in this issue:
american life league hot button issues: PLANNED PARENTHOOD / STOPP
abortion: BREAST CANCER / U.S. RATE OF SURGICAL ABORTION
activism: GUADALUPE PRAYER FOR LIFE / O’REILLY / REJECTION
birth control: LUNELLE
birth control pill: RISKS
bush watch: SIDE-STEP TWO-STEP
culture of death: TEXAS I / TEXAS II
hospice: MISSION
humor: THE PRESS
intrauterine implant: GYNEFIX INSERTION FLAWED
pro-life motivator: DAVID BEREIT
reflection for prayer: THOMAS A KEMPIS
commentary: CDC’s PHONY NUMBERS
american life league hot button issues
PLANNED PARENTHOOD: STOPP has released an analysis of Planned Parenthood’s 25-year plan, which never refers to those who receive Planned Parenthood services as “patients,” even though the organization purports to be in the health care business.
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood’s agenda is social engineering; ‘health care’ posturing covers up true mission,” STOPP news release, 12/2/02)
STOPP: Planned Parenthood’s “Choice on Earth” holiday greeting card draws continued fire from STOPP International.
(Reading: “Planned Parenthood crosses final line with claim that Christ was for ‘choice,'” STOPP news release, 12/3/02)
abortion
BREAST CANCER: Ellen Rice has written an article for the Houston Catholic Worker entitled, “Is abortion related to breast cancer? Too political to address.” The comprehensive report is online.
U.S. RATE OF SURGICAL ABORTION: While the CDC reports a small decline in the number of reported surgical abortions in the 46 states that report numbers, there is reason to withhold celebration as we suggest in the commentary at the end of this issue of Communique.
(Reading: “Abortion surveillance — United States, 1999,” Centers for Disease Control, 11/29/02)
activism
GUADALUPE PRAYER FOR LIFE: The annual event is scheduled for Sunday, December 15. The founders of this event report growing success every year. For details on how to host an event at your local abortion mill, contact .
O’REILLY: On December 3, Bill O’Reilly spun a tale by stating that the “fetus is a potential human being.” Since he claims to be Catholic and repeatedly claims to be the host of a “no spin zone,” please let him know when a human being begins and that like him, every person from conception has potential! He should read “When do human beings begin?” by Dianne Irving, Ph.D. ?subject=potential%20human%20beings”>E-mail Bill and let him know.
REJECTION: The Lansing Guild of the Catholic Medical Association’s December 7 conference contains two lectures on “Same Sex Attraction.” The Michigan State Medical Society has revoked, without explanation or notice, continuing medical education credit for both lectures. Please help the Lansing Guild by asking that the CME credits be restored. Contact ., chairman of the CME Committee; ., Michigan State Medical Society president and , Manager of Physician Education and Leadership at the Michigan State Medical Society. For a complete copy of the alert received by Communique, contact .
birth control
LUNELLE: A report indicates that as many as 100,000 women could be effected by the Pharmacia recall of Lunelle, an injectible form of birth control. The drug was recalled because “a lack of assurance of full potency and possible risk of contraceptive failure” came to the attention of the pharmaceutical firm. Planned Parenthood claims its clients want to learn what to do to prevent “unintended pregnancy and to ensure that they are not pregnant at the current time.”
(Reading: “Family planning facilities meet the challenge of Lunelle syringe recall,” Contraceptive Technology Update)
birth control pill
RISKS: Researchers point out that current warning systems involving the relationship between the pill and risk of thromboembolism are inadequate. A study reveals that “less than 12% of women in the (higher education) group fully understood the absolute levels of risk.”
(Reading: “Official warnings on thromboembolism risk with oral contraceptives fail to inform users adequately,” Contraception, 66 (2002) pp. 305-307)
bush watch
SIDE-STEP TWO-STEP: White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, when asked if Bush would support a repeal of Roe v. Wade, repeatedly ducked the question by saying, “The president is pro-life, and that is his position, and it goes back to the campaign.”
Comment: Huh?
(Reading: “Spokesman sidesteps abortion query,” World Net Daily, 12/2/02)
culture of death
TEXAS I: Police say a mother admitted to a neighbor that she killed her 7-week-old son.
(Reading: “On tape, mom says she killed infant to get back at husband,” Houston Chronicle, 11/22/02)
TEXAS II: A baby girl was rescued from a trash can remains in state custody in the care of a relative. The state will go to court to deny parental rights to the mother. According to the Houston Chronicle, “Police said the mother, 21, delivered the child in her home and then put the 5-pound girl in a bag and dropped her in a garbage bin at the town home complex at 3800 Landmark. A maintenance worker heard the baby crying and pulled her from the bin and called police.”
(Reading: “Baby girl found in trash bin will remain in state custody,” Houston Chronicle, 11/20/02)
hospice
MISSION: A series of articles is presented by the Hospice Patients Alliance on the subject of “Clinging to the original hospice mission.” Part II in the series addresses medical treatments.
(Reading: “Removal of regular medications on the terminally ill,” Hospice Patients Alliance)
humor
THE PRESS: A turn-of-the-century senator from Arkansas named Jeff Davis once told this story. “Mrs. Davis and I have a little son. We love that little boy more than we love life itself. If it turns out that that little boy has above-average intelligence, we intend to send him off to seminary and make him a preacher of the Gospel. But if it turns out that he has only average intelligence, that’s all right too. We’ll send him off to law school. But if it turns out that he doesn’t have any more sense than a goose in a thunderstorm, why, we’ll just send him downtown to edit the morning newspaper.”
(Reading: “Some helpful hints for Tom and Al,” Washington Times, 11/29/02)
intrauterine implant
GYNEFIX INSERTION FLAWED: The intrauterine birth control implant, according to a recent study, does not yet have an insertion system that is free of problems. “Proper implantation does not completely eliminate the risk of expulsion,” according to researchers.
(Reading: “Experience with GyneFIX insertions in Spain: favorable acceptance of the intrauterine contraceptive implant with some limitations,” Contraception, 66 (2002) pp. 315-320)
pro-life motivator
DAVID BEREIT: If your local or state group wants a refreshing and motivational speaker, then check out David Beireit’s web page. American Life League endorses this man and his message.
reflection for prayer
THOMAS A KEMPIS: He that is diligent and zealous, although he may have more passions to fight against, will be able to make greater progress than another who has fewer passions but is withal less fervent in virtue.
(Reading: “Imitation of Christ,” Book 1, Chapter 25, Section 4)
commentary
CDC’s PHONY NUMBERS
By Judie Brown
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control does not receive reliable data from the various states concerning abortion, nor are all 50 states required by law to provide such data. We have been told, for example, that in many cases, the “D and C” abortion will be described as and reported as a surgical procedure, not as an abortion. All data is dependent upon the abortionist’s honesty.
There is no reason to believe that the CDC has access to accurate numbers regarding the deaths of women who have received “safe and legal” abortions. Once again, it is the abortionist who reports such things. We know that women die from secondary causes related to abortion and it is those causes that are frequently reported to the CDC as cause of death. No mention of the abortion is made in such cases.
The CDC does not record any type of “medical” abortion, including mifepristone, in these numbers.
Most disturbing of all is the following breakdown in the numbers of surgical abortions that are reported:
- 861,789 surgical abortions were reported to the CDC for the year 1999.
- 57.6% are done at less than eight weeks gestational age
- 20.2% are done at 9 — 10 weeks
- 10.2% at 11-12 weeks
- 6.2% at 13-15 weeks
- 4.3% at 16-20 weeks
- 1.5% over 21 weeks gestational age.
Or, of the 861,789 reported acts of abortion, 1,292 children were aborted by hysterotomy, saline injection, prostaglandin injection, urea injection, or dilation and extraction (partial birth abortion).
Serious consideration of these numbers — relating only to the surgical abortions reported — causes us to wonder why the pro-life movement concentrates so heavily on the partial birth abortion procedure. At least 98% of the children who die by acts of surgical abortion are currently not part of the political pro-life agenda in Washington, D.C. Something is wrong with this picture.