Select Page

British Obstetricians and Psychologists: Abortions Cause Women to Have Mental Health Problems

Suicide Attempts Associated With Induced Abortion

Former Abortionist Backs SD Ban

Doctors: SD Abortion Ban Parallels Scientific Understanding

IL Abortion Business Closes as Abortionist Vanishes

Nicaragua Congress Passes New Law Outlawing All Abortions

Scotland Data Show Problem of Repeat Abortions

UK Addenbrooke's Hospital Admits to Burning Aborted Babies in a Trash Incinerator

New AGI Report Shows U.S. Teen Pregnancies & Births Down, Abortion Not a Factor

Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas on Abortion

NJ Abortion Site's Secretary Jailed for Giving Abortion Drug to Women

BRITISH PSYCHOLOGISTS: ABORTIONS CAUSE WOMEN MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS. A leading group of psychologists and mental health professionals in England say that abortion causes women tremendous psychological and mental health problems. They are calling on the nation's doctor's group to revise its guidelines about what women considering an abortion are told.

They say that women need to be told of potential mental health risks like depression, suicide, and addictions to drugs or alcohol. Their call came in a group letter to the editor published 27Oct06 in the London Times. The letter marks the 39th anniversary of legalized abortion in Britain. Since the Abortion Act came into effect in 1967, more than 6 million abortions have been carried out in Britain, with levels now running at around 200,000 a year.

"Research published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in January has shown that even women without past mental health problems are at risk of psychological ill-effects after abortion," they say.

"Women who had had abortions had twice the level of mental health problems and three times the risk of major depressive illness as those who had given birth or never been pregnant…We suggest the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Psychiatrists revise their guidance and that future abortion notifications clearly distinguish between physical and mental health grounds for abortion.”

The doctors pointed out that the American Psychological Association, while avoiding any official warning of the dangers to mental health caused by abortion, did withdraw an official statement denying a link between abortion and psychological damage, in response to the New Zealand study.

The Times reported that of the more than six million abortions performed in Britain since abortion was legalized in 1967, 95 percent were done on the grounds of the mental or physical health of the mother, or the welfare of existing children. The leading psychologists say that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Psychiatrists should tell women of the mental health risks an abortion poses.

"Since women having abortions can no longer be said to have a low risk of suffering from psychiatric conditions such as depression, doctors have a duty to advise about long-term adverse psychological consequences of abortion," they write. The group of 15 senior obstetricians and psychiatrists includes some of the top people in the field in Britain. Andrew Sims [past president, Royal College of Psychiatrists] and Patricia Casey [prof, Psychiatry, University College, Dublin], signed the letter. Psychologists in London, Surrey, West Midlands, Hexham, and Hampshire added their names as well. Other health professionals who signed the letter include OBGYNs Robert Balfour, Tony Lewis, and Gordon Stirratt and two general practitioner doctors. Their call backs up other research showing abortion causing women mental health problems.

A January study by Dr. David Fergusson, a New Zealand researcher who backs abortion, found 42 percent of women who had abortions had experienced major depression within the last 4 years. That's almost double the rate of women who never became pregnant. According to the study, women who have abortions were twice as likely to drink alcohol at dangerous levels and three times as likely to be addicted to illegal drugs. The risk of anxiety disorders also doubled.

His research follows a survey by professors at Bowling Green State University in 2004 who examined data on nearly 11,000 women between the ages of 15 and 34 who had experienced an unintended pregnancy. Their survey found that women who have abortions of unexpected pregnancies were 30 percent more likely to experience subsequent problems with anxiety than those who don't have one.

Women in the study who had abortions and suffered from general anxiety disorder experienced irritability, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, a pounding or racing heart, or feelings of unreality. [Ertelt, LifeNews.com, 27Oct06, London; see the Compendium of Selected Publications under abortion complications, and see the ACOG sponsored Supreme Court brief in the 2005 Ayotte case, page 24, pdf page 33. This article barely mentions suicide, failing to add that in a Finnish data base of over 600,000 pregnancies, the suicide rate for aborted women was SIX times the rate for delivered women in the first  year!]

"We applaud members of the medical profession for highlighting the devastating effects suffered by many women after abortion," said Citra Abbott of pro-life campaign group Alive and Kicking. "The abortion industry has, for too long, marketed abortion as a positive solution to a crisis pregnancy, denying the distress and long term trauma that can be experienced. We urge the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to formally acknowledge the very real risk of psychological harm..Surely those who support a woman's right to abortion must also support her right to know the risks associated with that

choice…Choice is only a reality if women know exactly what it is that they are choosing."

Peter Saunders, General Secretary of the CMF, said, "This strengthening evidence for a link between abortion and mental illness needs to be taken very seriously. Women have a right to know the medical facts in order that they make fully informed decisions and get the help they need, and doctors, and particularly the Royal Colleges, have a responsibility to impart accurate information and
provide proper care." [Daily Mail,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=413049&in_page_id=1770]

 

One of the best kept secrets in the abortion industry is the significant increase in suicide in the one year following the abortion.  In Minnesota, teens attempted suicide rate was 10 times their control peers in the 6 months after an abortion.  In Finland, from Government records, the aborted women had a suicide rate 6 times higher than the women who delivered. Below is a synopsis of the 2 articles showing this information: 

SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ASSOCIATED WITH INDUCED ABORTION
References:  Garfinkle, B.,  et. al., “Stress, Depression, and Suicide:  A study of  Adolescents in Minnesota”  (Minneapolis: Univ Minnesota Extension Service, 1986):

Teens are generally at a higher risk for both suicide and abortion.  In a survey of teenaged  girls, researchers at U. Minn found that the rate of attempted suicide in the six months prior to the study increased 10 fold—from 0.4% for girls who had not aborted to 4% for teens who had aborted in the previous six months.
******************
Reference:  Morgan, C., et. al.,”Mental health may deteriorate as a direct effect of induced abortion,” letter section,  Brit. Med. Journal 314:902, 22 Mar 97:

Reachearchers  at South Glomorgan Health Authority in Great Britain  found that after abortions, there were 8.9 suicide attempts per 1000, compared to 1.9 suicide attempts per 1000 among those who gave birth.
*******************
DEATHS, INCLUDING SUICIDE ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY OUTCOME
(Not due to immediate complications of the delivery or abortion procedure)
(These studies are all based on computerized  medical records, i.e., they depend on written records rather than potentially erroneous patient interview material..

References:
Gissler, M, et.al., “Pregnancy associated deaths in Finland 1987-1994, Acta Obsetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76:651-657 (1997)
Gissler, M., et.al.,,”Suicides after pregnancy in Finland: 1987-1994: register linkage study.  British Medical Journal 313:1431-34, (1996)
Summarized in The Post-Abortion Review, Vol 8, No. 2, April-June 2000, from Elliot Institute, PO Box 7348, Springfield, IL 62791

Examines records of all women ages 15 to 49 who died in Finland from 1987 to 1994, includes in the study those who died within 1 year of their last pregnancy event: 281 deaths.
Of these 281 women dying within 1 year of  pregnancy event (ie, liveborn delivery, stillborn, miscarriage, or induced abortion), 27% died by suicide, 20 % died due to “accident,” 5% died by homicide,  45% died due to “natural cause,” 3%”violent-unclear cause—either accident, suicide, or homicide..” These are compared to non-pregnant age matched women.

For purposes of meaningful comparison, maternal deaths are expressed  as # of deaths/100,000, and are compared to similar age women who are not pregnant.

In the year following their last pregnancy event, all cause  maternal mortality data shows:
No pregnancy          54/100,000
Birth               27/100,000
Miscarriage          48/100,000
Induced Abortion`101/100,000
See Figure 1

In the year following their last pregnancy event, maternal suicide data shows:
No pregnancy          11.3/100,000
Birth                 5.9/100,000
Miscarriage             15/100,000
Induced Abortion     34.7/100,000

In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from “accident” data shows:
Giving birth is protective: death rate is 1/2 the rate of non-pregnant women.
Those who aborted had twice the “non-pregnant” rate, and 4 times the rate of those who gave birth.

In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from homicide data shows:
Giving birth is protective: death rate about 1/3 the “non-pregnant” rate. 
Those who aborted were about ten times more likely to die by homicide than those who gave birth,  and were more than 4 times more likely to die by homicide than the general population. 

In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from “natural causes” data shows:
l.  Women capable of becoming pregnant are generally healthier than women who cannot or do not become pregnant. 
2.  Pregnant women who abort are 60% more likely to die within one year from natural causes than women who deliver… 

Timing of Suicides after abortion show a peak at about the baby’s expected due date. 
The “take home” message is that women in Finland who chose abortion are 6 times more likely to commit suicide in the following year than women who chose to deliver their baby.  And they are 1.6 times more likely to die of natural causes within the year than are women who chose to deliver their baby.

Reference: Reardon, et.al., Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome; Southern Medical Journal, Vol 95, No 8, August 2002

This study covered an 8 year period, 1989 to 1997.  The data show that the increased death rates for women w

ho had abortions vs women who delivered were observed throughout the 8 years examined.  Violent deaths predominated earlier in this period, naural deaths predominated later in this period.  During this 8 year period:

1.   Women who aborted were 1.6 times more likely to die from all causes than women who delivered.
2.  Women who aborted (after eliminating women with a previous psychiatric history were 3.1 times more likely to die of suicide than women who delivered.
3.  Women who aborted were 1.8 times more likely to die of accidents than women who delivered.  This may reflect the known post abortion effect of higher alcohol and drug use,  and higher risk taking, angry, selfdestructive  behaviour.
4.  As might be expected, women with a previous psychiatric history who aborted were more likely to commit suicide than women with a previous psychiatric history who delivered.  This is because delivering a baby apparently has a protective effect against committing suicide, both for women with previous psyciatric history and without previous psychiatric history.;.
5.  Women who aborted were 1.4 times more likely to die from natural causes than women who delivered   The aborted women’s natural causes of death and increased risk thereof, compared to delivering women, were as follows:  AIDS 2.2 times higher, cardiovascular disease 2.9 times higher, cerebrovascular disease 5.5 times higher.  Severe guilt, remorse,  and depression, may affect a person’s physical  health. [AAPLOG, 11/2006]
 

Post-abortion psychological problems frequent: More than 1/3 of U.S. women surveyed had 'suicidal thoughts' after procedure. Women who undergo abortions suffer serious psychological problems more frequently than was previously thought, according to a new study.
 
Published 11/04 in the Medical Science Monitor, the study surveyed 331 Russian women and 217 American women who had undergone one or more induced abortions, but who hadn't experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. Among the study's major findings were:
 
Of American women, 53.9 percent felt badly after their abortion while only 13.8 percent felt relief.
 
Some 36.4 percent of the American women had suicidal thoughts and 26.7 percent increased their use of alcohol or drugs.
 
Only 10.8 percent of the American women surveyed said they received adequate counseling before the abortion. Fully 84 percent did not receive adequate counseling and 5.2 percent were unsure.
 
Over 42 percent of American women reported being sexually or physically abused before age 18 compared to only 11.4 percent of Russian women.
 
About 50 percent of all the women surveyed felt that their abortion had been morally wrong.
 
Some 79.2 percent of the American women had never been counseled on alternatives to abortion.
 
Over 54 percent of American women were not sure about their decision to abort their pregnancy.
"This is the first published study to compare reactions to abortion among women in two different countries," said Dr. Vincent Rue, lead author of the study and co-director of the Institute for Pregnancy Loss. "It is also the first to provide a detailed breakdown of traumatic symptoms which the subjects themselves attribute to their abortions. These results will help mental health workers to be better prepared to recognize and treat the psychological complications of abortion."
 
David C. Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute, was one of four authors of the study. The Elliot Institute has previously conducted numerous studies on the effects of abortion on women.
 
Increasing concerns over the psychological damage to women who have undergone an abortion prompted Rep. Joe Pitts, R.-Pa., to introduce the "Post-Abortion Depression Research and Care Act," H. R. 4543, in June. The stated purpose of the proposed law is "to provide for research on, and services for individuals with, post-abortion depression and psychosis." In pursuit of this goal, the bill proposes a congressional appropriation of "$300,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2009."
[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41496, 17November04 WorldNetDaily.com] 
 

FORMER ABORTIONIST BACKS SD BAN. A TV spot features Dr. Patti Giebenk, an M.D. who once performed abortions for Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls. The ad is part of a campaign to convince voters to affirm the legislatively enacted prohibition against ending preborn life. "I would do abortions where I would be ending the life of the baby," she says in the ad. "And I think this is the time to ban abortion on demand in our state." Giebenk goes on to urge viewers to vote "yes" on Referred Law 6, a measure on the Nov. 7 ballot that would uphold the Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Act – passed by the Legislature earlier this year. The law bans abortion in most circumstances. To view the ad, visit the Vote Yes for Life Web site. [Focus on the Family Action http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042464.cfm, 26Oct06]

NICARAGUA CONGRESS PASSES NEW LAW OUTLAWING ALL ABORTIONS: Canada, other nations and UN threaten removal of aid money. Despite intense pressure from international feminist and population control groups, Nicaragua's Congress voted 26Oct06 to significantly strengthen its legal protections for the unborn. If signed into law by President Enrique Bolanos, the measure will eliminate a loophole that allowed an unborn child to be killed if 3 doctors certify that a woman's “life or health” is at risk.

The so-called “health” exception terminology, which is almost always broadly interpreted, has opened the door in other countries to virtually unlimited abortion-on-demand. Current law also allows for the child to be killed if she has been conceived in rape. The passed law would close both those exceptions.

It seems likely that Bolanos will sign the new changes into law. The AP reported that Bolanos recommended not only that Nicaragua retain its prohibition of abortion, but that penalties against women and those who assist them be increased to 10-30 years in prison. One observer reports that the debate in the National Assembly used strong language to describe the crime of abortion.

A Deputy said during the debate that the country “must not return to the time of Herod,” and that Nicaragua is a “free and independent” country that will not accept foreign meddling that “goes against our principles and cultural identity.” The deputies praised motherhood and told international organizations not to interfere.

Nicaragua currently enjoys a birth rate far higher than that of mo

st secularized countries, 24.51 births/1,000 population, compared to Canada’s 10.78/1000. This…makes it a popular target of political pressure to legalize abortion from international population control groups funded through the United Nations. Most of the country’s political parties supported the legislation except the Marxist Sandinistas who joined feminist groups in declaring that abortion is a women’s right.

The feminist group, Women's Autonomous Movement, said it will file an injunction if the bill is approved. Jose Miguel Vivanco executive director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division, warned that Nicaragua would likely face lawsuits in the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Popular support for the new law was demonstrated on 6October when an estimated 200,000 Nicaraguans marched in Managua, the country’s capital, to demand that unborn children be better protected in law…The marchers met with the legislators who committed themselves to endorsing the proposal. An organizer of the march said it represented a significant step forward for Nicaragua. She said, "United we have the power! This union will help us win the fight against the international anti-life and anti-family agenda.” A group of diplomats attempted to pressure the government to drop the proposal urging them to “reflect” and enter into a “dialogue” before making the decision.

A threatening letter was sent to National Assembly President, Eduardo Gomez by a group of ambassadors of “donor countries”, including Canada, hinting that aid money, still badly needed after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch 1998, would be withheld if abortion restrictions were not loosened.

The letter’s signatories included the ambassador from Sweden, Eva Zetterberg; advisor of development and head of cooperation of Canada, Kerry Max; Alfredo Missair, representative of United Nations Development Program (the PNUD) and formerly the representative of UNICEF for Latin America; Inger Hirvela Lopez, ambassador of Finland; and Francesca Mosca, ambassador of the European Union.

The letter said “the human rights of women is a principle of the Constitution of the Republic of Nicaragua, as well as in the Declaration of Human rights.” The letter also cited various UN agreements including the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Fourth Conference of the Woman in Beijing (1995) to indicate that abortion was a “fundamental human right.”
Related: Nicaragua Moves Closer to Ban on All Abortions
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/oct/06102306.html
Abortion Groups Employ “stealth-campaign” at U.N. Meetings
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jun/04063013.html
[MANAGUA, 26Oct06, LifeSiteNews.com, White]

DOCTORS: SOUTH DAKOTA ABORTION LAW PARALLELS SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING  Dr. David Stevens and Dr. Gene Rudd, the director and associate director of the CMA, a group with thousands of member physicians across the country. We affirm the medical and ethical principles contained in South Dakota's Referred Law 6, which voters will decide in November. From a medical and ethical perspective, this law gets it right on every point. Some may challenge the law on ideological or political grounds, but when it comes to the law's scientific and ethical foundations, it is above reproach. The law confirms, for example, the indisputable biological fact that 'life begins at the time of conception.'

The law confirms the embryological reality that pregnancy means a woman having a 'living unborn human being within her body throughout the entire embryonic and fetal ages of the unborn child from fertilization to full gestation and child birth.' These are basic scientific facts, and the only way around them is to attempt redefinition on ideological grounds. Unfortunately, some of our colleagues have resorted to redefining the facts in order to advance their political abortion agenda.

Thanks to advances in medical science, we know today so much more about developing babies than doctors knew when the Supreme Court relied on their testimony in Roe v Wade. The development of advanced ultrasound technology and increased understanding of genetics and fetal pain have heightened our appreciation for the breathtaking complexity and vulnerabilities of the developing human being.

We now know, for example, that a baby feels pain early in fetal development and at a much higher intensity than adults experience. We also know that infants can also survive at a much earlier age than was ever thought possible in 1973 when Roe v Wade was decided. Over two millennia ago, Hippocrates established the foundational principle of medical ethics that a doctor must only heal–never kill. That's why doctors who take the Hippocratic oath plainly pledge, 'I will not perform abortions.'

The South Dakota law simply returns medicine to these proven ethical principles that protect patients. More and more women are realizing that abortion is not the answer to an unplanned pregnancy, and that it can leave scars that last a lifetime. I know because I have treated many women suffering from the emotionally painful aftermath of abortions.

So many women have an abortion based on propaganda and false assumptions rather than medical facts and ethical considerations. Too often women are led to believe that abortion is simply getting rid of a 'blob of tissue,' and that it's the only answer to their immediate crisis. Years later, many of these women still regret that they were not fully informed about the medical realities of developing human life and about alternatives to abortion such as adoption. [22Oct06, LifeNews.com]

SCOTLAND FIGURES SHOW PROBLEMS OF WOMEN HAVING MULTIPLE ABORTIONS. The latest abortion figures in Scotland, where abortions are on the rise despite the over the counter availability of the morning after pill, show women having repeat abortions in large numbers.

Some of the women in the figures had abortions for the fourth or fifth time — a clear indication abortion is being used as a method of birth control. According to the data, 131 women had their fourth abortion last year and another 44 were having at least their fifth abortion. The data shows most of the women having repeat abortions were between the ages of 25 and 29.

There were 12,603 abortions in Scotland in 2005 and, of those, 9,401 were first time abortions, the Daily Record newspaper reported. That means fully 25 percent of all abortions done there were repeat abortions. Some 80 percent of repeat abortions were a woman's second while 16 percent were a woman's third. About four percent of the repeat abortions involved women having four or more. [28Oct06, Glasgow, LifeNews.com]

NEW REPORT SHOWS TEEN PREGNANCIES DOWN, ABORTION NOT A FACTOR. The number of teen pregnancies in the USA declined by 36% between 1990 and 2002, according to new data from the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute.

AGI says abortions didn't lower the teen pregnancy rate because abortions dropped by a larger 37 percent per 1,000 teen girls during the same time.

Despite the decline in teen pregnancies, a companion report issued by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy finds teen childbearing in the United States cost taxpayers at least $9.1 billion in 2004. The estimated cumulative public costs of teen childbearing between 1991 and 2004 totals $161 billion, the group said.

Authored by By Saul Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Department Chair at the University of Delaware, the new financial analysis is the first comprehensive national estimate of the public costs of teen childbearing in ten years. The report also provides the first-ever state-by-state analysis of the costs of teen childbearing, which ranged in 2004 from $1 billion in Texas to $12 million in Vermont.

"This report makes clear that teen pregnancy and child-bearing have significant economic and social costs," said Sarah Brown, NCPTP's director.
"Making further progress in reducing teen pregnancy will benefit taxpayers and the economy, as well as improve the educational, health, and social prospects for this generation of young people and the next," Brown said.

In addition to the teen pregnancy rate declining, the teen birth rate has also declined by fully one-third between 1991 and 2004. Despite the decreases, Brown said the birth rate in the US is still four to five times the rate of most European nations and twice the rate of Canada.

The new data also show that teenagers in the foster care system are more at risk of becoming pregnant, and, likely, to have abortions as well.
By age 19, nearly half of young women in foster care have been pregnant compared to about one-fifth of their peers not in foster care, according to research developed by Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.

Additionally, nearly half of teens girls in foster care who have been pregnant have had a subsequent pregnancy, compared to 29% of their peers outside the system. [30Oct06, Ertelt, LifeNews.com, DC; http://www.lifenews.com/nat2702.html]

ADDENBROOKE'S HOSPITAL ADMITS TO BURNING BABIES IN AN INCINERATOR after the crematorium started charging. In Cambridge, one of the country's leading hospitals is throwing aborted babies into the same incinerator used for rubbish to save only £18.50 each time. Addenbrooke's adopts a different policy for unborn babies which are miscarried before 24 weeks. They are either cremated at a crematorium, buried at a cemetery, or passed to the parents if they wish to make their own arrangements.
Dr Anthony Russell, Bishop of Ely, said: "I am sorry to know this is the practice currently being adopted by the hospital. I recognise there is a wide range of responses to this issue, but believe the disposal of foetuses should be undertaken reverently and with dignity." Pro-life groups claim that, while not illegal, it goes against the spirit of guidelines issued by the Royal College of Nursing. The RCN's guide, Sensitive Disposal of all Foetal Remains, says disposal alongside clinical waste is 'completely unacceptable'.
It adds: 'It is acknowledged that sometimes parents don't recognise their loss at the time, but may return months or even years later to enquire about the disposal arrangements.
'Therefore, it is important to respect the wishes of parents who may not want to be involved, but to ensure also that sensitive and dignified disposal is carried out.'
Lisa Wilson, of the ProLife Alliance, said: "What absolute horror. Has our society lost even a minimum concept of the humanity of the unborn child and the respect due to these tiny victims of our ruthless legislation?"
Michaela Aston, spokesman for pro-life charity Life, said: "The fact they are now disposing of human remains like they would any other waste product shows what society and this hospital has come to.
"It is just so disgusting. What has happened to the dignity of the human being? It reflects increasingly certain people in society's attitudes to the unborn child just flushing them away, or burning them like any other waste. How can we let this happen in a civilised society?"
One local woman, who asked not to be named, said after the heartache of deciding to have an abortion she was mortified to find the hospital had used the same furnace they burn rubbish in to incinerate her terminated baby.
She said: "I am furious and very hurt. Imagine my horror when I discovered that my baby was incinerated in the same furnace as the hospital rubbish."
Hospital managers said they had to take the decision after 'significant increases' in the fees charged by Cambridge City Crematorium, where they were previously buried or cremated.
The hospital, under pressure along with the rest of the NHS to make millions of pounds of savings, said it was trying to be 'careful with the use of limited resources'.
In June, it emerged cash-strapped health chiefs had to cut a total of £28 million from NHS spending in Cambridgeshire.
The so-called 'turnaround plan', aimed at clawing back a forecast debt of £45.9 million, forced Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trusts take a scalpel to demand savings of £15m from Addenbrooke's. This is despite the hospital having a surplus of £3.5m at the end of the last financial year.
The reduction was to be achieved 'by treating fewer people and working more efficiently'. An Addenbrooke's spokesman said aborted foetuses used to be cremated free at Cambridge Crematorium but a price rise to £18.50 in 2005 forced the hospital to use its own incinerator.
She said rubbish was not disposed of at the same time as foetal tissue and the incinerator was booked in advance.
A white sheet is placed over the front of the furnace and the process is witnessed by two members of staff working in bereavement care.
In a statement, the hospital added: 'The arrangements Addenbrooke's has in place to dispose of unwanted foetal tissue comply with the recommendations of the Retained Or

gans Commission (ROC).
'Following the termination of unwanted pregnancy, foetal tissue is disposed of within the hospital incinerator in a sensitive and respectful manner.
'The incinerator is cleared of all other material, and no other waste is dealt with at the same time as the foetal tissue.
'The process is organised and witnessed by two members of staff who are specialists in bereavement care.
'Until recently the hospital used the services of Cambridge Crematorium, but due to significant rises in the cost we are charged, this option is no longer open to us.
'This comes at a time when we have to be careful with the use of limited resources, and we have had to consider other options which comply with the ROC guidance.
'Patients undergoing termination of unwanted pregnancy are informed that disposal will be within the hospital. If patients request additional information, they are put in touch with a member of the bereavement team who meets the patient and discusses in detail the arrangements.'
'We hope to have further discussions with the crematorium and the City Council to consider affordable alternatives.'
[By JAMES SLACK, 23Oct06, www.dailymail.co.uk] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=412172&in_page_id=1770

SUPREME COURT JUSTICES SCALIA & THOMAS ON ABORTION. Scalia has indicated that there is nothing in the Constitution that provides for abortion rights. Scalia told an audience that abortion and assisted suicide have nothing to do with the Constitution and that judges who allow those so-called rights pervert the democratic process. He indicated that such issues are best left to the political process — ballots and state legislatures.  [24Oct06, DC LifeNews.com, http://www.lifenews.com/state1893.html] Justice Thomas told an audience in Atlanta that the issue of abortion has inappropriately dominated the confirmation process for Supreme Court justices: "We're drifting into areas people have strong feelings about…We're getting into social issues where I don't think we should be making decisions." The abortion issue, Thomas suggested, "has changed the confirmation process and not for the better…We don't have a better court…We are getting to be political footballs." [30Oct06, DC, LifeNews.com]

IL ABORTION BUSINESS CLOSES DOWN AS PRACTITIONER VANISHES. An abortion business in a Chicago suburb is closing, weeks after the abortion practitioner who worked there vanished. The West Suburban Gynecology abortion business has been evicted from its longtime location on Galena Boulevard and local authorities went to the center 16Oct to process the eviction order. Kane County sheriff's deputies removed equipment, furniture and other items from the abortion business. Aleksander Jakubowski operated the abortion business from 1991 to 2005 before he retired.  Then, abortion practitioner Louis S. Meyers and his staff took over the business and rented the facility from Jakubowski. But several weeks ago, Meyers disappeared [Suburban Chicago News].  Sheriff Ken Ramsey: "He just vanished." SCN reports that Jakubowski has regained control of the property and plans to sell it. He said a for sale sign has been on the property for a few days.  Calls from LifeNews.com to the abortion center rang through to a local medical office that referred callers to local hospitals. Aleksander Jakubowski is also known to have done abortions in Clearwater, Florida in the late 1980s.  [17Oct06, Ertelt, LifeNews.com]

NJ ABORTION FACILITY SECRETARY JAILED FOR GIVING ABORTION DRUG. A receptionist at a New Jersey abortion facility will go to jail for 270 days after pleading guilty on charges that she performed drug-induced abortions on women. Liza Berdiel, 26, of Lakewood, does not have a medical license, which means she's not eligible to give out the dangerous abortion drug RU 486. Berdiel was charged with three counts of performing abortions without a medical license, theft and forgery. She had injected three women with abortion drugs while abortion practitioner Flavius Moses Thompson was away from his office or during non-business hours. She also stole prescription pads from Thompson and wrote illegal prescriptions. Thompson had alerted police to Berdiel's actions, when he noticed abortion drugs missing. He told officials he was worried she was pocketing the money for the abortions. Judge Peter Giovine handed down the sentence and said Berdiel will serve her time in the Ocean County Jail. "The days of the back-alley abortions are gone," Judge Giovine told Berdiel. [28Oct06, NJ, LifeNews.com]