced abortion and subsequent pre-term births.

Last night anti-abortion campaigners seized on the evidence to demand that all women seeking a termination be warned, routinely, that they are jeopardising the well-being of future babies. A series of earlier, smaller studies had failed to provide clear evidence of a link and so women currently opting for an abortion are not warned of the risk. Dr Moreau said: "Clearly there is a link. The results suggest that induced abortion can damage the cervix in some way that makes a premature birth more likely in subsequent pregnancies."

Her study compared the medical histories of 2,219 women with babies born at less than 34 weeks with another 618 who had given birth at full term. Overall, women who had had an abortion were 40 per cent more likely to have a very pre-term delivery (less than 33 weeks) than those without such a history. The risk of an extremely premature baby - one born at less than 28 weeks - was raised even more sharply, by 70 per cent. Abortion appeared to increase the risk of most major causes of premature birth, including premature rupture of membranes, incorrect position of the foetus on the placenta and spontaneous early labour. The only common cause of premature birth not linked to abortion was high blood pressure.

Mr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a consultant obstetrician at the Sancta Maria Hospital in Swansea, said the study revealed that abortion might not be as safe as previously supposed. "This study shows that surgical termination of pregnancies may have late complications and may not be without risk," he said. About 185,000 women have abortions in Britain each year, for social or medical reasons, and last night anti-abortion campaigners seized upon the new study as evidence that the risks have been underplayed.

Jack Scarisbrick, the chairman of the campaign group Life, said: ''We have been saying for years that surgical abortion inevitably increases the risk of later problems. It seems that the abortion procedure carries with it risks that women will know nothing about until they become pregnant with a 'wanted' child later on." About 80,000 babies in the UK and Ireland are born prematurely each year; 17,000 of these need intensive care.  A spokesman for Marie Stopes International, which is the largest provider of abortions outside the NHS, said that women seeking terminations were not told of increased risks of premature births "because so far, they have not been established"

Florida Women Who Regret Their Abortions Protest Teen's Controversy by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com EditorMay 6,2005

West Palm Beach, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Almost twenty women who say they regret their decisions to have abortions protested outside of a Florida court Thursday against a judge who ruled that a 13 year-old teenager in state custody could have an abortion. The teen had the abortion Wednesday. The women, who appeared outside of the Palm Beach County Courthouse, along with pro-life advocates from a local organization, carried signs saying "My Abortion Hurt Me" and said the girl would be harmed for the rest of her life by the abortion.

"Abortion has two victims. It's not just the baby. It's also the person that chooses to have the abortion," Jacqueline Anderson of West Palm Beach, told the Palm Beach Post newspaper. Anderson had an abortion she regrets and is now the director of a post-abortion outreach group that is part of the First Care Pregnancy Center. Faith Croshaw, also with First Care, told the Post newspaper that she has been trying for 26 years to "get rid of this pain from he fact that I ended my child's life." She called her abortion the "biggest mistke of my life" and added that the "ramifications of [abortion] are not small."

Meanwhile, Rebecca Porter, the statewide leader of the post-abortion group Opertion Outcry, said she suffers from guilt and shame associated with the three abortions she had. "I don't want other women to go through the pain that I have," she said of the teenager.

Porter and the other women questioned whether the teenager, identified as L.G. in court papers, was capable of making a good decision about her future and the pregnancy. They also wondered if she was informed about the possible emotional and physical consequences of having an abortion, such as an increased risk of breast cancer. Meanwhile, the Post newspaper reported that the teen's caseworker did not encourage her to have an abortion, but did offer to drive her to an abortion facility. Pro-life advocates say it would have been wrong for a state employee to take the teen for an abortion.

Right To Life Australia: Walk for Little Feet - Brisbane 7th May:

Around 100 people aged from a few months to 82 years of age walked from Greenslopes, over the Story Bridge, through China Town and the City Mall  to Parliament House. Carrying placards and clappers they represented only 1 person per every 4 churches in Brisbane sent an invitation to attend. The church of the Messiah Jesus is certainly asleep! The statement these courageous and committed few made was a most worthwhile and potent one however. 

4D ULTRASOUNDS! Check out the new research 'Give Women Choice: Australia Speaks on Abortion' (http://www.bioethics.org.au/docs/givingchoice/ExecutiveSummary.pdf)

From this article: '... 94% think all the alternatives should be seriously considered ...' and '... 99% of the community believe that women comtemplating an abortion should have access to counselling...'

Research from the USA shows that nearly 80% of women considering an abortion, when shown a 4D Ultrasound at a Pregnancy Resource Centre (NOT an abortion clinic) choose not to kill their unborn child!

Clearly, if 4D Ultrasounds were a necessary part of the 'alternatives being seriously considered' and the 'access to counselling' we could expect some 70,000 unborn children's lives to be saved in Australia every year!

Abortion debate heads to parliament (front page Courier Mail)
Matthew Franklin, national political editor  06may05

FEDERAL Parliament will be asked to legislate to ban abortions of fetuses more than 23 weeks' gestation and require women seeking abortions to undergo compulsory counselling.

Queensland National Party Senator Ron Boswell is close to producing a Private Member's Bill under which the Commonwealth would involve itself in reproductive law for the first time.

But the Australian Democrats will next week launch a pre-emptive strike against the Boswell plan by asking the Senate to commit to keeping out of the issue.

The Democrats will also ask the Senate to call on state governments to improve sex education and work together to develop national standards for pregnancy counselling.

Under the Democrats proposal, women would not be coerced into counselling and would be given information about all options – including abortion.

In February, Senator Boswell attracted attacks from pro-choice groups when he asked Health Minister Tony Abbott for national figures on abortion to help inform his formulation of a Private Member's Bill.

Mr Abbott reported back last month with figures suggesting some 91,000 pregnancies were aborted each year – the equivalent of one fetus aborted for every 2.8 live births.

Although pro-choice advocates questioned the accuracy of the figures, Senator Boswell has since circulated them among church groups and opponents of abortion seeking their comment ahead of the finalisation of his Bill.

Senator Boswell refused to comment yesterday.

Prime Minister John Howard said in February he sensed no mood for reform but would not stifle debate on abortion.

Premier Peter Beattie said last night he was satisfied with Queensland's current position, under which courts had interpreted the Criminal Code as leaving abortion between women and their doctors.

By Mary Rettig  May 3, 2005 (AgapePress) - Focus on the Family is in its second year of a six-year project to bring ultrasound technology to crisis pregnancy centers. The FOTF Pregnancy Resource Ministry director says "Option Ultrasound" will help place equipment in centers nationwide and may help to save many babies' lives.

The Great Commission:

What is the largest un-reached people group in Australia?  The 90,000+ unborn children who are killed in the womb every year.

How can we reach them? Only by saving their lives.

In Australia, it is still legal to profess your identification with Christ. However, there are many ways in which it has become illegal to act like you belong to Christ. If you act as a missionary to one of these unborn children in the womb of his mother entering an abortion clinic and try to stop this child’s death, you may be arrested and charged with trespass or some other charge as you are seen to be impeding the ‘legal’ business of abortion.

When it is illegal to save a child from murder, it is illegal to be a Christian. The law has made it illegal to act like Christ Jesus who said, “Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me” (Matthew 18:5).

Thomas Jefferson “The care of human life and not its destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government”

Francis Schaeffer: “God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. The state is to be an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrong doer, and to protect the good in society. When it does the reverse, it has no proper authority. It is then usurped authority and as such it becomes lawless and becomes tyranny”

Our government allows the killing of 90,000 unborn children every year – think about it!

Do you consider yourself a Christian? Will you join us in this stand for the most vulnerable and most innocent of God’s children?

(A paraphrase of some comments in “Shattering the Darkness’ by Joseph Foreman)

“Today sees the release of the most comprehensive, up-to-date information on abortion in Australia ever provided. I thank the Minister for Health and his Department for their efforts in replying to my January Questions on Notice,” said Senator Ron Boswell, Leader of the Nationals in the Senate.“Now that these answers have been tabled in the Senate today, we can have a debate based on the facts, whatever your ethical position.”

“This detailed information means that for the first time, the community will have the means to engage in informed public debate on the very important issue of abortion which has touched so many women and families in Australia.”

“I note that not all questions were able to be answered fully but that reflects the complexity of the issues surrounding abortion. Some states also are proving less forthcoming in wanting to contribute to a well-informed debate by their lack of response to the Department’s efforts to ensure data accuracy.”

“The Prime Minister has sanctioned a public debate on abortion and has set some parameters for policy action so there is no need for fear or alarmist reactions.”

Senator Boswell said that he looked forward to hearing from the Australian community on issues raised by this new information. “Once we’ve all had time to go through these answers in detail and consult stakeholders, I will consider what action might be possible that would have majority support.”

“On first glance, the major facts to come out of these answers include:-

• approximately 90,000 abortions in Australia currently per year
• this compares with 251,161 live births a year, meaning there is one abortion for every 2.8 live births
• more abortions occur in the 30-34 year old age group than in the 15-19 yr age category indicating the high rate is not necessarily a factor of sex education
• there are 811 abortion providers with 205 public hospitals providing abortions
• some “career” abortionists are raking in Medicare rebates – 11 doctors do more than 2,000 Medicare funded abortions per year; that’s an average 38.5 abortions a week or nearly 8 per day (if a 5 day working week);
• for such an important decision in a woman’s life, the lack of information and funding for counselling is an area that must be addressed; I welcome the news that the Department is currently gathering accreditation information on counselling from the states;
• Victoria appears to be the late term abortion capital of Australia; of 210 late term abortions in Victoria only 116 were for reasons of congenital abnormality of the foetus. 103 of these late term abortions were for “psychosocial” reasons. Half of these Victorian psychosocial late term abortions were for non-residents of Victoria.

*Senator Boswell's office has a full list of the questions and answers

For further information or a full copy of the answers by email, please contact 02 6277 3244, 07 3001 8150 - Paul Leven

Infant Born Alive at FL Abortion Mill and Left to Die April 26th, 2005 (from www.operationrescue.org)

World Net Daily has released a horrifying story of a young woman who delivered her 22-week pre-born baby alive in an abortion clinic restroom in Orlando, Florida, owned by the notorious late-term abortionist James S. Pendergraft. According to WND, “James S. Pendergraft, M.D., is the founder of the Orlando Women’s Center and is known in pro-life communities as the ‘Tiller of Florida’ because he performs late-term abortions.”

Once Angele discovered her son was alive, her calls for help were ignored and her baby died in her arms. The story details the filthy conditions at Pendergraft’s mill and the callous lack of response from the abortion mill workers.

“We’ve seen that same lack of compassion from abortion mill workers here in Wichita at George Tiller’s chop shop,” said OR president Troy Newman, referring to Tiller employee Marguerite Reed who placed a 911 dispatcher on hold for nearly a minute while a teenager lay dying inside the abortion mill. “I think that in order to continue working in a place where there is so much human misery and death, one must shut down any feelings of caring or compassion. How else could one cope? We urge abortion workers across the nation to come out of the killing business and seek release, forgiveness, and healing through Jesus Christ.”

The story includes photographs of the baby who Angele named “Rowan.”

NATIONAL PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT DAY FINDS STUDENTS OPPOSING ABORTION
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Tens of thousands of pro-life students wore pro-life t-shirts to school yesterday as they marked National Pro-life T-shirt Day. However, the shirts didn't meet with approval at every school. In most instances, students had no problems expressing their views on the controversial issue, but some did.

"PRO-CHOICE" ADVOCATES ONLY BACK CHOICE ON ABORTION
by David Boaz
No drug or medical procedure is without risk. Not abortion, not breast implants, not the morning-after pill. The question is who makes the decision. One answer is "it's a woman's right to control her body." Apparently that's only the feminist answer if the question is abortion.

60 Minutes: Sunday 17^th April – The Great Debate (Late Term Abortions)

Some thoughts (Click Here)

Attention Queenslanders: WALK FOR LITTLE FEET '05

'Speaking Up Peacefully for the Unborn' 

Go on the walk or sponsor someone to - this Right To Life Australia initiative is on again this year on Saturday 7th May. Contact: RTL Aust., 22 Rigby St, Annerley 4103 Ph.: 38925349

An (Edited) Comment from LifeNews:The pro-life community lost two dear friends this week. On one hand we lost a tender woman who couldn't stand up for her own right to live. On the other, we lost a world leader who stood up for those would couldn't speak for themselves. (Click to Read)

Endeavour Forum News (www.endeavourforum.org.au): The latest newsletter from Babette Francis is out and has some interesting and informative articles. A quote of a Q&A in Parliament indicates that $70 million is alloacted annually by the government to Pregnancy Counselling but only a small percentage of this gioes to ProLife groups. Instead, in an article on what the Minister for Health, Mr Tony Abbott could do in terms of regulatory changes the following comment is made:

"Funding for abortion counselling to be removed from abortion providers as it is not in their financial interests to reduce the number of abortions, and given instead to pregnancy support services so they can provide ultrasoiund imaging for their clients. Experience in the USA indicates that once mothers see their babies on ultraosund they often decide against abortion. Funding abortion providers to provide "counselling" is akin to funding tobacco companies to run a "Quit" campaign."

USA: Florida Agency May Take Terri Schiavo Into Custody for Investigation
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A state agency may take Terri Schiavo into custody while it investigates allegations of abuse and neglect by her estranged husband Michael. The Miami Herald newspaper reported that state officials are considering taking the action so Terri's can receive food and water before she dies. Officials with the Florida Department of Children Families indicated that no timetable had been put in place, but the idea was in motion, according to a Herald report. Florida DCF secretary Lucy Hadi told the Palm Beach Post newspaper that her staff is relying on a state law giving auth ority to intervene on behalf of a vulnerable adult "suffering from abuse or neglect that presents a risk of death or serious physical injury." Hadi said a petition must be filed with local courts to remove Terri from Woodside Hospice, where she lives, but that the agency could remove her without approval if it feels such action is warranted to protect her life. "We're not compelled to look at prior judicial proceedings," Hadi told the Post. "What we're compelled to look at is the presenting circumstance and any allegation of abuse and neglect that we've received. So we have to deal with those and fulfill our statutory responsibility, notwithstanding anything else that may have gone on before." Meanwhile, Governor Jeb Bush confirmed the idea was being considered when he discussed the Schiavo case with reporters Wednesday afternoon. Bush said a neurologist, Dr. William Cheshire, has uncovered new information alleging that Terri may have been misdi agnosed as in a persistent vegetative state. Cheshire believes Terri is in a "minimally conscious state," not a "persistent vegetative state" as courts have alleged. Read the complete story.

USA:HOUSE APPROVES TERRI SCHIAVO MEASURE BY WIDE BIPARTISAN MARGIN
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Members of the House gave the final approval to a measure allowing Terri Schiavo's parents to be granted standing in a federal court. That allowed them to argue that the court should review Florida courts' decision authorizing Terri's painful starvation death.

This story is now on the television here in Australia - if you would like to know more go to www.lifenews.com

‘Protect Life’ organised a non-violent direct action protest of a Planned Parenthood abortion ‘clinic’ in Brisbane on Thursday 17^th March. Despite the early 6.30am start, it was most encouraging to see more than 20 supporters join the Protect Life leaders outside this place of death. Also there was the television crew of four, including presenter Peter Overton, from the programme, 60 Minutes. Watch for a 60 Minutes segment soon on ‘late term abortions’.

Christian Doctors Group Responds to Dutch Euthanasia of Children
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Earlier this week, doctors in the Netherlands have admitted to killing twenty newborn infants they say were too disabled to survive. They are presenting details of the euthanasia bids to the Dutch government with the hopes of sparking a national debate on whether euthanasia should be legalized to include children. David Stevens, M.D., executive director of the 17,000-member US Christian Medical Association, said, "The tragic irony is that Dutch doctors once risked their lives to oppose the Nazi euthanasia program. Dutch euthanasia doctors today indignantly contrast their motives with the Nazis', yet there is little difference in the final result between the involuntary euthanasia of Dutch infants and non-consenting adults and the Nazi euthanasia program. "In just a few generations since World War II, the Netherlands has slid from firm opposition to medical killing to tolerating it illegally to endorsing it in law and now to expanding it to children. On the face of it, Dutch euthanasia is all about pain and suffering and patient autonomy, but in reality, Dutch euthanasia is all about money, convenience and physician autonomy," Dr. Stevens explained. Read the complete story.

'In the Womb' film gets encore showings National Geographic airs high-tech 4-D images of developing baby

Posted: March 11, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern   © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

After an initial showing earlier this month, the documentary "In the Womb," which chronicles the development of a child from fertilization to birth, will be aired at least five more times on the National Geographic channel.

The two-hour film, which uses the latest high-tech 4-D ultrasound images to capture a developing girl in the womb, first aired on Sunday. National Geographic reportedly received thousands of calls in support of the documentary, prompting the rescheduling for tonight, tomorrow and March 18. Besides seeing images of the developing baby, viewers witness a rare fetoscope operation performed in the hope of correcting life-threatening complications before birth.

At end of the first trimester, the film features the baby exhibiting reflex movements. The last trimester explores the baby's ability to hear loud noises and deep tones through the fluids of the body, and even experience REM sleep. The 4-D technology includes the traditional three dimensions and adds action sequences in real-time.  While New York Times television reviewer Virginia Heffernan ridiculed pro-life activists in her piece on the documentary, she admitted it was good TV.

"'In the Womb' is actually a cool, beautiful movie, a celebration of computer imaging and the 4-D ultrasound," she wrote. "It exhibits a minimum of politics, probably because it appears to have been made in England, where the acknowledgement that humans in the womb are complex, dreaming, pain-experiencing, memory-having, walk-practicing, music-enjoying entities does not instantly put you in the same camp as doctor assassins and purveyors of 'The Silent Scream.'"

Harradine's condition improves March 07, 2005

INDEPENDENT senator Brian Harradine's condition has improved after he suffered a suspected minor stroke at the weekend, a spokesman said today. The Tasmanian senator remains under observation in intensive care at Royal Hobart Hospital.  Senator Harradine's condition had improved and tests showed he was making steady progress towards recovery, his spokesman said.  The senator's family said his physical strength and determination were helping him recover.  Senator Harradine is expected to remain in hospital for several days and has been given leave from this week's parliamentary sitting. From: AAP

Please pray for this great man who has worked so tirelessly for so many years to support the sanctity of human life and to support families and christian family values. Please pray that he may continue to be a godly example to us all and continue to stand for the most innocent and vulnerable of our race. May God richly bless him.

“It is time for our nation to move from the echoing crying that a woman has a right to choose to a woman has the right to grieve,” Zounis said. “Life, purpose and peace await a wounded body, mind and soul, through the hope and compassion of Christianity’s ultimate crisis pregnancy—Jesus Christ.”

A quote from Joyce Zounis, founder of Touched by Truth and a woman who had 7 abortions.

The Abortion Debate - Anti-life crowd vs Pro-life community  Pastor Peter Rahme  Sunday 13th Feb 2005

There is no doubt whatsoever that our society, from the unborn to the elderly, will be in a much better state and in far healthier shape, when the positive dia logue of the pro-life community supersedes the negative monologue of the anti-life crowd. Full article

We must tackle this tragedy, say Liberals

Anderson fuels abortion debate By Samantha Maiden and Natasha Robinson February 03, 2005    From: The Australian

ACTING Prime Minister John Anderson has backed an anti-abortion push to debate late-term terminations and consider changes designed to force doctors to provide more accurate statistics. Despite senior Coalition MPs warning of strong opposition to any changes to the law, the Nationals leader said last night he remained deeply concerned over late-term abortions and the lack of accurate information. Rest of Article  Also see rest of article for further comment on 5/2/05.

Herald Sun voteline on abortion 1st Feb 2005.

Do you support religious leaders' efforts to reopen the debate on abortion?

Yes 73.3% (1215 votes) No 26.7% (442 votes).

Religious leaders join forces to fight abortion By Natasha Robinson and Samantha Maiden   February 01, 2005 From: The Australian

A NEW bipartisan coalition of religious leaders has demanded a ban on late-term abortions and the publication of government-held records of every woman who aborts a fetus.The new forum, held in Sydney last night, gathered together religious leaders from a cross-section of faiths and was attended by Liberal MP Alan Cadman, National Party MP Ron Boswell, Independent senator Brian Harradine and Family First senator-elect Steven Fielding.

The religious leaders signed a petition calling for laws to protect a fetus after 20 weeks' gestation. Where abortions were performed, they proposed that state governments be obliged to keep anonymous details of the mother's age, postcode area and reasons for terminating a pregnancy. The petition also called for laws to ensure independent doctors gave oral and written advice to women considering abortion, describing the stage of development of the fetus, method of abortion and potential risks to the woman's physical and mental health.

Such advice would be the subject of a seven-day "cooling-off" period before an abortion could be performed. Health Minister Tony Abbott, a Catholic, was asked yesterday by an anti-abortion Coalition senator to provide parliament with an estimate of the cost of offering all women seeking an abortion a free ultrasound of the fetus.

His outspoken criticism of the number of abortions in Australia, and his canvassing of measures to reduce terminations, sparked fiery debate in cabinet last year. While Mr Abbott did not attend last night's meeting, he sent a message of support, saying: "If possible, we should move beyond the old pro-life, pro-choice debate to enable women to do what they think is best for their unborn children."

Nationals senator Ron Boswell tabled a series of parliamentary questions yesterday designed to force the Howard Government to release more information on abortion. Debate over the abortion issue flared after the election when Mr Abbott and his parliamentary secretary, Chris Pyne, raised concerns over late-term abortion.  Controversy also erupted over the true number of abortions in Australia and whether the Medicare number referred only to terminations or included procedures after a miscarriage.

Women Regret Abortions, Want Supreme Court to Reverse Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Norma McCorvey, the former Roe of the infamous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized unlimited abortion, isn't the only woman who wants the high court to reverse the case. Joining McCorvey at a press conference this week were women who had abortions and say it was he worst decision of their life. McCorvey is asking the nation's top court to overturn its decision using a Rule 60 motion allowing for a revisit of a case when circumstances change. What's new is the knowledge that abortion hurts women physically and emotionally and that argument is augmented by 5,347 pages of affidavits submitted by women who had abortions and say they regret their decisions. Caron Strong of Brentwood, Tennessee was one post-abortive woman who spoke at the event. "It's been 14 years since my last abortion and it has been a week and a half since my last nightmare," she said. Strong said she was upset that no one told her that the four abortions she had would cause her emotional torment and later result in miscarriages of subsequent pregnancies. Amy Young of Sterling, Virginia, said it took her 17 years to realize that the cause of the anger and bitterness in her life was due to a past abortion. "I still cry; I still hurt," she said. Meanwhile, Alveda King, the niece of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said the "guilt made me ill" following her abortion. Read the complete story.

Judgment awarded in abortion-breast cancer case
1st of its kind against clinic for failing to inform patient of increased risk

Posted: January 27, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

For the first time, a court ordered a judgment against an abortion clinic for performing the procedure without informing the patient of psychological risks and increased risk of breast cancer. The lawsuit against the All Women's Health Services clinic in Portland, Ore., was the second of its kind in the U.S. to be successfully prosecuted but the first to obtain a judgment. Jonathan Clark, attorney for the 19-year-old plaintiff, told WorldNetDaily he believes the judgment "makes a pretty powerful statement about the science," indicating a link between abortion and breast cancer.

"This case was set to be tried in Multnomah County, which is a very liberal county where folks are inclined to lean towards abortion," he said. "But in the trial setting, the science would have come under close scrutiny." Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, said in a statement that women in the position of the plaintiff will not receive justice until they file civil lawsuits. The clinic made an offer of judgment last year enabling the plaintiff, who was 15 at the time of the May 2001 abortion, to win the lawsuit without a trial. The judge signed the agreement Monday. The amount of the judgment was not disclosed.

"Women have been told lies about the research and have been cruelly exploited by two industries -- the breast cancer fund-raising industry and the abortion industry," she said. The plaintiff has a family history of breast cancer, which she indicated on the clinic intake forms. Malec points to research in 1994 at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center by Janet Daling and her colleagues, showing teenagers with a family history of the disease who procure abortions before age 18 have an incalculably high breast cancer risk.

Biological and epidemiological evidence also indicates abortions that occur before the birth of a first child are the most carcinogenic, Malec said. In the process of researching the case, Clark said he came across many media headlines that slanted studies on abortion and breast cancer. "As I read the studies, which we would have tried to bring into evidence, they often showed abortion does pose increased risk for breast cancer," Clark said.

Medics save foot in womb
By Matthew Denholm
January 11, 2005

A VICTORIAN medical team has saved an unborn baby's foot by operating on the 27-week-old fetus in utero.

The rare procedure - the second of its kind in Australia - was yesterday declared a success, with baby Ella Grace Turner, born in Launceston on January 2, able to move her foot and toes.

An ultrasound scan 19 weeks into the pregnancy of Joanna Dalton, of Launceston, revealed a band of tissue had broken away from the womb lining and tangled around the foetus's left leg, cutting blood supply.. Her obstetrician advised that the foot was likely to have to be amputated after birth, but referred her to the head of paediatric surgery at Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre, Chris Kimber.

Dr Kimber initially declined to operate because of the risk of damaging an otherwise normal foetus. "It was the experts who look after these conditions when the child is born who encouraged us and urged us to go ahead," Dr Kimber said yesterday.

The procedure lasted one hour and involved a team of 25. A 2mm operating telescope was inserted into the womb to identify the constricting tissue and burn through it with lasers.

Australia Poll Shows Abortion Support, Catholic Pregnancy Outreach Begins
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- Young Australians are more likely than their elders to be against late-term abortions, according to a new poll. Meanwhile the Catholic Church in the island nation is beginning a new outreach to pregnant women to help them choose abortion alternatives. The Newspoll survey, conducted for The Australian newspaper, showed that 18- to 34-year-olds were the age group most inclined to oppose abortions in the latter stages of pregnancy. The survey also showed that, overall, only 15 percent of Australians support late-term abortion. The poll showed that fifty percent of Australians believe women should have access to abortion on demand. Thirty-nine percent support abortion if it can be proven the pregnancy will cause psychological or medical harm to the mother. “It (the poll result) is disappointing to us; it clearly presents a challenge to the churches that our message is not persuading people and we have to take stock of that,” Catholic Bishop Anthony Fisher, a spokesman for the new Centacare Pregnancy Support program, told The Australian. The program is designed to provide assistance and support to women to help them to give birth to their babies. In announcing the program, the Archbishop of Sidney, George Pell, told the Australian press, “Women need real alternatives to abortion, and while the Catholic Church provides many family services, this new Pregnancy Support Program is targeted to meet the specific needs of women contemplating abortion. Read the complete story.

Mississippi Becomes Case Study for Reducing Abortions Through Legislation
Jackson, MS (LifeNews.com) -- Doing what was thought impossible, the state of Mississippi has found a way to significantly reduce the number of abortions despite the fact that the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision allowing abortions still stands. Thanks in part to a plethora of pro-life legislation, that has helped lead to the closing of all but one abortion business in the state, abortions in Mississippi have decreased by half in the last decade. After peaking at 8,814 in 1991, the number of abortions in 2002 fell to just 3,605. Even one abortion is too many for pro-life groups that have been working in the state, but the sharp decline is cause for celebration. "We don't need to wait for the Supreme Court to outlaw abortion," says Pat Cartrette, executive director of Pro-Life Mississippi. Mississippi has a sweeping conscience clause allowing any medical professional to opt out of participating in an abortion, it is one of two states that requires both parents to give consent before an abortion, and it requires abortion practitioners to tell women about abortion's risks and alternatives. The state also passed an unborn victims law that targets criminals such as Scott Peterson who kill or injure an unborn child as a result of attacking a pregnant woman. Those laws have contributed to the abortion decline, according to an attorney with Americans United for Life. "The dramatic decrease in abortions shows that life-affirming laws and public policy can save lives," said Nikolas T. Nikas, general counsel for Americans United for Life, explained. Other states such as South Carolina and Kentucky have seen a similar decrease in the number of abortions performed following the passage of numerous pro-life laws. Read the complete story.

Sometimes Miracles Hide  by – Bruce Carroll

“… The quality of a person’s life cannot be measured by how much they have accomplished, but by how much love they can give.” 

                          Shiela Pauls (writing about her cute severely handicapped child).

Herald Sun, 25 November 2005, by Babette Francis

A slaughter we cannot ignore

Dear Mr. Howard,

An abortion inquiry is needed because science has progressed far since the 1970s. There are new 4D images of life in utero, showing fetuses bouncing around, sucking thumbs, smiling. These delightful little beings are human and alive - we cannot justify their slaughter. Abortion is not just "between a woman and her doctor" - taxpayers are forced to subsidize it - so how many do we fund?

We also have three decades of data on the damage to women. Norma McCorvey and Sandra Cano, plaintiffs in Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton, which gave the US abortion on demand, bitterly regret their involvement in these cases. Both say they were misled and manipulated by their feminist lawyers, and are petitioning the US Supreme Court for reversals. Their petitions are based on accummulated evidence that abortion harms women: 5,347 pages of affidavits from women cite a host of medical and emotional problems.

Abortionists avoid showing clients ultrasounds of their fetuses - in any other area of surgery this would be regarded as malpractice. A new Medicare item for ultrasounds offered through pregnancy support centres is needed. In April 2004 the NSW Supreme Court shattered the myth of "safe, legal abortion" when Justice Michael Grove ruled the brain damage of a Sydney girl, confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, resulted from her mother's uterine rupture - a complication from a prior abortion about which she had not informed her obstetrician. The rupture caused haemorrhage depriving the baby's brain of oxygen.

Dr. David Reardon, Elliot Institute, USA, which studies abortion complications, says the procedure is linked with cervical and uterine damage, premature delivery, labor complications, and abnormal development of the placenta in subsequent pregnancies, all causes of handicaps in newborns. He disputes the claim that abortion is safer than childbirth.

In "Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth - A Review" Reardon and co-authors cite two major studies based on extensive records which link death certificates to records for pregnancy, childbirth and abortion. The first is a study of all women aged 15-49 in Finland who died in 1987-1994: "As Finland has socialized medicine and a computerized central registry, the completeness of these records is excellent: women who caried a pregnancy to term were half as likely to die in the year following their pregnancy as women who were not recently pregnant. The reduced risk of dying held true across all major categories: natural causes, suicide, accidents and homicide.

By contrast, women who had induced abortions were significantly more likely to die than non-pregnant women. Those who had abortions were 3.7 times more likely to suicide in the year following abortion than non-pregnant women and 6.5 times more likely to commit suicide than women who had given birth. "The second record-based study linked Medicaid records for 173,279 Californian women who had state-funded abortions or deliveries in 1989 to death certificates from 1989 to 1997.

This study showed the elevated risk of death associated with abortion persists beyond one year. Aborted women were 61% more likely to die from all causes over the eight years examined. There is less than one in a thousand chance these findings are due to chance. "....Induced abortion produces unnatural physical and psychological stress that results in a negative impact on women's general health .... Deaths from conditions created or aggravated by abortion complications such as ectopic pregnancy, pelvic disease, depression, suicide, preterm birth and breast cancer should also be considered in comparisons of mortality rates...."

Funding abortion providers for "counselling" is like funding car salesmen in the hope they will advise clients to buy bicycles or use public transport, an unacceptable conflict of interest. Women should not be left vulnerable to profit-motivated abortionists or coercion by partners. They deserve the support of family relationship centres offering parenting plans based on the commendable model envisaged in your government's "Reforms to Family Law".

babette@endeavourforum.org.au

Catholic Bishops back forum on abortion
19:46 AEDT Thu Nov 25 2004


Catholic Church leaders have given their backing to a national forum on abortion as they announced the establishment of a task force to find ways of giving support to those facing the dilemma of terminating a pregnancy.

The Catholic Bishops of Australia called on churches, government and charities to join them to ensure all pregnant women had real options.

"We support the establishment of a national forum to consider practical ways of assisting them and of promoting constructive discussion within the community," the bishops said in a statement.

"Women with unplanned pregnancies need to be offered genuine alternatives to abortion.

"They need access to good counselling and support, healthcare, welfare and housing.

"Educational facilities and workplaces must be more accommodating of the special needs of pregnant women and families."

·     In 2001, 58 per cent of Australians believe a woman should be able to get an abortion readily (increasing from 39 per cent in 1987).

·     Only 4 per cent thought abortion was always wrong.

·     Men and women are equally likely to support a woman's right to obtain ready action to abortion.

·     In general younger age groups are more supportive of a woman having ready access to abortion.

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 22, 2004

Mobile, AL (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll of Alabama residents shows that a strong majority take a pro-life position opposing all or almost all abortions.

A survey conducted by the Mobile Register newspaper and the University of South Alabama found that about 60 percent of Alabama residents said abortion should only be allowed in the very rare instances of rape, incest of when the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother.

The poll also found that Alabama residents, by a 43 to 38 percent margin, want President Bush to appoint pro-life judges who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed abortion.

That number is consistent with a similar poll taken last year finding Alabama residents opposed to the landmark Supreme Court decision.

Meanwhile, an abortion practitioner who killed a woman in Alabama in 2003 in a botched abortion is facing a hearing by the state medical board on whether his suspended medical license should be revoked permanently. Malachy DeHenre's medical license has been suspended in Mississippi as well, where he also performed abortions.

In November 2003, a Birmingham, Alabama woman died just 10 hours after DeHenre performed an abortion. In February 2001, a 22-year-old woman required a hysterectomy after an abortion he performed, and three other cases of injured women were noted from 2001-2003.

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Alabama's Right to Know law is constitutional.

The law requires abortion facilities to make information about fetal development and abortion risks and dangers available to women 24 hours before an abortion can be performed.

According to the Alabama Department of Health, 10,130 abortions were performed last year -- a drop of almost 15 percent since President Bush first took office in 2001.

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