Category: Abortion Counseling

Author Wendy Simonds summarizes a study done by Carole Joffe:

“In Carole Joffe’s ethnographic work at an abortion clinic that performed first-trimester abortions, she found out, “the most interesting problem was how to refer to the product of the abortion. Although it was acknowledged that many clients would refer to this as “baby,” or “the pregnancy,” new counselors were, not surprisingly, urged not to use these charged terms, but instead to use the more neutral, though admittedly more awkward, “products of conception” or “tissue.”

Wendy Simonds. Abortion at Work: Ideology and Practice in a Feminist Clinic (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996).80

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“I wanted to find out if UCLA would help a student who wanted to keep her baby…I went to my university’s health center, saying that I was pregnant, and asked, ‘What can I do?’ The student counselor, a nurse-practitioner, told me that ‘UCLA does not support women who are pregnant nor help them.’ I was told that UCLA has two abortionists on call. That was the extent of support that this institution, this great university, had to offer students who might be pregnant.”

Lila Rose, founder of Live Action 

Jeff Gardner “Lila Rose is up to something” Celebrate Life March-April 2010

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David R. Mace describes how in the early years of abortion’s legalization, women did not have much of a chance to talk to counselors about their abortion decisions. Today, often the only “counselors” women speak to before their abortions are those that are employed by the clinic. The clinic is, after all, selling abortions. Crisis pregnancy centers have tried to fill the gap, providing information for women that is not given out in the clinics.

“What counseling services are in fact available to this woman [who is considering abortion]? There are, of course, competent professional men and women in every community- psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, pastoral counselors, marriage counselors. But she probably knows little of these people to meet her particular need. She may make tentative inquiries only to find she can’t get an appointment for several weeks- such people are usually heavily booked up. She may in any case need several interviews at short notice, and that introduces greater complications. Also, there is the problem of cost- she may be scraping the bottom of the financial barrel to pay for the abortion if she decides to have it. Generally speaking, the usual professional counseling services seem to be pretty inaccessible to this woman.”

David R. Mace Abortion: The Agonizing Decision (Oliphants, 1973) 111

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From one clinic worker, complaining about this state-mandated counseling that requires her to talk about the abortion procedure of the development of the baby:

I don’t know if I think counseling should be a legal requirement. It should absolutely be an option, probably even encouraged, but I definitely don’t think all of my patients need it or benefit from it. Beyond the informed consent piece, at least – certainly everyone needs to know about risks and aftercare instructions, as with any medical procedure. But I DON’T think women need to hear about the ins and outs of the actual procedure unless they want to; no other type of surgery/procedure requires that level of knowledge on the patient’s part. I’ve had patients strongly object to hearing the details of the procedure, and I hate that I have to tell them anyway. If they’re sure they need an abortion, the details of the procedure really don’t matter.

What I hear you saying is… The Abortioneers  December 30, 2010

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An interview with Kate Michelman, then president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (Now called NARAL Pro-Choice):

Q: What is your objection to requiring that women understand fetal development of the unborn child in order to make an informed decision regarding abortion?

A: The sole purpose behind anti-choice propaganda laws is to use misleading and deceptive information to dissuade women from having abortions. Such laws force doctors and counselors to repeat inside abortion clinics the harassing comments that “Operation Rescue” and other protesters scream at women outside the clinic. Such laws jeopardize women’s health and violate the doctor-patient relationship by interfere with the doctor’s ability to tailor medical counseling and care to each woman’s specific medical needs.”

The following picture was put out by the National Abortion Federation and handed out at abortion clinics.(The drawing is enlarged to show detail)

 

In reality, this is what a six-week-old embryo looks like:

Below is what a fetus at nine weeks looks like:

And this is what a 12 week old fetus looks like:

Here is the hand of a fetus at 12 weeks:

Verify the facts of fetal development at the Endowment for Human Development, a scientific site that is not affiliated with any religious or pro-life organization.

“Voices of the Abortion Debate” New Dimensions, 1990

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From the director of Open Door, a counseling and referral center for women seeking abortions, on hiring staff:

“I confirmed that each counselor was pro-choice… I did not allow anybody to work with our clients who referred to a fetus as anything but in that neutral term [ the word ‘fetus’]. I recall arguing with an applicant who couldn’t understand that the term “baby” was not neutral and a value judgment in and of itself.”

Norma Goldberger Abortion Confidential: Secrets of an Abortion Clinic Owner (CreateSpace , November 23, 2014) Kindle Edition

Norma Goldberger, the director, eventually left Open Door to establish an abortion clinic, which she owned.

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A reporter describes a proposed law for informed consent before abortions:

“The law requires doctors to tell the patient just how far along they are and the medical risks of an abortion or of going through with the pregnancy. The patient must then give voluntary, written consent to the abortion before the doctor can perform it.”

Presidential Women’s Center, an abortion clinic, sued to block the law.

Clinic director Mona Reis said:

“It is politically motivated. Everything is covered in the consent form. There is no need to make it a law. You have to question what the true purpose of this bill is…. This bill would just be another way to control or limit women’s rights.”

Hansen Sinclair “Doctors must tell women about risks of abortion procedure” Westside Gazette (FL) April 13, 2006

Limiting women’s rights by making sure they consent to the procedure and informing them of the medical risks for both options?  Aren’t these things routinely done in any other hospital or facility before surgery?

The court found the bill constitutional, the abortion clinic lost its lawsuit, and the law went into effect.

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“Abortion is the only surgery for which the surgeon is not obligated to inform the patient of the possible risks of the procedure, or even the exact nature of the procedure. Indeed, abortion providers are the only medical personnel who have a “constitutional right” to withhold information, even when directly questioned by the patient.”

Former owner of two abortion clinics and director of 3, Carol Everett, in personal conversation with author Randy Alcorn

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The article “Inside the abortion clinic” says that the clinic the reporter visited had signs in the waiting room asking clients to please refrain from discussing previous abortions.

Chrisanne Beckner  “Inside the abortion clinic” Newsreview.com  January 29, 2004

One wonders if talk of abortion regret or negative experiences might convince other girls to leave.

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