The Elliot Institute News
From the Leader in Post-Abortion Research
Vol.5, No. 5 -- June 8, 2006
Visit us online: http://www.AfterAbortion.Info
A Note from the Editor
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Also, some of you may already have received the newsletter that follows. However, since we don't know which of our subscribers did get it, we are sending it out again. If you haven't read it yet, be sure to check it out - especially the item on new revelations exposing the abortion lobby's true motives in promoting RU-486 and the news and announcement sections.
We should be back on our regular publishing schedule for the Elliot Institute News in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience during this transition period and for your loyalty as a subscriber!
IN THIS ISSUE
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RU-486 Linked to Population Control in Letter Found in Clinton Files
A pro-life organization has uncovered a letter written by a prominent member of the abortion lobby that urged the Clinton administration to use surgical and chemical abortion as a tool to "eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of the country."
The letter, written by Ron Weddington, who served as an attorney for the abortion side in the Roe v. Wade case, was stored among papers at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR. Judical Watch, a pro-life legal organization, says the letter was used to gain FDA approval for RU-486 and described it as being "chronologically and philosophically, the foundation document for the Clinton RU-486 files."
In the letter, dated Jan. 6, 1992, Weddington told then president-elect Clinton that programs to assist the poor would not be effective for years to come. "The problem is that their numbers are not only replaced but increased by the birth of millions of babies to people who can't afford to have babies," he wrote. "There, I've said it. It's what we all know is true but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we view any program which might treat the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean spirited and . . . well . . . so Republican."
Weddington said the government would have to provide not only condoms and contraceptives but also "vasectomies, tubal ligations, and abortions . . . RU-486 and conventional abortions." He accused church officials, the military, and business owners of encouraging more births in order to meet their own needs for "parishioners," "cannon fodder," and "cheap labor."
"Our survival depends upon our developing a population where everyone contributes," the letter concluded. "We don't need more cannon fodder. We don't need more parishioners. We don't need more cheap labor. We don't need more poor babies."
Elliot Institute director Dr. David Reardon said that population control advocates have long seen RU-486 as a tool for controlling the number and "quality" of births, especially in the developing world. He points out that, while RU-486 is not safer, more private, or less expensive than surgical abortions when it is properly administered, it can be taken into "with relative ease" into developing countries, even when abortion is not legally available.
"Once it is brought into developing countries, RU-486 can be easily transported and distributed," he said. "To avoid trouble with the law, or the conscience of individual patients, these abortifacient treatments can be disguised under the euphemism of 'menstrual regulation.' And even if questions of safety arise, as they have in the U.S., the deaths and injuries suffered by women can then be blamed on 'oppressive' abortion bans that deny women access to 'safe and legal abortions.' For population control advocates, its a win-win situation."
The papers published by Judicial Watch also highlighted the strategy undertaken by the Clinton Administration to bring RU-486 to U.S. and gain speedy approval by the FDA. Reardon said that those concerned about the health and safety of women should continue to lobby the FDA to withdraw approval for the drug, both out of concern for women's safety and because of the potential for violation of women's rights.
"It's not just pro-lifers who should be concerned about this, but anyone who cares about protecting individual rights and freedom," he said.
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For more on this issue, see the article, "The Hidden Agenda of Population Control Zealots" from The Post-Abortion Review, Issue 5(4), Fall 1997. To read the complete article, visit www.afterabortion.info/PAR/V5/n4/PopConFunding.htm.
To download the complete Judicial Watch report, including a copy of Weddington's letter, visit www.judicialwatch.org/5769.shtml.
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Secret Births
David C. Reardon, Ph.D.
Stephanie Clark was only looking for a pair of her daughter's pants when she opened the closet door. Imagine her surprise at finding a tiny newborn baby nestled in a blanket. "I screamed in surprise," she later told reporters. "I called 911. They said, 'Whose baby is it?' I said, 'I have no idea.'"
It turned out that the baby was her grandson, Navorn. Her 17-year-old daughter, Shanta, had concealed her pregnancy and secretly given birth to her baby boy in her home on September 21, 1997. She had hidden the baby in her bedroom closet whenever she left for school. It was 17 days after the birth before the startled grandmother first met her grandson.
After being charged with neglect, Shanta was given custody of Navorn on the condition that she move into a home for young mothers. The 16-year-old father of the child came forward seeking to establish paternity and to strengthen his relationship with Shanta, which he described as previously an "on again, off again" romance.
The media spin on the birth of the "closet baby" Navorn Clark suggested that teenagers can be unaware of their pregnancies for long periods and may engage in denial of reality until it is "too late." Teenage "denial" is often blamed for late-term abortions. The argument goes that teenagers have trouble confronting the reality of their problem and so fail to seek an earlier, "safer" abortion. Because of this "denial" problem, pro-abortionists argue, we must keep late term abortions available for these "messed up" kids.
Personally, I've never bought this argument. Certainly it is not uncommon for teenage mothers to go through short periods of denial about a pregnancy, desperately hoping that "my period is just late." But of the thousands of testimonies I have collected, in every case where a teenager had a late term abortion, not one stated that she didn't realize or couldn't accept that she was pregnant. Instead, they have all indicated that they deliberately concealed their pregnancies in the hope that by the time their parents discovered the truth, it would be "too late" to have an abortion. Unfortunately, these young women discovered, it is never "too late" to get an abortion in America. Their abortions were either forced or consented to under duress. From this viewpoint, late-term teenage abortions are not due to teenage denial, but rather to parental abuse.
Pro-Abortion Parents
A few years ago, I was a guest on a call-in radio program. A woman called in to declare her self to be on the side of "choice" despite abortion's risks. I asked: "Well, if you are pro-choice, then certainly you would agree that we should have laws to protect young women from being forced into unwanted abortions." Without hesitation, the caller confirmed my point, saying, "I've told my daughter that if she ever gets pregnant, she will have an abortion. I've done my duty raising her. I'm not going to raise her kids, too." This woman was pro-choice for everyone except her daughter. For her daughter, there was only one choice: abortion.
Sadly, many young people grow up with the same understanding of what their parents' demands will be if they ever become pregnant. What are they to do?
Some, like Stephanie Clark, will try to conceal the pregnancy all the way through to birth. On a trip to California I spent a night with a family who had a ten- or twelve-year-old adopted daughter. The girl's teenage birth-mother had successfully concealed everything from her parents. She hid her pregnancy, arranged for the adoption, selected the adoptive parents, and gave birth at a hospital (returning home the same day), all without her parents ever catching on to the truth. Indeed, there was still some communication between the biological mother and the adoptive parents, and the adoptive parents believed that the biological grandparents still, to that day, did not know of their granddaughter's birth.
To continue reading this article, visit www.afterabortion.info/PAR/V6/n1/SecretBirth.htm.
~~~
This article was originally published in The Post-Abortion Review, Vol. 6 (1), Spring 1998.
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Becoming "Silent No More," Part I
Nancyjo Mann, Founder of Women Exploited by Abortion
Editor's note: This testimony was originally published in 1987 in the book Aborted Women, Silent No More.
My name is Nancyjo Mann. I am one of the 16 million of women who has had an abortion since 1973. I've seen this from all angles; from the pro-choice side, the pro-life side, and most importantly, from the side of a woman who has experienced abortion. I exercised my "right to choose," and I became a victim of this Pandora's Box. It was a pretty, tempting treasure. It promised to solve all my problems and restore full control over my life. But instead, this "right," this "gift," was filled with sufferings and regret which I could never have anticipated or imagined.
What follows here is my story. It is not a unique one. Millions of others have been seduced by the same false promises. Mine is but one example of the abortion reality.
Abortion is the result of pressures on a woman's life. The pressures leading up to my abortion began in high school where, like many careless, impatient, and short-sighted teens, my boyfriend and I were sexually active. In my junior year, I became pregnant.
My mother was terribly upset. "Oh, what are the neighbors going to say?" she worried. "You'll shame the family. You've got to have an abortion."
This was in 1970. We lived in Iowa, where abortion was still illegal except when necessary to save a woman's life. This fact, however, did not deter my insistent mother, since abortions were easily available under the "progressive" laws of New York and California. My mother only wanted what she thought was best for me, but I didn't want an abortion. I wanted to get married. Fortunately, my father stood by me and my mother learned to accept my decision. This was the first time that abortion was ever in my thoughts.
Being a wife, raising a daughter, and finishing school is rough, especially for a 17-year-old. No one goes out of their way to make it easier, either. Instead, it seemed like everyone figured I wanted to face all those pressures alone. After all, I could have had an abortion and saved everyone the hassle.
But I survived. I graduated. And I was happy. Two years later I had my second child, a son. Not long after that, my husband left me. The responsibilities of being a father and a husband had become more than he was willing to handle. The joys of our young married life were no longer worth the pressures of adjustment. He wanted out, and so he left.
No sooner were we divorced than I fell right back into trouble. I was still on the Pill, and so when I began dating a new guy, I figured there was nothing to worry about. After all, I was being "responsible." But despite the wonders of modern contraception, I became pregnant with my third child. Four months later we were married.
Though there was a superficial happiness in this second marriage, it didn't last more than ten weeks. On October 30, 1974, he walked out the front door. My strong, "dependable" husband just couldn't handle the prospect of being responsible for another child. It was too much for him.
I was absolutely stunned by the suddenness of his departure. I was left five-and-a-half months pregnant, with my two young children and no source of income. I didn't know what to do. Finally, I took the kids and drove over to my parents' house. My mother and one of my brothers were there. I was at a loss. "What am I going to do? He left!" I said. They talked to me for awhile and finally my mother said, "Nancy, you're never going to amount to a hill of beans. What man is ever going to want you with three children, let alone the two you already have? With all those kids, you'll probably end up on welfare for the rest of your life. You're never going to be anybody. It's obvious that you'll just have to have an abortion."
If I wasn't upset and depressed enough already, this type of "practical" advice made me feel even worse. I felt totally helpless. I was a failure . . . How could I resist when everyone was just trying to "do the best thing" for me? They were sincerely trying to help me and they were the only source of support I had. Upset, depressed, tired, desperate, I took the path of least resistance. I adopted the attitudes of those around me. I accepted their decisions as my own. I simply floated along with "what had to be done." Besides, I thought, maybe if I get rid of this "problem pregnancy," my husband will come back to me.
My mother made all the arrangements. She called my ob/gyn and he said he wouldn't do an abortion, much less a second trimester. He told her that the only one in town that would do it was Dr. Paulino Fong, a prominent doctor in that area. Without losing a moment of time for reflection or doubts, my mother and I went over to see him. When he learned that I was seeking an abortion, he immediately had me brought into an examination room.
After a quick examination, my abortionist told me that I would have to have the abortion done within the next 24-hours or I would be outside the limit of the law. Of course this wasn't true, but I didn't know that then. Abortions are legal throughout all three trimesters, right up to the day before birth, and I was still well within the second trimester. He just used this little lie to pressure me into making a quick decision.
See the next issue of the Elliot Institute News for Part II of Nancyjo's testimony.
~~~
Reprinted from the book Aborted Women, Silent No More, by David C. Reardon (originally published 1987, reprinted in 2000 by Acorn Books). For ordering information, visit www.afterabortion.info/awsnm.html.
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News Briefs
Columbia Weakens Abortion Ban, Putting Women and Children at Risk
Columbia's high court has ruled that the law cannot ban abortions in cases of rape or incest or where the unborn child is disabled, weakening the country's ban on abortions and putting women and their unborn children at risk.
In a 5-3 decision, the court also ruled that abortions can be performed when the mother's life is at risk. Pro-life advocates say that abortion groups are using the courts to push abortion on the country and using the so-called "hard cases" to weaken opposition to abortion on demand, as happened in the U.S. An American survey of women who became pregnant through sexual assault found that most who underwent abortions did so because of pressure from others and reported that abortion only caused them further trauma.
Louisiana Abortion Ban Heads to Governor's Desk, Will Go Into Effect if Roe is Reversed
The Louisiana legislature has passed a bill banning abortions except when the mother's life is in danger, which will go into effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Governor Kathleen Blanco is expected to sign the bill, which overwhelmingly passed both houses in the legislature after South Dakota passed a similar ban earlier this year. The Lousiana bill allows doctors to terminate a pregnancy only if the mother faces "a substantial risk of death due to a physical condition or to prevent the serious impairment of a life-sustaining organ," and also directs doctors to use a procedure that gives the best chance of resulting in a live birth. Pro-life advocates are hoping that the South Dakota ban and other court cases will lead the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.
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Announcements
Illinois Pro-Life Event to Feature Niece of Martin Luther King
Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, will be speaking at a one-day pro-life conference sponsored by Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry in Vandalia, IL, on Aug. 19. Dr. King, who serves as Director of African American Outreach for Gospel of Life (a ministry of Priests for Life), will share about her personal experience with abortion and the need to end abortion. Also featured at the event will be Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schindler Schiavo, and Human Life International President Fr. Thomas Eutener.
The conference will be held at Vandalia Junior High School from 10 am - 4 pm (a Catholic Mass will be celebrated at 8 am at Our Mother of Dolors Church for those interested in attending). People of all faiths are welcome. Registration is $35. For more information, call 618-292-9852 or email osmm@sbcglobal.net.
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name=SELECTED>
SELECTED RESOURCES
VICTIMS AND VICTORS: SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THEIR PREGNANCIES, ABORTIONS, AND CHILDREN INVOLVED IN SEXUAL ASSAULT
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Learn the truth about how abortion advocates used the "hard cases" to open the door to abortion on demand-- and how to answer the question, "How can you oppose abortion for a woman who becomes pregnant through sexual assault?" Order now and receive a 25 percent discount!
Find out more about this and other resources at www.afterabortion.info
To place an order, call Acorn Books at 1-888-412-2676 or email amy@afterabortion.info.
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