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NRL News
Pro-Life
News in Brief Wisconsin Abortions Drop in 2007 Another terrific piece of good news from the Upper Midwest: Wisconsin Right to Life issued a press release explaining that abortions in Wisconsin dropped 14% in 2007 compared to 2006, according to a report from the state Department of Health and Family Services. This biggest decline in a decade is not some bloodless statistic. It means that 1,313 fewer babies died—8,267 versus 9,580. “We are absolutely elated to learn of this stunning decrease,” declared Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “Wisconsin Right to Life uses a multi-faceted strategy to reduce the number of abortions and the continued declines year after year prove our strategies are successful.” As has been increasingly the case, women ages 20–24 are most likely to abort, accounting for one-third of all abortions. If we look at women 18–34, they collectively account for 81% of all abortions performed. African American and Latino women continue to have a disproportionate number of abortions while “Women who are not married obtain 88% of abortions, indicating that the absence of the father in the woman’s life impacts her decision to abort,” Wisconsin RTL reported. Lyons added a word of caution. “Planned Parenthood was forced to close two of its abortion clinics in Milwaukee and the Appleton area for seven months in 2007 due to having no one willing to perform abortions,” she explained. “That represented closure of 40% of abortion clinics in Wisconsin. The two clinics are now operating again but it is unknown if they are at previous strength. It is very possible that we will see an increase in the abortion numbers in 2008.” But Lyons added, “Nonetheless, circumstances should not in any way diminish the fact that 1,313 babies who might have been killed by abortion are alive today.” Husband Seeks to Remove Wife’s Feeding Tube Despite protests from family members, stroke victim Karen Weber, 57, is in danger of having her feeding tube removed. Her husband Raymond has asked a Florida court to allow him to withdraw the tube, which would lead to her death since her esophagus is paralyzed and she would not be able to eat on her own, according to WPTV. Mrs. Weber suffered a stroke in November 2007 as she traveled to her home in Okeechobee, Florida, with her husband and her mother, Martha Tatro, the Palm Beach Post reported. The seizures left her paralyzed on her left side, but she can breathe on her own, according to the newspaper. Tatro told the Associated Press (AP) that her daughter was aware and could communicate when she visited her in March and April. “She had her faculties and she made it clear that she did not want her feeding tube removed,” Tatro said. “She could laugh and she could giggle and she could shake her head yes and no.” Although Karen Weber’s condition has worsened since then because of infection and other complications, her mother and her sister, Joyce Tatro-Manes, believe that she could improve if given time and therapy. “I don’t want her to suffer either, but is recovering suffering?” Tatro-Manes told the Toledo Blade. “We want God to be the decider, not her husband.” After Raymond Weber requested feeding tube withdrawal, an Okeechobee Circuit Court judge issued a temporary injunction in March to continue feeding until after further court hearings, according to the Blade. Mr. Weber was granted temporary guardianship in August, and a court heard arguments in early September to determine a permanent guardian. A decision is expected in about a month, UPI reported. Spanish Government Seeks Abortion on Demand A panel appointed by Spain’s Socialist government is expected to issue recommendations for the liberalization of the country’s abortion law, according to the Associated Press (AP). Equality Minister Bibiana Aido announced September 4 that the plan is to introduce a bill early in 2009 to change the law. Currently, Spanish law allows abortions up to 12 weeks in cases of rape, up to 22 weeks for “fetal malformation,” and at any time if the pregnancy is harmful to a woman’s physical or mental health. About 100,000 unborn babies are aborted annually in Spain, the AP reported, most using the “health” exception—or loophole, as pro-lifers have called it. Aido claimed that a change in the law is needed to make enforcement consistent across the country. “We cannot allow this situation to continue, where a woman who wants to legally end a pregnancy can not, or she can face different treatment depending on where she lives,” Aido said, according to EuroNews. The Roman Catholic Church has denounced the Socialist government’s drive to loosen the abortion law, EuroNews reported. Mexico Supreme Court Upholds City’s Abortion Law The Mexican Supreme Court ruled August 28 that Mexico City’s law to legalize abortion on demand is constitutional. In an 8–3 decision, the justices declared that “To affirm that there is an absolute constitutional protection of life in gestation would lead to the violation of the fundamental rights of women,” said Justice Sergio Valls, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Pro-lifers condemned the decision. “This is very grave for our country,” Jorge Serrano Limon, directory of the pro-life group Provida, told the Christian Science Monitor. “We are creating a culture of death. We have failed as a society.” Legislators in the federal district of Mexico City legalized abortion on demand in the first three months of pregnancy April 24, according to the Associated Press (AP). The law requires that all public hospitals in Mexico City, which has a population of 20 million, must perform first-trimester abortions, the AP reported. In addition, private abortion clinics may be opened. The only restriction is that girls under 18 must have parental consent, and it allows doctors to conscientiously refuse to perform abortions. Since the law went into effect, 12,700 unborn babies died at Mexico City hospitals, according to the AP. In the wake of the court decision, abortion opponents feared that other local governments would seek to legalize abortion as well. “This is going to promote abortion in other states,” Serrano Limon told the Christian Science Monitor. “Instead of 12,000 deaths in a year, we’ll see 25,000.” |