Deaths in childbirths rise in London

The Lancet has reported that over the last five years, deaths in childbirth have doubled in London, England, while remaining approximately the same in rural areas. There's a death rate of 86 per million outside of London, and a death rate of 200 per million within, partly because more complex cases are handled. Part of the problem seems to be that older women with more complex cases are being treated by inexperienced doctors "The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) a national body which analyses data on maternal deaths has had its work suspended for just over a year, amid a reorganisation of NHS services." If you don't track statistics, there is no incentive to make them better.

Last year, a report from CMACE revealed that 261 women in Britain died from conditions directly or indirectly related to pregnancy for the three years from 2006 to 2008. Some 107 mothers died of conditions directly related to pregnancy while 154 died of indirect causes, including infections and underlying health problems.

By contrast, legal and early abortion, within twelve weeks of the last menstrual period, carries a 60% risk of causing one woman's death for every million abortions.

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.

Remembering Dr. George Tiller: "Losing Laura"

It is now three years since Dr. George Tiller was murdered by a Christian terrorist who was opposed to abortion in all cases.

Here is how one patient remembers Dr. Tiller:

In the wake of the horrific murder of Dr. George Tiller and the unjustified and vicious portrayal of him by some in the media as a monster who relished performing abortions, I just had to tell my own personal story about the kind and compassionate man who helped me several years ago.

Several years ago, I was happily anticipating the birth of my second child, who was very much planned and very much wanted....

I received devastating news. It seemed my baby was suffering from a very rare birth defect of the lungs. This defect resulted in the complete malformation of the left lung. The bubble that the earlier sonogram detected was actually one of the many cystic masses that made up my baby's malformed lungs. Since lungs are the last organ to develop, this could not be detected any earlier and had only just then become apparent. In addition, the right lung was not developing as expected either, although it wasn't affected to the degree of the other one.

The baby's heart was being severely compressed over to the opposite side of where it should have been because of the increasing size and pressure of the cystic masses. I was told that the situation was very grave. Without functioning lungs, there would be no way for the baby to survive post term. There was also a strong indication that the baby could succumb to heart failure prior to term because of the crushing pressure of the cystic masses.

...I was devastated to know that my precious baby was not going to make it and quite possibly suffer in the process, and I was helpless to do anything. I could not imagine continuing to carry a child possibly for several more months to term, all the while knowing that there was no hope for survival and just waiting for the inevitable to happen. I was already going through emotional hell, and it seemed pointless to put both myself and my baby through any more needless suffering....

I was referred to Dr. Tiller's clinic in Wichita. Since I was now past the 24 week cut-off for a termination in my state, I would have to travel there to seek the help that I needed now. Dr. Tiller and his staff were so wonderful to my husband and me. They were more compassionate than any of the doctors at home, who seemed more interested in documenting every aspect of my personal tragic situation for "an interesting case study" and took the attitude of "You can just try again when this is over."

Dr. Tiller let me talk and cry and he listened to my every word through my tears. He held my hand and hugged me when I needed it; and he really cared about the emotional pain I was going through. I kept telling him that my main concern was for my baby to go peacefully, as I was not concerned for my own comfort. He assured me that the process would be painless for the baby, and would very closely mimic a miscarriage.

There was another couple there the same week going through a similar experience and he encouraged us to talk to each other and support each other through our ordeal. His facility was literally lined with hundreds of framed letters from people from all over who had gone through the very same experiences thanking him and his staff for helping them when they needed it most.

I am grateful that there was a man like Dr. Tiller who was there for me when I needed him. I will always remember him as a dedicated physician who truly cared about his patients.

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.

Towards making abortion rare

Childbirth kills women. Pregnancy kills women. Illegal abortion kills women. Therefore, safe, sterile, legal abortion saves lives and contraception saves even more lives. From the Guttmacher Institute, and old piece on "Toward making abortion rare" by Susan A. Cohen.

Safe, legal and rare. President Clinton first used this phrase, as early as 1992, to capture the essence of a desired national policy on abortion. For the most part, even the most ardent abortion rights supporters have come to embrace this notion and to accept the validity of its two-fold underlying premise: Abortion in the United States must remain legal in order to be safe, and at the same time, even with abortion services legal and accessible to women who need them, abortion can be rare—or at least far less common than it is now.

Most on the prochoice side would agree that lessening the need for abortion is a worthy goal, one both that reflects the fact that most American women try to control their fertility by using birth control rather than abortion and that recognizes the reality that even many of those who support legal abortion also have moral qualms about it. The evidence is strong that abortion’s legal status, however closely related to the conditions under which it is performed, is not the central determinant of its prevalence (related articles, March 2003, page 8, and May 2003, page 3). Prochoice advocates, therefore, assert that the route to rare depends primarily on a societal commitment to helping women be more successful at preventing unintended pregnancy. And this is impossible, they say, without a central emphasis on increasing and improving the use of contraception. (Read more)

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. 

Real-world results of a ban on abortions

* November, 2007: Women die after Nicaragua's ban on abortions, MSNBC Health. "Nicaragua last year became one of 35 countries that ban all abortions, even to save the life of the mother, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York. ...at least three women have died because of the ban, and another 12 reported cases will be examined, said gynecologist and university researcher Eliette Valladares, who is working with the Pan American Health Organization to analyze deaths of pregnant women recorded by Nicaragua’s Health Ministry. "

* July, 2009: Nicaraguan Abortion Ban Increasing Maternal Deaths, Violating Human Rights. 'According to the [Amnesty International] report, at least half of reported rapes are of minors, and most of those who become pregnant are younger than age 15. Citing statistics from the Nicaraguan Health Ministry, the report found that 33 women and girls died from pregnancy-related complications in the first 19 weeks of this year, and 20 died in the same period in 2008. The report adds that the real numbers likely are much higher. Kate Gilmore, executive deputy secretary-general of Amnesty International, said, "A festering, debilitating human rights situation (is) bringing grave fear, threat, harm and even death to Nicaragua's girl children and women." Leonel Arguello, president of the Nicaraguan Society of General Medicine, said, "Not being allowed to do everything to save your patient goes against medical ethics." He added that many physicians decline to treat pregnant women in obstetric emergencies or delay treatment because they fear breaking the law.... The ban ended a 100-year-old exception that had allowed abortion when the woman's health was at risk.'

* August, 2009: Abortion ban leads to more maternal deaths in Nicaragua, The Lancet (British journal of the medical profession). Dozens of pregnant women have died since the total ban on abortion—even in cases of rape, incest, and life threatening pregnancy—came into force in July, 2008. “Nicaragua's total ban on abortions has had a devastating impact on women in Nicaragua denying them life-saving treatment, preventing health professionals from practising effective medicine”, said Kate Gilmore, deputy general secretary at Amnesty International." I am somewhat puzzled by this report because it says that the ban took effect in 2008, when it took effect Nov. 18, 2006, and I've been seeing reports of deaths since 2007.

* February, 2010: Nicaraguan abortion law becomes a cancer patient's death sentence. "A pregnant 27-year old Nicaraguan woman has been refused treatment for metastatic cancer, a result of Nicaragua's draconian anti-abortion law.... The law is so complete that it criminalizes abortion even when carrying the pregnancy to term threatens the health or life of the mother (as in the case of the aforementioned woman with the pseudonym "Amelia," who is being denied cancer treatment because of potential harm to the fetus).... Amelia's case has brought the hideousness of this law to international light. The particularly cruel irony in her case is that she is likely to die from the cancer before the baby is even born, meaning the government's policy will have not only killed the mother, but the baby as well. Amelia is also the mother of a 10-year-old girl, who apparently has no right to a mother.... "

Most of the girls who get pregnant are 14 or younger. Most of them are victims of incest, molested by their own fathers and uncles. Pregnancy is dangerous for a child not yet fully grown.

In addition, women who aren't even pregnant are being refused services by their doctors, who are afraid of being accused of providing abortions and not being able to prove that they didn't.

Remembering Dr. George Tiller

Dr. Tiller at the Women's Health Center

Dr. Tiller, who was murdered one year ago today, helped his patients through difficult times.

The week we spent in Kansas was one of the toughest weeks of my life, one that I will never forget, nor will I choose to forget, but through my tears of sadness, love helped us through. 

We returned home just two days ago, and the pain is ever so fresh, and the memories vivid. A piece of me doesn’t want the pain to ever go away because it is one way for me to stay connected to my son. My beautiful, angelic son, Nathan Jack. Seeing him was one of the hardest things I have ever done, not being able to watch him grow up, or call me “Mommy” is something I will always grieve over, but knowing that we protected and saved him from an existence of hospital stays was our responsibility as loving parents. 

We are forever grateful to the Women’s Health Center, the amazing doctor and all staff for being our heaven when we were living in hell.

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.”"

Medical Students for Choice Update

Medical Students for Choice publish a newsletter called Update. The October issue reports on a Week of Choice held by students at the Albany Medical College:

Last semester, the Albany Medical College’s chapter of MSFC held a full week’s worth of events entitled “Week of Choice” in support of women’s health awareness. The events, organized by four Albany student coordinators, included movies, talks, and workshops all related to comprehensive reproductive health and choice! Over 250 students attended events, making Week of Choice a smashing success!

The Week of Choice contained two nights of movie viewings, with films supplied by the MSFC National Office. Each movie portrays abortion through a slightly different lens, giving multiple perspectives to the concept of choice.

Stories also played a role in the three talks given over the course of Week of Choice. Whether students were listening to a Planned Parenthood physician talk about being a sex savvy practitioner, or a law professor from Albany illuminate the facts about “partial-birth” abortion, each talk focused on a unique perspective connected to the abortion debate.

The students at Albany also conducted a version of the Words of Choice workshop, providing pro-choice students and advocates with the tools necessary to effectively communicate personal views regarding abortion and respond to anti-choice arguments. Always a hit among students, this workshop aids students with an analysis of their own pro-choice position and the best way to articulate this position to others.

The students also raised money for a women's shelter.

Here's their index to newsletters.

Medical Students for Choice Update

This is from the July, 2008 issue by a student:

Putting down roots at the University of Kentucky

There are only three abortion providers in the state of Kentucky. As in many parts of the southeastern United States, the topic is rarely discussed. Conservative ideologies
dominate the area, and much of the population is anti-choice as part and parcel of their religious beliefs. When I considered forming a Medical Students for Choice chapter, I thought; how am I going to start a pro-choice group in a state where even Planned Parenthood isn’t able to provide abortions?

...OB/GYN faculty was largely supportive, but only off the record; none were willing to officially sponsor our group.

Read more on the newsletter (PDF).