Overall Abortion Rate Drops 8% In Eight Years, Rises 18% Among Poor Women in USA
While the abortion rate dropped between 2000 and 2008 overall in the USA, among women whose family incomes are below the federal poverty level it rose, researchers from the Guttmacher Institute wrote in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. 40% of all abortions in America in 2008 were performed on poor women. The authors believe that the current recession has resulted in a lower percentage of women receiving contractive services, leading to more unwanted pregnancies. Moreover, some women may have decided that their household is not financially stable enough to take on another child, given the economic climate in the country at the moment. Below are some highlighted data from the report:
The abortion rate among non-Hispanic white women is 11.5 per 1000
According to the researchers, almost 1 in every 10 females of reproductive age in America will have an abortion by the time she is 20, one-quarter by 30 years of age and almost one-third by 45 years. In 1992 about 43% of US women had an abortion by 45 years of age, compared to 30% in 2008. Study author Rachel K. Jones, said: "That abortion is becoming increasingly concentrated among poor women suggests the need for better contraceptive access and family planning counseling. It certainly appears these women are being underserved. Antiabortion restrictions and cuts to publicly funded family planning services disproportionately affect poor women, making it even more difficult for them to gain access to the contraceptive and abortion services they need." Teenage abortions dropped 22% from 2000 to 2008, the authors added, from 14.6 per 1,000 to 11.3 per 1,000 per year. Teenagers accounted for 6% of all US abortions in 2008. "Changes in Abortion Rates Between 2000 and 2008 and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion" Rachel K. Jones and Megan L. Kavanaugh Obstetrics & Gynecology. Written by Christian Nordqvist
The abortion rate rose 18% between 2000 and 2008 among poor women 44.4 abortions per 1,000 women occurred among poor women in 2000, compared to 52.2 in 2008 The overall abortion rate dropped from 21.3 per 1000 in 2000 to 19.6 per 1000 in 2008 - a decline of 8% The abortion rate among African-American women dropped 18% during the same period Even so, the abortion rate among African-American women is still very high, at 40.2 per thousand The abortion rate among Hipstanic women is 28.7 per 1000
Health officials released a controversial regulation on Thursday to protect health professionals who do not want to provide abortions or certain other health care services. Washington New York Times The regulation could strip federal funding from employers or institutions that fire a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or other health professional who refuses to provide abortion care or information. But it no longer defines some types of contraception as abortion, after family planning groups complained an earlier draft would have defined abortion to include birth control pills and the intrauterine device or IUD. "This is about protecting the right of a physician to practice medicine according to his or her moral compass," Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt told reporters in a conference call. "There is nothing in this rule that would in any way change a patient's right to a legal procedure."
He said it enforces three existing federal laws. Those laws allow providers to opt out of offering the abortion pill RU-486 and emergency contraception. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said the regulation was deliberately vague. "At least they wrote a definition of abortion," Roger Evans, director of litigation at the group, told reporters. "It will have the same net effect, which is to set the stage for women being denied access to healthcare, women being denied information ... and women even being denied referrals," Evans added. He said his group would lobby to have HHS change the rule during the three-day comment period before it takes effect. "This is just one more example of the Bush Administration putting ideology ahead of science and women's health," New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton said in a statement. She said she would also fight the regulation.
Abortion on the rise in Philippines
-Philippine Star The Philippines has one of the highest regional birth rates One in four women in the Philippines have abortions secretly, according to statistics published by a government agency. Abortions are illegal in the mainly Roman Catholic country, and women with unwanted pregnancies have to go to unlicensed abortion clinics.
The study by the Population Commission estimates that more than 80,000 women have ended up in hospital with medical problems as a result. "Due to lack of options, women risk legal and religious condemnation and even permanent disabilities and the possibility of death to commit or seek out abortions," the commission said.
Group airs call to legalize abortion in the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines Abortion should be legalized in the country, according to an international womens rights group. EnGendeRights said the law against abortion in the Philippines has forced many women who have unwanted pregnancies to resort to having unsafe abortions. Dahil ilegal ang abortion, nagkakaroon ng stigma kapag nag-induce ang isang babae ng unsafe abortion. Kahit dinudugo na siya at halos ikamatay, hindi siya pupunta sa ospital, said lawyer Clara Rita Padilla, executive director of EnGendeRights. In an interview with ABS-CBNs TV Patrol, Padilla claimed that around 1.32 million women undergo unsafe abortions across the country annually. She added that the number of abortions rose 800% in the last 18 years, with around three women dying every day because of complications arising from having abortions in hole-in-the-wall clinics. The clinics allegedly earn around P6.6 billion annually from the illicit practice. Maganda sana kung maibibigay ang safe and legal abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Spain allows abortion up to 14 weeks, she said. However, she said that legalizing abortion in the Philippines will have to rely on societys readiness to accept the method as a safe way of terminating unwanted pregnancies caused by rape, danger to health and life of the woman, and fetal impairment. As expected, the call to legalize abortion was not met well. Pro-Life Philippines executive director Marita Wasan lashed out at some womens rights groups and organizations promoting reproductive health. Ang contraception kasi yan ang fino-front nila, para mapaprubahan at gawing legal ang abortion, she said. Maraming pag-aaral na nakakasira ito sa kalusugan ng isang nanay at nakaka-encourage ito ng promiscuity. Wasan added that there is no such thing as a safe abortion. Pagkitil ng buhay, that is (against) a commandment of God, she stressed
Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Charged With 8 Counts of Murder
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) A West Philadelphia abortion doctor, his wife and eight other suspects are now under arrest following a grand jury investigation. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, faces eight counts of murder in the deaths of a woman following a botched abortion at his office, along with the deaths of seven other babies who, prosecutors allege, were born alive following illegal late-term abortions and then were killed by severing their spinal cords with a pair of scissors. I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic, said District Attorney Seth Williams. But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients, to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who
would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law. Gosnell is facing charges of murder in the third degree for the death of 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar. Mrs. Mongar died on November 20, 2009, when she was overdosed with anesthetics prescribed by Gosnell. He is also facing seven murder charges for the deaths of infants who were killed after being born viable and alive during the sixth, seventh, or eighth month of pregnancy. Gosnell is also facing numerous other charges. Gosnell is suspected of killing hundreds of living babies over the course of his 30-year practice. However, he is not charged because the records do not exist. DA Williams said Gosnell made approximately $1.8 million in one year alone performing the procedures.
Funeral refused to man who chose voluntary euthanasia
PETER CLUSKEY in Liempde THE DEBATE about voluntary euthanasia has been reopened in the Netherlands after a Catholic priest in the little parish of Liempde, north of Eindhoven, refused to conduct the funeral service of an elderly man who chose to die by assisted suicide. The Dutch parliament legalised euthanasia in 2002, making Holland the first country in the world to do so. The Supreme Court had ruled the practice acceptable in 1984. Doctors were theoretically still open to prosecution until the law was changed 18 years later. In Liempde, Fr Norbert van der Sluis said he was not willing to conduct the funeral Mass for his unnamed parishioner, who is believed to have been seriously ill. This is the first time a Dutch priest has openly adopted this stance, which has already divided his parish and the Netherlands itself. Almost 3,000 people a year choose to end their lives by strictly regulated, physician-assisted euthanasia in the country. When it comes to euthanasia, my answer has to be no, said Fr van der Sluis, who argued guidelines issued by the Dutch bishops stated unequivocally that anyone who opted for euthanasia was not entitled to a church funeral. Nor was he willing, he told the dead mans family, to arrange for a colleague to conduct the service. As a matter of conscience I cannot allow a fellow priest to say the funeral Mass in my church. The degree to which voluntary euthanasia in extreme circumstances has become an accepted part of Dutch life is illustrated by the fact there has already been an angry backlash to the priests stance from local parishioners including his church council. So concerned are they about the effect on public opinion of the refusal of a funeral that they have demanded he apologise to the dead mans family. In the meantime they have halted a fundraising campaign for the repair of the church organ. The family said they have arranged to have the funeral service held in another parish. Euthanasia was legalised in the Netherlands by the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act 2002, and since then demand has risen significantly from 1,886 cases in 2004 to 2,600 in 2009, the last year for which statistics are available. Deeply ingrained tolerance means that the wishes of others are taken very seriously, said Evert van Leeuwen, professor of medical ethics at Nijmegen University.
Philippines considers euthanasia bill
Claire Wallerstein The Philippine Senate is considering a controversial bill that could make the staunchly Catholic country the first in the world to legalise euthanasia. The billpart of a 16 point bill of patients' rightshas already undergone its first reading, and the second reading will start after the Senate session resumes in late July. It must pass three readings with a two thirds majority and then be ratified by President Fidel Ramos before it can be incorporated into law. Senate health committee secretary John Basa said: It is proposing the legalisation of passive, rather than active, euthanasiabut obviously it is still very contentious. It would make us the first country in the world to legalise so called mercy killing. He added: If it becomes law, this bill will make a big difference to doctors here. At the moment, if they help a patient to die, they can be charged with malpractice and are liable to imprisonment. However, the bill's chances of success in its current form may be slim. Its biggest stumbling block is the Catholic church, which has enormous power in the 85% Catholic country. Monsignor Pedzro Quitorio, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said: An act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering, constitutes murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The church has been seen as a hindrance to health policymakers and medical workers in many cases over the years. Public immunisation schemes have had only intermittent success since Catholic groups denounced a mass tetanus vaccination programme in the early 1990s, claiming that the toxoid could cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. It is feared this has caused a widespread suspicion of immunisation, particularly in the slums and far flung rural areas where such treatment is most needed. Meanwhile, Manila's archbishop, Cardinal Sin, caused uproar last month after publicly announcing that condoms were only fit for animals. And in a survey among medical students, more than half said that AIDS was a punishment from God. Another proposal in the patients' rights bill is that patients should be allowed to leave hospital before they have paid in full for their treatment. Virtually all hospitals in the Philippines are privately run, and many owners are worried that patients will abscond without paying.
Report Finds 36 Died Under Assisted Suicide Law
By WILLIAM YARDLEY SEATTLE At least 36 terminally ill people died last year after taking lethal medication prescribed by doctors under Washington States new physician-assisted suicide law, according to a state report released Thursday, the first since the law went into effect a year ago. A total of 63 people filled prescriptions for lethal medication, but not everyone took it. All those who did take it died. Some people who did not take it died from other causes. The report is based on data collected over 10 months, beginning in March 2009, when Washington became the second state, after Oregon, to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The laws, both passed by ballot initiatives, allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults to obtain a doctors prescription for a lethal dose of medication. Oregon, whose law went into effect in 1998, also released its annual report this week. The Oregon Public Health Division said 59 people died last year from lethal medication prescribed under the law; 95 prescriptions were filled. A total of 460 patients have died under the law in Oregon. In December, a state court in Montana found that it was not illegal for physicians to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients in certain situations. But the ruling did not provide the stateregulatory mechanisms put into place in Washington and Oregon, and Montana officials said it was unclear whether physicians there had been prescribing lethal medications. Most patients who died under the law in Washington last year had cancer. Prescribing doctors, who must submit forms to the State Department of Health about patients who received the medication, said all who died cited loss of autonomy as a reason for seeking it. Most also said they could no longer enjoy life and feared losing dignity. Ten patients said they were concerned about being a burden on their family and friends, 11 cited pain and one said finances were an issue. Critics of the law have said it could prompt disproportionate use by lower-income people. Almost all of those who died in Washington said they had private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or some combination. None said they had no insurance at all, though coverage was listed as unknown for five people. Most died within 90 minutes of taking the medicine, though at least one person lived for 28 hours. Two woke up after taking the medicine, then died later. The issue is also prominent in some other states. Physicians in Connecticut have filed a lawsuit seeking to have the courts clarify whether the law there allows them to prescribe lethal drugs to terminal patients. And lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a measure supporting physician-assisted suicide, but its sensitivity has also made for strong opposition, particularly among religious groups.
Philippine ex-army head Angelo Reyes 'commits suicide
A former Philippine military chief who had recently been accused of high-level corruption has died after apparently taking his own life. Retired general Angelo Reyes is thought to have killed himself with a single gunshot to the chest. In recent weeks, a Congressional inquiry has been hearing allegations of how Gen Reyes embezzled more than $1m (620,000) from state funds. Allegations of corruption often blight the poorly-paid, badlyequipped army. Early on Tuesday, witnesses saw Gen Reyes arrive in a cemetery in Manila. They said he went to his mother's grave, then sent his children back to the car, before a single shot rang out. The 65-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. Gen Reyes was an influential figure; he was head of the armed forces under President Joseph Estrada, and went on to hold various government posts. But recently he had been making headline news in a different way, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila. A former military budget officer told a Congressional hearing that several key army figures, including the general, had siphoned off enormous amounts of money for their own personal gain. Gen Reyes is accused of getting more than $1m when he left his post - the amount allegedly had to be converted from Philippine pesos into dollars because it was too bulky to carry. Corruption allegations against the uniformed forces are nothing new, although they rarely involve this amount of money.
Radio operator succeeds in fourth attempt at suicide by drowning The Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines After being rescued three times in a span of about half an hour, a shipping companys radio operator threw himself back into the sea for a fourth time early Friday, and this time Coast Guard divers found his lifeless body two hours later, police said. Senior Police Officer 2 Virgo Villareal of the Manila Police Districts homicide section said Alexander Geagoma, 38, an employee of Sulpicio Lines Inc. based at the North Harbor in Tondo, jumped into the sea several minutes past 3 a.m. from a tugboat docked at Pier 10. Villareal said that security guards at the pier spotted him and fished him out of the water. However, as soon as his co-workers placed him on the tugs deck, Geagoma ran to the other side and leaped back into the waters of Manila Bay. After his second rescue, security guards and other workers decided to restrain Geagoma and made him promise that he would not jump into the sea again. But he broke his word and jumped again. According to the investigator, Geagoma promised one more time he would not jump into the sea again and proceeded to disembark from the tugboat. But instead of returning to the Sulpicio Lines office, Geagoma proceeded to the barge MV Palawan that was docked nearby and dove into the sea. A security guard who saw this alerted his co-workers for another rescue. However, the radio operator disappeared into the water and it was not until two hours later that his body was retrieved by Coast Guard divers. Villareal said that Geagomas companions told investigators they had observed him to be pensive before his suicide attempts but had no idea what caused his apparent depression. Geagomas body was taken to the Universal funeral parlor for autopsy, Villareal said.
Unrequited love Teener commits suicide
By Ria Mae Y. Booc/JPM CEBU, Philippines - A 17-year-old high school student hung himself from a tree near the seashore of barangay Western Poblacion, Poro town of the Camotes group of islands on Monday after he was rejected by the girl he was courting. Jover Ostria ended his life after failing to win the heart of a certain Elyn. Police found a bottle of liquor and a two-page suicide note written on his notebook. The note, written in Cebuano, stated how Ostria had suffered from the pain of loving the girl. He also asked his younger brother to take care of their mother and their brother before saying goodbye, asking for understanding. Puslan mamatay tinuyuan wala ko nimo sugtafarewell to you Elyn bisag sakit sa akong buot maayo pa mamatay nalang koLyn hinaot imo akong masab-tannaalaot nga naulipon sa gugmang gi-atay nimo. Jove, ayaw pasagdi sila si mama ug Junjun sige amping kamo hinaot masabtan ko ninyo tananbabay na lang ninyo
Senior Inspector Bonifacio Arriesgado, chief of the Poro Police Station, suspected that Ostria was drunk when he wrote the letter and committed suicide. Renato Robledo said he was walking along the shore when he saw the lifeless body with a nylon rope around his neck, prompting him to call for help. Dr. Mabel Huete, the towns rural health officer, declared Ostria dead due to strangulation. Arriesgado told The FREEMAN that before the incident, somebody saw Ostria went inside a house. The house owner had complained that she lost an undetermined amount of money. Arriesgado further said that the owner of the house, who was sleeping at that time, woke up when somebody attempted to open the zipper of her pants. Mao nay alegasyon kay nakit-an niya but it is still a subject for verification, Arriesgado said. (FREEMAN)
Student kills self in Makati
By Mike Frialde MANILA, Philippines - A 24-year-old nursing student allegedly shot herself in her condominium unit in Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City yesterday afternoon.
City police chief Senior Superintendent Froilan Bonifacio said Berne Asha Gran was found dead at around 4 p.m. by her sisker, Majken Anika Gran, in her bedroom. Police said Gran, who studied at St. Jude College, was found with a gunshot wound in the right temple and investigators recovered a .9mm pistol near her right hand. Police initially ruled Grans death as a suicide.
Fil-Am doctor recognized as in vitro fertilization expert in US
JESSE EDEP, GMA News A Filipino-American doctor is now recognized as the leading medical expert in infertility treatment in the United States, according to a report on news site Filipino Reporter. The report said Dr. Debra A. Keegan has "gained fame" as an expert in vitro fertilization (IVF), a process by which egg cells are fertilized by sperms outside the body, enabling otherwise childless couples to have a child. "I was just so fascinated by conception, beginnings of human development, going from two cells to a human being," said Keegan in the report. Keegan is a resource person at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St. Barnabas, which is one of the leading fertility centers in the US. The report said even in childhood, Keegan knew that she wanted to become a doctor and that women's health would be the focus of her career. "I was always interested in women's health... That came from a very strong presence of women in my family," she said. "My grandmother was a very strong matriarchal figure. My mom is a very strong woman, her sister, my cousins... there's [a] lot of female influence and my interest in medicine just gravitated naturally towards women's health," she added.
Organ donations ending up wasted
By: Reinir Padua
MANILA, Philippines - Every year, there are donated organs that end up being wasted because the Filipino patients they should have been given to were either unable to afford the high cost of the operation or are not a match with the available organs, officials of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute said recently. Were having difficulty getting kidney donations from deceased or brain-dead patients and then if they are not accepted by Filipinos, these organs only end up getting dumped, Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca, chief of the NKTIs Human Organ Preservation Effort, lamented. In light of this, NKTI executive director Dr. Enrique Ona believes the governments order banning foreigners from becoming recipients of organ donations in the country was a knee-jerk reaction to the problem of organ trafficking that should not have included those from deceased donors. Ona and Lesaca said that while the number of deceased donors has increased recently, they have had to face hurdles in generating public awareness and acceptance for organ donations. The total ban was a knee-jerk reaction to an abuse that weve been trying to address, Ona said during a press conference Friday marking National Kidney Month this coming June. Issued in May last year, the ban replaced the earlier administrative order that had imposed a 10 percent cap on organ donations that
could only be given to foreign nationals seeking treatment in the Philippines, Ona said. Lesaca said that from 2000 to 2008, there were only 30 deceased kidney donors per year. But only for the second quarter of this year, there were already 30 kidney donors handled by the NKTI. According to Lesaca, the ban should not have included donations coming from deceased patients, as incidents of coercion that is the concern among donations from living donors that gave rise to the problem of organ trafficking does not apply to families of deceased patients. We just have to make sure that when foreigners come here, they fall in line, just like all the other patients waiting for an organ donation, Lesaca said. Ona said that what authorities should do is to ensure a leveling of the field for all those seeking organ donation. At present, he said there are two separate bills filed before both chambers of Congress to address the whole aspect of organ donation and transplantation in the Philippines. Ona is a member of a technical working group discussing the bills. Lesaca said they expect the bills to drag on for a long time before they are passed and until then, they would have to abide by the present ban.
Birth control pill linked to breast cancer risk
Wednesday, November 01, 2006 by: Jessica Fraser (NaturalNews) Young women who take oral contraceptive pills before they become pregnant with their first child run a significantly higher risk of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer, according to new international research. Researchers from Altoona Hospital in Pennsylvania examined the results of 34 studies from around the world of young women who took oral contraceptives prior to becoming pregnant with their first child. The researchers, led by Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, found that those youngwomenexperienced a 44 percent increasedriskof developing pre-menopausalbreast cancer, while women who took the pill for four years or longer prior to their first pregnancy ran an increased risk of 52 percent. Kahlenborn's study -- published in the October issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings -- warns that most young women taking oral contraceptives seem to be unaware of therisks. "As I studied the medical literature, I noticed that a trend appeared," said Kahlenborn. "Namely, OC (oral contraceptive) use prior to firstterm pregnancy seemed to consistently increase the risk of premenopausal breastcancer. "Although the trend was apparent, pre-menopausal women have continued to hear that OCs are basically safe." Dr. Andrew Penman, CEO of Cancer Council NSW (New South Wales), said that although he believed the risk of breast cancer in women younger than 50 was minimal, most women in Australia were unaware of the possible risks of taking the pill. "The problem with the pill is that it is such amoneyspinner that the money gets in the way of the risks," Penman said. Penman recommended that governments invest in a "decision aid" to help young women make better-informed contraceptive decisions.
Womb for Hire
By Raissa Robles, Newsbreak
The story almost reads like a fairy tale: no sooner had the child been born than it was taken from its mother and whisked to a land far, far away. Except that in this case, the infant was flown as hand-carried baggage from Manila to Bangkok, swaddled in the arms of a Danish man who had bought and prepaid for the baby boy. Far from being a tale of enchantment, what took place seven months ago in October was the first ever commercially transacted case of surrogacy in the Philippines. It was arranged by a foreign company between a Filipino married woman and a male gay couple from Malaysia and Denmark. The egg is actually her own, Michael Ho, owner of Singaporebased Asian Surrogates, told Newsbreak. He said the woman, whom he declined to name, became pregnant in a pretty straight forward manner through intrauterine insemination or IUI. The sperm is inserted into the womb of the surrogate and she gets pregnant, (with) no physical contact with the male client, he assured. Because the client donated his own sperm, he is the baby boy's legitimate father and therefore has the legal right to take the infant out of the country, he said. The mother's prior consent is part of the transaction, he added. The father took him back to Thailand because even though he's Danish, he was working in Thailand, he said. He said the gay couple paid Asian Surrogates at least 45,000 Singapore dollars or P1.4 million pesos for the service. Of this amount, roughly P715,074 or 22,000 Singapore dollars went to the Filipina for renting out her womb and providing her eggs. The sum would roughly take her 5.4 years to earn on minimum wage. Eight other Filipino women are eagerly waiting in line to provide a similar service, Ho said, expressing his satisfaction. I have to say, the Filipinas, they are all very helpful, very enthusiastic. I find the Filipina excellent as a surrogate mother. However, they all appeared to be media shy since all refused to be interviewed for this article. The transaction went unnoticed in the Philippines. Social welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said in an interview that she was not aware that commercial surrogacy was being practiced in the country. Even if it was, she said there was no law to ban it.
