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Pro-Life Update The most recent abortion statistics have brought some promising news, as the abortion totals, rate, and even ratio have all decreased significantly over the last five years. The Guttmacher Institute reported 1,206,200 abortions in 2005. Even with the decline, these numbers are still quite staggering. Most people are shocked to realize how many abortions are committed each year. Just as shocking was the Nazi Germany extermination program called “Operation T4”: over 200,000 mentally and physically disabled Germans were involuntarily euthanized. This program, executed in secret, was a precursor to the Holocaust and shows humanity at its worst. Just as we recognize these atrocities for what they are now, Texas Right to Life is working to see that abortion will someday be judged as severely as the Holocaust.
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. Make copies. Spread the news.
Abortion Numbers Decline The Guttmacher Institute (AGI) just released their latest abortion statistics for 2005, which marked an 8% drop in abortions between 2000 and 2005. AGI is the research branch of Planned Parenthood and provides the country’s most accurate abortion statistics, because they directly survey abortion clinics, hospitals, and abortionists’ offices. They do not, however, send out surveys every year; nor are these abortion providers required to report any statistics.
AGI reported 1,206,200 abortions in 2005, which was the lowest number in almost 30 years. These figures were down 25% from a high of 1.6 million in 1990. Additionally, the abortion rate declined by about 9% to 19.4 abortions per every 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44). The last time the abortion rate had been so low was in 1974, when the rate was 19.3 abortions per every 1,000 women. This number indicates how common abortion is for women during their fertile years. The numbers can be affected by shifts in the population, abstinence, or family planning.
Even more exciting is the substantial decrease in the abortion ratio, which tells us how many pregnancies end in abortion as compared to how many end in live birth; miscarriage is not included. In 2005, the abortion ratio declined by about 9% from 2000 to 22.4 of each 100 pregnancies ending in abortion. This number does not look like progress, since almost 1 in 5 pregnancies still ends the life of a tiny baby; however, the decline proves that more and more women are choosing to carry their pregnancies to term.
This decline correlates with substantial Pro-Life legislation and education. During this time, more than half of the states passed substantial parental involvement statutes (including Texas). Dozens of states (including Texas) passed right-to-know or informed consent laws ensuring that women understand the risks of abortion, the development of their unborn child, and, significantly, the sort of government and private assistance available if they choose to bear their child.
“Today's numbers confirm what we have known for years—if women seeking abortion are fully informed about the risks surrounding abortion, the development of their unborn child, and public and private assistance available in their area, they are more likely to reject the idea of abortion,” said Randall K. O'Bannon, Ph.D., National Right to Life Committee director of education and research. “Women's Right to Know laws, parental involvement laws, bans on partial-birth abortion—all of which continue to be enacted by the states—not only help women facing crisis pregnancies, they also raise the public's awareness about abortion and the humanity of the unborn child.”
Operation T4 Prior to World War II, Germany enacted Operation T4—a program through which mentally and physically disabled individuals were euthanized in mass numbers. Upon the recommendation of Alfred Hoche, a noted psychiatrist, and Karl Binding, a prominent scholar of criminal law (who together wrote Allowing the Destruction of Life Unworthy of Living), Hitler started the implementation of Operation T4. Between 1940 and 1941, doctors systematically killed 70,293 individuals who were determined to be “life unworthy of living.”
Hitler chose not to present a euthanasia law, for he feared that the public would not accept such a program. He decided to carry out this project in secret, which is why it required a code name of Operation T4.
Doctors carried out virtually all aspects of the T4 program. The Interior Ministry told all government- or church-run asylums and nursing homes to complete surveys about each of their patients. The questionnaires were then sent back to the assessors, who then acted as the review commissions. These commissions would determine who was worthy of living. Based on the questions from the surveys, they would mark a “+” for each patient who would die, a “-” for each patient who would live, and a “?” for each patient who would require further investigation.
Those determined to be “life unworthy of living” would then be bussed to killing facilities. At first, they were killed by lethal injection. When this method became impractical, the program started using gas chambers disguised as showers (which were later used in the WWII extermination camps). The bodies were placed in mass crematoria, and doctors sent death certificates with fake causes of death and letters of condolence to the victims’ families. They also prepared urns with random ashes to present to families upon request.
Eventually, this program became public as the doctors involved made more mistakes. For example, a family member would be sent a death certificate indicating that the patient died from a burst appendix, when that patient’s appendix had been removed years ago. There were also instances where a family would receive an urn of ashes for their male relative that contained bobby pins.
Church leaders, local judges, and families of victims soon were revolting against this hideous program. Hitler did finally end the program in 1941. However, the euthanasia killings continued, just in a more decentralized manner. During this same time, a movie entitled Ich klage an (“I Accuse”) was released in which a professor killed his incurably ill wife. The movie was viewed by 18 million people. Hitler promoted the idea that mental patients were “useless eaters” and “life unworthy of life.” He also encouraged doctors to determine which patients were worthy of living or not. The killing resulted in the deaths of 200,000 to 250,000 mentally and physically handicapped people between 1939 and 1945. 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 |
