|

“Abortion Essentials.” By
James D. Agresti. Just Facts,
September 24, 2008. http://justfacts.com/abortion.essentials.asp
(This page contains
essential facts about the issue of abortion.
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Live Births
One of the major
battlegrounds for this issue concerns
terminology. In keeping with our
Standards of Credibility, the
language used here is explanatory and
precise. Hence, expressions such as
“pro-life” and “pro-choice” are replaced by
words that articulate specific positions.
Perhaps the largest point
of contention involving terminology is the
label applied to what or who is being
aborted. Those who think abortion should be
generally illegal often use the terms
“unborn child” and “unborn baby.” According
to Webster’s College Dictionary and
Black’s Medical Dictionary, the word
“child” can apply prior to birth,[1]
[2]
but both of these sources employ the word
“baby” only from the point of birth onwards.[3]
[4]
Those who think abortion
should be generally legal often use the word
“fetus,” a clinical term derived from a
Latin word meaning “offspring” or “newly
delivered.”
[5]
As explained in Dorland’s Illustrated
Medical Dictionary and other medical
texts, the words “fetus” and “fetal” are
only applicable from nine weeks after
fertilization until birth.[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
Yet, numerous major news organizations have
misapplied these terms to both before and
after this period.[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
Furthermore, journalism guidelines disparage
the use of medical jargon,[16]
[17]
[18]
but journalists selectively employ it in
their coverage of this issue. Despite
widespread usage of “fetus,” the media
regularly employs the common word “mother”
to refer to a pregnant woman and rarely, if
ever, the clinical term “gravida.”
[19]
[20]
In accord with the common
journalism standard to “never use … a
scientific word or a jargon word if you can
think of an everyday English equivalent,”
[21]
the term utilized by Just Facts to describe
the object of an abortion is “preborn
human.” This conveys reality in everyday
language and is consistent with medical
literature. For example, the embryology
textbook, Before We Are Born - Essentials
of Embryology and Birth Defects, states:
|
The zygote and
early embryo are living human
organisms.[22] |
Similarly, another embryology
textbook bears the title Human Life
Before Birth and phrases such as “human
in utero” and “human females... in utero”
appear in creditable medical texts.[23]
[24]
[25]
Moreover, it would be scientifically
inconsistent to assert that a child born at
24 weeks after fertilization
is a human, while one in womb at 37 weeks is
not.
Note that unless otherwise
stated, the word “abortion” is used here in
the sense of an induced abortion; not a
spontaneous one, which is also called a
miscarriage.[26]
* Following are facts about
human development.
Fertilization
Fertilization normally
takes place within one day of intercourse,
but can occur up to six days later.[27]
[28]
At fertilization, the genetic composition of
a preborn human is formed.[29]
This genetic information determines gender,
eye color, hair color, facial features, and
influences characteristics such as
intelligence and personality.[30]
3 Weeks after
Fertilization
The eyes and spinal cord
are visible and the developing brain has two
lobes.[31]
[32]
4 Weeks after
Fertilization
The heart is beating and a
circulatory system is in place.[33]
The portion of the brain associated with
consciousness and internal organs such as
the lungs are beginning to develop and can
be identified.[34]
7 Weeks after
Fertilization
Muscles and nerves begin
working together. When the upper lip is
tickled, the arms move backwards.[35]
The portion of the brain associated with
consciousness has divided into hemispheres.[36]

9 Weeks after
Fertilization
More than 90% of the body
structures found in a full-grown human are
present. The medical classification changes
from an embryo to a fetus. This dividing
line was chosen by embryologists because
from this point forward, most development
involves growth in existing body structures
instead of the formation of new ones.[38]
[39]
The preborn human moves body parts without
any outside stimulation.[40]
10 Weeks after
Fertilization
All parts of the brain and
spinal cord are formed. The heart pumps
blood to every part of the body.[41]
The whole body is sensitive to touch except
for portions of the head. The preborn human
makes facial expressions.[42]
11 Weeks after
Fertilization

12 Weeks after
Fertilization
Electrical signals from the
nervous system are measurable. After an
abortion, efforts to suckle will sometimes
be observed.[44]
[45]
13 Weeks after
Fertilization
Ultrasound Video
[46] Windows Media Player
Real Player
14 Weeks after
Fertilization
The preborn human makes
coordinated movements of the arms and legs.[47]
16 Weeks after
Fertilization
The preborn human makes eye
movements.[48]

18 Weeks after
Fertilization
The portion of the brain
responsible for functions such as reasoning
and memory has the same number of nerve
cells as a full-grown adult.[50]
[51]
Ultrasound Video
[52] Windows Media Player
Real Player
20 Weeks after
Fertilization
The preborn human sleeps,
awakes and can hear sounds.[53]

Ultrasound Video (Heart)
[55] Windows Media Player
Real Player
Up through approximately
this point in time, according to the Supreme
Court’s rulings in Roe v. Wade and Planned
Parenthood v. Casey, a pregnant woman can
abort at will. (More details in the section
on
Constitution and Law.)
24 Weeks after
Fertilization
The blink-startle reflex
and taste buds are functional. The preborn
human will swallow more amniotic fluid if a
sweetener is added to it.[56]
[57]
The grip is strong enough to hold onto an
object that is moving up and down.[58]
If born and given specialized care, the
survival rate is more than 80%.[59]
28 Weeks after
Fertilization
Premature infants born at
this time are more sensitive to pain than
infants who are born at 38 weeks, and
infants who are born at 38 weeks are more
sensitive to pain than infants at 3-12
months after birth.[60]
[61]
If born and given
specialized care, the survival rate is more
than 95%.[62]
32 Weeks after
Fertilization

(Premature infant – 3 days after birth)
38 Weeks after
Fertilization
Average point in time when
humans are born.[63]
At any point prior to
birth, according to the Supreme Court’s
rulings in Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and
Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a pregnant
woman can abort to preserve her “health.”
One example from Roe v. Wade of what may be
considered harmful to a mother’s health is
the work of caring for a child. (More
details in the section on
Constitution and Law.)
* The 2008 Democratic Party
Platform states that abortion should be
generally legal, supports the Supreme Court
ruling in Roe v. Wade, and supports the use
of taxpayer funding to perform abortions.[64]
* The Republican Party
Platform states that abortion should be
generally illegal and supports a
Constitutional Amendment that would assure
preborn humans the right to life. It opposes
“using public revenues to promote or perform
abortion.”
[65]
* Since 1989, several
Democrats including Jim Oberstar of
Minnesota have sponsored at least 11
resolutions proposing a Constitutional
Amendment that would guarantee preborn
humans the right to life, all of them
containing an exception to protect the life
of the mother.[66]
* Since 1989, several
Republicans including Ann Emerson of
Missouri have sponsored at least 23
resolutions proposing a Constitutional
Amendment that would guarantee preborn
humans the right to life, all of them
containing an exception to protect the life
of the mother. Six of
these resolutions also include exceptions
for cases of rape and incest.[67]
* The National Right to
Life Political Action Committee has endorsed
John McCain for president and stated that it
“strongly opposes Barack Obama.”
[68]
* The National Right to
Life Committee has praised Sarah Palin,
described her candidacy as thrill[ing], and
disapproved of Joe Biden.[69]
Sarah Palin is a member of Feminists for
Life,[70]
an organization “dedicated to systemically
eliminating the root causes that drive women
to abortion…”
[71]
* The Political Action
Committee of NARAL Pro-Choice America
(formerly the National Abortion Rights
Action League) has endorsed Barack Obama for
President and given his voting record a 100%
rating for the years 2005-2007.[72]
It has given John McCain’s voting record a
0% rating for the years 2002-2007.[73]
* NARAL has stated that
they have “have a longstanding relationship”
with Joe Biden “that is open, positive, and
constructive…”
[74]
For the past five years, NARAL has scored
Biden’s voting record as follows: 75%, 100%,
100%, 100%, 36%.[75]
NARAL has described Sarah Palin’s candidacy
as “especially troublesome.”
[76]
* In interviews conducted
in August 2008, John McCain and Barack Obama
were asked, “At what point does a baby get
human rights?”
Barack Obama responded in
part:
|
I think that
whether you are looking at it
from a theological perspective
or a scientific perspective,
answering that question with
specificity, you know, is above
my pay grade.[77]
[78] |
John McCain responded in
part:
|
At the moment
of conception.[79] |
* In January 2008, the
following message from John McCain was read
at a “March for Life” in Washington, D.C.:
|
I pledge to
you to be a loyal and unswerving
friend of the right-to-life
movement.
[80] |
* Seven months later,
McCain stated that he would not necessarily
rule out selecting a running mate who
generally supports legalized abortion.[81]
* In April 2007, John
McCain told ABC News that “he still wants to
change the GOP’s abortion platform to
explicitly recognize exceptions for rape,
incest, and the life of the mother.”
[82]
* In response to a 1998
questionnaire that asked if he supported the
“complete reversal of Roe vs. Wade,” John
McCain answered “Yes.”
[83]
[84]
* One year afterwards John
McCain stated:
|
I’d love to see
a point where [Roe v. Wade] is
irrelevant, and could be
repealed because abortion is no
longer necessary. But certainly
in the short term, or even the
long term, I would not support
repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which
would then force X number of
women in America to [undergo]
illegal and dangerous
operations.[85] |
* A few days later he
issued a clarifying statement:
|
I have always
believed in the importance of
the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, and
as president, I would work
toward its repeal. . . . But
that . . . must take place in
conjunction with a sustained
effort to reduce the number of
abortions performed in America.[86] |
* John McCain’s 2008
presidential campaign web site states:
|
John McCain
believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed
decision that must be
overturned…, returning the
abortion question to the
individual states. … Once the
question is returned to the
states, … faith-based,
community, and neighborhood
organizations ... can help build
the consensus necessary to end
abortion at the state level.[87] |
* Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton have voiced support for Roe v. Wade
and stated that this would be reflected in
their appointments to the Supreme Court.[88]
[89]
[90]
They have also stated that they support a
ban on late term abortions, but only with an
exception for the “health” of the mother.[91]
[92]
* In a July 2008 interview,
Obama was asked to clarify his position on
late-term abortions and stated:
|
I think it’s
entirely appropriate for states
to restrict or even prohibit
late-term abortions as long as
there is a strict, well-defined
exception for the health of the
mother. Now, I don’t think that
mental distress qualifies as the
health of the mother. I think it
has to be a serious physical
issue that arises in pregnancy,
where there are real,
significant problems to the
mother carrying that child to
term.[93] |
* A few days later, a
reporter asked for clarification of these
remarks and Obama responded that late-term
abortion bans must have an exception for
“serious clinical mental health diseases,”
but this does not mean that “if a woman just
doesn’t feel good then that is an exception.
That’s never been the case.” He also stated:
|
It is not just
a matter of feeling blue. I
don’t think that’s how
pro-choice folks have
interpreted it. I don’t think
that’s how the courts have
interpreted it and I think
that’s important to emphasize
and understand.[94] |
* The Roe v. Wade verdict
provides several examples of what may
constitute a risk the health of the mother.
These include the “stigma of unwed
motherhood” and the “distress” “associated
with the unwanted child.” Roe v. Wade and
Doe v. Bolton, which were issued by the
Supreme Court on the same day with the order
that they “are to be read together,” mandate
that abortion be legal up until the point of
birth if any one physician willing to
perform an abortion decides it is necessary
to preserve a mother’s health.[95]
[96]
(More details in the section on
Constitution and Law.)
* Speaking before a Planned
Parenthood national conference in July 2007,
Barack Obama stated: “I put Roe at the
center of my lesson plan on reproductive
freedom when I taught Constitutional Law. …
On this fundamental issue, I will not yield
and Planned Parenthood will not yield.”
[97]
[98]
When asked what he do to “ensure access to
abortion” and make certain his judicial
nominees are “true to the core tenets of Roe
v. Wade,” he stated:
|
Well, the
first thing I’d do as President
is sign the Freedom of Choice
Act. That’s the first thing that
I’d do.[99] |
* The Freedom of Choice Act
was introduced in the U.S. Senate in April
2007 by 13 Democrats including Barbara Boxer
(California), Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey)
and Max Baucus (Montana).[100]
One month later, Barack Obama signed on as a
cosponsor.[101]
Its stated objective is to “protect,
consistent with Roe v. Wade, a woman’s
freedom to choose to bear a child or
terminate a pregnancy…” It would invalidate
“every Federal, State, and local statute,
ordinance, regulation, administrative order,
decision, policy, practice” that interferes
with the termination of any “pregnancy prior
to viability” and any pregnancy “after
viability where termination is necessary to
protect the life or health of the woman.”
[102]
* In May 2005, Howard Dean,
chairman of the Democratic Party stated:
|
We’d like to
make abortion rare. You know
that abortions have gone up 25
percent since George Bush was
president? … There are not many
of us who want to see the
abortion rate continue to go up
as it has under President Bush.[103] |
* According to data from
the Guttmacher Institute, an organization
whose “Guiding Principles” includes support
for legalized abortion,[104]
the total number of abortions, the number of
abortions per women of reproductive age, and
the number of abortions per pregnancy each
declined every year between 2001 (when Bush
took office) and 2005 (the last year for
which numbers are available). The total
declines of this period are as follows:
- Reported Abortions: 6%
- Abortions per Women of Reproductive
Age: 7%
- Abortions per Pregnancy: 8%
[105]
* In June 2008, Howard Dean
stated that the Democratic Party “believes
that we ought to significantly reduce the
number of abortions in this country.” A
reporter asked Dean how he could reconcile
this assertion with the party’s support for
taxpayer funding of abortions. Dean replied
it is “total nonsense” that public funding
of abortions increases the abortion rate.[106]
* According to study
published by the Guttmacher Institute:
|
A 1994-1995…
survey of abortion patients
found that in states where
Medicaid pays for abortions,
women covered by Medicaid have
an abortion rate 3.9 times that
of women who are not covered,
while in states that do not
permit Medicaid funding for
abortions, Medicaid recipients
are only 1.6 times as likely as
nonrecipients to have abortions.[107] |
* Barack Obama’s
presidential campaign web site states that
“Obama will make available a new national
health plan to all Americans.”
[108] This plan includes taxpayer
funding of abortions.[109]
* The President of the
United States appoints judges to the Supreme
Court. These appointments must be approved
by a majority of the Senate.[110]
Senate rules allow for a “filibuster,” in
which a vote to approve a judge can be
blocked unless 60 of the Senate’s 100
members agree to let it take place.[111]
[112]
* Once seated, federal
judges serve for life unless they
voluntarily resign or are removed through
impeachment, which requires a majority vote
of the House of Representatives and
two-thirds of the Senate.[113]
* For implications relating
to the appointment and approval of judges,
see the section on
Constitution and Law.
* The American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) supports the use of
taxpayer funding to perform abortions. In
making its case for this position, the ACLU
website poses the following rhetorical
question:
|
What about
those who are morally or
religiously opposed to abortion? |
And answers:
|
Our tax dollars
fund many programs that
individual people oppose.[114] |
* The ACLU is opposed to
taxpayer funded school choice programs. One
of their arguments for this stance is:
|
School voucher
schemes would force all
taxpayers to support religious
beliefs and practices with which
they may strongly disagree.[115] |
* The website of Planned
Parenthood states:
|
In the two
decades before abortion was
legal in the United States,
nearly one million women went
“underground” each year for
illegal operations. Thousands
died for lack of medical care.[116] |
* No sources are cited for
the statements above. According to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control, whose death
statistics from legal abortions have been
accepted and used by Planned Parenthood,[117]
[118]
[119] in the year before Roe v.
Wade (1972), there were 39 deaths from
illegal abortions. In the year after Roe v.
Wade (1974), there were 26 deaths from legal
abortions.[120]
* The following three
graphs were constructed to discern an effect
of Roe v. Wade on the collective rate of
legal and illegal abortion-related deaths:

* In 1988, the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) reported that the
coding system used to classify
pregnancy-related deaths “precludes a
determination of the real causes of maternal
death.”
[122] Hence, the graph below was
constructed to show the incidence of all
pregnancy-related deaths.

* In 1988, the CDC reported
that the coding system used to classify
deaths in general is inadequate because only
a single code is assigned to each death, but
“several factors may contribute to a death.”
[124] Hence, the graph below was
constructed to show the death rate from all
causes for women of reproductive age.

* A Fact Sheet published by
Planned Parenthood states that
|
the risk of
death associated with childbirth
is about 10 times as high as
that associated with all
abortion (Christiansen &
Collins, 2006).[126] |
* “Christiansen & Collins,
2006” contains no information about the risk
of death associated with abortion or
childbirth. It contains figures for the risk
of death “once a woman has become pregnant”
as compared to the number of live
childbirths in the U.S. These figures are
not broken down to show abortion or
childbirth-related deaths.[127]
* Citing data from the CDC,
a previous version of the same Planned
Parenthood Fact Sheet states that the “risk
of death associated with childbirth is about
10 times as high as that associated with
abortion.”
[128]
[129]
[130]
* From 1989 through 1992,
the CDC’s National Center for Health
Statistics reported zero abortion-related
deaths in the state of Maryland.[131]
[132]
[133]
[134]
* During 1989 in the state
of Maryland:
- Erica Kae Richardson (16 years-old)
was admitted to an emergency room on March 1st
with a punctured uterus from an abortion
carried out earlier that day at a clinic in
Laurel, Maryland. She died shortly after
midnight on March 2nd.[135]
[136]
[137]
[138]
- Paramedics arrived at an abortion
clinic in Suitland, Maryland on July 12th
to find Debra M. Gray (34 years-old) in
cardiac arrest after being administered
anesthesia without the presence of an
anesthesiologist. She was taken to a
hospital and died three days later.[139]
- Paramedics arrived at an abortion
clinic in Suitland, Maryland on September 10th
to find Susanne Renee Logan (32 years-old)
in cardiac arrest with an oxygen mask placed
upside down on her face. It was found that
she had been given anesthesia without the
presence of an anesthesiologist, and when
she reacted to it, was given another drug
not indicated to mitigate the effects of the
anesthesia. The paramedics resuscitated Ms.
Logan, she stayed in a coma for four months,
and was generally paralyzed until her death
in 1992.[140]
[141]
[142]
- Gladys Estanislao, a 28-year-old
college student, was found lifeless on a
bathroom floor 17 days after undergoing an
abortion procedure at a clinic in Bethesda,
Maryland.
Her autopsy revealed that the pregnancy was
not in her womb, but in her fallopian tube,
which caused it to rupture and resulted in
her death.[143]
[144]
[145] This condition, called an ectopic
pregnancy, is screened by a blood test or
ultrasound, has a mortality rate of 1 in
2,000, and is typically diagnosed on the
first visit to a gynecologist.[146]
[147]
[148]
* In 1987, the New York
City Commissioner of Health wrote a letter
to abortion clinics warning them to be
careful about using too much anesthesia. The
letter stated:
|
During the
period between 1981 and 1984,
there were 30 legal
abortion-related deaths in New
York City.[149] |
* For the same time period,
the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health
reported a total of 42 legal
abortion-related deaths in the United
States.[150]
* If both of these numbers
are accurate, it would mean that 71% of the
legal abortion-related deaths in the United
States occurred in one city where about 3%
of the population lived.[151]
* An “Abortion Services”
page on Planned Parenthood’s website states:
|
Abortion
DOES NOT …
• Cause
premature birth, birth defects
or low infant birth weight in
future pregnancies
• Increase the
chance of infant death in the
future
[152] |
* A 2007 paper in The
Journal of Reproductive Medicine cites
59 studies that exhibit a statistically
significant association between abortion and
the risk of premature births in subsequent
pregnancies. In five of the largest and more
recent of these studies, all found increases
in premature births before 32 weeks
gestation in women who had an abortion. All
of these studies also found that this risk
escalated when more than one abortion was
performed.[153]
Children born before 32 weeks gestation are
at increased risks for early death, cerebral
palsy, blindness, deafness and other health
complications.[154]
* The website of Planned
Parenthood states:
|
Serious
emotional problems after
abortion are much less likely
than they are after giving
birth.[155] |
* A different page on the
website of Planned Parenthood states:
|
Serious,
long-term emotional problems
after abortion are about as
common as they are after
childbirth.[156]
[157] |
* Another page on the
website of Planned Parenthood states:
|
Beware of
so-called “crisis pregnancy
centers” that are anti-abortion.
… [They] will lie to you about
the medical and emotional
effects of abortion.[158] |
* The country of Finland
has socialized medicine and keeps detailed
health records of its citizens.[159]
A search of these records over the years
1987-1994 found that 1,347 women of
reproductive age (15-49 years old) committed
suicide. A 1996 study of this data found
that women who had an abortion were about
5.9 times more likely to commit suicide in
the year following this event than women who
delivered a child.
* The State of California
pays the costs of childbirths and abortions
for low income women. A study of 173,279
California women who had a state funded
childbirth or abortion in 1989 found that 53
of them committed suicide within eight years
of their childbirth or abortion. A 2002
study of this data found that women who had
an abortion were about 2.5 times more likely
to commit suicide in the eight years
following this event than women who
delivered a child.
* In 2008, the Los Angles
Times reported:
|
Several studies
published in peer-reviewed
medical journals suggest that
women who have had abortions are
more prone to depression or drug
abuse. But the research does not
prove cause and effect, [said
Nada Stotland, president-elect
of the American Psychiatric
Association]. It may be, she
said, that women who have
abortions are more emotionally
unstable in the first place.[162] |
* The California study
cited above controlled for mental disorders
by eliminating those women who had been
treated for a psychiatric problem in the
year prior to their childbirth or abortion.
When this was done, it was found that women
who had an abortion were about 3.3 times
more likely to commit suicide in the eight
years following this event than women who
delivered a child.
* In October 2001, The
Society of Professional Journalists, “the
nation’s most broad-based journalism
organization,”
[164] adopted “Diversity
Guidelines” reaffirming “their commitment”
to use “language that is informative and not
inflammatory.” These guidelines state that
it is “misleading” to use “word
combinations” such as “Islamic terrorist” or
“Muslim extremist” “because they link whole
religions to criminal activity.” The same
document states:
|
When writing
about terrorism, remember to
include white supremacist,
radical anti-abortionists and
other groups with a history of
such activity.[165] |
* In April of 2007 at a
Republican “Unity Dinner” in Iowa, John
McCain stated:
|
… I have a
steadfast and strong advocacy
and voting record in support of
the rights of the unborn.[166] |
* At the same event, Mike
Huckabee stated:
|
I’m not late
in declaring that I believe life
begins at conception and that we
ought to protect human life…
[167] |
* In an article about this
event in the New York Times written by Adam
Nagourney, it is stated that John McCain and
Mike Huckabee “presented themselves as
lifelong opponents of abortion rights.” Four
times in this article, candidates are
characterized as opponents of abortion
rights and never as supporters of rights for
the unborn.[168]
* Media phraseology:
|
Phrase:
“opponent(s)
of… |
Number of times phrase was used in |
|
New York Times (1981-current) |
Washington Post
(1987-current) |
Associated Press
(1982-current) |
|
abortion
rights” |
151 |
44 |
61 |
|
gun rights” |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
property
rights” |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
parental
rights” |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
individual
rights” |
0 |
6 |
1 |
|
states’ rights” |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
religious
rights” |
0 |
0 |
0 |
* On the television show
“NOW with Bill Moyers,” PBS journalist
Brenda Breslauer stated:
|
The term
“partial birth abortion” was
invented by the anti-abortion
community to describe a
procedure in which a fetus is
partially delivered outside the
womb. Doctors don’t even use the
term.[170] |
* The book, English for
Journalists, states that medical
literature is a “common source” of jargon
and:
|
If you write
for a newspaper or general
magazine you should try to
translate jargon into ordinary
English whenever you can.[171] |
* A 2005 house editorial in
the Chicago Tribune uses the medical term
“intact dilation and extraction” to identify
“certain late-term abortions.” It does not
contain the term “partial birth” and
provides no description of the procedure.[172]
* The New York Public
Library Writer’s Guide to Style and Usage
states:
|
When writing
for a lay audience or the
general public, a writer should
use jargon only when necessary
and define it carefully. Where
plain English serves equally
well, it should be used instead.[173]
[174] |
|