Abortion Archives - Page 21 of 51 - Protection of Conscience Project Library

(Editorial) A de-facto end to abortion in USA?

The Lancet

Extract
these Bills (one in the House of Representatives and a less wild version in the Senate) are unnecessary and deceptive. . . .The Bills would allow residents and programmes to abstain from abortions on any grounds, not just religious or moral. . . .So what is their objective? It is the de facto ending of abortion in the USA. By allowing more residents and more programmes to opt out of abortion training, safe termination of pregnancy in America will become even more difficult to obtain. Already, the number of competently trained graduates has fallen dramatically. Access to doctors and clinics has shrunk, and too many American women wanting an abortion already face a long and sometimes dangerous search for help. This is an attack on women’s choices and an interference in medical education. If it passes Congress, President Clinton should veto it immediately.

The Lancet. (Editorial) A de-facto end to abortion in USA? The Lancet. 1996;347(9008):1055.

Abortion induced with methotrexate and misoprostol

Ellen R Wiebe

Canadian Medical Association Journal, CMAJ — Canadian Medical Association Journal

Abstract
Objective: To determine the outcome and side effects of a new drug protocol to induce abortion.

Design: Case series.

Setting: An urban primary care practice.

Patients: One hundred consecutive patients who requested elective termination of pregnancies of less than 8 weeks’ gestation.

Intervention: Subjects received methotrexate (50 mg/m2 body surface area, administered intramuscularly) and, 3 days afterward, misoprostol (800 pg, given vaginally).

Outcome measures: Number of abortions induced within 24 hours and within 10 days of misoprostol administration, number of surgical aspirations conducted because of incomplete abortion, mean amount of bleeding and pain and the number of women who, if faced with the same situation, said they would again choose a drug-induced abortion over a surgical one.

Results: Abortion occurred within 24 hours of misoprostol administration among 48 women and within 10 days among 69 women. In total, 89 women had an abortion without surgical aspiration. Of these women, 71 said they would choose a drug-induced abortion if faced with the choice again.

Conclusion: Abortion induced with methotrexate and misoprostol appears to be a feasible alternative to surgical abortion and deserves further study.

Wiebe ER. Abortion induced with methotrexate and misoprostol. Can Med Assoc J. 1996 Jan 15;154(2):159-164.

The women’s conference: where aspirations and realities met

Jeanette H Johnson, Wendy Turnbull

Abstract
PIP: This article is a reflection on the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995, including its preparatory meetings. Delegates from 187 nations negotiated and decided on the disputed passages of the draft Platform of Action, which comprised 40% of the 150 page document. The atmosphere prior and during the conference was not peaceful. The UN and China disputed over the location of the nongovernmental organizations’ (NGO) forum that took place at the same time of the conference. The US and Chinese governments squabbled about China’s detention of a Chinese-American human rights activist. The US First Lady attended the conference and the NGO forum, promoting human rights. Most delegates had decided that this conference would not be a retreat from the Cairo conference. In comparison to Cairo, the Vatican delegation had toned down its opposition. US based antiabortion groups and conservative women’s groups arrived in greater numbers in Beijing than in Cairo, in hopes to reverse actions taken in Cairo. They had few victories. A contentious issue was parental rights and responsibilities, specifically adolescents’ access to confidential health services. Compromise wording was worked out in two paragraphs. All other references to parental rights were deleted or there was a reference to the compromise wording. The Beijing platform was the first universal document recognizing the right of a woman to say no to sexual intercourse. The references in the Beijing document recognizing sexual rights as human rights were a major accomplishment. Debates over the issue of abortion took place: the proposed conscience clause and a call for the review of laws containing punitive measures against women who have had an illegal abortion. The vocal delegates from developing countries are silencing the accusation that radical Western women are thrusting women’s rights on the rest of the world.

Johnson JH, Turnbull W. The women’s conference: where aspirations and realities met. Fam Plann Perspect. 1995 Dec;21(4):155-159.

The Right to Procreate: When Rights Claims Have Gone Wrong

Laura Shauuer

Abstract
Debates regarding the development of new reproductive technologies (NRTs), funding for infertility treatments, and non-medical criteria for access to infertility treatments frequently invoke “rights to reproduce” or “procreative rights”. The claim of this right – literally the right to have children – is not the same thing as many other “reproductive rights” that are invoked in contraception, abortion, and pregnancy management discussions.

The author argues that the claim of a right to bear or beget children, which may in turn support research into NRTs and then funding and access claims, is not justified. Framing procreative decisions in terms of rights claims is a problematic ethical project, which in turn creates difficulties for the establishment of legal procreative rights. There are two critical problems: first, the distinction between positive (entitlement) and negative (liberty) rights claims leaves those requiring reproductive assistance in need of a different justification for their claims than those who need no help; second, a procreative right is generally claimed to be limited by the rights or interests of the future children, but a right of non-conception is an intemally contradictory concept.

The author then discusses variations of procreative rights claims, including claims of rights to enter reproductive contracts or to seek assistance, and other conceptual foundations for reproductive decisions. Thus, while reproductive rights are often helpful in protecting individuals and families from undue governmental intrusion, rights are shown to be a problematic, inadequate, and inappropriate framework to describe both the legal and moral status of claims for assisted procreation.

Shauuer L. The Right to Procreate: When Rights Claims Have Gone Wrong. McGill Law J. 1995 Aug;40(823-874.

(Correspondence) Abortion: a violent procedure?

Brian A Shamess

Extract
I too was dismayed and deeply concerned about the attack against Dr. Romalis. None the less, I must comment on Marshall and colleagues’ statement that “we abhor the use of violence in ethical debates.” These students must realize that therapeutic abortion is the only legalized medical procedure in which another human life is taken. . . Certainly the medical community should oppose violence against physicians practising in this area. Even if this perpetrator, or convicted US murderer Paul Hill, was exercising a difficult personal choice in targeting a physician who performs abortion, a violent act against a physician remains as abhorrent as abortion itself.

Shamess BA. (Correspondence) Abortion: a violent procedure? Can Med Assoc J. 1995 May 01;152(9):1376.

(Editorial) Abortion- a debate

J Smith

Extract
The wave of abortion-on-demand legislation sweeping the world has reached our shores. The first blows to the concept of the sanctity of human life are being dealt at a time when health care in South Africa is undergoing tremendous upheaval. This concept may be irreparably damaged if the present Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975 is changed. . . Health professionals should be guided in their decisions and proposals by health values and by scientific evidence. Unfortunately these are not the only prerequisites, since moral and religious considerations are always subconscious realities. Enormous moral and ethical pressures already confront those making decisions about the provision of medical and health care in developing countries. . . The ‘unwanted’ child . . .is therefore victimised, not because of his or her own shortcomings but because society attempts to solve its socio-economic and broader health problems through the sacrifice of its children. . . To avoid abortions, fertility regulation (family planning)should be aggressively propagated in South Africa with specific emphasis on female education and counselling regarding contraceptive information, services and supplies and sterilisation. Contraception saves the lives of thousands of women around the world owing to avoidance of unwanted pregnancies.

Smith J. (Editorial) Abortion- a debate. S Afr Med J. 1995;85(3):137-139.

(Correspondence) Understanding fanatics and followers (The author responds)

Douglas Waugh

Extract
Dr. Hoaken brings his formidable analytic talents to bear on the problem of assaults on abortionists. Certainly the concept of “justifiable homicide” would or should be abhorrent to us all – I say this as a former soldier in World War II, in which a lot of “justifiable homicide” took place. . . .If I read his letter correctly, his plea is for a greater degree of humane tolerance than seems to prevail now. I could not agree more strongly. I believe that Drs. Fireman and Lemoine would endorse this view. Their comments on the genocidal behaviour in Nazi Germany during World War II are well taken; in an earlier draft of my manuscript I did make this comparison. . . . I believe Fireman, Lemoine and I have similar, if not identical, views on this.

Waugh D. (Correspondence) Understanding fanatics and followers (The author responds). Can Med Assoc J. 1995 Mar 15;152(6):808.

The Pro-Life Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician: A Problem of Integrity

Jeffrey Blustein, Alan R Fleischman

Abstract
If the practice of maternal-fetal medicine sometimes results in abortion, can a physician strongly opposed to abortion maintain his own integrity and still practice in this field? . . . In the final analysis, we are not persuaded that a physician with strong pro-life convictions can be a participant in the practice of maternal-fetal medicine without betraying her or his integrity. We respect the attempts of thoughtful pro-life maternal-fetal physicians to reconcile their deeply held moral or religious beliefs with their profession’s standards of care, but it may be best for all concerned if individuals with strong objections to abortion avoided the practice of modern perinatal medicine.

Blustein J, Fleischman AR. The Pro-Life Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician: A Problem of Integrity. Hastings Cent Rep. 1995;25(1):22-26.

Who is worse? Fanatics or their followers?

Douglas Waugh

Extract
When Dr. Garson Romalis was shot in Vancouver in November – police have suggested there is a link between the shooting and his performance of abortions – I realized there are certain aspects of human behaviour that I will never figure out. What could give rise to such hatred? What mysterious willingness causes people to let themselves be led into destructive and pointless violence? . . . Although the motives in these cases are undoubtedly complex, it seems clear that each of the fanatic snipers intended to kill, maim or scare the daylights out of these physicians and others like them. And although society as a whole reacted to the events with revulsion, there were without doubt people who said of each case: “Right on! That’s the proper treatment for those baby killers.” . . . Even if we must accept the occasional appearance of a misguided or mad killer among us, must we also accept the frightening cluster of approving supporters who almost inevitably turn up to endorse the madman and his ideas?

Waugh D. Who is worse? Fanatics or their followers?. Can Med Assoc J. 1995 Jan 01;152(1):90.

Freedom of conscience, professional responsibility, and access to abortion

Rebecca S. Dresser

Extract
Access to abortion is becoming increasingly restricted for many women in the United States. Besides the longstanding financial barriers facing low-income women in most states, a newer source of scar city has emerged. The relatively small number of physicians willing to perform the procedure is compromising the ability of women in certain parts of the country to obtain an abortion. Do physicians have a duty to respond to this situation? Do they have a professional responsibility to ensure that abortions are reasonably available to the women who want to terminate their pregnancies? Or, is abortion so morally and socially controversial as to remove any professional obligation to provide reasonable access?

Dresser RS. Freedom of conscience, professional responsibility, and access to abortion. J Law Med Ethics 1994 Fall;22(3):280-5.