ABORTION: Everything you didn't want to know
Beatrice Klassen
The following information on the difficult subject of abortion was compiled by Beatrice Klassen, with the assistance of the Herald staff. It is intended to be a comprehensive but by no means exhaustive or definitive overview of the relevant facts information.
THE BABY
* 4 weeks: heart beating and blood circulating.
* 6 weeks: clearly defined fingers and toes; measurable brainwaves; the baby moves arms and legs.
* 8 weeks: organs in place and functioning; baby can urinate, can make a strong fist, feels pain, has discernible fingerprints.
* 12 weeks: distinct individuality in appearance and behaviour, facial expressions resembling parents.
* 16 weeks: eyelashes developed and teeth buds in place.
* 18 weeks: baby has a full set of vocal chords and can make crying motions, but without sound.
* 20 weeks: baby viable outside the womb. This may be escalated to 10 weeks or earlier, depending on the sophistication of medical assistance available.
HISTORY OF ABORTION
* 300 B.C. Abortion and euthanasia ("mercy killing" of the very sick) were common in ancient Greece. The physician Hippocrates formed a code of medical ethics. His oath, which doctors still recite at the onset of their careers, says, "I will . . . never do harm to anyone . . . nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion."
* 1603: Abortion became a statutory crime in England, putting into code an old law requiring the death penalty for the deliberate destruction of an unborn child if it occurred after the mother felt the first fetal movement ("quickening", then considered to be the beginning of life).
* 1803: Lord Ellenborough's Act made abortion, before and after quickening, a crime, although abortions before quickening were not punished as severely as those performed later.
* 1861: The Offences Against a Person Act established a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for abortion, whether before or after quickening, and provided that the woman herself, as well as the abortionist, could be held guilty of the offence.
AMERICAN LAW
* 1962: The American Law Institute proposed allowing abortion in cases of rape; incest; threat to the life or health of the mother; or grave defect in the child. Abortion became permissible by law.
* 1970: US law allowed licensed physicians to perform abortions through the 24th week of pregnancy.
* 1972: Janet Roe filed suit to overturn a Texas law prohibiting her to have an abortion unless her life was in danger. The court upheld the law and refused permission for the abortion.
* 1973: The US Supreme Court overturned the Janet Roe decision (Roe vs. Wade), declaring the Texas law unconstitutional. By declaring all unborn children to be "non-persons", the decision cancelled abortion laws in all states. Laws were established giving American women freedom to abort their children at any time for any reason prior to viability--the point at which the child can live outside the womb. "Roe" (not her real name) never had the abortion because of the amount of time required for the court case. She has since reportedly become a Christian and has taken a pro-life stand. The 25-year-old daughter she sought to abort is also active in the pro-life movement.
* 1989: The public first learned of partial birth abortions being done in the US.
* 1995: A bill to prevent partial birth abortions passed both US houses of Congress, but in 1996 President Clinton vetoed the bill.
* 1997: Anti-abortionists reintroduced a bill banning partial birth abortions. Clinton compromised by prohibiting the procedure from being done in the third trimester (weeks 25-36 of the 36-week pregnancy), except to save the life of the mother.
* 1997: Abortion is less readily available in the US today than at any time since 1973. The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League says that there are more laws restricting abortions and that the number of abortion providers decreased in 45 states between 1982 and 1992.
CANADIAN LAW
* 1892: England's Offences Against a Person Act was imported into Canadian law, remaining in effect until 1969.
* 1929: The Infant Life Preservation Act established that it was lawful to perform abortions only to preserve the life of the mother.
* 1968: Henry Morgentaler, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, opened the first Canadian abortion clinic in Montreal.
* 1969: The Canadian Criminal Code was amended to permit abortions if authorized by a therapeutic abortion committee, if performed in an accredited hospital and if the mother's life or health was threatened (section 251). (The World Health Organization defines "health" to be "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being; not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".)
* 1975: A petition of over 1 million signatures was presented to the Canadian parliament, asking for protection for the unborn. No action was taken.
* 1982: A constitutional amendment created the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It gave the Supreme Court of Canada power to overrule any law passed by Parliament if, in its interpretation, the law violates the Charter.
* 1983: Joe Borowski began a lengthy court case arguing for Charter of Rights protection for the unborn. This claim was dismissed in 1987, as was his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989.
* 1988: Henry Morgentaler, having spent time in prison for performing abortions, appealed his case to the Supreme Court of Canada. In a 5-2 decision, Canadian abortion laws were ruled unconstitutional because they violated the Charter of Rights, which guarantee a woman's right to "life, liberty and security of the person".
* 1989 Ontario woman Barbara Dodd's boyfriend won an injunction preventing her from aborting their baby. The Supreme Court of Canada overturned that decision. Dodd went through with the abortion and later expressed regret that she had done so.
* 1989: A temporary injunction, followed by a permanent one, was issued against Chantal Daigle when her boyfriend sought to prevent the abortion of their baby. The Supreme Court of Canada lifted the injunction, and the abortion was carried out. This means that in Canada the father does not have a right to protect his unborn child if the mother decides to have an abortion.
* 1989: Bill C-43 sought to bring some structure to abortion law by re-criminalizing abortion. However, abortions would be permissible if, in the opinion of one physician, continuing the pregnancy would jeopardize the mother's "health", including "psychological well-being", a term left to the physician to define). Pleasing neither pro-life nor pro-abortion forces, the bill was defeated by a tie vote in the Senate in January, 1991.
* 1991: The Supreme Court of Canada decided that a fetus has no legal rights. According to the Canadian Criminal Code, a baby becomes a human being only when completely separated in a living state from its mother. Because of its non-person status, it cannot be protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
* 1996: Brenda Drummond intentionally shot her about-to-be-born child by shooting herself through the abdomen with a pellet gun. If her child had died before birth, charges would not have been laid, but because her child was born alive, she was charged and received a suspended sentence for negligence; attempted murder charges were dismissed.
* 1996: A 22-year-old pregnant Manitoba woman, addicted to glue sniffing, was declared mentally incompetent and ordered placed in a detoxification centre. The Manitoba Court of Appeal overturned that decision; it ruled that she was mentally competent and that, according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, she could not be forced into treatment. The baby's well-being was denied in favour of the mother's rights.
* 1996: Bill C-47 had its first reading in the House of Commons. Its intent was to put restraints on new reproductive technologies and on the commercial transactions flowing from them. This act was not passed.
* Canadian law has consistently given rights to the unborn child such as the right to inherit property under a will and the right to compensation for injuries while still in the womb. (Compensation was paid for damage done to unborn children in the 1960s by the drug thalidomide, taken by mothers early in pregnancy.) However, Canadian law does not grant the unborn child the legal right to life.
* The Criminal Code provides no protection for babies who are aborted alive and left to die. A charge of criminal negligence could be laid against the doctors, but this is difficult to prove because hospital staff are reluctant to initiate or disclose evidence.
* The proposed New Reproductive and Genetic Technologies Act would ban 13 controversial practices, including sale of human embryos.
* In many provinces, minors are allowed to obtain medical treatment without parental consent. Teens can have abortions without parents being notified.
* Today there is no law in Canada to govern or restrict abortion in any way.
CANADIAN ABORTION STATISTICS
Statistics Canada usually reports several thousand fewer annual abortions than provincial records of abortions paid for by Medicare. Before 1990, Statistics Canada reported only those abortions done in hospitals; since 1990, it has included those done in out-of-country facilities and many abortion clinics. The figures do not reflect abortions done at home through various medications. Following are the Statistics Canada figures:
| Year | Abortions | % increase | Rate/100 live births |
|---|
| 1970 | 11,200 | 3.0 | |
| 1971 | 30,949 | 177.3 | 8.5 |
| 1972 | 38,905 | 25.6 | 11.2 |
| 1973 | 43,245 | 11.2 | 12.6 |
(There was a steady increase 1973-93, except for slight declines in 1981 and 1983.)
| 1993 | 104,403 | | 26.9 |
| 1994 | 106,255 | 1.7 | 27.6 |
Provincial hospital abortions in 1993:
| Province | Rate/100 live births |
|---|
| Ontario | 30,518 | 20.6 |
| Quebec | 16,873 | 18.3 |
| British Columbia | 10,813 | 23.5 |
| Alberta | 6,379 | 15.8 |
| Manitoba | 2,635 | 15.8 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,899 | 16.4 |
| Saskatchewan | 1,621 | 11.4 |
| New Brunswick | 657 | 7.3 |
| Newfoundland | 477 | 7.4 |
| Yukon | 165 | 32.5 |
| North West Territories | 27 | 17.8 |
| Prince Edward Island | 16 | 0.9 |
OTHER CANADIAN STATISTICS
* In 1991, there were 10,287 abortion clinics in Ontario. (Ontario Ministry of Health)
* In 1970, 12,000 abortions were performed in Canada, and 20,500 children were placed for adoption. In 1990, there were 94,000 abortions and 8900 adoptions. (ProLife News)
* In 1993, one-third of abortions done in Canada involved a pregnant teen.
* In Ontario, abortions were performed on two 11-year-olds, three 12-year-olds, 31 13-year-olds, 174 14-year-olds and 523 15-year-olds.
* 75% of all abortions were done on unmarried women.
* The proportion of Canadian women who have ever had an abortion has gone from 4.1% to 16.5%. It is expected that before long the proportion will rise to 34%.
* About 25% of teens who have an abortion will have another. (Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of International Planned Parenthood), Repeat Abortions in Canada, 1975-1993)
* The steady rise in abortion numbers may not mean that abortion is becoming common throughout the population, but that some women are having many abortions. Abortion Recovery Canada director Pat Hansard has counselled women who have had 18-20 abortions each; 7-8 are not uncommon.
* In Toronto, the Public Health Department has established birth control clinics in five high schools.
* It is estimated that the teen pregnancy rate in Toronto is 4,000 a year; about 65% of these are aborted.
* In 1995, 89% of abortions took place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and 0.3% were done after 20 weeks.
ABORTION WORLDWIDE
* The World Health Organization estimates that 45 million abortions are done worldwide each year. Of those, 25 million are legal.
Abortions in 1991 per every 100 live births:
| Russia* | 225 |
| Romania* | 131 |
| Cuba* | 85 |
| China* | 76 |
| Hungary* | 64.5 |
| East Germany* | 42 |
| United States* | 42 |
| Italy* | 39 |
| Japan* | 37 |
| France* | 23 |
| England and Wales* | 23.5 |
| Israel* | 16.1 |
| West Germany* | 15 |
| Netherlands* | 10.6 |
(3.5 million abortions yearly)
(Christianity Today)
* Abortion is illegal in Africa and South America, but still practised.
* In Indonesia, abortions are permitted "as an effort to save a mother's life", but Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist religious leaders oppose that policy.
* In Muslim countries, abortion is illegal and very rare.
METHODS OF ABORTION
Suction Curettage
After dilation of the cervix, a tube is inserted into the uterus and connected to a strong suction apparatus, which tears the baby to pieces and sucks him or her into a jar. 96% of abortions are performed using this method, including those done in the Morgentaler clinics. The client usually pays about $500 for the seven-minute procedure.
Dilatation and Curettage
A curette (a sharp, scraping instrument) is inserted into the uterus through the dilated cervix. The baby is cut into pieces and scraped from the uterine wall, often resulting in profuse bleeding. The nurse must then re-assemble the baby's parts to be sure everything has been evacuated.
Partial Birth Abortion
This is also called "Intrauterine Cranial Decompression". The 5-to-9-month-old baby is manually turned in the womb and delivered feet first until just the head is left inside the mother. The doctor stabs the back of the baby's head with sharp surgical scissors, and through that hole the baby's brain is suctioned out. The skull is crushed, and the delivery completed.
Saline Injection
A long needle is inserted through the mother's abdomen into the baby's sac. Some amniotic fluid is replaced by a strong salt solution, which the baby swallows. Death takes about an hour and is violently painful as the child's outer layer of skin is completely burned off. Labour begins, and the dead baby is born. (Sometimes these babies are born alive and left unattended to die.)
Prostaglandin
This hormone causes the uterus to contract intensely, pushing out the baby. The contractions are so abnormally severe that babies have been known to be decapitated by them. Many have been born alive and left to die from starvation or killed by direct act. Side effects to the mother are many, including possible cardiac arrest.
Hysterotomy
This method is used mainly in the last three months of pregnancy. The baby is removed by Caesarian section and left to die by neglect or killed by direct act.
Intrauterine Device (IUD)
When the fertilized egg arrives in the uterus six-to-ten days after fertilization, the baby cannot find a proper environment to implant and is expelled.
Contraceptives
When the pill fails to prevent conception by suppressing ovulation, its abortifacient aspect takes over, causing changes in the lining of the uterus which may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. Most oral contraceptives act in this manner, often without the mother knowing she has aborted a baby. The same is true of other contraceptives such as Depo Provera (a synthetic progesterone taken every three months) and Norplant (capsules implanted in the arm over a five-year period).
RU486
Called "the abortion pill", RU486 contains higher doses of contraceptive, abortion being the objective rather than a side effect. In 1992 the World Health Organization aided the Chinese Government in using RU486 experimentally on Chinese women. Now it is in common use in several European countries as well as northern Canada among the native population. RU486 can also result in death and cause other short-term side effects such as nausea, vomiting, heavy blood loss and pain; the long-term effects are unknown.
The morning after pill
A high dosage of this estrogen compound works similarly to RU486, but is used within the first 72 hours after unprotected sex.
MOST COMMON REASONS FOR ABORTION
Coercion
In one study, more than 50% of 252 women interviewed aborted because of coercion by boyfriends or husbands. Of those, 84% said the outcome would have been different if they had been encouraged differently. Two-thirds said their lives were out of control and they were incapable of making a responsible decision. (Study conducted by Women Exploited by Abortion)
Immaturity
Teens often have abortions because they are unable or unwilling to assume responsiblity for raising a child (due to financial reasons, emotional inability to cope, lack of a support system, etc.). Teens also have difficulty with contraception, so some use abortion as a means of birth control.
Disabilities
Some mothers have abortions due to fear that the child will be born with a grave mental or physical disability. This, however, is a relatively rare reason given for abortion.
Health
The original grounds for allowing abortion were to save the life or health of the mother. However, this is extremely rare. One doctor reported that in his 36 years as a pediatrician, not once did a child have to be aborted in order to save the mother's life.
Sex selection
After ultrasound reveals the sex of a fetus, female babies in particular may be aborted. Over 1.7 million female babies have been aborted in China. Such abortions have also occurred in North America.
Rape
Rape is another reason given for abortion in general. However, fewer than one in 5000 rapes results in pregnancy. Moreover, David Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute for Social Science Research, summarizes several reasons why most women do not abort babies that result from rape:
* Approximately 70% of women believe abortion is immoral, even though many think it should be a legal choice for others.
* Some believe their child's life may have some purpose they may not yet realize; perhaps God will use that child in some special way.
* Victims of assault come to respect life and other people's rights in a new way.
* The victim may sense that by continuing the pregnancy, she can arrive at some personal healing and regain lost self-esteem. Though the situation was meant to destroy, she can create and nurture.
SIDE EFFECTS
Physical effects
* Canadian hospital records indicate that in 1990, 854 women who had abortions experienced immediate adverse physical complications. However, those figures include only those occurring during the one-day hospital stay following the procedure and account for only the first complication reported. In actuality, complications can be multiple and are known to occur up to 10 years after the abortion is done.
* In 1993, 49 women experienced significant hemorrhaging, 40 had laceration of the cervix, 14 suffered infection, 156 retained "products of conception" (part of the baby remaining inside the mother after the abortion), 48 experienced "other" complications (a category which includes death).
* 300 women have died in the US as a result of legal abortions.
(ProLife News)P
* 18 of 23 studies have found a link between abortion and breast cancer. A study of 845 women with breast cancer and 961 healthy women under age 45, done by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Wash., revealed that women who have had an abortion are at least 50% more likely to develop breast cancer. Another study of 25,967 women with breast cancer and 34,977 healthy women put the figure at 30%.
* The younger the mother is, the more likely she will suffer from sterility later if she has an abortion--as high as 30% among Canadian women 15-17 years old. (ProLife News)
Psychological effects
* These include severe depression, guilt, suicidal impulses, sense of loss, withdrawal, loss of confidence in decision-making ability, lower self-esteem, hostility, self-destructive behaviour and anger.
* Nearly 42% of surveyed women in a Guttmacher poll had "anniversary reactions", usually severe depression and psychosomatic illness on the anniversary of the abortion.
David Reardon of the Elliot Institute for Social Sciences Research, reported the following study of 260 post-abortion women:
* 36% became self-destructive.
* 20% had a nervous breakdown.
* 10% were hospitalized for psychiatric care.
* 61% said the abortion made their lives worse.
* 6% said the abortion improved their lives.
* 31% felt reconciled with their abortion experience.
* 28% had attempted suicide, over half more than once.
These 260 women had had their abortions an average of 10.6 years earlier.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ABORTION
* Abortions performed in hospitals and free-standing clinics are paid for by Canadian tax dollars. In 1990, $21 million was spent on abortions performed in hospitals.
* The Canadian government paid $2.7 million for representatives to bring reports at the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995. Reports highlighted the need for a woman's unhindered productive rights (including abortion).
* The Canadian government gives about $7 million annually to Planned Parenthood.
* The Canadian government gives the National Action Committee on the Status of Women several million dollars every year. This organization promotes abortion through its Reproductive Rights Committee.
FALLACIES AND FACTS
* Fallacy: Partial birth abortions are done only in cases of a severely deformed fetus or to save the life of the mother.
* Fact: They are routinely done on healthy mothers and babies, according to the doctors who perform these abortions. This procedure requires two or three days of artificial dilation of the cervix, so it would not be a quick enough solution if the mother's life were indeed at risk.
* Fallacy: The baby feels no pain during most types of abortion.
* Fact: In almost every type of abortion, the child suffers tremendous pain.
* Fallacy: Thousands of women die annually from illegal abortions.
* Fact: The actual death total for Canadian women having abortions was 306 for the 14 years preceeding legalization. Women also die from legal abortions. (ProLife News)
* Fallacy: Most abortions are done to save the life of the mother or when it is known that the child will be severely deformed.
* Fact: According to C. Everett Koop, past Surgeon-General of the US, abortions for rape and incest, to protect the life of the mother or to get rid of a defective fetus comprise less than 5% of all abortions. The remainder are performed for social or economic convenience.
ABORTION "COUNSELLING"
"Informed consent" refers to the consent for the abortion procedure given by the patient after having been fully informed of all options, risks and specifics.
Surveys published in Aborted Women: Silent No More (Loyola Press) reveal that:
* 90% of women suffering post-abortion trauma complain that they did not receive enough information at the clinics on which to base an informed choice.
* 85% believe they were misinformed during counselling. Most felt that their questions were evaded or trivialized.
* 90% received no counselling about the baby's stage of development.
* 81% received little or no information about potential risks.
* 44% were hoping to find some option other than abortion at the time they sought abortion counselling.
* 74% had no consultation with the doctor performing the abortion.
* 76% complained that the description of the procedure was inadequate or watered down, especially regarding pain.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
When the abortion debate began a generation ago, pro-abortion forces argued that abortion would mean that "every child would be a wanted child". Pro-life forces argued that abortion would be only the beginning of a quick slide downhill to the devaluation of human life. Consider the following developments:
* Those who feel they cannot endure suffering from a severe chronic or terminal illness are assisted in taking their own lives, notably by Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the US. In Canada, Member of Parlaiment Svend Robinson assisted the suicide of Sue Rodriquez.
* Euthanasia ("the deliberate, painless putting to death of persons suffering from incurable and distressing disease"), although illegal, is done in hospitals through such means as overmedication. Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs has introduced a bill that would legalize this practice.
* In Saskatchewan, Tracy Latimer's father took her life with carbon monoxide because she was born with cerebral palsy, was severly handicapped and was in pain. Although he was charged and convicted, some members of the public saluted his act as "the right thing".
* New reproductive techniques have created test-tube babies. Embryos with undesirable characteristics are discarded. Healthy frozen embryos are stored for future transplant use and are often later discarded. Research has also led to the possibility of human cloning, the artificial womb, and genetic engineering to produce made-to-order babies with desired characteristics, including gender.
* Child abuse is epidemic. In 1993, the Ontario Children's Aid Society reported approximately 25,000 confirmed cases in Ontario alone.
* Women who have aborted a child are statistically more likely to abuse a subsequent child. There is often difficulty bonding with a future child.
* The Hong Kong newspaper "Eastern Express" reports that cannabalism is practised in China, where aborted fetuses are used as health food. Abortions are not performed to provide food, but the fetuses can be eaten because they would be "wasted if not eaten".
* In North America, aborted fetuses are commonly used for experiments and to help the aged. One treatment for Parkinson's disease uses transplanted live brain cells from several aborted fetuses for each treatment. Pancreas and liver cells are used to treat Huntington's Chorea, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and many other disorders.
* Certain European cosmetic companies use frozen cells from aborted fetuses. Collagen, the gelatinous substance found in connective tissue, bone and cartilage, is used widely in personal products ranging from shampoo to face creams. If the label does not specify that the source is animal, it likely comes from unborn human babies.
PUBLIC OPINION
A 1991 poll conducted by Louis Harris and Associates reports that:
* 25% would permit abortion in all circumstances.
* 19% would not permit abortion in any circumstance.
* 53% would permit it in "some" circumstances (such as to save the life of the mother).
A 1992 poll commissioned by the Citizen's Voice Association revealed that:
* 74% would approve provincial laws requiring women considering abortion to receive counselling (including information about fetal development and possible physical and psychological complications).
* 71% would approve laws requiring pregnant women to receive adoption information.
A 1990 survey by American Cable News Network, received the following answers:
If your daughter became pregnant, would you advise her to:
* marry the father--14%
* raise the child alone--22%
* give the child up for adoption--15%
* have an abortion--11%
If your teen son made someone pregnant, would you advise him to
* marry the mother--20%
* help pay for an abortion--7%
* help pay medical expenses and child support--52%
* try to get out of the situation--1%
Two-thirds of practising obstetrician-gynecologists in the US do not perform abortions because of moral, ethical or religious objections to the procedure. However, of those, one-third said they would likely prescribe a chemical abortion agent if it was government approved.
THE ABORTION BUSINESS
* Abortion clinics in the United States are a $500 million a year business.
* In the book Blood Money: Getting Rich Off a Woman's Right to Choose (Multnomah Press, 1992), Carol Everett, former owner of two abortion clinics in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, said that abortionists can make $750 an hour ($75 each for ten abortions). Her personal income as a clinic owner was $13,000 a month.
PRO-LIFE AGENCIES
* Alliance for Life is the largest pro-life agency in Canada, with 255 local chapters using such names as "Right to Life Association" and "League for Life". It concentrates mainly on education and publishes ProLife News.
* Pro-Life Alliance Association
* Campaign Life Coalition lobbies politicians and tries to get pro-life candidates elected.
* Canadian Physicians for Life
* Canadian Rights Coalition tries to help women who have had an abortion lay charges against doctors for neglect or misinformation.
* Human Life Research Institute concentrates on research.
* Council for Life
* Birthright International
* Hope Services
* Meribah is an educational network formed "to pray and act together to help Mennonite churches live up to their calling to choose life". Meribah produces a newsletter by the same name. For information, contact Vicki Markley-Sairs, 1258 Charmaine Circle, Mobile, AB 36605, USA.
Most of these organizations produce their own newsletters. Many of these organizations, as well as churches, operate homes where pregnant women can go for counselling and care during pregnancy. They can usually be found in the yellow pages under "Alternatives to Abortion", or by looking up the name of one of the organizations listed above in the white pages.
PRO-ABORTION AGENCIES
* Planned Parenthood International
* National Abortion Rights Action League
* Coalition for Reproductive Choice
* Pro Choice Association
* Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics
* Alliance Action
* Childbirth by Choice
In 1990, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, based in London, England, had affiliates in 100 countries. The annual budget of $74 million was used to promote birth control and abortion around the world. Planned Parenthood also provides contraceptive-based sex education in schools and community centres, sets up mobile birth control units outside school buildings (which are often on-site abortuaries) and installs condom machines in schools, arenas and parks. It also produces television ads encouraging condom use to fight AIDS and to promote the use of RU486. In the US, Planned Parenthood is the largest single abortion provider; in Canada, it is the largest abortion referral agency.
MARGARET SANGER
Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood and a person hailed by pro-choice advocates as a woman of great valour, lived a morally corrupt life and advocated that others, including her husband, do the same. She was against everything the traditional family represented and called the marriage bed "the most degenerating influence in the social order".
In 1914 she produced the first issue of The Woman Rebel, using as her slogan "No Gods, No Masters". The publication's purpose was to promote single motherhood, free sexual expression and rebellion against moral standards.
Her primary cause was birth control. She was arrested for producing and distributing flyers recommending bizarre birth control methods without being medically qualified. Leaving her family and fleeing the country to avoid being convicted, she later married a multi-millionaire in order to have funds for her cause.
Sanger's later publication, Birth Control Review advocated the elimination of any race or type of which she personally disapproved, including the weak and feeble minded, blacks, soldiers and Jews. A 1933 edition featured an article by Ernst Rudin, a German Nazi leader.
Sanger died miserably, addicted to alcohol and Demoral.
DEMONSTRATIONS AND PROTESTS
* Life Chain: It began in Canada in 1990, after having been in operation in the US for a few years previously. For one hour each year, pro-life supporters line streets in a silent, prayerful anti-abortion demonstration. The main purposes are to unite churches in a pro-life stand and to motivate individuals and churches to become actively involved in the pro-life movement. Through the use of signs and street corner booths, the event also seeks to make people aware of alternatives to abortion. In Canada in 1992, 75,000 attended, and in 1994 45,000 took part.
* Walk for Life: This annual Mother's Day march in various North American cities is intended to peacefully demonstrate pro-life support.
* Operation Rescue: It pickets abortion clinics with the intent to dissuade women from going through with abortion. In 1991, 597 pro-lifers were arrested in a Buffalo, N.Y. campaign. In a 46-day demonstration in Wichita, Kan., over 2600 arrests were made; the clinics were closed for nine days, and counsellors convinced eight women to save their babies.
Bubble zones
On the grounds that pro-life demonstrations outside abortion clinics constitute a public nuisance and a violation of the right to security of the person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, laws have been passed requiring protesters to remain a certain distance from any abortion facility. This area, known as a "bubble zone", varies in size from province to province, as do the laws applying to it. Generally, within these zones it is illegal to hand out leaflets, carry signs, physically or verbally harass clients or workers, set up blockades, commit acts of vandalism or in any way attempt to dissuade a woman from having an abortion. Outside the bubble zones, it is illegal for anyone to watch repeatedly, approach or follow providers of abortions.
ANTI-ABORTION VIOLENCE
Using violence against abortion is out of keeping with a pro-life stance. Nevertheless, we must recognize that it exists and understand that it discredits the pro-life movement in the eyes of abortionists and of the general public. Consider the following:
* A Medical Post survey claims that 86% of the doctors who perform abortions in the US have experienced harrassment by anti-abortionists or disrespect from other doctors.
* A former armoured car company worker in the US was arrested for stealing $260,000. He planned to use the money to pay for a campaign of violence against abortion clincs, including bombing clinics and shooting the personnel.
* In 1992, Henry Morgentaler's Toronto clinic was severely damaged by a bomb.
* In 1993, abortionist David Gunn was shot and killed during an anti-abortion demonstration in Pensacola, Fla.
* In 1994, former minister and anti-abortion activist Paul Hill was convicted and given the death penalty for murdering two men outside a Pensacola, Fla. abortion clinic.
* Vancouver abortionist Dr. Romalis was severely wounded by a high-powered rifle while sitting at his breakfast table.
* A Hamilton, Ont. abortionist was shot while watching television in his home.
Beatrice Klassen is a counsellor and a member of Niagara Falls (Ont.) Christian Fellowship.
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