White people mourning Romney defeat

The party of the War on Women and the war against access to abortion has gone down to a well deserved defeat in spite of all the lies and dirty tricks it could muster.



From the Christian Science Monitor

Who gets to decide

Susan wrote:

ONLY the woman who is carrying the "child" can determine if it is a "gift" or not.

ONLY the woman whose life is at risk can determine if the risk is worth it for her (and to her family) to continue a pregnancy.

What right does anyone else have to judge her or to choose for her and force her to give birth like some breeding mare to live up to your utopian ideals?

Women are living, viable, fully developed, grown individuals capable of making our own decisions, and we would appreciate it if others who know nothing of our lives and what we face to stay out of our most personal healthcare decisions.

My life was saved by an emergency "D&E"(abortion) when I began to miscarry and almost bled to death. Thank goodness that was before all this nonsense that is going on now, or some zealot might have just let me die needlessly to satisfy their "faith" without any respect for my own. My husband and children are glad they saved the only life they could: mine.

Republican hearings on birth control coverage

Now, it's been law in the U.S. since 2000 that in insurance plans that cover prescriptions, birth control prescriptions must be included. It's a ruling of their Human Rights Commission. However, an attempt by President Barack Obama to ensure that employers follow the law even if they are wholly or partially owned by religious organizations has been met with howls of outrage and cries of "What about their religious freedom?" Never mind that corporations don't have freedom of conscience, people do. It has become a rallying point for the U.S. Republicans. Interestingly, their committee to consider the matter is all male, and so are all the witnesses they called to testify on the matter: GOP Response to Obama/Contraceptive issue? An all-male congressional hearing. It's amazing how clueless they are.

Every Sperm is Sacred clause in Oklahoma

In another case of equal treatment, a Democratic state senator appends 'every sperm is sacred' clause to Oklahoma Personhood bill. The amendment called for no male ejaculation except in vaginas. She later withdrew it.

The concept of “personhood” defines human life as beginning at the moment of conception and, in the case of Oklahoma’s pending Senate Bill 1433, says that the resulting fetus “at every stage of development (has) all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state.” If Senate Bill 1433 were to become law, all forms of abortion and some forms of contraception would be considered murder and therefore illegal.

Sen. Johnson, who represents Oklahoma’s 48th District has introduced an amendment to the bill mandating that the same rights and benefits be granted to spermatozoa, writing, “However, any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child.”

This would outlaw masturbation by men, anal sex, sex with condoms, all forms of fellatio to completion, as well as numerous other acts. She later withdrew the measure, but stated that she had inserted it to highlight the absurdity and sexism inherent in the current bill.

A second legislator, Democrat Jim Wilson attempted to introduce an amendment stating that all men would be responsible for the full support and well-being of any woman carrying their child for the duration of the pregnancy, including housing, food, transportation, and all medical costs. The amendment failed.

Feministe: "It's not about religious liberty"

From Feministe: "Shockingly, Catholic Bishops’ hostility to birth control is not about religious liberty."

...98% of Catholic women use hormonal birth control at some point in their lives. Nope! Because, wait, this is just about a handful of celibate men wanting to control women’s reproductive freedoms? And it’s not really about religious freedom at all? It’s just about hostility to women having the ability to prevent pregnancy? Oh. Who could have possibly seen that coming?

A commenter adds:

The law has been clear since late 2000 when the EEOC ruled that all employers who provided prescription drug coverage in their group health care plans were violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act if they failed to include coverage for prescription contraceptives.

It’s telling that the Bush administration never challenged the EEOC ruling handed down in the last days of the Clinton administration and yet every Republican candidate for president in this election year is screaming bloody murder that the Obama administration’s mandate that all health care plans (with narrow religious exceptions) include contraceptive care tramples on “religious liberties.”

Feministe: "Facts, myths, and lies about Planned Parenthood"

From Feministe: "Facts, myths, and blankety-blank lies about Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation."

This is merely the tip of the bullshit iceberg. As the Komen debacle is nowhere near coming to an end, we can expect new and exciting myths and lies to arise, like the head of a Hydra, as others are debunked. To that end, watch this space, and by all means contribute your own debunkings in comments.

The Republican War on Contraception

From Mother Jones: The Republican War on Contraception.

The first sign of the new assault came last October, when Mississippi activists and congressional Republicans pushed legislation on the state and federal level, respectively, that would have treated zygotes—a.k.a. fertilized human eggs—as legal "persons." If the definition of legal personhood is changed so that it begins when sperm meets an egg, hormonal birth control or barrier devices that prevent zygotes from implanting in the uterine wall could become illegal, making using an IUD tantamount to murder. Yet some 40 percent of House Republicans and a quarter of their allies in the Senate back bills that would do just that.

I hate those busybodies.

Republicans against contraception

Republican politicians in the U.S. are moving to deny birth control to women who receive medicare, to protect the delicate consciences of those who might choose not to use it. See Balloon Juice: "Religious liberty expands to include all employers and all women and all contraceptive coverage."

For years, liberals have been claiming that conservatives were ultimately targeting birth control, and conservatives always denied it. Marco Rubio has now all but announced that they are, in fact, targeting birth control.

U.S. politics: Santorum longs for Good Old Days of back-alley abortions

This is truly disgusting. U.S. Republican candidate for president, Rick Santorum, wants to bring back the good old days of women getting abortions in the shadows of back alleys.

Santorum’s nostalgia for a time before doctors could legally perform abortions was also a time when women regularly died or were seriously injured by illegal procedures. Roughly 50 percent of all maternal deaths in the first half of the 20th century were from illegal abortions, and an estimated 160 to 260 women died each year in the 1950s and 1960s from illegal abortions. But for Santorum, the fact that women no longer face those dangers is a sign of what harm can come from health care reform.

Keeping religion out of people's healthcare

Balloon Juice has the details in "I don't care about your invisible Jeebus."

Again, I’m not naturally inclined to be antagonistic towards religion. My parents are both religious and are definite believers. I like Sundays off, I like the Easter and Christmas break, I don’t care if we have to do silly things like pray before certain events (I can just think about other things while they babble), it doesn’t bother me that In God We Trust and other such statements are everywhere in public life, and so on. I’m not some crazed reactionary on the issue.
But from where I stand these days, the only thing I see religion doing in the public sector is gay bashing and telling women, mostly poor and desperate and in deplorable financial and personal situations, what to do with their bodies. I see busybodies deciding what drugs they can dispense to which customers, or deciding that they don’t have to issue a marriage license because of some petty deity that I don’t believe in told them to hate their fellow citizens and ignore the law. In a country in dire financial straits but still spending billions and billions of dollars on education, I see religious folks actively and openly working to make our schoolkids dumber. I see them shooting people who provided a medical procedure, and I see others rummaging through people’s personal lives to find out who hasn’t lived up the word of God. I see glassy-eyed fools running for President claiming that vaccines that save lives actually cause cancer, or that if you get raped and are pregnant, you should just lie back and think of Jeebus and make the best of a bad situation. In fact, everywhere you look these days, if Christianity or religion is getting a mention, it means something ugly is happening and someone somewhere is being victimized, marginalized, or otherwise abused. Go read some of the arguments against integration and you’ll see the same bible verses used today against homosexuals. Fifty years from now, they’ll be recycling them again to trash someone else they don’t like or who isn’t good enough for them.

Virginia Senator: Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

Ha! A senator in Virginia attached a rectal exam amendment to a Virginia anti-abortion bill.

To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication [e.g., Viagra].

"We need some gender equity here," she told HuffPost. "The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill that will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we're going to do that to women, why not do that to men?"

U.S. government official calls for public hanging of obstetricians and gynecologists

Oh, and he regrets hitting Reply All when he meant for his sentiment to go to a select few! From The Well-timed Period: Larry Pittman, U.S. Representative, calls for the execution of U.S. citizens engaged in legal activities.

Remember the good old days when politicians merely drafted legislation to make it legal to assassinate Ob/Gyns, and when even the domestic terrorists at Operation Rescue were trying to distance themselves from people who assassinate Ob/Gyns?

Well, I'm happy to report we've come a long way, baby! We now have government officials calling for the public hanging of Ob/Gyns.

When there was no choice

This is why we need legal abortion: When there was no choice.

At 77, Dr. Harry S. Jonas can still pinpoint the exact moment when he understood the importance of making abortion legal. The year was 1952 and he was an eager, young obstetrics-gynecology intern in Independence, Miss.. The specialty promised exciting pregnancies and bouncing babies, but his very first patient entered the hospital extremely sick. A mother of 12 children, she had tried—unsuccessfully—to induce an abortion. "She came into the hospital with her intestines hanging out her vagina," recalls Jonas. "Then she died."

Remembering Dr. George Tiller

This is a long one, about the work of Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered two years ago today. "My Kansas Story".

My son was my long awaited journey into motherhood. He was my lifeline the day my brother died and I thought the world was ending. He was the glimmer of hope that was offered to family members that horrible week that we had four family members die. He was my everything and then he was gone.....

Thirty minutes later our world crashed around us. The doctor and sonographer began by taking measurements and showing us all the baby's major parts, but they slowed down when they got to the spine. My son had his back up against the placenta and they couldn't get a very good view but what they could see was not good. The baby had spina bifida. There was definitely an opening from L1-L3 but they couldn't tell anymore than that. Then they proceeded to the baby's heart and showed us the echogenic foci that could be indicative of Down syndrome....

We decided at that point to continue the pregnancy because we had so many unanswered questions and were unwilling to end the pregnancy when the worst-case scenario appeared to be that the baby wouldn't be able to walk. ...I noticed a change in the baby's movement patterns. He began to move for shorter periods of time and not as often.

...This time we found that the baby's lesion was larger than they had originally thought, it now appeared to be from L1-L5. The most horrible part was that the baby had developed ventriculomegaly: fluid on the brain. At this point, it had had yet to affect the size of the baby's head. I laid on the table crying and knowing in my heart at that point my son was not going to make it.

When we got home my husband wanted to discuss termination but I was absolutely against it. I was in complete denial about his condition and his eventual outcomes. I tried really hard to start fights with my husband so that I wouldn't have to face reality. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who basically let me vent while softly continuing to press me to face what was happening.

We returned to the doctor 10 days later at 22 weeks 5 days and found that the baby's brain measurements were the same, which made everything so difficult. His fetal movements had continued to decrease and I was beginning to return to reality. We asked our doctor about options for termination and he explained that unfortunately we had passed the deadline in our state, so our only remaining option was to go to Wichita.....

...I thought I would lose my son, my marriage, and myself. I was also angry. I was angry with God that He "let this happen." I was angry with my husband that he couldn't fix it. Mostly I was angry with myself because I hadn't been able to save my son.

..I was unprepared for what I would see because during the two weeks since our final ultrasound the baby had developed severe hydrocephalus.

...I hate that my son is gone. I hate that I had to make the decision to end his life. I hate that my womb and my arms are empty. But I am strengthened in the fact that I made my decision by focusing on him and what was best for him. I am eternally grateful to the wonderful people that guided me through this horrible experience with compassion, love, and understanding. 

Illegal abortions kill: Part 2

Illegal abortions kill people. That's why we need contraception, sex education, and legal abortions done early in a hospital with antibiotics and all emergency equipment at hand. Nevertheless, anti-choice groups have lovingly collected tales of the Danger of Abortions, in an attempt to confuse oranges with apples.

These stories are about abortions done by doctors. The deaths occurred between 1839 and 1968---yes, they had to go back to the 1800s to amass this impressive list--but most were in the first half of the 20th Century--before antibiotics. Because abortion was illegal, doctors were not trained in how to do them safely. Other abortions were done by self-taught practitioners such as nurses. See Illegal abortion kills, Part 1.)

These stories are reminders of what it is like today in countries with little medical care for pregnant women.

The reason that deaths from illegal abortions taper off is because of better medical care, increased access to contraception, and, of course, the fact that illegal abortions are dangerous led to the legalization of abortion.

Illegal Abortions Done by Doctors

The bulk of illegal abortions were done by physicians. Here are some of the fatal results of their good intentions.

1800s

1. Eliza Sowers. A Philadelphia boarding house owner reported that in early October of 1839, a Dr. Henry Chauncey appeared at breakfast time and had her make some special tea. The tea was given to 21-year-old Eliza Sowers, a paper mill worker.
2. Mary Ackerly. Mary's seducer kept her in a brothel while he arranged for the abortion that took her life in 1846.
3. Jemima Beneway. In February of 1858, Jemima's parents and friends thought they were sending her off to be married, not for a fatal abortion at the hands of Dr. Milton Gray. 
4. Mary Visscher. This young factory worker died in the home of midwife/physicians Elizabeth Byrnes and Mary E. Smith in 1859.
5. Amelia Weber. On May 19, 1858, Mrs. Amelia Weber died at the home of Dr. Cobel in Brooklyn. Suspicions were raised and she was exhumed for an investigation.
6. Susan A. Webster. Susan's uncle and her abortionist were arrested for her death in 1858.
7. Olive Ash. Accompanied by her twin sister, Olivia, Olive went to Dr. William Howard's home to secure an abortion in 1858.
8. Louisa Hullsberger. At the 1863 sentencing of Dr. A. L. Alstead, the judge had some harsh words for him.  
9. Emma Wolfer. Pregnant by a doctor, working for a doctor, this young woman still died of her abortion in 1865.
10. Magdalena Philippi. On March 16, 1869, Magdalena Philippi died of complications of an abortion performed on her, evidently by a Dr. Gabriel Wolff.
11.  Belle Wertz. A spontaneous coroner's inquest broke out during the 1874 funeral of abortion victim Belle Wertz.  
12. Mary Foorman. Mary disappeared without a trace in November of 1875. It wasn't until the following May that her brother confessed to helping bury her in a swamp after she died in an abortion he helped to arrange.
13. Jennie P. Clar. Jennie's body was found stuffed into a trunk tossed into the Saugus River in 1879. 
14. Mary McCarty. In 1880, Dr. Banks was arrested for the abortion death of Mary McCarty.
15. Gussie Ellergood. On Saturday, July 1, 1882, Gussie Ellergood of Carlisle, Illinois, died in a St. Louis hospital. She named Dr. McWilliams as her abortionist. 
16. Mrs. O'Connor. Dr. Arichibald Lawson fled to avoid arrest in Mrs. O'Connors 1883 death.
17. Lizzie Cook. Twenty-five-year-old Lizzie Cook, a farmer's daughter, died suddenly on July 27, 1884, in Lockport, New York. Suspicions surrounding this woman's death led to an exhumation which uncovered the abortion.
18. Hughretta Binkley. At lunchtime on April 1, 1898, Hughretta "Etta" Binkley went to the residence/office of Dr. Belle Howard, aka Belle Shotwell, for an illegal abortion.
19. Cora Burke. Cora A. Burke was a 20-year-old who had been widowed about five months. In May of 1899, Cora told Mrs. Martha Johnson that she was about six weeks pregnant and wanted to find a good doctor to perform an abortion. Mrs. Johnson introduced Cora to Dr. R. J. Alcorn.
20. Marie Hicht. Marie, who died in 1899, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz. Other deaths attributed to Dr. Hagenow include Bridget Masterson, Mary Moorehead, Nina Pierce, Elizabeth Welter, Lottie Lowy, and Jean Cohen.

1900-1909

1. Ida Henry. In 1900, Ida died at the home she shared with Dr. Paulina Bechtel, from complications of an abortion Bechtel had performed on her there that day. Bechtel was also implicated in the death of Barbara Shelgren.
2. Barbara Shelgren. In 1900, Barbara died at Augustana Hospital in Chicago of an abortion performed there that day. Paulina Bechtel, identified elsewhere as a doctor, was implicated in the death. She was also implicated in the death of Ida Henry.
3. Julia K. Pettinger. On January 7, 1901, Mrs. Julia K. Pettinger died in her home from an abortion performed there that day, attributed to Dr. Maggie Becker.
4. Mrs. G.H. Matteson. On May 9, 1901, Mrs. Matteson, a homemaker, died from an illegal abortion in Chicago. Mrs. Matteson's husband was arrested, as was Dr. J.B. Butts.
5. Mrs. George W. Robinson. Mrs. Robinson, age 28, died at her Chicago home on August 18, 1901, from an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Muenster was arrested for the death.
6. Rose Lefebre. On December 2, 1901, the body of Rose Lefebre was found in the office of Dr. Volbending. It appeared that Rose had died from an abortion.
7. Irma Brown. On November 15, 1901, 22-year-old Irma Brown of Garden City, Kansas, died at County Hospital from complications of an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Robert E. Gray was arrested. 
8. Irene Wengel. In June of 1902, Irene Wengel travelled to Tampa, Florida, where she was met by her cousin, J. Carl Christian. Christian had arranged for her to stay at the home of Dr. Frederick N. Weightnovel for an abortion.
9. Florence Gaiewski. On September 3, 1903, Mrs. Florence Gaiewski died in St. Mary's Hospital in Chicago from an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Ladislaw Slominski was arrested.
10. Alice Bloom. Some time in early 1905, 28-year-old Alice Bloom died suddenly in Chicago from an apparent criminal abortion. Dr. Julius N. Goltz as arrested as a principal.
11. May Putnam. May, who died in 1905, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz.
12. Lola Madison. 1906. Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz, was arrested in the abortion death of this 28-year-old woman from Salt Lake City.
13. Annie Horvatich. Annie, who died in 1907, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz.
14. Mrs. Gies. Shortly after the 1908 abortion death of Mrs. Gies, her abortionist was poisoned.

1910-1919

1. Anna L. Mueller. On June 25, 1911, 20-year-old Mrs. Anna L. Mueller died from a criminal abortion performed by Dr. George Lotz. 
2. Emma Chandler. Dr. J. A. Richmond was arrested for the 1913 abortion death of Emma Chandler.
3. Lillie Giovenco. On October 1, 1914, 18-year-old Lillie Giovenco died in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion blamed on Drs. Eva Shaver, Leopold Pijan, and John Fernow. Shaver was also responsible for the death of Anna Johnson. 
4. Florence S. Lindquist. On April 26, 1914, eighteen-year-old Florence S. Lindquist died in the Chicago home of Dr. Arthur Schulz.
5. Anna Anderson. On October 15, 1915, Anna, a 25-year-old unmarried woman, went to the office of Dr. A. A. Ausplund seeking an abortion.
6. Anna Johnson. In May 26, 1915, Anna Johnson died from an abortion performed by Dr. Eva Shaver, who then shot the dead woman in the head to disguise the death as a suicide. Shaver was one of the doctors implicated in the death of Lillie Giovenco.
7. Alda Christopherson. Dr. Lillian Hobbs was convicted in the 1916 abortion death of this 21-year-old unmarried Chicago woman.
8. Katherine Cross. Katherine was one of two women to die in as many months at the hands of Dr. A.H. Yates in 1917.
9. Eva Swan. In September of 1910, Eva died after a "Dr. Grant" performed an abortion on her. "Dr. Grant," it turned out, was actually a Dr. Robert Thompson, a graduate of Dartmouth and Baltimore Medical College.
10. Elise Stone. Elise was one of two women to die in as many months at the hands of Dr. A.H. Yates in 1917.
11. Ada Williams. Dr. Noble O. Hamilton was blamed for the 1917 death of Ada Williams in Colorado.
12. Mary Park. Two doctors were implicated in Mary's 1917 death. One was sentenced to prison, the other sent to a mental hospital.

1920-1929

1. Alice Johnson. In 1923, Alice died at Chicago's West End Hospital from a criminal abortion performed there that day. The coroner identified Dr. Lorenz Lapsky as being responsible.
2. Emma Herod. In 1923, Emma died of an abortion performed in her Chicago home.
3. Madelyn Anderson. In 1924, Madelyn died at Chicago's Washington Park Hospital from back alley abortion complications. Dr. Louise Achtenberg was arrested for Madelyn's death.
4. Helen Bain. On November 20, 1925, 23-year-old Helen died in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion performed that day. Dr. George Slater was arrested.
5. Jean Cohen. Jean, who died in 1925, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz. Other deaths attributed to Dr. Hagenow include Bridget Masterson, Mary Moorehead, Nina Pierce, Elizabeth Welter, Lottie Lowy, and Marie Hicht.
6. Betty Fisher. On June 13, 1925, 24-year-old Betty died in the Chicago office of doctors August Goetz and Henry Gautsen from an abortion performed that day.
7. Edith Green. Edith's boyfriend admitted to police that he had arranged for an abortion by Dr. Thomas E. Walsh in 1926.
8. Ethel Horner. On October 15, 1926, 23-year-old Ethel died at Chicago's Jackson park Hospital from an abortion performed earlier that day. Dr. Albert Peacock was arrested the following day.
9. Jeanette Jarrett. On October 11, 1926, Jeanette, a 28-year-old Black woman, died from complications of a criminal abortion performed on her that day. A Black doctor, Roy Shell, was held by the coroner.
10.  Alice Annalora. On March 20, 1926, 19-year-old Alice died at the County Hospital in Chicago from complications of an abortion performed that day. Dr. Wilford Vine was booked for Alice's death.
11. Auna Arola. In 1927, 31-year-old Auna died from a criminal abortion in Chicago. Dr. Vincent Tonavena was arrested.
12. Shellane Franklin. In 1927, 27-year-old Shellane, a Black woman, died at the scene of an abortion performed on her that day. Dr. Gordon Jackson, a white man, was held by the coroner.
13. Irene Campbell. On August 9, 1927, Irene died in the Chicago office of Dr. Herman Webber from an abortion performed there that day. 
14. Nancy Dawson. On March 21, 1927, Nancy died on-site from a criminal abortion performed that day. Dr. J.F. Peck and midwife Christine Sedwig were booked for murder
15. Julia Agoston. In 1928, 24-year-old Julia died from a criminal abortion in Chicago. Dr. Anton Feher and Dr. Helen Moskowitz were held in the death.
16. Anna Borndal. On November 4, 1928, 22-year-old Anna died at the office of Dr. Lou E. Davis of Chicago, from complications of an abortion performed there that day.
17. Dr. Davis was implicated in the deaths of Esther Wahlstrom and Mary Whitney.
18. Loretta Enders. Dr. Amenti Rongetti's death sentence was handed down by a Chicago jury March 1, 1928. Rongetti had been convicted of murder in the abortion death of 19-year-old Loretta Enders. A year later, he was implicated in the death of Elizabeth Palumbo.
19. Rose Hannover. On June 22, 1928, 31-year-old Rose died at the office of Dr. Lester I. Ofner from complications of an abortion performed there that day.
20. Arretta Hardesty. In 1928, Roy E. Hardesty won an award of $5,000 for the death of his wife, Arretta. Arretta had paid a physician, John T. Martin, $10 for the abortion, which was performed surgically.
21. Emmy Anderson. In 1929, Dr. Sven Windrow performed a fatal abortion on 19-year-old Emmy at a Chicago location. 
22. Virginia Clark. On February 21, 1929, Virginia Clark died of complications of a botched, illegal abortion. Virginia was treated prior to her death by a Dr. McArthur, who said that Virginia told him that when she learned that she was pregnant, the man responsible arranged for an abortion by a doctor.
23. Winifred Garver. On June 24, 1929, 19-year-old Winifred Garver underwent an abortion at the office of Dr. Anna Schultz, aka Rollins.
24. Agnes Johnson. On October 12, 1929, 33-year-old Agnes underwent a criminal abortion at the Chicago office of Dr. Joseph Stern.
25. Margaret Marts. Mrs. Marts went to a Dr. Anderson, who she'd previously never seen. He did not examine her, but made arrangements to go to her home around noon the following day, January 20, 1920, to perform "an operation."
26. Etta Marcus. In 1924, 30-year-old Etta died from complications of a criminal abortion performed that day. The coroner concluded that Dr. William J. Wick had performed the fatal abortion at his office
27. Lottie Lowy. Lottie, who died in 1925, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz. 
28. Bridget Masterson. Bridget, who died in 1925, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz.
29. Viola Koepping. On June 7, 1929, 20-year-old Viola died at the office of Dr. Albert West of Chicago, from an abortion evidently performed that day.
30. Ellen Matson. Dr. Lillian Hobbs was sentenced to 14 years in Joliet Prison for the 1917 abortion death of 29-year-old Ellen.
31. Lillian McCullough. In 1926, Dr. James P. A. Nolan was arrested for the criminal abortion death of 18-year-old Lillian McCullough.
32. Eunice McElroy. On November 14, 1928, 21-year-old Eunice died in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion. Dr. Thomas J. Ney was indicted.
33. Faye McGinnis. On September 25, 1925, Faye, age 23, died at her home in Chicago from complications of an abortion performed that day. The coroner identified two physicians, Walter Penningdorf and Walter Voight, as being responsible.
34. Irene Michaelson. Dr. William H. Bricker Jr. was convicted for this Philadelphia woman's death in 1922.
35. Mary Moorehead. Mary, who died in 1926, was one of many victims of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz.
36. Lydia Nelson. In 1923, Lydia died at Chicago's Englewood Hospital from an abortion blamed on Dr. Charles Klinetop.
37. Elizabeth Palumbo. In 1929, 24-year-old Elizabeth died from a back alley abortion, evidently performed by Dr. Amante (or Amenti) Rongetti. A year later, he was implicated in the death of Loretta Enders.
38. Sophie Peterson. In 1926, 34-year-old Sophie Peterson died from an illegal abortion performed in the Chicago office of Dr. Frederick Springe.
39. Beulah Pickerill. On August 13, 1922, 21-year-old Beulah died at Chicago's Mid West Hospital from complications of a criminal abortion performed there that day. Two physicians, Vincent Filletti and Michale Galgano, were blamed for her death.
40. Nina Pierce. Nina, who died in 1925, was one of many women who died at the hands of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz, in Chicago.
41. Daisy Singerland. In 1923, Daisy died at Chicago's Robert Burns Hospital from complications of a back alley abortion performed earlier that day.
42. Dorothy Schultz. Dorothy Schultz, 19 years of age, became pregnant in June of 1929. On June 15 or 16, Dorothy's mother brought her to Dr. W. B. Parke in Camp Douglas to arrange an abortion. He examined her and agreed to do an abortion for $150.
43. Arhne Reynolds. On the morning of April 5, 1927, Arhne died at the office of Dr. Louis Ginsburg from an abortion performed on her there that day.
    
44. Anna Mae Smith. In 1928, 20-year-old Anna Mae Smith underwent a fatal abortion at the Chicago office of Dr. George F. Slater. Slater, upon learning of Anna Mae's death, committed suicide at his home by taking poison.
45. Catherine Stange. Denver city councilman Dr. Daniel R. Lucy was charged with murder in the 1922 abortion death of Catherine Stange.
46. Mary Strugnall. Mary Strugnall, age 17, died January 2, 1929 from an abortion performed that day by Dr. Joseph A. Harter.
47. Iva Triplett. On March 1, 1921, Dr. C.W. Milliken performed an abortion on Iva J. Triplett.
48. Lucille van Iderstine. On November 30, 1927, 22-year-old Lucille died in the Chicago office of Dr. Emil Gleitsman, from an abortion that had been performed on her that day.
    
49. Esther V. Wahlstrom. On December 1, 1928, 23-year-old Esther died in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion. Dr. Lou E. Davis was held by the coroner for murder.
50. Dr. Davis was implicated in the deaths of Anna Borndal and Mary Whitney.
51. Willie Pearl Walker. In, 1926, Willie, an 18-year-old Black girl, died at her Chicago home from complications of a criminal abortion performed that day. A white doctor, Thomas J. New, was identified as responsible.
52.  Ruth Weir. On February 16, 1929, Mrs. Ruth Weir, of East Orange, New Jersey, died at Orange Memorial Hospital of sepsis contracted through a criminal abortion. Dr. Maurice Sturm was arrested when Ruth implicated him in a deathbed statement.
53. Elizabeth Welter. Elizabeth, who died in 1925, was one of many women who died at the hands of Dr. Lucy Hagenow, aka Louise Hagenow aka Ida von Schultz, in Chicago. .
54. Agnes Wendt. In 1923, Agnes died in a Chicago hospital from an abortion performed there that day.
55. Mary Whitney. On May 18, 1924, 26-year-old Mary Whitney died at St. Mary's Hospital of complications of an abortion performed at the Chicago office of Dr. Lou E. Davis in April. Dr. Davis was implicated in the death of Anna Borndal and Esther Wahlstrom a few years later.

1930-1939

1. Alberta Beard. On March 14, 1930, Alberta, age 29, died at the office of Dr. Davis Lucas from an abortion performed there that day.
2. Marie Epperson. The total number of deaths attributed to Oklahoma abortion doctors Thacker and Elsiminger was eight. Marie Epperson died in 1930. Other victims included Isobel Ferguson, Ruth Hall, Virginia Lee Wyckoff, Mrs. F.S. Roach, Mrs. Frank Lee, and Robbie Lou Thompson.
3. Ethel Crowell. Ethel, age 20, died on April 14, 1930, in the office of Dr. Hans Paulsen, from an abortion performed on her that day.
4. Matilda Kleinschmidt. In 1930, 20-year-old Matilda died from a criminal abortion, which might have been performed in the office of Dr. J. Murney Nicholson. 
5. Evelyn Dellorto. In 1930, Evelyn, age 20, died from an illegal abortion believed to have been performed at the office of Dr. Frank Psota.
6. Isobel Ferguson. On April 14, 1932, Mrs. Isobel F. Ferguson died of suspected abortion complications. Two physicians in the University of Oklahoma area, J. W. Elsiminger and Richard E. Thacker, were suspected in the case. Other victims included Marie Epperson, Ruth Hall, Virginia Lee Wyckoff, Mrs. F.S. Roach, Mrs. Frank Lee, and Robbie Lou Thompson.  
7. Virginia Wyckoff. J.W. Elsiminger was an osteopath in Oklahoma City. He alone was the suspect in the abortion death of Virginia Lee Wyckoff, a 21-year-old student at the University of Oklahmoa. Virginia died April 24, 1932.
8. Mrs. Frank Lee. On April 25, 1932, a young woman died of abortion complications -- 17-year-old Mrs. Frank Lee, a University of Oklahoma co-ed. Richard E. Thacker, a surgeon, was charged with the death.
9. Ruth Hall. April 15, 1932, Ruth Hall died of suspected abortion complications. Oklahoma City abortion doctors Elsiminger and Thacker were suspects.
10. Annette Camorato. In May of 1934, 19-year-old actress Annette Camorato, stage name Toni Morgan, died of abortion complications. Dr. Harry A. Felice was charged with homicide in Annette's death.
11. Loretta Wilson. On Christmas day of 1934, the nude body of a young woman was found in a thicket near a highway south of New York City. She was identified as 19-year-old Loretta Wilson. Dr. John H. Becker Jr., who admitted to having examined Loretta on December 17, was charged with homicide in the death.
12. Edith Eschrich. On December 31, 1935, criminal abortion charges were dropped against Dr. Tobias Ginsberg, and his nurse, because of insufficient evidence. The two were suspects in the death of 24-year-old Mrs. Edith Eschrich.
13. Doris Jones. Small-town doctor and philanthropist Guy Brewer was fingered in the 1935 abortion death of this 30-year old wife of a grocery clerk.
14. Rose Lipner. Rose died at Riverdale (maternity) Hospital on January 29, 1936. Dr. Maxwell C. Katz, who both operated and lived at Riverdale, signed a death certificate. After the funeral, an anonymous caller notified the police that Rose's death was suspicious.
15. Katherine DiDonato. On October 16, 1936, 26-year-old Katherine DiDonato, mother of two, was admitted to Roosevelt Hospital to be treated for complications of a criminal abortion. Detectives were told that Katherine had bought pills from drug clerk Hyman Kantor, who had then recommended Dr. Aloysius Mulholland to perform an abortion.
16. Eleanor Haynes. Eleanor Haynes, age 22, died at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey on October 6, 1937, after indicating that Dr. P. Ralph McFeely had performed an abortion on her.
17. Doris Alexander. In 1938, 30-year-old Doris died from a criminal abortion in Oklahoma. John Dillinger's doctor was charged in her death.
18. Alice Corbett. On October 18, 1939, Miss Alice Corbett, age 28, of Brooklyn, New York, died from complications of an illegal abortion. Dr. Allen F. Murphy was sentenced to 2-10 years in Sing-Sing for Alice's death. 
19. Jeanette Reder. On December 1, 1930, 22-year-old Jeanette underwent a criminal abortion at the Chicago office of Dr. Emil Gleitsman. 
20. "Eudora" Roe. This 17-year-old girl lingered for nearly two months before finally dying of complications of an abortion performed in Wichita, Kansas in 1930.
    
21. Mrs. F.S. Roach. On April 24, 1932, Mrs. F. S. Roach died of suspected abortion complications. Oklahoma abortion doctors Elsiminger and Thacker were suspected in the case. Other victims included Isobel Ferguson, Ruth Hall, Virginia Lee Wyckoff, Marie Epperson, Mrs. Frank Lee, and Robbie Lou Thompson.
22. Jane Roe of '37. On December 23, 1941, Dr. Samuel Roth was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the illegal abortion death of a woman. Roth, whose license was suspended at the time, performed the abortion in his office on January 16, 1937.
23. Jane Roe of Newark. Dr. Charles I. Gordon pleaded guilty in the 1937 abortion death of a Newark woman.
24. "Nina" Roe. In February of 1933, a 22-year-old unmarried store clerk discovered that she was pregnant. On April 8, Nina went to a nursing home operated by a nurse to ask about an abortion. The nurse informed the woman and her lover that Dr. E. T. Martin or another doctor would be able to perform an abortion.
    
25. Robbie Lou Thompson. In 1932, Richard E. Thacker, a surgeon, was charged with murder in the abortion death of Robbie Lou Thompson. Other deaths attributed to Thacker included Isobel Ferguson, Ruth Hall, Virginia Lee Wyckoff, Mrs. F.S. Roach, Mrs. Frank Lee, and Marie Epperson. [Let's have a little hearsay!]

1940-1949: some antibiotics

1. Mary Ann Page. Dr. C. E. Trovillion was blamed for the 1940 death of 20-year-old Mary Ann Page of Alton, Illinois.
2. Harriet Lichtenberg. On October 18, 1942, 23-year-old Harriet Lichtenberg of Brooklyn died in Royal Hospital, the Bronx, from suspected criminal abortion complications. Dr. Henry Katz was indicted for first degree manslaughter in Harriet's death.
3. Cleo Moore. On March 28, 1942, 19-year-old Cleo Florence Moore died at New Rochelle Hospital in New York from peritonitis from an illegal abortion. Upon admission, Cleo told authorities that she had taken some pills to induce the abortion, but before her death she changed her story and said that Dr. Frank F. Marino had performed the fatal abortion.
4. Amelia Cardito. On February 14, 1944, Amelia Cardito, 34-year-old mother of 4, underwent an illegal abortion at the office of Dr. Anthony Renda.
5. Beatrice Fisher. In 1945, Beatrice died after an abortion performed in his office by Dr. Frank C. Hart in Seattle.
6. Jane Ward. On October 17, 1947, Dr. Paul Singer reported that he had taken 22-year-old Jane Ward, heir to the Drake Bakeries fortune, to Park East Hospital, to complete an illegal abortion somebody else had done. Jane died on October 28. Singer was convicted of manslaughter in Jane's death. [This only makes it harder for women to get treatment for complications of illegal abortions. Something like this is happening in Nicaragua, now.]
7. Madeline McGeehan. On November 18, 1942, 26-year-old Madeline McGeehan died at Prospect Hospital in New York after an illegal abortion. Arrested were Dr. Joseph Nisonoff; his nurse, Camille Ewald; his receptionist, Pearl Tense; and Dr. Max J. Weinstein, who was thought to have referred Madeline to Nisonoff.
8. Agnes Pearson. In late July of 1941, Mrs. Agnes Pearson of White Plains, New York died at Grasslands Hospital in New York of suspected complications from an abortion. Dr. Nathan Schwartz and Dr. Samuel Schwartz (not related) were charged with manslaughter in Agnes' death.
9. Doris Becker. On December 5, 1948, Dr. Cyril B. Babb pleaded guilty to performing a fatal abortion on Doris Becker the previous Wednesday in his office.
10. Roberta Danks. February 17, 1949. Roberta's abortionist battered and dumped her body to try to make it seem she'd been a hit-and-run victim.

1950-1959: after antibiotics

1. Joyce Chorney. Joyce Chorney, age 25, died Wednesday, November 18, 1953. Fifty-four-year-old Dr. Alfred Joseph was charged with criminal abortion in her death.
2. Gertrude Pinsky. Operating on a tip, police, accompanied by an ambulance, broke into a private home in the Bronx, on April 4, 1954. There they found Gertrude dead from septic poisoning from an illegal abortion. Police arrested Florence Cavalluzzo, a resident of the home, and Hugo Francese, an unlicensed physician.
3. Mary Davies. On Saturday, December 8, 1956, 26-year-old Mary Davies of New York City arrived in the Ashland, Pennsylvania office of abortionist Dr. Robert Douglas Spencer. She was seeking an abortion.

1960-1969 

1. Vivian Grant. On January 21, 1961, Dr. Mandel M. Friedman contacted a Queens undertaker, asking him to arrange burial for 23-year-old Vivian Grant of New York. Nearly a year later, Friedman was implicated in the death of Barbara Covington.
2. Jolene Griffith. On March 3, 1962, Dr. J. Bryan Henrie, an osteopath, performed an abortion on Jolene Joyce Griffith at his clinic in Grove, Oklahoma.
3. Barbara Covington. Dr. Mandel M. Friedman was charged with homicide in the September 11, 1962 death of Barbara C. Covington, age 35, a Florida socialite. Nearly a year earlier, he had been implicated in the death of Vivian Grant.
4. Barbara Lofrumento. Barbara, a 19-year-old college student, told her parents that she was pregnant in 1962. Mr. and Mrs. Lofrumento arranged for an abortion by Dr. Harvey Lothringer. 
5. "Sophia" Roe. Patricia G. Miller's book, The Worst of Times: Illegal Abortion: Survivors, Practitioners, Coroners, Cops and Children of Women Who Died Talk About Its Horrors, tells of an unnamed young woman I call "Sophia", who went to Pennsylvania to have a back alley abortion performed by Dr. Benjamin King in 1967. 
6. Nancy Ward. In February of 1968, Nancy Ward flew from Oklahoma to Kansas city with her boyfriend for an abortion Nancy's father had arranged. Nancy and her boyfriend visited Dr. Richard Mucie.
7. Catherine Barnard. Dr. Virgil Jobe of Oklahoma was charged in the 1969 abortion death of Catherine Barnard of Arvada, Colorado.

Look what happens when modern medicine improves and abortion becomes legal! The abortions trickle off in the 50s and 60s.

No year

1. Emma Post. Emma's seducer kept her in brothels while arranging the abortion that took her life.
2. Ruth Lemaire. Ruth implicated Dr. Lillian Hobbs in a deathbed statement.
3. Bessie Kouns. Bessie implicated Dr. H.C. Dorroh in her deathbed statement.
4. Elvira Woodward. Dr. Charles P. Wood admitted that Elvira Woodward had come to his house in Manchester, New Hampshire, on April 1 and remained there until her death on April 27. Wood was convicted of performing her fatal abortion.
5. Caroline Malinken. Caroline died of an abortion done in her home by a Dr. Joecken. 
6. Mary Sudik. On February 12, Mrs. Mary Sudik died of infection from an abortion performed two days earlier by Dr. A.B.C. Davis of Oklahoma City.
7. Georgia Marie McGill. . Dr. W. R. Mitchell, already a reputed abortionist, was fingered by Marie's father. [CHECK]
8. Gene Raligh. Sometime in the early part of the 20th century, physician and surgeon H. W. Coulter performed an abortion upon Gene Raligh, leading to her death from septicemia.
9. Mrs. George Swope. Dr. Smith was arrested, but insisted that Dr. Bottorf had performed the fatal abortion on this coal miner's wife.
10. Harriet Reece. Hattie hadn't wanted a baby to hinder her teaching career, so she sought an abortion from Dr. John Aiken over the protests of her husband.

Teen pregnancy rate drops 37% in Canada

Improved sex education and access to contraceptives under universal health care contributed to a drop of 37% in teen pregnancies between 1996 and 2006. The birth rate has dropped and the abortion rate has dropped, which means that better contraception is working.

Better access to contraception, higher quality sex education and shifting social norms have contributed to a 36.9 per cent decline in Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate between 1996 and 2006, according to a report released today by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

Alexander McKay, Research Coordinator, Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, said:

“It’s important to look at teen pregnancy rates because they’re a basic fundamental indicator of young women’s sexual and reproductive health. While not all teen pregnancies are a bad thing, when we see [rates] dropping, it’s a fairly clear indicator that young women are doing increasingly well in terms of controlling and protecting their reproductive health,”

He went on:

“In comparison to the United States, we tend to have a more balanced, sensible approach to adolescent sexual health. Generally speaking what you find is that the more a society has an accepting attitude toward the reality of adolescent sexuality, the lower the teen pregnancy rate is. Canadians tend to have a more relaxed attitude towards adolescent sexuality than people in the United States.”

Mr. McKay said America’s emphasis on abstinence-only sex ed “tends to result in a higher percentage of teens becoming pregnant,” as does the country’s lack of universal health care. Poverty is another factor.

The report appears in the current issue of The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.

Utah politics

April, 2002:
You don't know whether to laugh or cry. From Paul Rolly's column in the Salt Lake Tribune:

"The Republican state convention delegate was discussing with a prominent Utah GOP elected officeholder the issue of immigration when the delegate whined that a fence should be constructed to span the entire USA-Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants.
"What happens when they climb the fence?" asked the politician.
"You electrify it," said the delegate. "Then they won't touch it."
"But what if they touch it? You would let them die?"
"It would be their choice," said the delegate.
"What about a mother with a baby strapped to her back? You would let the mother and the baby die?"
"It would be the mother's choice to kill that baby," said the delegate.
"Then you're in favor of abortion?" asked the officeholder. Dead silence. "

Republicans: willing to let women die

Every eight minutes a woman dies from an illegal abortion

The feminist bloggers at I Blame the Patriarchy has identified the bloody cruelty behind those smarmy "pro-life" smiles. The U.S. "Protect Life Act" would let hospital staff withhold life-saving abortions from critically ill patients, salving their consciences and neglecting their duty. So they are renaming the issue: GOP: “Let us bravely endure the deaths of impregnated women who can’t afford non-misogynist healthcare”.

As the author so wisely says,

Crap like this “Protect Life Act” — named by one of those congressional aides who majored in Doublespeak at Dickhead & Prick University — is useful in exposing mother-hate that is normally hidden.

Go read the article.

Reasons for late abortion

Via Balloon Juice, a story about what kind of legal, late abortions Dr. Tiller was doing before his murder by a Christian terrorist.

Commenter deekaa6 on his experiences with Dr. George Tiller:
In 1994 my wife and I found out that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was difficult and unusually uncomfortable but her doctor repeatedly told her things were fine. Sometime early in the 8th month my wife, an RN who at the time was working in an infertility clinic asked the Dr. she was working for what he thought of her discomfort. He examined her and said that he couldn’t be certain but thought that she might be having twins. We were thrilled and couldn’t wait to get a new sonogram that hopefully would confirm his thoughts. Two days later our joy was turned to unspeakable sadness when the new sonogram showed conjoined twins. Conjoined twins alone is not what was so difficult but the way they were joined meant that at best only one child would survive the surgery to separate them and the survivor would more than likely live a brief and painful life filled with surgery and organ transplants. We were advised that our options were to deliver into the world a child who’s life would be filled with horrible pain and suffering or fly out to Wichita Kansas and to terminate the pregnancy under the direction of Dr. George Tiller.
We made an informed decision to go to Kansas. One can only imagine the pain borne by a woman who happily carries a child for 8 months only to find out near the end of term that the children were not to be and that she had to make the decision to terminate the pregnancy and go against everything she had been taught to believe was right. This was what my wife had to do. Dr. Tiller is a true American hero. The nightmare of our decision and the aftermath was only made bearable by the warmth and compassion of Dr. Tiller and his remarkable staff. Dr. Tiller understood that this decision was the most difficult thing that a woman could ever decide and he took the time to educate us and guide us along with the other two couples who at the time were being forced to make the same decision after discovering that they too were carrying children impacted by horrible fetal anomalies. I could describe in great detail the procedures and the pain and suffering that everyone is subjected to in these situations. However, that is not the point of the post. We can all imagine that this is not something that we would wish on anyone. The point is that the pain and suffering were only mitigated by the compassion and competence of Dr. George Tiller and his staff. We are all diminished today for a host of reasons but most of all because a man of great compassion and courage has been lost to the world.

Dr. George Tiller has been murdered

Dr. George Tiller, one of three doctors in the U.S. who would do the heartbreaking task of aborting late-term fetuses when they were non-viable or threatened the life of a pregnant woman, has been shot down in church by a Christian terrorist. A man is in custody.

The New York Times notes that threats and other incidents of violence, including wounding, led up to this crime.

"In 1993, Rachelle Shannon, from rural Oregon, shot Dr. Tiller in both arms. Two years earlier, during Operation Rescue’s “Summer of Mercy” protests, thousands of anti-abortion protesters tried to block off the clinic, the site of a bombing in 1986.

"Friends of Dr. Tiller also described regular incidents of vandalism at the clinic, and a barrage of threats to him and his family — threats they say had concerned him deeply for years.

"Family members, including 4 children and 10 grandchildren, issued a statement through Dr. Tiller’s lawyer, which read in part: “George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence. We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere.”"