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Pro-Life Update January marks the start of a new year and also the 34th anniversary of abortion on demand. In 1973, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton legalized abortion through all nine months of pregnancy for almost any reason. Thirty-four years later, as the country is slowly becoming more Pro-Life, over 1.2 million abortions are still committed each year. People like Dr. Eric James Keroack, whom President Bush appointed as the new deputy assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, will help decrease the number of abortions in America. He has stressed the importance of women being truly informed about their decisions by promoting the use of ultrasounds at pregnancy resource centers. Legislation like the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act would also help women understand that children feel pain in the womb at least during the final trimester.
Please read this issue of the Pro-Life Update carefully to understand some of the challenges we now face and how you—an educated Pro-Lifer—can advance the Culture of Life. Please share this information with your family, friends, and church congregations. Spread the news.
A Look at Abortion on the 34th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Texas is 4th among the most Pro-Life states in the country, according to the 2005 Americans United for Life National Pro-Life State Analysis, and we will most likely move up in the 2006 report. These rankings are based on our Pro-Life legislature, public assistance to pregnant women, and also the Pro-Life legislation that we have worked hard to pass.
As in Texas, the United States has been identifying itself as more Pro-Life. A 2006 Harris Poll headline read: “Support for Roe vs. Wade Declines to Lowest Level Ever; U.S. Adults Almost Equally Split: 49 Percent in Favor, 47 Percent Oppose.” We also know that when respondents are asked more specific questions (regarding partial-birth abortion, abortion due to financial concerns, or abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy, for example), they are even more Pro-Life than represented in these polls.
According to the most recent abortion records, the Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research branch of Planned Parenthood) reported 1.287 million abortions in 2003. This was a decrease from 1.293 million in 2002. Unfortunately, the government does not require that abortions be reported; therefore, we do not have an accurate view of how many abortions are truly being committed. (One priority for the 80th legislative session will be to ensure that Texas has regular reporting requirements.) The national abortion numbers are dropping slightly, but so many lives still need protection.
The abortion numbers in Texas have increased slightly from 72,837 in 2004 to 74,504 in 2005 (an increase of about 2%). While not a drastic change, any increase in the abortion rate is tragic and motivates us to redouble efforts in educating Texans about abortion and the many local assistance programs available to pregnant women.
Pro-Life Appointment to Advise on Family Planning President Bush appointed Dr. Eric James Keroack as the new deputy assistant secretary for Health and Human Services. In his new role, Dr. Keroack will advise Secretary Michael O. Leavitt “on a wide range of health topics, including adolescent pregnancy, family planning, and other population issues,” according to the job description. He will also oversee $283 million in annual family planning grants.
Dr. Keroack is a Boston-area gynecologist who serves as a supervising physician for five pregnancy resource centers in Massachusetts. He has been a pioneer in the field, promoting ultrasounds to persuade abortion-vulnerable women to continue their pregnancies.
Dr. Keroack, addressing the need for women to see an ultrasound before deciding whether they will abort their child, wrote to the Massachusetts Legislature in 2001 saying, “Even Midas lets you look at your old muffler before they advise you to change it.” According to an academic collaborator, Dr. John R. Diggs explained that opposition to ultrasound was driven by a “concern by people who perform abortions that women who see the moving baby won’t think it’s a clump of cells anymore.”
Dr. Keroack also is a strong promoter of abstinence before marriage. He will certainly be another welcome Pro-Life voice in Washington, D.C.
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Gains Support, but Does Not Pass The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act would require abortionists to provide women seeking abortion after 20 weeks past fertilization (start of the sixth month) a brochure explaining the there is “substantial evidence” that the abortion will cause pain to the unborn child. The abortionist must also advise these abortion-minded women of their right to request the administration of pain-reducing drugs to the unborn child. On December 6, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 250-162 to pass the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (H.R. 6099). However, the bill was considered under a fast-track procedure (“suspension of the rules”) in order to avoid amendments. The House fell short of the two-thirds majority that was required to pass the measure under the suspension of the rules.
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for National Right to Life, stated:
It is no small thing that 60 percent of the House endorsed requiring abortionists to inform women that late abortion may be very painful to the unborn child. The other 40 percent will have to explain why they favor anti-pain laws for animals used for research for food, but not for unborn humans.
The Pro-Life movement still has much work to ensure that all people throughout the world are welcomed into Life and respected. If you would like any additional information on the topics discussed above, please send me a note or log onto www.TexasRightToLife.com. If you ever have questions about any Pro-Life issues, please be sure to let me know.
Yours for Life, Dr. Joseph M. Graham President |
