The Elliot Institute News
From the Leader in Post-Abortion Research
Vol. 6, No. 4 -- Feb. 26, 2007
Visit us online: http://www.AfterAbortion.Info

IN THIS ISSUE:

• News Briefs
  New Abortion Ban Rejected by South Dakota Committee
  Pro-Life Advocates Protest Case of 13-Year Old Italian Girl Forced by Judge to Abort

• 12 Ways to Help #4: Educate Your Pro-Life and Community Leaders

• Facts About Teen Abortion Risks

• SALE! Only Two Days Left!! Order Giving Sorrow Words and Get 15% Off!

News Briefs

New Abortion Ban Rejected by South Dakota Committee

A state Senate committee in South Dakota has rejected a bill which would have banned abortions except in cases where the mother's life was in danger or the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.

The committee voted 8-1 to reject the bill, saying that provisions of the bill were too complicated and would probably be overturned by the courts. Legislators had previously passed a law that banned all abortions except those to save the mother's life, but it was narrowly overturned by voters last fall. The new ban was in response to a poll suggesting that voters would have upheld the law if it had contained an exception for sexual assault pregnancies. The Rapid City Journal reported that Sen. Brock Greenfield, one of the sponsor's of last year's ban, testified against the new bill, calling it a "noble measure" but saying it would probably not succeed in the courts.

The state House in Mississippi has also approved an abortion ban with an exception for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. But researchers who have surveyed women who became pregnant through sexual assault reported that most thought abortion was a bad solution in such cases and many women or girls were pressured or forced into abortion by others, including their abusers (for more information, see the book Victims and Victors). A group of about 30 women has signed a petition asking Congress and state legislatures to hold hearings that would give them a chance to tell their stories and dispel myths about abortion and sexual assault pregnancies.

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Pro-Life Advocates Protest Case of 13-Year Old Italian Girl Forced by Judge to Abort

A Canadian pro-life news service is reporting that a 13-year-old girl in Italy was forced by a judge to undergo an unwanted abortion at her mothers' request and has been suicidal since the abortion.

LifeSiteNews.com reported on the case based on a report from the Italian news agency LaStampa, and says that under Italian law minors have no right to decide the outcome of the pregnancy. The girl had wanted to keep her baby but her mother demanded she abort, saying they could not afford to support the child. The case went to the Court of Minors, where Judge Giuseppe Cocilovo ruled in favor of abortion. It was also reported that the girl, named Valentina, was placed in the psychiatric unit of a children's hospital after the abortion because she said she wanted to kill herself.

In a survey of American women who had experienced abortion, 64 percent reported that they felt pressured into abortion by others. Studies of medical record in Finland have shown that women who abort are 6-7 times more likely to commit suicide in the following year than are women who carry their pregnancies to term. In addition, a study of teen girls found higher suicide rates among teens who aborted vs. those who gave birth. Teens are also more likely to be treated for mental health problems, even when comparing girls with unplanned pregnancies. (For more information on these studies, see our "Recent Research" fact sheet at www.unchoice.info/resources.htm).  

Pro-life advocates have been critical of the judge's ruling and LifeSite has provided contact information for those who want to protest the case to Italian authorities. For contact information, click here.

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12 Ways to Help Spread the Unchoice Message

#4: Educate Your Pro-Life and Community Leaders

If Americans knew the truth about unwanted, misinformed or forced abortions ... they would not push women to abort or deny them the opportunity to heal. Millions still suffer in the wake of a procedure that was never safe ... never just ... and never about free or fully informed choices.

Americans have been kept in the dark and many unwittingly push their daughters, wives, sisters or friends into unwanted and dangerous abortions. Meanwhile, countless women who have lived the abortion nightmare are resorting to despair or even suicide. It is urgent that we educate others about abortion's injustice and danger to everyone involved. With your help, we can stop others from pushing abortion in lieu of authentic choices and offer renewed hope and healing to women, men and families hurt by abortion.

Below is just one way you can help this important effort. To see the complete list of 12 Ways to Help, click here.

4.  Educate Your Pro-Life and Community Leaders

These established leaders can be the most powerful educators in our community and churches, but only AFTER they have been educated about post-abortion issues and strategies themselves!  Many of them are already so deeply involved in promoting other messages that they have not had time or interest to devote to integrating into their work our pro-woman/pro-life message. Keep giving them copies of our special reports, fact sheets, ads, brochures, books, or articles until they do.

The fact that you have personally taken the time to encourage these leaders to learn more about post-abortion issues through www.AfterAbortion.info or www.UnChoice.info and our other printed resources can make a BIG difference. The faster leaders get “on message,” the faster we will see progress. 

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Facts About Teen Abortion Risks

Suicide attempts -- 6 times more likely

• Teenagers are 6 times more likely to attempt suicide if they have had an abortion in the last six months than are teens who have not had an abortion.¹

• Teens who abort are up to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than adults who abort,² and a history of abortion is likely to be associated with adolescent suicidal thinking.³

• Overall suicide rates are 6-7 times higher among women who abort.⁴

• Teens who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems,⁵ and are nearly three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than teens in general.⁶

• About 40% of teen abortions take place with no parental involvement,⁷ leaving parents in the dark about subsequent emotional or physical problems.

• Teens risk further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.^{8, 9}

• Teens are 5 times more likely to seek subsequent help for psychological and emotional problems compared to their peers who carry "unwanted pregnancies" to term.¹⁰

• Teens are 3 times more likely to report subsequent trouble sleeping, and nine times more likely to report subsequent marijuana use after abortion.¹¹

• Among studies comparing abortion vs. carrying to term, worse outcomes are associated with abortion, even when the pregnancy is unplanned.¹² Studies have found that among women who abort, there was a 65% higher risk of clinical depression,¹¹ 65% experienced multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,¹² and 64% reported that they felt pressured by others to abort.¹²

Acute pain, infertility, and risk of death

• Teens report more severe pain during the abortion procedure vs. adult women. One study of pain during 1st trimester abortions found severe acute pain comparable to childbirth or cancer. Pain scores were significantly higher for teens.¹³

• Teens are up to twice as likely to experience dangerous cervical lacerations during abortion compared to older women, probably because they have smaller cervixes which are more difficult to dilate or grasp with instruments.¹⁴

• Teens are at higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis because their bodies are more susceptible to infection and they are less likely than older women to follow instructions for medical care.¹⁵ These infections increase their risk of infertility, hysterectomy, ectopic pregnancy, and other serious complications.¹⁶

• An early full-term birth reduces breast cancer risk by as much as 1/3, while abortion of a first pregnancy carries a 30- to 50% increased risk of breast cancer.¹⁷ More than 90% of those who abort at 17 or younger have not had a previous full-term pregnancy, compared to 78% of patients age 18-19 and 49% of abortion patients overall.¹⁸

• Teens more likely to abort because of pressure from their parents or partner.¹⁹

• Teens more likely to report being misinformed in pre-abortion counseling.²⁰

• Teens more likely to have riskier late-term abortions. According to the CDC, approximately 30% of abortions among teens take place at 13 weeks gestation or greater, compared to only 12% among women in general.²¹ Late-term abortions are associated with more severe psychological complications,^{22, 23} higher risk of serious physical complications,²⁴ and trouble in later pregnancies for mother and baby.²⁵

Grief, trauma and self-destructive outcomes

• Teens who abort are twice as likely as their peers to abuse alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine.²⁶
• Teens have greater difficulty coping after abortion,²⁷ leading to problems such as suicide, psychological problems, substance abuse, and difficulty in relationships.
• Teens who report "being particularly fond of children" do not do as well psychologically after an abortion.²⁸
• Teenagers who have abortions often have problems regarding sexuality and parenting later in life.²⁹
• The abortion procedure itself is considered by many teenagers to be stressful and associated with feelings of guilt, depression, and a sense of isolation.³⁰
• Teens are more likely to report severe nightmares and to score higher on scales measuring antisocial traits, paranoia, drug abuse, and psychotic delusions than are older abortion patients.³¹
• Teens who abort are likely to become pregnant again within the next few years.³³ Among pregnant teens, those who had had an abortion were at least 4 times more likely to abort.³³

Click here for citations for the statistics listed above.

Click here to download this information as a reproducible fact sheet (complete with citations). For resources, ads, and other information, visit www.unchoice.info.

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SALE! Only Two Days Left!!
Order Giving Sorrow Words and Get 15% Off

"I wish someone had said, 'There would be losses having a baby, but don't underestimate the loss of having an abortion.' "  --Lee

Drawing on the personal experiences of more than 200 women who had abortions, Giving Sorrow Words explores the hidden realities of abortion, including the lack of support, misinformation, and intense pressure and coercion applied by partners, family, and society to force women into unwanted abortions. This is not just another book of abortion stories, but an examination of the obstacles women face when their pregnancies are unwanted by others in their lives. As one reviewer noted, Giving Sorrow Words "refuses to accept oversimplified explanations or solutions to abortion. The time has come to stop ignoring the devastating consequences for all."

Giving Sorrow Words is available from the Elliot Institute through its Acorn Books imprint. Order by Feb. 28 and get the book for only $12.71 -- 15% off the cover price (for orders of 7 or more copies, contact us about bulk pricing). To place an order, see below or send a check for $12.71 plus $3.00 for shipping to Acorn Books, PO Box 7348, Springfield, IL 62791. Please include a note indicating that it is for the Giving Sorrow Words special offer.

Find out more about other Elliot Institute resources at www.unchoice.info/resources.htm.
To place an order, call Acorn Books at 1-888-412-2676.

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