Protection of Conscience Project Library
Service, not Servitude
Extract
In publishing the abortion opinions(not facts) of David Reardon and associates,1 you have damaged the credibility and reputation of your journal.
Sevier-Fries D. (Correspondence) Abortion perils debated. Can Med Assoc J. 2003 Jul 22;169(2):101.
Extract
. . . Regardless of one’s opinions about the abortion issue, educating patients about the benefits and risks of an intervention is integral to good medicine. Thus, physicians should be willing to inform their patients of the risks associated with abortion. Aside from the usual risks associated with a surgical procedure, these include increased risks of psychiatric illness, 1 future preterm birth2 and breast cancer.3,4 I commend CMAJ for refusing to allow politics to trump the scientific progress of women’s health care.
Hollingshead SC. (Correspondence) Abortion perils debated. Can Med Assoc J. 2003 Jul 22;169(2):101.
Extract
. . . the most relevant comparison was not performed. Reardon and associates compared women who delivered babies with women who had abortions. . . it might be more appropriate to ask about the differences between women who undergo abortion and those who want to have an abortion but choose not to because of external pressures or guilt. In such a study, it might be found that abortion was in fact a relatively healthy psychological event.
Keshen A. (Correspondence) Abortion perils debated. Can Med Assoc J. 2003 Jul 22;169(2):102.
Extract
I would like to point out that other prominent medical journals have published research reports on harmful effects associated with abortion. . . . It would appear that the study by Reardon and associates published recently in CMAJ is not the first to present empirical evidence that abortion is a severe risk factor for substantial emotional and physical trauma.
Banno AD. (Correspondence) Abortion perils debated. Can Med Assoc J. 2003;169(2):101-102.
Extract
James Kopp has been found guilty of murdering New York state obstetrician Dr. Barnett Slepian, but police are still trying to close other cases involving Canadian physicians who were shot. Kopp remains a suspect in the non- fatal shootings of physicians who provided abortions in Winnipeg, Vancouver and Ancaster, Ont. He has been charged in the last case — Dr. Hugh Short was shot in the right arm as he sat in his home Nov. 10, 1995 (CMAJ 1998;159[9]:1153-5) — but there is in- sufficient evidence linking him to the Winnipeg or Vancouver cases.
Sibbald B. Police still investigating sniper attacks on MDs. Can Med Assoc J. 2003 May 27;168(11):1456.
Abstract
The legal approach to abortion is evolving from criminal prohibition towards accommodation as a life-preserving and health-preserving option, particularly in light of data on maternal mortality and morbidity. Modern momentum for liberalization comes from international adoption of the concept of reproductive health, and wider recognition that the resort to safe and dignified healthcare is a major human right. Respect for women’s reproductive self-determination legitimizes abortion as a choice when family planning services have failed, been inaccessible, or been denied by rape. Recognition of women’s rights of equal citizenship with men requires that their choices for self-determination be legally respected, not criminalized.
Cook RJ, Dickens BM. Human Rights Dynamics of Abortion Law Reform. Hum Rights Quart. 2003 Feb;25(1):1-59. Available from:
Extract
The number of prescriptions issued for mifepristone (RU-486), the “abortion pill” introduced in the US 2 years ago, is increasing more rapidly than expected, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) says. . . The PPFA says the success of the new method is important because “the lack of abortion providers is an acute problem in the United States.”.
Sibbald B. Popularity of “abortion pill” grows in US. Can Med Assoc J. 2003 Jan 21;168(2):211.
Extract
This article focuses on . . . the locus and extent of legal decision-making power as regards the disabled fetus. It does this by exploring how the relationship between the law of abortion and that of wrongful birth affects the scope of a pregnant woman’s decision-making abilities in this context. . . .In order to reflect on how the law shapes and controls a woman’s (or couple’s) autonomy in this context, the article considers both the non- rights-based English legal position on abortion and its rights-based US counterpart, in addition to exploring aspects of the law of wrongful birth in both jurisdictions. It also makes some suggestions as to the value of autonomy in this context and how extensive it should be at law, although the opportunity to do so here is limited. The discussion entails reflection on the role of the medical profession, the relationship between autonomy and reasons and the interests of people with disabilities or impairments.
Scott R. Prenatal screening, autonomy and reasons: the relationship between the law of abortion and wrongful birth. Med Law Rev. 2003 Jan 01; 11(3):265-325.
Abstract
The South African Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996 gives women the right to voluntary abortion on request. The reality factor, however, is that five years later there are still more ‘technically illegal’ abortions than legal ones. Amongst other factors, one of the main obstacles to access to this constitutionally enshrined human right is the right to conscientious objection/refusal. Although the right to conscientious objection is also a basic human right, the case of refusal to provide abortion services on conscientious objection grounds should not be seen as absolute and inalienable, at least in the developing world. In the developed world, where referral to another service provider is for the most part accessible, a conscientious objector to abortion does not really put the abortion seeker’s life at risk. The same cannot be said in developing countries even when abortion is decriminalised. This is because referral procedures are fraught with major obstacles. Therefore, it is argued that the right to conscientious objection to abortion should be limited by the circumstances in which the request for abortion arises.
Bogaert L-JV. The Limits of Conscientious Objection to Abortion in the Developing World. Dev World Bioeth. 2002;2(2):131-143.
Extract
Currently, fetal tissue research is integral for potential cures, and there is no convincing evidence that it can be deemed an abortion lure. Therefore, let research continue on the road of revolutionary, scientific discovery, hopefully picking up along the way the technology to end the pain of so many suffering beyond that path of medical enlightenment. At present, it is their most promising hope for a healthy life.
Janosky VJ. Stem Cells: Potential Cures or Abortion Lures. Depaul Journal of Health Care Law. 2002 Fall;6(1):111-158.