Articles about Abortion
June 4th, 2009 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
As seemingly everyone knows, Dr. Tiller, a Kansas gynecologist, was killed on Sunday because he was willing to provide abortion services. I never met Dr. Tiller, but I am familiar with his work. I work for a family planning agency in Wisconsin that is prohibited form providing medical referrals for abortion services. This makes providing information to patients seeking such services a challenge, but we manage to thread the needle.
As a result, I understand that health care workers who make abortion services available are everyday heroes. But Dr. Tiller was different.
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No Comments • Posted in: Abortion
June 4th, 2009 • Contributed by Dahlia Ward
This blog was originally posted on June 3rd on the ACLU’s Blog of Rights. It was written by Sondra Goldschein and Allie Bohm.
On Sunday, May 31, Dr. George Tiller, a doctor in Wichita, Kansas, who for decades provided abortions for women even in the face of harassment and violence, was murdered at his place of worship. Sondra Goldschein and Allie Bohm, both of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), attended events in New York City and Washington, D.C., honoring Dr. Tiller’s life.
Sondra Goldschein writes:
When I heard about the murder of Dr. Tiller on Sunday evening, I went from shock to tears to fear to loss. I could feel those emotions but I couldn’t put into words what a tragedy his death is. I finally found the words from Dr. Tiller himself.I attended one of at least forty events across the country honoring Dr. Tiller’s life on Monday night. I was one of a large group of people in downtown Manhattan who heard a story about Dr. Tiller that cut to the core of who this remarkable man was. The story was told by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
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April 15th, 2009 • Contributed by Lon Newman
O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us.
(O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.)
Robert Burns, Poem “To a Louse” – verse 8
Scottish national poet (1759 – 1796)
For almost a year now, Pro-Life Wisconsin (PLW) has maintained a protest campaign at our family planning and WIC clinics in Central Wisconsin. PLW activities have included a ‘verbal hijacking’ of our Raising Women’s Voices “Speak Out” on women’s health care so that those who wished to speak on issues unrelated to abortion or contraception were by-and-large unheard in the auditorium. Over the Lenten season, PLW and its local supporters participated in the “40 Days for Life” national campaign — conducting a ‘continuous’ prayer vigil outside our clinic offices. When asked by local reporters why they were participating in this effort, they said it was to stop abortion. We do not perform abortions at any of our facilities. As the 40 Days effort has come to an end, we want to share what we have learned.
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No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Action, Family Planning, Policy
March 30th, 2009 • Contributed by Sue Kettner
My friend Anne, who is a family planning educator in Oneida County, sent me this article. We at FPHS were already noting a request for long-term, low maintenance methods. This was a post on the Huffington Post on Friday, March 27th, written by Christina Page the author of How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America.
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No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Birth Control, Family Planning
March 29th, 2009 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
Today we had some of the world’s smallest, happiest, and politest protesters. Everyone should smile for the camera.
No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Action, Birth Control
January 26th, 2009 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
At the end of last week, President Obama rescinded the “Global Gag Rule” which prevented US foreign aid money from providing assistance to pretty much any organization that in anyway said anything positive about abortion. There has been a LOT of talk about it in the media on both sides. Here’s a sampling of some of the stories.
CNN – Amid Protests, Obama backs ‘right to choose’ on Roe Anniversary
New York Times – Obama Resverses Rules on U.S. Abortion Aid
New York Times Editorial – Women’s Health, Ungagged
For more information, check out RHRealityCheck.org or Change.org.
No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Birth Control, Family Planning, Policy
January 14th, 2009 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[From the Guttmacher Institute]
January 22, 2009, marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. This anniversary comes two days after the inauguration of the first prochoice president in eight years and at the beginning of a new administration and a new Congress whose leaders recognize that behind almost every abortion is an unintended pregnancy.
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No Comments • Posted in: Abortion, Birth Control, Roe V. Wade
December 30th, 2008 • Contributed by Lon Newman
As the fable goes, an eagle is brought to earth by an arrow fletched with his own feathers.
Listening to the spokesperson for Pro-Life Wisconsin as he defended the new ‘right of conscience’ regulations on Wisconsin Public Radio last week reminded me of the wisdom of the tale.
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1 Comment • Posted in: Abortion, Abstinence, Action, Birth Control, Emergency Contraception, Policy, Sex Ed
October 6th, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
[From Guttmacher Institute]
Clandestine Procedures Endanger Women’s Health
New research on abortion in Mexico has found a significant increase in the rate of abortions despite legal restrictions that virtually ban the procedure in most parts of the country. Between 1990 and 2006, the abortion rate in Mexico increased by one-third—from 25 to 33 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age—according to a study released today by El Colegio de Mexico, the Population Council Mexico Office and the Guttmacher Institute. As a result, Mexico’s abortion rate is now higher than the average rate worldwide (29 per 1,000) and the average regional rate for Latin America and the Caribbean (31 per 1,000). In the same time period, the number of women obtaining abortions annually in Mexico increased by 64%—from 533,000 in 1990 to 875,000 in 2006.
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September 23rd, 2008 • Contributed by Dino Corvino
Rate Hits 30-Year Low, but Overall Trends Mask Growing Disparities by Race, Ethnicity
Abortions Occurring Earlier in Pregnancy and Fewer Teens Obtaining Abortions
The rate of abortion in the United States is at its lowest level since 1974, having declined 33% from a peak of 29 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 1980 to 20 per 1,000 in 2004. However, this overall trend masks large disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion across demographic subgroups, according to Trends in the Characteristics of Women Obtaining Abortions, 1974 to 2004.
“The analysis found positive trends, but highlights several issues of concern,” said Sharon Camp, Guttmacher Institute president and CEO. “Many Americans will welcome the news that there are fewer abortions, particularly among teens, and that a larger proportion of abortions are now happening very early in pregnancy. But at the same time, abortions are becoming more concentrated among women of color and low-income women. This presents a clear challenge to policymakers to redouble their efforts to improve access to subsidized contraceptive services for these women, thereby helping them to prevent the unintended pregnancies behind these abortions from occurring in the first place.”
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