Abortion
South Africa – Marie Stopes offers DIY abortions
Marie Stopes South Africa (MSSA) has been sending out emails offering to send abortion pills via Telemedicine. MSSA calls this practice safe and seems to be taking many precautions in the “check your eligibility” section of the email, but it is not enough to help women in dangerous situations like when they are being trafficked. How would MSSA detect possible coercion from an abuser? With multiple studies demonstrating the negative emotional, psychological, and long term physical implications women suffer, can this be the support SA women need? Is aborting the baby addressing the real problem? Read more
Scotland – Scottish doctor opposes extension of DIY home abortions
A leading Scottish doctor has voiced opposition to the proposed extension of ‘DIY’ home abortions in Scotland. Since the coronavirus lockdown, women in Scotland and across England and Wales have been able to take both pills required in a medical abortion at home. Despite serious and mounting safety concerns, the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on whether ‘DIY’ home abortions should continue once there is no longer a significant risk of COVID-19 transmission. Dr Antony Latham, chairman of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, is strongly opposed.
Chief among the doctor’s concerns was the possibility of women being coerced into an unwanted abortion. “One danger is that the woman is under pressure to have an abortion in an abusive relationship or from relatives who will not support her,” he said. Another concern is that women may be unaware of the risks involved. “Significant bleeding and sepsis are not uncommon,” he says. “Another danger is she may not fully understand the trauma of having an abortion, potentially all alone, at home.” And he has further fears that without any examination women may be getting the abortion pills for a pregnancy that is beyond the legal limit for such DIY abortions. “There is already a report of a case where a woman at 28 weeks’ gestation took the pills and delivered a baby which subsequently died.” Sadly, Dr Latham’s concerns have been amplified by real life cases of women who have suffered complications and traumatic experiences after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills. This week, a nurse revealed that she was left fearing for her life and needing emergency surgery after taking ‘DIY’ home abortion pills. The woman is now considering legal action against Marie Stopes UK, who supplied her with the abortion pills, for clinical negligence after they failed to provide requested counselling and “rushed” her through the abortion process. Read more
USA – Abortion vendors distance themselves from racist founders but still continue the work
Both International abortion vendors: Marie Stopes (MSI) and Planned Parenthood (PP) have renounced their eugenicist founders Marie Stopes and Margaret Sanger. Both, Stopes in Britain in the early 20th century and Sanger in America in the 1930’s were advocates for contraception for the purpose of “selective reproduction” and to weed out “unfit” races and individuals. The global abortion conglomerate has only distanced themselves from the reputation of their founders, not the work of the founders. According to their annual report of 2019, both MSI and PP have committed abortions in mostly impoverished areas around the world. Actions speak louder than words, it means nothing to renounce their founders but continue in their practices. more
UK – MPs attend webinar on fetal pain
A large number of Members of Parliament (MP) recently attended a webinar with the purpose to raise awareness of the science behind fetal pain and how current UK abortion law affects the treatment of preborn human beings. This included a U.S. Army physician assistant and Dr. Stuart WG Derbyshire, Associate Professor in Psychology. Bockmann and Derbyshire shared evidence showing preborn children may feel pain as early as 12 weeks gestation. Other studies have shown they may actually feel pain as early as eight weeks. “We have divergent views regarding the morality of abortion, but have come together to address the evidence of fetal pain,” they wrote. Despite the debate over fetal pain, abortion deliberately takes the life of a human being. Whether or not that human feels pain while being killed is of secondary importance to the fact that killing innocent human beings through abortion is wrong. more
Guatemala – President rejects Planned Parenthood Agreement
Guatemala’s president promised to scrap an official agreement allowing US-based abortion industry Planned Parenthood to set up an office, denouncing it as a promotor of abortion. President Alejandro Giammattei posted on Twitter saying, “I am a faithful defender of life and I am emphatic in indicating that in my government I will not endorse the creation, registration or start-up of any organization that goes against life,” Abortion in Guatemala is punishable by fines and jail sentences up to three years, and is only authorized if the life of the mother is in danger. Read more
USA – Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers served 2 million people in 2019
The Susan B. Anthony List research arm Charlotte Lozier Institute (a hub for research and public policy analysis on the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world.) shared findings of a robust study of approximately 2,700 U.S. pregnancy centers. The new report, “Pregnancy Centers Stand the Test of Time,” shows two million people were served in ways that included: more than 486,000 free ultrasounds, 160,200 STI/STD tests, more than 21,000 clients received after-abortion support, more than 881,000 students attended sexual risk avoidance education presentations, and nearly 1.3 million packs of diapers. This report shows that they exist to serve and support mothers who choose life to their unborn, even under the most difficult circumstances. more
USA – Manhattan abortion facility injures 36th patient
Another woman has been injured at an abortion facility in Manhattan and is believed to be the 36th woman injured at this particular facility. In 2019, there were 13 ambulances spotted at the Manhattan facility, and during the spring, there were five women injured in seven weeks. This Planned Parenthood (PP) is the same facility which changed its name earlier this year, removing PP’s eugenicist founder, Margaret Sanger. PP of Greater New York acknowledged that the name change was due to Sanger’s “racist legacy.” Yet as Senator Ben Sasse pointed out, removing a name to combat a racist history is meaningless as long as PP continues to profit from the notion that lives are disposable if powerful people say so. Read more
USA – Louisiana passes “love life” amendment
For the first time, Louisiana voters had the opportunity to vote directly on the issue of abortion in any context. Voters were asked whether they support an amendment claiming no specific wording should be found in the state constitution protecting the right to an abortion. The amendment, also known as the “love life” amendment, passed with more than 60-percent of the vote. Ben Clapper with Louisiana Right to Life says the amendment does not ban abortions today but it protects pro-life laws, such as “inform consent”, ultras-sound laws which the vast majority supports, and also bans taxpayer funding of abortion, from judges who might want to usurp the power of our legislators and declare their own policy. Read more
USA – New report shows pro-life 2020 gains
Pro-Life group called Live Action and Americans United for Life have released a 2020 State Legislative Sessions Report which highlights pro-life gains and losses in state laws and policies throughout the year. According to the report, in 2020, state legislators enacted 17 life-affirming laws and two pro-life resolutions. Two pro-life measures were vetoed and two pro-abortion measures were enacted while two others were defeated. According to AUL, Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Kentucky are pursuing either pro-life ballot initiatives or constitutional amendments in 2021 and 2022. Read more