the top ten myths about abbortion

7/29/2019 The Top Ten Myths About Abbortion

1/16

family research council

Washington, DC

The Top Ten

Myths About Abortionfrc

FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL

BE ENGAGED

Policy Publication Releases:Highlights new and notable publications from

Family Research Council. It's a must for anyone

wanting to keep abreast of pro-family issues.

Help Us Get Others Engaged:

Tell a friend about this publication.

click here to subscribe

click here to forward
https://www.frc.org/includes/ecom/com_cart_manipulate.cfm?action=add&item=WX07K01&var1=PPSUBhttps://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=REFER&f=BC07J02https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=REFER&f=BC07J02https://www.frc.org/includes/ecom/com_cart_manipulate.cfm?action=add&item=WX07K01&var1=PPSUB


2/16

Thank you or choosing this

resource. Our pamphlets are

designed or grassroots activ-

ists and concerned citizensin

other words, people who want

to make a dierence in their amilies, in their com-

munities, and in their culture.

Recent history has clearly shown the inuence that

the Values Voter can have in the political process.FRC is committed to enabling and motivating indi-

viduals to bring about even more positive change

in our nation and around the world. I invite you

to use this pamphlet as a resource or educating

yoursel and others about some o the most press-

ing issues o our day.

FRC has a wide range o papers and publica-tions. To learn more about other FRC publications

and to fnd out more about our work, visit our

website at www.rc.org or call 1-800-225-4008.

I look orward to working with you as we

bring about a society that respects lie and pro-

tects marriage.

President

Family Research Council

The Top Ten

Myths About Abortionby william l. saunders, jr., cathy cleaver ruse& lucia papayova

william l. saunders, jr. is Senior Fellow and Directoro the Center or Human Lie & Bioethics at Family ResearchCouncil. A graduate o the Harvard Law School, he was ea-

tured in its inaugural Guide to Conservative Public InterestLaw in 2004.

cathy cleaver ruse is Senior Fellow or Legal Studiesat Family Research Council. She received a law degree romGeorgetown University and was Chie Counsel or the U. S.House o Representatives Constitution Subcommitee.

lucia papayova is an attorney in Slovakia. She served as aWitherspoon Fellow at Family Research Council in 2007.

The authors wish to thank Michael Fragoso and Moira Gaulor their help in the production o this pamphlet.

the top ten myths of abortion

by william l. saunders, cathy cleaver ruse & lucia papayova

suggested donation: $1.50

2007 family research council

all rights reserved.

printed in the united states

cover photos: newscom/getty

In order to discuss abortion intelligently, it is aprerequisite that the acts about it be known. Yet,the one thing that can be said with certainty isthis: the American people do not understand the

acts surrounding abortion. Instead, their views areclouded by various myths.

In this pamphlet, we separate myth rom reality.From whether abortion is protected under theConstitution to whether one can truly be personallyopposed, but pro-choice, rom whether abortionbenets women to whether it benets society,

rom the requency o and reasons or abortion towhether the American people support abortionrights as currently existing, rom the questiono an abortion/contraception link to the actso human development, we look at the importantissues surrounding abortion.

We hope readers will use this pamphlet to educatethemselves and others so they can condentlyenter into the public policy debate and shape a justresolution o this important issue.


3/16

2 3

Myth No. 1:

Abortion is legal only during the rst 3 monthso pregnancy.

Fact:

Abortion is legal during all 9 months ofpregnancy.

The Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade declaredabortion a constitutional right.

The Court divided pregnancy into three trimesters1but ultimately ruled that women have a right toabortion any time an abortion doctor deems theabortion necessary or her health.2 The SupremeCourt dened health as all actorsphysical,emotional, psychological, amilial, and the womansagerelevant to the well-being o the patient.3

myth 1 - footnotes

1 Some Supreme Court cases have also spoken oviability (the point at which the child is able to liveoutside the mothers womb) as a crucial actor in judgingabortion regulations. Two points should be notedabout this. First, the health exception (see ootnotes3 & 4 and accompanying text) nullies any signicancethis might have, as an abortion doctor can always claimto nd a particular abortioneven ater viabilityisimportant or the womans health. Second, though

the Court in Roethought viability ell between 24 and28 weeks, children are actually able to survive outsidethe womb at earlier ages. See, e.g.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=437236&in_page_id=1774 (childsurvived at 22 weeks). Further, the development o thearticial womb means that, in the uture, children maybe able to survive outside the mothers womb very soonater the time o conception. C., Knight, Jonathan,

This health exception gives abortion doctors thepower to nulliy any abortion restriction on the

grounds that there are emotional reasons or theabortion.4

An out o body experience, Nature Publishing group:Nature, 12 September, 2002. I viability matters,such developments should entitle unborn children tolegal protection at earlier stages o development.

2 Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 164-65 (1973).

3 Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 192 (1973). In PlannedParenthood v. Casey, the Court abandoned the trimesterramework but continued to prohibit laws againstabortion where the abortion doctor deems the abortionnecessary to preserve the mothers health. PlannedParenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 879 (1992).

4 Ater Gonzales v. Carhart, 55 U.S.__ (2007),laws banning the use o the partial-birth abortionprocedure except in lie-threatening circumstances areconstitutional.


4/16

4 5

Myth No. 2:

Abortion is legal because the Constitution says so.

Fact:

Legal abortion is the fruit of judicial activism. Ithas been imposed upon the country by judges.

The word abortion does not appear in the

Constitution.

Nevertheless, in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Courtruled that a right to abortion was part o an impliedright to personal privacy emanating rom variousconstitutional Amendments5 in other words,that a right to abortion is an implied part o theConstitution.

It is the chie modern example o judicial activismjudges imposing their own policy preerencesrather than interpreting the law as written. Whenjudges act in this manner, they usurp the role othe legislators, whom the citizens elect to representthem in deciding disputed, dicult policy issues.Thus, judicial activism undermines the very basiso our representative democracy.

This ruling has been sharply criticized by legalscholars, ederal judges, and seven other SupremeCourt justices. Justice Byron White, or example,

said the Court engaged, not in constitutionalinterpretation, but in the unrestrained impositiono its own, extraconstitutional value preerences.6Justice Antonin Scalia said, the Court shouldreturn this matter to the peoplewhere theConstitution, by its silence on the subject, let itand let them decide.7

Even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an outspokenproponent o legal abortion, called Roe v. Wadea heavy handed judicial intervention that wasdicult to justiy,8 and said it was not the waycourts generally work.9

myth 2 - footnotes5 The Constitution does not explicitly mention any

right o privacy, but the Court ound at least theroots o that right in the First, Fourth, Fith, Ninth,and Fourteenth Amendments, and in the penumbraso the Bill o Rights. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 152-153 (1973).

6 Thornburgh v. American Coll. o Obst. & Gyn., 476 U.S.747, 794 (1986) (White, J., dissenting).

7 Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914, 956 (2000) (Scalia,J., dissenting).

8 Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Some Thoughts on Autonomyand Equality in Relation to Roe v. Wade, 63 NorthCarolina Law Review 375, 385 (1985).

9 Comments o Justice Ginsburg to law students atthe University o Kansas, Associated Press, March


5/16

76

Edward Lazarus, ormer clerk o Justice Blackmun,the author o the Roedecision, said, Roeborders

on the indeensible because a constitutional rightto privacy broad enough to include abortion hasno meaningul oundation in constitutional text,history, or precedent.10

When the Supreme Court creates a newconstitutional right which has no meaningul

oundation in constitutional text, history, orprecedent, it acts beyond the scope o its authorityto interpret the Constitution and thwarts thewill o the American people as expressed in theirConstitution.

Roe v. Wadewas an illegitimate decision o judicialactivists. There is no right to abortion in the

Constitution.

11, 2005. Other Supreme Court justices have spokenagainst Roe v. Wade. Chie Justice Warren Burger,

who, while voting with the majority in Roe, later calledinto question its soundness and pondered whether weshould reexamine Roe. Thornburgh v. American Coll.o Obst. & Gyn., 476 U.S. 747, 785 (1986) (Burger, C.

J., dissenting). Chie Justice Rehnquist, an associatejustice at the time o Roe, led a dissenting opinionobserving that the Court had to nda right that

was apparently completely unknown to the dratersin order [t]o reach its result. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S.113, 174 (1973) (Rehnquist, J., dissenting). JusticeSandra Day OConnor said, the court is not suited tothe expansive role it has claimed or itsel in the serieso cases that began with Roe v. Wade. Thornburgh v.American Coll. o Obst. & Gyn., 476 U.S.747, 814-815(1986) (OConnor, J., dissenting). Justice Clarence

Thomas was more blunt, calling Roe grievously

wrong. Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914, 980 (2000)(Thomas, J., dissenting).

10 The Lingering Problems with Roe v. Wade, FindLawsWrit, Oct. 3, 2002, http://writ.news.ndlaw.com/lazarus/20021003.html Lazarus avors legal abortion.Prominent law proessors who support legal abortionhave also criticized Roe v. Wade. [B]ehind its own

verbal smokescreen, the substantive judgment on

which it rests is nowhere to be ound. Pro. LaurenceTribe, The Supreme Court, 1972 TermForeword:Toward a Model o Roles in the Due Process o Lieand Law, 87 Harvard Law Review 1, 7 (1973). Roeis not constitutional law and gives almost no sense oan obligation to try to be. Pro. John Hart Ely, The

Wages o Crying Wol: A Comment on Roe v. Wade,82 Yale Law Journal, 920, 935-937 (1973).


6/16

8 9

Myth No. 3:

Most Americans agree with current U.S. abortionlaw.

Fact :

The vast majority of Americans strongly disagreewith it.

According to various national polls: 61%ofAmericanssayabortionshouldbeillegal

ater the etal heartbeat has begun11 whichoccurs in the rst month o pregnancy.12

72% of Americans say abortion should beillegal ater the rst 3 months o pregnancy.13

86% of Americans say abortion should beillegal ater the rst 6 months o pregnancy.14

Only16%ofAmericans say abortionshouldbe legal at any time or any reason.15

However, Supreme Court decisions make abortionlegal throughout all 9 months o pregnancy, orany reason.16

Thereore, abortion law today is completely out ostep with Americans views on what it should be.

myth 3 - footnotes11 Zogby International Poll, April 15-17, 2004.

12 Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N., The DevelopingHuman: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th edition(Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1998): 77, 350.

According to the Centers or Disease Control andPrevention, 77% of abortions in the United States

occur ater the heart o the etus has begun to beat.Abortion SurveillanceUnited States, 2000, 52Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (SS-12) Table7 (Nov. 28, 2003).

13 The Harris Poll #18, March 3, 2005.

14 Ibid.

15 Zogby International Poll, March 10-14, 2006.

16Roe v. Wade orbids any law against abortion in therst and second trimester o pregnancy and even aterviability i the abortion doctor deems the abortionnecessary to preserve the mothers health. Roe v.Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 164-165 (1973). Healthis dened by the Court as all actorsphysical,emotional, psychological, amilial, and the womans

agerelevant to the well-being o the patient. Doe v.Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 192 (1973).


7/16

11

Myth No. 4:

Abortion is rare in United States.

Fact:

The U.S. has the highest abortion rate in thewestern world.

There are 1.31 million induced abortions every

year in the United States.17

24.5 percent oall pregnancies in the United States end inabortion.18

That means 3,500 children are aborted every day,145 children are aborted every hour, and 2 childrendie every minute due to induced abortion in theU.S.

In act, the U.S. has the highest abortion rate inthe western world, and the third-highest abortionrate o all developed nations worldwide.19

The U.S. abortion rate is higher than the abortionrate in Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium,Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, France,England, Wales, Denmark, Tunisia, Finland,

Uzbekistan, Croatia, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong,Canada, Norway, Singapore, Azerbaijan, NewZealand, Sweden, South Korea, Slovak Republic,Czech Republic, Georgia, Australia, Kyrgyzstan,and Puerto Rico.20

myth 4 - footnotes17

L.B. Finer and S.K. Henshaw, Abortion Incidenceand Services in the United States in 2000, Perspectiveon Sexual and Reproductive Health 35 (Jan/Feb 2003),p.8.

18 An Overview o Abortion in United States, Physiciansor Reproductive Choice & Health and The AlanGuttmacher Institute, May 2006, http://www.guttmacher.org/presentations/ab_slides.html

19

The abortion rate is per 1000 women, age 15-44. SharingResponsibility: Women, Society and Abortion Worldwide(New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999),p. 28, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sharing.pd

20 Ibid.

NEWSCOM/GETTY

10


8/16

1312

Myth No. 5:

Most abortions in the United States are done orhealth reasons or because o rape or incest.

Fact :

Most abortions in the United States have nothingto do with these reasons.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (a pro-choice organization), 93.5 percent o the abortionsevery year are done or reasons other than health,rape or incest. Their survey shows women haveabortions or the ollowing reasons:21

25% notreadyfora(nother)child/timingiswrong

23% cantaffordababynow19% have completed my childbearing/have

other people depending on me/childrenare grown

8% dontwant to be a singlemother/amhaving relationship problems

7% dont feel mature enough to raise

a(nother) child/eel too young4% wouldinterferewitheducationorcareer

plans

>0.5% husbandorpartnerwantsmetohaveanabortion

>0.5% parentswantmetohaveanabortion

>0.5% dontwantpeopletoknowIhadsexor

got pregnantLess than 8 percent o abortions every year aredone or reasons o health, rape or incest:

4% physicalproblemwithmyhealth

3% possibleproblems affectingthehealtho the etus

>0.5% wasavictimofrape>0.5% becamepregnantasaresultofincest22

Yet, under current U.S. abortion law, all o theseabortions are legal.23

myth 5 - footnotes21 L. B. Finer, L. F. Frohwirth, L. A. Dauphinee, S.

Singh and A. M. Moore, Reasons U.S. Women HaveAbortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives,Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 37(2005): 113, 114.

22The survey also categorizes the reasons for 6% ofabortions as other, without urther explanation.

23Roe v. Wade orbids any law against abortion in therst and second trimester o pregnancy and even aterviability i the abortion doctor deems the abortionnecessary to preserve the mothers health. Roev. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 164-165 (1973). Healthis dened by the Court as all actorsphysical,emotional, psychological, amilial, and the womansagerelevant to the well-being o the patient. Doe v.Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 192 (1973).


9/16

1514

Myth No. 6:

Abortion is good or women.

Fact:

Women suffer physically and psychologicallyafter abortion.

Physical complications

Abortion can cause both short-term and long-term physical complications, and can signicantlyaect a womans ability to have healthy uturepregnancies.

Though there are no requirements or states toreport abortion data to any ederal agency, theCenters or Disease Prevention and Control have

received reports o the deaths o 386 women romlegal abortion between 1973, when abortion waslegalized, and 2003.24

Physical complications include cervical lacerationsand injury, uterine perorations, bleeding,hemorrhage, serious inection, pain, and incompleteabortion. Risks o complications increase with

gestational age and are dependent upon theabortion procedure.25

Long-term physical consequences o abortioninclude uture preterm birth and placenta previa(improper implantation o the placenta) in uturepregnancies. Premature delivery is associated withhigher rates o cerebral palsy, as well as respiratory,brain, and bowel abnormalities. Pregnanciescomplicated by placenta previa result in high rateso preterm birth, low birth weight, and perinataldeath.26

myth 6 - footnotes

For more complete reerences regarding the researchpresented in this myth, please see Moira Gaul, How

Abortion Harms Womens Health, In Focus (Family

Research Council), December 12, 2007.

24 See http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5109a1.htm#tab19

25 S. Lalitkumar, M. Bydeman, and K. Gemzell-Danielsson, Mid-trimester Induced Abortion:

A Review, Human Reproduction, 13 (2007): 37-

52; National Abortion Federation Clinical PolicyGuidelines. Washington DC: National AbortionFederation, 2007.

26 J.A. Martius, T. Steck, M.K. Oehler, et al., RiskFactors Associated with Preterm (


10/16

1716

anxiety disorder, suicidal behaviors, and substancedependence.29 This is the most comprehensive,long-term study ever conducted on the issue.

Other studies also conclude that there is substantialevidence o a causal association between inducedabortion and both substance abuse and suicide. 30

A review o over 100 long-term international studiesconcluded that induced abortion increases risks ormood disorders enough to provoke attempts at sel

harm.31

Researchers have also identied a patterno psychological problems, known collectively asPost-Abortion Syndrome, in which women mayexperience depression, anxiety, anger, fashbacks,guilt, grie, denial, and relationship problems.32Post-Abortion Syndrome has been identiedin research as a subset o Post Traumatic StressDisorder.33

Further, studies analyzing the eects o inducedabortion in adolescents have shown, whencompared to adolescents who give birth, those whoabort reported more requent problems sleeping,more requent marijuana use, and increased needor psychological counseling.34

While the question o whether abortion canincrease the risk o breast cancer is hotly debated,a number o scientic studies demonstrate thatinduced abortion can adversely aect a womans

uture risk o breast cancer.27

Physical complications rom chemical abortion withthe drug RU-486 include hemorrhage, inection,and missed ectopic pregnancy (a potentially atalcomplication). At least 8 women have died romRU-486 due to hemorrhage and inection.28

Psychological complicationsA pro-choice research team in New Zealand,analyzing data rom a 25 year period and controllingor multiple actors both pre- and post-abortion,ound conclusively that abortion in young women isassociated with increased risks o major depression,

27

J.M. Thorp, K.E. Hartmann, and E. Shadigian, Long-term Physical and Psychological Health Consequenceso Induced Abortion: Review o the Evidence,Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 58 (2002): 67-79.

28 M.M. Gary and D.J. Harrison, Analysis o SevereAdverse Events Related to Use o Miepristone asan Abortiacient, The Annals o Pharmacotherapy, 40(February 2006).

29 D.M. Fergusson, I.J. Horwood, and E.M. Ridder,Abortion in Young Women and Subsequent MentalHealth, Journal o Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(2006): 16-24.

30 M. Gissler, C. Berg, M. Bouvier-Colle et al., InjuryDeaths, Suicides, and Homicides Associated withPregnancy, Finland 1987-2000, The European Journalo Public Health, (July 2005).

31

J.M. Thorp, K.E. Hartmann, and E. Shadigian, Long-term Physical and Psychological Health Consequenceso Induced Abortion: Review o the Evidence,Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 58 (2002): 67-79.

32 A.C. Speckhard and V.M. Rue. PostabortionSyndrome: An Emerging Public Health Concern,Journal o Social Issues, 48 (1992):95-119.

33 V.M. Rue, P.K. Coleman, J.J. Rue, et al., Induced

Abortion and Traumatic Stress: A PreliminaryComparison o American and Russian Women,Medical Science Monitor, 10 (2004): SR 5-16.

34 P.K. Coleman, Resolution o Unwanted PregnancyDuring Adolescence Through Abortion VersusChildbirth: Individual and Family Predictors andPsychological Consequences, Journal o Youth andAdolescence, (2005): 35(6); 903-911.


11/16

18 19

Myth No. 7:

Abortion is benecial to modern society.

Fact:

Abortion has a negative impact on communitiesand society at large.

Despite pro-choice predictions to the contrary,

the illegitimacy rate has increased signicantly sinceRoe. The percent o children born out o wedlockat the time oRoewas 15.5 percent, but by 2000that number had increased to 33.2 percent, and by2004, it increased to 36 percent.35 There is a highcorrelation between out-o-wedlock childbearingand a host o negative social indicators such aspervasive child poverty.36

Abortion hits minority communities hardest. TheGuttmacher Institute reports that the abortionrate among black women remains more than twicethe national average, and three times that o whitewomen.37 The organization Blacks or Lie callsabortion cooperative genocide.38

Abortion also has contributed to populationdecline and demographic changes. The U.S. birthrate has dropped to the lowest level since nationaldata has been available. In 2002 the birth rate ellto 13.9 per 1,000down 17 percent since1990.39This results in a demographic shit to an older

population known as population ageing where theshare o the population o working age shrinks andthe labor orce grows older.40 This demographicphenomenon will have negative eects on theeconomy, especially as workers reach retirementage leaving ewer people engaged in productivework.

myth 7 - footnotes35 See National Center o Health Statistics, Centers

or Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statab/t001x17.pd and http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_01.pd

36 Rector, Robert E., Johnson, Kirk A., Ph.D., Fagan,Patrick F., and Noyes, Lauren R., Increasing Marriage

Would Drastically Reduce Child Poverty, The

Heritage Foundation, Center or Data Analysis Report#03-06 http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/cda0306.cm

37 An overview o Abortion in United States, Physiciansor Reproductive Choice and Health and GuttmacherInstitute, May 2006. Statistics rom the Centers orDisease Control and Prevention or 2003 show thatthere were 165 abortions among white women per

1,000 live births while the ratio o abortions to livebirths among black women was 491 to 1,000. AbortionSurveillanceThe United States 2003, Centers orDisease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm

38 Jones, Leon, Imitating the Enemy, The AmericanFeminist (Winter 1994/1995), http://www.

eministsorlie.org/ta/1994/winter/imitatenemy.htm39 BirthsPreliminary Data or 2002, National Vital

Statistics Reports, Centers or Disease Control, Vol.54, no. 11.

40 Developing in an Ageing World, World Economicand Social Survey 2007, Department o Economic andSocial Aairs, United Nations, http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/index.html

NEWSCOM/GETTY


12/16

20 21

Myth No. 8:

The more that people have access tocontraception, the ewer abortions there will be.

Fact:

More contraception leads to more sexualbehavior, more unintended pregnancies, andmore abortion.

Pro-choice politicians do not want to talk aboutabortion; they preer to promote contraception.But research here and abroad shows that increasingaccess to contraception is not a solution to theproblem o soaring abortion rates. In act, it makesthe problem worse.

In Sweden, or example, an increase in aordable

access to contraception and the presence oree contraceptive counseling have resulted in asubstantial increase in the teen abortion rate. Theabortion rate has climbed rom 17 abortions perthousand teens in 1995 to 22.5 abortions perthousand teens in 2001.41

According to Proessor Peter Arcidiacono o

Duke University, increasing teenagers access tocontraception may actually increase long runpregnancy rates even though short run pregnancy

rates all. On the other hand, policies that decreaseaccess to contraception, and hence sexual activity,

are likely to lower pregnancy rates in the longrun.42

In the United States, a decrease in contraceptiveuse in recent years correlates to a decrease in thenumber o abortions. From 1995 to 2002, the rateo contraceptive use decreased rom 64 percent to62 percent,43 while the number o abortions ellrom 1,359,400 to 1,293,000.44

myth 8 - footnotes41 Edgardh, K., et al., Adolescent Sexual Health in

Sweden, Sexual Transmitted Inections 78 (2002):352-6, http://sti.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/ull/78/5/352

42 Peter Arcidiacono, et al., Habit Persistence and TeenSex: Could Increased Contraception Have UnintendedConsequences or Teen Pregnancies? (Oct. 3, 2005),

Working Paper, www.econ.duke.edu/~psarcidi/ad-dicted13.pd, p. 29.

43 Contraceptive Use, Facts in Brie , The Alan

Guttmacher Institute (March, 2005), http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/b_contr_use.html. These num-bers represent use among all women age 15-44, andthus, because many women in this age group would notbe sexually active, the rate o use among sexually active

women would be higher.

44 L.B. Finer and S.K. Henshaw, Estimates oU.S. Abortion Incidence, 2001-2003, The Alan


13/16

2322

Much has been made o the emergence o theMorning Ater Pill, or emergency contraception.

Putting aside the act that this drug can work eitheras a contraceptive or as an abortion, research showsthat it has not reduced abortion rates. In Britain,the abortion rate actually increased rom 136,388abortions in 1984 to 185,400 abortions in 2004despite increased use o the Morning Ater Pill.45Anna Glasier, director o the Lothian Primary CareNHS Trust in Edinburgh Scotland, acknowledges

that use o the Morning Ater Pill is not goingto make a big dierence [in] abortion rates.46

Similarly, a recent study in the San Francisco Bayarea showed no dierence in pregnancy rates inwomen with greater access to the Morning AterPill, conrming previous studies showing nosignicant dierences in pregnancy or abortionrates among women with greater access.47

Guttmacher Institute (August 3, 2006) http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/08/03/ab_incidence.pd

45 Reinberg, Steven Emergency Contraception

Doesnt Lower the Abortion Rate, HealthDay News(September 15, 2006).

46 http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_women.cm#39853

47 T. Raine, et al., Direct Access to EmergencyContraception through Pharmacies and Eect onUnintended Pregnancy and STIs, Journal o theAmerican Medical Association 293 (2005): 54-62. www.

dph.s.ca.us/scityclinic/providers/Directaccesscontraception.pd


14/16

24 25

Myth No. 9:Abortion, particularly early abortion, does nottake the lie o a human being.

Fact:

Every abortion takes the life of a human being.

At the time o ertilization, when a sperm

penetrates the ovum or egg cell, a new humanorganism comes into existence, with a completeand unique genetic code.48 This is a scientifc act,not a religious claim. Those who claim not to knowwhen human lie begins are making a politicalstatement, not a scientic one.

Human beings develop at an astonishingly rapidpace. The cardio-vascular system is the rst major

system to unction. The blood is circulating andthe heart begins to beat at 21 or 22 days (3 weeks),and can be detected on ultrasound.49 By the end othe eighth week, the unborn child has developedall its organs and biological systems.50 20 weeksater ertilization (5 months), unborn children eelpain.51

Some try to distinguish among human beings,arguing that some are worthy o respect (becausethey possess certain characteristics), while othersare not. This assertion contradicts the basic premiseo Western law and o our Constitutiontheequality o all human beings. As the Declarationo Independence says, all human beings are createdequal. It would be perilous to abandon this pointo view and to adopt a philosophy that puts intothe hands osomehuman beings (the powerul) theright to decide whether other human beings (theweak, the unpopular, the deenseless) are to becounted as members o the human amily.

myth 9 - footnotes48 Human development is a continuous process that

begins when an oocyte (ovum) rom a emale isertilized by a sperm (or spermatozoon) rom amale, Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N. TheDeveloping Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology,6th edition (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1998);The Development o a human being begins withertilization, a process by which two highly specializedcells, the spermatozoon rom the male and the oocyterom the emale, unite to give rise to a new organism,the zygote, Langman, Jan. Medical Embryology, 3rdedition ( Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1975): 3;The time o ertilization represents the starting point

in the lie history, or ontogeny, o the individual,Carlson, Bruce M. Patterns Foundations o Embryology,6th edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996): 3.

49 Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N. The DevelopingHuman: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th edition(Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co. 1998): 77, 350.

50 England, Marjorie A., Lie Beore Birth, 2nd edition(London: Mosby-Wole, 1996).

51 Anand, K. J, Pain and Its Eects in the HumanNeonate and Fetus,New England Journal o Medicine317 (November1987): 1321-9.


15/16

26 27

Myth No. 10:I can be personally opposed, but pro-choice.

Fact:

That is impossible.

While it is true that some people claim to bepersonally opposed, but pro-choice, that position

is, logically, impossible to hold. People who proessthis opinion say that while they would not chooseabortion themselves, they would not deny womenthe option to choose it. They appear to think thatwhat is a wrong choice or them might not bewrong or someone else. However, what happensin an abortion is an objective act, not a subjectivejudgment. During an abortion a human beingwho is unbornand thereore innocent o anywrong-doingis killed. Since abortion is, thus,objectively unjust, anyone who supports the righto others to have abortions necessarily supportssuch unjust acts (the killing o innocent, unbornchildren). Further, a choice to be personallyopposed but pro-choice is necessarily a choice inavor o the legalization o abortion (so that thechoice to abort is available to others). And that

means the person who makes such a choice acceptsthat innocent, unborn children will be killed byabortions, albeit by other people. Thus, while onecan say that one is personally opposed but pro-choice, what one necessarily means is I supportthe right to kill innocent human beings.


16/16

32

frcFAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL

The Family Research Council champions marriage

and amily as the oundation o civilization, the

seedbed o vir tue, and the wellspring o society. We

shape public debate and ormulate public policy that

values human lie and upholds the institutions o

marriage and the amily. Believing that God is the

author o lie, liberty, and the amily, we promote the

Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis or a just, ree,

and stable society.

Located in the heart o Washington, D.C., the

headquarters o the Family Research Council

provides its sta with strategic access to government

decision-making centers, national media ofces, and

inormation sources.

To order these resources or to see more FRC publications,visit our website at www. frc.org or call 800-225-4008.

frcADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM

FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL

Politicized Science: The Manipulated Approval o

RU-486 and Its Dangers to Womens Health BC07A01

RU-486s ability to bring an end to a human lie

developing in the womb is known to all, but the

drugs considerable harmul eects on womens

health have been minimized or ignored completely.Several organizations, including Family Research

Council, have unearthed a vast amount o

inormation regarding saety concerns about the

drug, as well as evidence documenting the Clinton

Administrations manipulation o the FDA approval process.

This pamphlet provides an overview o what we now

know about the drugs approval and the dangers posed by

RU-486 to womens health.

Suggested Donation: $1.50

Washington Update Family Research Councils fagship subscription: a daily email update with

the latest pro-amily take on Washingtons hottest issues. Complimentary

Take Action Aler ts catAlerts notiy you about opportunities to actively participate in FamilyResearch Council eorts to uphold pro-lie , pro-amily, and pro-reedomvalues in Washington. Complimentary

Partial-Birth Abortion on Trial BC05K02Presenting excerpts rom the testimony given

by abortionists in one o the ederal trials on

the Partial-Bir th Abortion Ban Act o 2003, FRC

attorneys Cathy Ruse and Bill Saunders take the

abortionists own words and put them together

in this striking pamphlet. It is nothing less than a

collection o admissions by the abor tion industry,

under oath, about the reality o abortion.

Suggested Donation: $1.50

Suscribe FREE today!

Suscribe FREE today!

Suggested Donation $1.50

Suggested Donation $1.50
http://www.frc.org/content/politicized-science-the-manipulated-approval-of-ru-486-and-its-dangers-to-womens-healthhttp://www.frc.org/content/partial-birth-abortion-on-trialhttp://www.frc.org/content/action-alert-email-subscriptionhttp://www.frc.org/content/washington-update-subscriptionhttp://www.frc.org/content/politicized-science-the-manipulated-approval-of-ru-486-and-its-dangers-to-womens-healthhttp://www.frc.org/content/partial-birth-abortion-on-trialhttp://www.frc.org/content/partial-birth-abortion-on-trialhttp://www.frc.org/content/politicized-science-the-manipulated-approval-of-ru-486-and-its-dangers-to-womens-healthhttp://www.frc.org/content/action-alert-email-subscriptionhttp://www.frc.org/content/washington-update-subscription

the top ten myths about abbortion

Documents