csmonitor.com
WASHINGTON - Behind the ever-boiling battle over abortion in America sits a quieter but still central issue: access to contraception. And the news there may be surprising.
In a report released Tuesday, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute ranked all 50 states in their efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and found a diverse collection of states at the top. California ranked first and New York ranked fifth, a result that may seem predictable, given both states' liberal orientations toward social issues. But between them in the highest rankings sit three conservative states - Alaska, South Carolina, and Alabama.
The reason, says the report's author, is that these states are acutely aware of the relationship between unintended pregnancy and dependence on welfare, and they see the economic and social benefit in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy. In turn, that helps women avoid the abortion question altogether.
"What you see in these results is that helping women avoid unintended pregnancy is not just a blue-state issue," says author Cynthia Dailard, a policy analyst at Guttmacher. The institute was at one time affiliated with Planned Parenthood, but is no longer.
"Alaska, Alabama, and South Carolina scored very high, even though we think of them as having an anti-abortion environment," says Ms. Dailard. "But they've really stepped up to the plate in terms of making family-planning services available, particularly to low-income women."
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were rated on three criteria: service availability, laws and policies, and public funding.
..
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
South Dakota Senate OKs Bill to Outlaw Abortion
Los Angeles Times
"PIERRE, S.D. — Legislation meant to prompt a national legal battle targeting Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, was approved Wednesday by the South Dakota Senate, moving the bill a step closer to final passage.
The measure, which would ban nearly all abortions in the state, now returns to the House, which passed a different version earlier. The House must decide whether to accept changes made by the Senate, which passed its version 23-12. "
...
"PIERRE, S.D. — Legislation meant to prompt a national legal battle targeting Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, was approved Wednesday by the South Dakota Senate, moving the bill a step closer to final passage.
The measure, which would ban nearly all abortions in the state, now returns to the House, which passed a different version earlier. The House must decide whether to accept changes made by the Senate, which passed its version 23-12. "
...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
American Psychological Association Criticized for Pro-Abortion Position
LifeNews.com
by Steven Ertelt
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The American Psychological Association is coming under fire for continuing its long-standing position in favor of abortion despite new studies showing abortion causes a host of psychological and emotional problems for women.
The APA adopted a pro-abortion position in 1969, but it was not based on any research showing abortion to be psychologically beneficial for women.
Dr. David Reardon of the Illinois-based Elliot Institute, which examines the effects abortion has on women, says the organization should re-evaluate its position in light of a new study linking abortion to mental illness.
New Zealand researchers tracked 25 years of worth of data on women drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world. Led by Prof. David M. Fergusson, who backs legal abortion, the team expected their study to refute others linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems.
Instead, the team found abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
Reardon says the findings so surprised Fergusson's team that they began reviewing studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health.
They found that the APA's claims were based on a small number of studies that had severe shortcomings and that the organization is ignoring a number of newer studies showing abortion adversely affects women.
The criticism of the APA has led psychologist and newspaper columnist Warren Throckmorton, in a Washington Times column, to call on the APA to address Fergusson's criticisms. According to Reardon, he was referred to Nancy Felipe Russo, a researcher who speaks for the APA on women's issues.
However, Russo, professor in psychology at Arizona State University, is an abortion advocate who tries to use her position in APA to refute pro-life assertions that abortions hurt women.
Russo participated with an APA group in February 2003 in putting together a web site designed to "correct inaccurate information about" abortion put out by pro-life groups.
Russo and two psychology professors co-chaired the panel charged with creating the web site.
In an interview with the APA's news publication, Russo discounted assertions by pro-life researchers that women who have abortions can suffer from post-abortion syndrome.
"Anti-abortion advocates allege that post-abortion syndrome is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], though no scientific basis exists for applying a PTSD framework to understanding women's emotional responses to a voluntarily obtained legal abortion," Russo claimed.
When Throckmorton asked Russo to comment on the New Zealand study and the APA criticisms, she indicated the group developed its position on abortion based on ideological and not scientific reasons.
She told Throckmorton the study would not alter APA's pro-abortion position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
Throckmorton sent a rough draft of his article to Dr. Reardon for comment and Russo was quoted more bluntly saying "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Reardon says that comment was stricken before the Times article was published.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science."
"Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion," he explained.
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research.
"When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
by Steven Ertelt
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The American Psychological Association is coming under fire for continuing its long-standing position in favor of abortion despite new studies showing abortion causes a host of psychological and emotional problems for women.
The APA adopted a pro-abortion position in 1969, but it was not based on any research showing abortion to be psychologically beneficial for women.
Dr. David Reardon of the Illinois-based Elliot Institute, which examines the effects abortion has on women, says the organization should re-evaluate its position in light of a new study linking abortion to mental illness.
New Zealand researchers tracked 25 years of worth of data on women drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world. Led by Prof. David M. Fergusson, who backs legal abortion, the team expected their study to refute others linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems.
Instead, the team found abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
Reardon says the findings so surprised Fergusson's team that they began reviewing studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health.
They found that the APA's claims were based on a small number of studies that had severe shortcomings and that the organization is ignoring a number of newer studies showing abortion adversely affects women.
The criticism of the APA has led psychologist and newspaper columnist Warren Throckmorton, in a Washington Times column, to call on the APA to address Fergusson's criticisms. According to Reardon, he was referred to Nancy Felipe Russo, a researcher who speaks for the APA on women's issues.
However, Russo, professor in psychology at Arizona State University, is an abortion advocate who tries to use her position in APA to refute pro-life assertions that abortions hurt women.
Russo participated with an APA group in February 2003 in putting together a web site designed to "correct inaccurate information about" abortion put out by pro-life groups.
Russo and two psychology professors co-chaired the panel charged with creating the web site.
In an interview with the APA's news publication, Russo discounted assertions by pro-life researchers that women who have abortions can suffer from post-abortion syndrome.
"Anti-abortion advocates allege that post-abortion syndrome is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], though no scientific basis exists for applying a PTSD framework to understanding women's emotional responses to a voluntarily obtained legal abortion," Russo claimed.
When Throckmorton asked Russo to comment on the New Zealand study and the APA criticisms, she indicated the group developed its position on abortion based on ideological and not scientific reasons.
She told Throckmorton the study would not alter APA's pro-abortion position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
Throckmorton sent a rough draft of his article to Dr. Reardon for comment and Russo was quoted more bluntly saying "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Reardon says that comment was stricken before the Times article was published.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science."
"Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion," he explained.
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research.
"When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Appeals courts: Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional
Newsday.com
"The appeals courts said the measure lacks an exception for cases that threaten a woman's health. "
...
"The appeals courts said the measure lacks an exception for cases that threaten a woman's health. "
...
Democratic '95-10 Initiative' seeks to reduce U.S. abortion rate
National Catholic Reporter
"The message delivered by the estimated 100,000-plus antiabortion protesters who gathered here Jan. 23 for the 33rd annual “March for Life” was clear: Overturn Roe v. Wade.
“By changing laws we can change our culture,” President Bush, speaking by telephone hookup from Kansas, told the marchers. “This is a cause that appeals to the conscience of our citizens, and is rooted in America’s deepest principles – and history tells us that with such a cause, we will prevail,” said Bush.
The marchers gathered the day before the full Senate took up the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. And though the replacement of swing-vote justice Sandra Day O’Connor with Bush-nominee Alito would leave the court with a 5-4 pro-Roe majority, even if the new justice was inclined to overturn the 1973 decision (a pledge he refused to make at his Senate confirmation hearings), his accession to the high court presents the pro-life forces with an opportunity.
Kristen Day, a former Congressional chief of staff who now heads Democrats for Life, was among the antiabortion marchers. She, too, would like to see Roe reversed, but her short-term goals are focused on another opportunity. Working with pro-life Democrats in both the House and Senate, Democrats for Life is spearheading an ambitious initiative that avoids discussion of Roe as it seeks a 95 percent reduction in the abortion rate over the next decade."
...
Bipartisan answers
The Phoenix Online
"This past week in The New York Times science section, I found an interesting confirmation of a partially-formed idea in the back of my mind: “Liberals and conservatives can become equally bug-eyed and irrational when talking politics, especially when they are on the defensive…. The process [of digesting criticisms about one’s candidate] is almost entirely emotional and unconscious, the researchers report, and there are flares of activity in the brain’s pleasure centers when unwelcome information is being rejected.” It appears that try as we might to remain purely reasonable in politics and debate, we are working against a natural inclination to which we succumb more often than we notice. Our passions sway us and can blind us to the other side of the argument.
I first experienced this phenomenon with the ever-touchy issue of abortion. I remember my mother describing what happens to a fetus during an abortion, and the image infuriates me to this day. I was then and remain staunchly against abortion. For many years, I could not understand how sane, ethical human beings could think otherwise. In high school, though, I encountered a girl who had just finished some reading for a class she had that was discussing abortion. She had seen a picture of the victim of a botched back-alley abortion, and the image she saw angered her as much as the one I had heard from my mother angered me. Since then, I have come to realize that that though I still oppose it strongly, abortion is not as black and white as I once thought it to be."
...
"This past week in The New York Times science section, I found an interesting confirmation of a partially-formed idea in the back of my mind: “Liberals and conservatives can become equally bug-eyed and irrational when talking politics, especially when they are on the defensive…. The process [of digesting criticisms about one’s candidate] is almost entirely emotional and unconscious, the researchers report, and there are flares of activity in the brain’s pleasure centers when unwelcome information is being rejected.” It appears that try as we might to remain purely reasonable in politics and debate, we are working against a natural inclination to which we succumb more often than we notice. Our passions sway us and can blind us to the other side of the argument.
I first experienced this phenomenon with the ever-touchy issue of abortion. I remember my mother describing what happens to a fetus during an abortion, and the image infuriates me to this day. I was then and remain staunchly against abortion. For many years, I could not understand how sane, ethical human beings could think otherwise. In high school, though, I encountered a girl who had just finished some reading for a class she had that was discussing abortion. She had seen a picture of the victim of a botched back-alley abortion, and the image she saw angered her as much as the one I had heard from my mother angered me. Since then, I have come to realize that that though I still oppose it strongly, abortion is not as black and white as I once thought it to be."
...
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Bio Frederica Mathewes-Green
ambassadoragency.com
Frederica Mathewes-Green's
Biography:
"Few people are welcome in as many different settings as Frederica Mathewes-Green. You might find her giving a speech at Harvard, then appearing at a pregnancy center banquet. She may speak about prayer at the Smithsonian Institution, keynote a national conference, and then lead a women's retreat. Colleges have made Frederica a regular at 'Art and Writing' conferences.
She's at home in many media. You've probably heard her commentaries on National Public Radio, talking about the pro-life issue, talking about her faith. She's been interviewed on TV from 'PrimeTime Live' to PBS, CNN, Fox, and most major news shows; by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and most major newspapers; and by Diane Rehm, Janet Parshall, and many national radio shows.
Her work as a writer is just as diverse. Frederica reviews several films each month, and also replies to readers' questions in a 'theological advice column' for the Christian Reader. A regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things and other magazines, she has been repeatedly selected for the annual 'Best Christian Writing.' The multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com regularly invites her to present the classic Christian perspective, and her opinion pieces are featured at National Review Online.
And we haven't even started on her books yet. "
...
Frederica Mathewes-Green's
Biography:
"Few people are welcome in as many different settings as Frederica Mathewes-Green. You might find her giving a speech at Harvard, then appearing at a pregnancy center banquet. She may speak about prayer at the Smithsonian Institution, keynote a national conference, and then lead a women's retreat. Colleges have made Frederica a regular at 'Art and Writing' conferences.
She's at home in many media. You've probably heard her commentaries on National Public Radio, talking about the pro-life issue, talking about her faith. She's been interviewed on TV from 'PrimeTime Live' to PBS, CNN, Fox, and most major news shows; by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and most major newspapers; and by Diane Rehm, Janet Parshall, and many national radio shows.
Her work as a writer is just as diverse. Frederica reviews several films each month, and also replies to readers' questions in a 'theological advice column' for the Christian Reader. A regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things and other magazines, she has been repeatedly selected for the annual 'Best Christian Writing.' The multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com regularly invites her to present the classic Christian perspective, and her opinion pieces are featured at National Review Online.
And we haven't even started on her books yet. "
...
Griego: Ritter's abortion stance may signal future
Rocky Mountain News: Columnists
"Access to health care. More education. Greater availability of contraceptives. More money for family planning. Equals fewer abortions. It's common sense. Which means it'll never happen, says a pro-choice Republican friend of mine who's fed up with the Christian fundamentalist hijacking of his party. Each side refuses to give ground when both, ostensibly, want the same thing: fewer abortions.
I don't know if Ritter could lead the Democratic Party toward common ground. I think he is still wrestling with his own conflicts. But, clearly, common ground is one of his goals. At the very least, I hope he borrows one of Saletan's best lines: 'My opponent and I are both pro-life. We want to avoid as many abortions as we can. The difference is, I trust women to work with me toward that objective and he doesn't.'
One final thought about dodging moral issues: What minds religion cannot sway, science will. Technology has already given us the ability to peer into the womb at earlier stages of pregnancy and with greater clarity.
In 1998, when I was pregnant with my daughter, an ultrasound technician rubbed jelly on my belly and ran the probe over it and I turned to the screen to see - a satellite weather photo. In 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and after a suspicious blood screening, I had an ultrasound a few weeks earlier than what is typical. I turned to look. This time I saw a hand, a foot, the flutter of a heart, beating."
"Access to health care. More education. Greater availability of contraceptives. More money for family planning. Equals fewer abortions. It's common sense. Which means it'll never happen, says a pro-choice Republican friend of mine who's fed up with the Christian fundamentalist hijacking of his party. Each side refuses to give ground when both, ostensibly, want the same thing: fewer abortions.
I don't know if Ritter could lead the Democratic Party toward common ground. I think he is still wrestling with his own conflicts. But, clearly, common ground is one of his goals. At the very least, I hope he borrows one of Saletan's best lines: 'My opponent and I are both pro-life. We want to avoid as many abortions as we can. The difference is, I trust women to work with me toward that objective and he doesn't.'
One final thought about dodging moral issues: What minds religion cannot sway, science will. Technology has already given us the ability to peer into the womb at earlier stages of pregnancy and with greater clarity.
In 1998, when I was pregnant with my daughter, an ultrasound technician rubbed jelly on my belly and ran the probe over it and I turned to the screen to see - a satellite weather photo. In 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and after a suspicious blood screening, I had an ultrasound a few weeks earlier than what is typical. I turned to look. This time I saw a hand, a foot, the flutter of a heart, beating."
Sunday, January 22, 2006
States Step Up Fight on Abortion
Los Angeles Times
"Anticipating a more conservative Supreme Court, lawmakers are proposing bans in hope of forcing the justices to revisit Roe vs. Wade.
By P.J. Huffstutter and Stephanie Simon
INDIANAPOLIS — Taking direct aim at Roe vs. Wade, lawmakers from several states are proposing broad restrictions on abortion, with the goal of forcing the U.S. Supreme Court — once it has a second new justice — to revisit the landmark ruling issued 33 years ago today.
The bill under consideration in Indiana would ban all abortions, except when continuing the pregnancy would threaten the woman's life or put her physical health in danger of 'substantial permanent impairment.' Similar legislation is pending in Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee."
..
"Anticipating a more conservative Supreme Court, lawmakers are proposing bans in hope of forcing the justices to revisit Roe vs. Wade.
By P.J. Huffstutter and Stephanie Simon
INDIANAPOLIS — Taking direct aim at Roe vs. Wade, lawmakers from several states are proposing broad restrictions on abortion, with the goal of forcing the U.S. Supreme Court — once it has a second new justice — to revisit the landmark ruling issued 33 years ago today.
The bill under consideration in Indiana would ban all abortions, except when continuing the pregnancy would threaten the woman's life or put her physical health in danger of 'substantial permanent impairment.' Similar legislation is pending in Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee."
..
Prescription for Health: Changing Primary Care Practice to Foster Healthy Behaviors -- Cifuentes et al.
Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
"These projects confirm the feasibility of health behavior counseling in primary care practice. They also highlight the need for substantive practice redesign, and the value of models and frameworks to guide redesign and collaborative efforts."
Friday, January 20, 2006
ProLife Feminism- Yesterday and Today
Xlibris.Com Bookstore
"Is abortion on 'demand' a woman's right, or a wrong inflicted on women? Is it a mark of liberation, or a sign that women are not yet free? From Anglo-Irish writer Mary Wollstonecraft to Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, many eighteenth- through twenty-first-century feminists have opposed it as violence against fetal lives arising from violence against female lives. This more inclusive, surprisingly old-but-new vision of reproductive choice is called prolife feminism.
This book's original edition in 1995 offered brilliant essays on abortion and related social justice issues by the likes of suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. A decade of activism and research since has made this second, greatly expanded second edition necessary. It not only documents the continuing evolution of prolife feminism worldwide, but more accurately represents the rich diversity of past and present women--and men--who have stood up for both mother and child. It thus is a vital, unique resource for peacemaking in the increasingly globalized abortion war."
"Is abortion on 'demand' a woman's right, or a wrong inflicted on women? Is it a mark of liberation, or a sign that women are not yet free? From Anglo-Irish writer Mary Wollstonecraft to Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, many eighteenth- through twenty-first-century feminists have opposed it as violence against fetal lives arising from violence against female lives. This more inclusive, surprisingly old-but-new vision of reproductive choice is called prolife feminism.
This book's original edition in 1995 offered brilliant essays on abortion and related social justice issues by the likes of suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. A decade of activism and research since has made this second, greatly expanded second edition necessary. It not only documents the continuing evolution of prolife feminism worldwide, but more accurately represents the rich diversity of past and present women--and men--who have stood up for both mother and child. It thus is a vital, unique resource for peacemaking in the increasingly globalized abortion war."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Family Functioning of Children with Hyperactivity
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Lianne Woodward, Eric Taylor & Linda Dowdney
This study examined the parenting and family life correlates of childhood hyperactivity in a community sample of London school children. Twenty-eight boys with pervasive hyperactivity were compared to 30 classroom control children on a range of parenting and family functioning measures. Results showed that poor parent coping and the use of aggressive discipline methods were significantly associated with hyperactivity after adjusting for the effects of conduct disorder and parent mental health. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was disciplinary aggression. Findings suggest that the quality of parenting provided for hyperactive children may contribute to their behavioural difficulties, and highlights the need to examine more closely the role of parenting attitudes and behaviour in shaping the course, prognosis, and treatment outcomes for children with hyperactivity."
Lianne Woodward, Eric Taylor & Linda Dowdney
This study examined the parenting and family life correlates of childhood hyperactivity in a community sample of London school children. Twenty-eight boys with pervasive hyperactivity were compared to 30 classroom control children on a range of parenting and family functioning measures. Results showed that poor parent coping and the use of aggressive discipline methods were significantly associated with hyperactivity after adjusting for the effects of conduct disorder and parent mental health. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was disciplinary aggression. Findings suggest that the quality of parenting provided for hyperactive children may contribute to their behavioural difficulties, and highlights the need to examine more closely the role of parenting attitudes and behaviour in shaping the course, prognosis, and treatment outcomes for children with hyperactivity."
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
On abortion, court finds middle ground
csmonitor.com
"In a surprising compromise move supported by all nine justices, the high court on Wednesday avoided ruling on the merits of upholding or striking down a New Hampshire law that requires a teen to inform a parent before obtaining an abortion.
Instead, the justices sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider whether it was appropriate for it to strike down as unconstitutional the entire parental notification law, or whether only part of the law should be enjoined.
The 10-page decision was announced by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been the high-court architect of the constitutional provisions at the center of the case."
...
"In a surprising compromise move supported by all nine justices, the high court on Wednesday avoided ruling on the merits of upholding or striking down a New Hampshire law that requires a teen to inform a parent before obtaining an abortion.
Instead, the justices sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider whether it was appropriate for it to strike down as unconstitutional the entire parental notification law, or whether only part of the law should be enjoined.
The 10-page decision was announced by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been the high-court architect of the constitutional provisions at the center of the case."
...
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Methods for identifying pregnancy-associated deaths: population-based data from Finland 1987–2000
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
India's 'girl deficit' deepest among educated
csmonitor.com
By Scott Baldauf
Study: Selective-sex abortion claims 500,000 girls a year.
NEW DELHI - Banned by Indian law for more than a decade, the practice of prenatal selection and selective abortion remains a common practice in India, claiming up to half a million female children each year, according to a recent study by the British medical journal, The Lancet.
The use of ultrasound equipment to determine the sex of an unborn child - introduced to India in 1979 - has now spread to every district in the country. The study found it played a crucial role in thetermination of an estimated 10 million female fetuses in the two decades leading up to 1998, and 5 million since 1994, the year the practice was banned. Few doctors in regular clinics offer the service openly, but activists estimate that sex-selection is a $100 million business in India, largely through mobile sex-selection clinics that can drive into almost any village or neighborhood.
The practice is common among all religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians - but appears to be most common among educated women, a fact that befuddles public health officials and women's rights activists alike.
"More educated women have more access to technology, they are more privileged, and most educated families have the least number of children," says Sabu George, a researcher with the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi, who did not participate in the study. "This is not just India. Everywhere in the world, smaller families come at the expense of girls."
Like China, India has encouraged smaller families through a mixture of financial incentives and campaigns calling for two children at most. Faced with such pressure, many families, rich and poor alike, are turning to prenatal selection to ensure that they receive a son. It's a problem with many potential causes - from social traditions to the economic burden of dowries - but one that could have strong social repercussions for generations to come.
The Lancet survey, conducted by Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India, looked at government data collected from a 1998 sample of Indian families in all the districts of the country. From this data, they concluded that 1 out of every 25 female fetuses is aborted, roughly 500,000 per year.
Many doctors, including the Indian Medical Association, dispute the findings of the report, saying that the number of female feticides is closer to 250,000 per year. They note that the data sample used by The Lancet study precedes a 2001 Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of ultrasounds to check for girls. But activists note that the law is largely unenforced.
"If there were half a million feticides a year," S.C. Gulati of the Delhi Institute of Economic Growth told the Indian news channel IBN, "the sex ratio would have been very skewed indeed."
Yet the sex ratio is skewed. According to the official Indian Census of 2001, there were 927 girl babies for every 1,000 boy babies, nationwide. The problem is worst in the northwestern states of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Gujarat, where the ratio is less than 900 girls for every 1,000 boys.
...
By Scott Baldauf
Study: Selective-sex abortion claims 500,000 girls a year.
NEW DELHI - Banned by Indian law for more than a decade, the practice of prenatal selection and selective abortion remains a common practice in India, claiming up to half a million female children each year, according to a recent study by the British medical journal, The Lancet.
The use of ultrasound equipment to determine the sex of an unborn child - introduced to India in 1979 - has now spread to every district in the country. The study found it played a crucial role in thetermination of an estimated 10 million female fetuses in the two decades leading up to 1998, and 5 million since 1994, the year the practice was banned. Few doctors in regular clinics offer the service openly, but activists estimate that sex-selection is a $100 million business in India, largely through mobile sex-selection clinics that can drive into almost any village or neighborhood.
The practice is common among all religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians - but appears to be most common among educated women, a fact that befuddles public health officials and women's rights activists alike.
"More educated women have more access to technology, they are more privileged, and most educated families have the least number of children," says Sabu George, a researcher with the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi, who did not participate in the study. "This is not just India. Everywhere in the world, smaller families come at the expense of girls."
Like China, India has encouraged smaller families through a mixture of financial incentives and campaigns calling for two children at most. Faced with such pressure, many families, rich and poor alike, are turning to prenatal selection to ensure that they receive a son. It's a problem with many potential causes - from social traditions to the economic burden of dowries - but one that could have strong social repercussions for generations to come.
The Lancet survey, conducted by Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India, looked at government data collected from a 1998 sample of Indian families in all the districts of the country. From this data, they concluded that 1 out of every 25 female fetuses is aborted, roughly 500,000 per year.
Many doctors, including the Indian Medical Association, dispute the findings of the report, saying that the number of female feticides is closer to 250,000 per year. They note that the data sample used by The Lancet study precedes a 2001 Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of ultrasounds to check for girls. But activists note that the law is largely unenforced.
"If there were half a million feticides a year," S.C. Gulati of the Delhi Institute of Economic Growth told the Indian news channel IBN, "the sex ratio would have been very skewed indeed."
Yet the sex ratio is skewed. According to the official Indian Census of 2001, there were 927 girl babies for every 1,000 boy babies, nationwide. The problem is worst in the northwestern states of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Gujarat, where the ratio is less than 900 girls for every 1,000 boys.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Federal survey shows unwanted births up, but reason unclear
KATU 2 - Portland, Oregon
ATLANTA - More American women are having babies they didn't want, a survey indicates, but federal researchers say they don't know if that means attitudes about abortion are changing.
U.S. women of childbearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted at the time of conception, federal researchers said Monday. In a similar 1995 survey, only 9 percent were unwanted at the time of conception.
At least one anti-abortion group said the numbers reflect a national "pro-life shift," while others who research reproductive health issues suggested it might mean less access to abortion.
The latest findings are consistent with the falling rate of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group that researches reproductive health issues.
In 1995, for every 100 births that ended in abortion or a birth, almost 26 ended in abortion. In 2002, 24 ended in abortion, according to Guttmacher data. That information seems to be in sync with the federal data released Monday, said Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher's associate director for domestic research.
"The two statistics together suggest - but don't confirm - that a greater percentage of unintended pregnancies resulted in births rather than abortions," Finer said.
The Guttmacher Institute is nearly finished with a study of that question, but Finer declined to discuss the results before they've been published.
Others feel the link is clear-cut.
"I don't think there's any mystery here," said Susan Wills, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The new data underscores that more women are turning away from abortions, even when it's a pregnancy they don't initially want, said Wills, associate director for education in the Conference's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.
"It shows a real pro-life shift," she said.
More women may be carrying pregnancies to term because of increasing availability of ultrasounds and other information that show "it's a baby from an early time," Wills said.
...
ATLANTA - More American women are having babies they didn't want, a survey indicates, but federal researchers say they don't know if that means attitudes about abortion are changing.
U.S. women of childbearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted at the time of conception, federal researchers said Monday. In a similar 1995 survey, only 9 percent were unwanted at the time of conception.
At least one anti-abortion group said the numbers reflect a national "pro-life shift," while others who research reproductive health issues suggested it might mean less access to abortion.
The latest findings are consistent with the falling rate of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group that researches reproductive health issues.
In 1995, for every 100 births that ended in abortion or a birth, almost 26 ended in abortion. In 2002, 24 ended in abortion, according to Guttmacher data. That information seems to be in sync with the federal data released Monday, said Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher's associate director for domestic research.
"The two statistics together suggest - but don't confirm - that a greater percentage of unintended pregnancies resulted in births rather than abortions," Finer said.
The Guttmacher Institute is nearly finished with a study of that question, but Finer declined to discuss the results before they've been published.
Others feel the link is clear-cut.
"I don't think there's any mystery here," said Susan Wills, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The new data underscores that more women are turning away from abortions, even when it's a pregnancy they don't initially want, said Wills, associate director for education in the Conference's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.
"It shows a real pro-life shift," she said.
More women may be carrying pregnancies to term because of increasing availability of ultrasounds and other information that show "it's a baby from an early time," Wills said.
...
Monday, December 26, 2005
Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health
J Child Psychol & Psychiat, Vol 47, 2006
Results: Forty-one percent of women had become pregnant on at least one occasion prior to age 25, with 14.6% having an abortion. Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders. This association persisted after adjustment for confounding factors.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that abortion in young women may be associated with increased risks of mental health problems.
Results: Forty-one percent of women had become pregnant on at least one occasion prior to age 25, with 14.6% having an abortion. Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders. This association persisted after adjustment for confounding factors.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that abortion in young women may be associated with increased risks of mental health problems.
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