ClinicQuotes

Quotes from early feminists on abortion: Matilda Joslyn Gage

Matilda Joslyn Gage was a bold leader of the feminist movement, even while her several children were still small. She was active in temperance reform – an issue connected to feminism because of the role alcohol played in domestic violence. Her home was part of the “Underground Railway” which enabled runaway slaves to escape to Canada.

Often she bolstered her arguments with information on forgotten women of the past that she had painstakingly gleaned from libraries and archives. She helped organize the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, served as one of its officers, and edited its paper “The National Citizen and Ballot Box.”

In 1872, when Susan B Anthony was tried for attempting to vote, Gage stood by her side. In the 1880s, out of admiration for scholarly talents, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Esther asked her to co-edit The History of Woman Suffrage.

“Is Woman Her Own?” By Matilda Gage

“The short article on “Child Murder” in your paper of March 12, touched a subject which lies deeper down into woman’s wrongs than any other. This is the denial of the right to herself.

In no a historic age of the world has women yet had that. From the time when Moses, for the hardness of his heart, permitted the Jew husband to give his unpleasing wife a letter of divorcement – to Christ, when the seven male sinners brought to him for condemnation the woman taken in adultery – down to the Christian centuries to this 19^th, nowhere has the marital union of the sexes been one in which the woman has had to control over her own body.

In forced motherhood is a crime against the body of the mother and the soul of the child.

Medical jurisprudence has begun to accumulate facts on this point, showing how the condition and feelings of the mother mould not only the physical and mental qualities of the child, but it’s moral nature.

Women keep silence upon many points, not breathing their thoughts to their dearest friends, because of their inner reticence, a quality they possess greatly in excess of men.

And, too, custom has taught them to bear in silence.

But the crime of abortion is not one in which the guilt lies solely or chiefly with the woman. As a child brings more care, so also it brings more joy to the mother’s heart.

Husbands do not consult with their wives upon the subject of deepest and most vital interest, do not look at the increase of family in a physiological, moral, or spiritual light, but almost solely from a money standpoint. It costs.

Tens of thousands of husbands and fathers throughout the land are opposed to large families. And yet so deeply implanted is the sin of self gratification, that consequences are not considered while selfish desires control the heart.

Much is said of the wild, mad desire of the age for money. Money is but another name for power, it is but another name for bread, it is but another name for freedom, and those who possess it not are the slaves of those who do. How many states in the union grant the wife an equal right with a husband the control and disposal of the property of the marital firm? But two.…

How long is it since a married woman in this state had the right to control of her own separate property? Barely twice 10 years.

How long since she could control her own earnings, even those of a day’s washing? Not yet 10.

History is full of the wrongs done the wife by legal robbery on the part of the husband. I need not quote instances; they are well known to the most casual newspaper reader. It is accepted as a self-evident truth – that those “who are not masters of any property, be easily be formed into any mould.”

I hesitate not to assert that most of this crime of “child murder,” “abortion,” “infanticide,” lies at the door of the male sex.

Many a woman has left the silent, derisive laugh at the decisions of eminent medical and legal authorities, in cases of crimes committed against her as a woman. Never, until she sits as a juror at such trials, will or can just decisions be rendered.

This reason and that reason have been pointed to by the upholders of equal rights, to account for the oppression of women during past ages, but not one that I have ever heard offered has looked to the spiritual origin of that oppression.

If my health and eyes enable to me to do so, I shall be glad to write occasionally as you request. Perhaps a series of short articles upon the above point will be timely. Individual freedom is emphatically the lesson of the 19^th century…”

The Revolution 1 (14): 215 – 216 (April 9, 1868)

Quoted by Mary Krane Derr

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Quotes from early feminists on abortion: Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton for over six decades stood up fearlessly for women’s rights. From observing her father’s legal practice, she resolved at a very early age to change the unjust laws that denied women control over their economic and family lives.

She married an abolitionist and, like Lucretia Mott and others, became disaffected by the hypocritical failure of the anti-slavery movement to include women as equals. Out of this discontent came the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, which marked the beginning of organized feminism in the United States.

Even while raising her seven children, Stanton fought for the “the cause” – as an editor of The Revolution, a traveling lecturer, a leader of the national Woman Suffrage Association, and coeditor with Susan B Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage of the first volume of the History of Woman Suffrage (Fowler and Wells, 1881)

“Child Murder” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“The public attention has been much drawn to this frightful subject of late. The disclosures made are appalling to the highest degree. The social system is too corrupt, it would certainly seem, long to survive. Infanticide is on the increase to an extent inconceivable. Nor is it confined to the cities by any means.

Androscoggin County in Maine is largely a rural district, but a recent medical convention there unfolded a fearful condition of society in relation to the subject. Dr. Oaks made the remark that, according to the best estimate he could make, there were 400 murders annually produced by abortion in that county alone.

The statement is made in all possible seriousness, before a meeting of “regular” practitioners in the county, and from the statistics which were as freely expressed to one member of the medical fraternity as another.

There must be a remedy for such a crying evil as this. But where shall it be found, at least begin, if not in the complete enfranchisement and elevation of women? Forced maternity, not out of legal marriage but within it, must lie at the bottom of a vast proportion of such revolting outrages against the laws of nature and our common humanity.”

The Revolution 1 (10): 146 – 147 (March 12, 1868)

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“Infanticide” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“The remarkable mortality among natural or illegitimate children is a topic agitating the press very largely just now… Where lies the remedy?” New York Times

“In the independence of woman. “Give a man a right over my subsidence,” says Alexander Hamilton, “and he has right over my whole moral being.” When the world of work is open to woman, and it becomes as respectable as it is necessary to happiness for women of the higher classes, as well as to others, to have some regular and profitable employment, then will woman take her true position as dictator in the social world.

The common excuse that young men give in our higher circles for not being married is that they cannot afford to support a wife. Our idea is that every woman of sound mind and body, with brains and two hands, is more noble, virtuous, and happy in supporting herself.

So long as one is dependent on man, relation to him will be a false one, either in marriage or out of it, she will despise herself and hate him whose desire she gratifies for the necessaries of life; the children of such unions must needs be unloved and deserted.

When women have their own property and business, they will choose and not be chosen; they will marry them the men they love, or not at all; and where there is love between the parents, children will ever find care and protection. The strongest feeling of a true woman’s nature is her love for her child; and the startling facts in the above extract, multiplying as they are on every side, warn us that all things are inverted.

Objectors cry out to us who demand our rights, and the ballot to secure them, “do not unsex yourselves.” It is against the wholesale unsexing we wage our war.

We are living today under a dynasty of force; the masculine element is everywhere overpowering the feminine, and crushing women and children alike beneath its feet.

Let woman assert herself in all her native purity, dignity, and strength and end this wholesale suffering and murder of helpless children. With centuries of degradation, we have so little of true womanhood, that the world has but the faintest glimmering of what a woman is or should be.”

Compiled By Mary Krane Derr

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Quotes from early feminists on abortion: Dr. Alice Bunker Stockholm

Dr. Alice Bunker Stockholm authored several popular medical books. Tokology (2^nd edition, 1887) instructed readers about reproductive physiology and prenatal self-care.

quotes from Stockholm:

“Feticide is a produced abortion, whether by drugs, intentional shocks, electricity, or by instrumental interference, either by one’s own hand or by the hand of a surgeon.

Many women have been taught to think that the child is not viable until after quickening, and that there is no harm in arresting pregnancy previous to the feeling of motion; others believe that there is no life until birth, and the cry of the child is heard.

A high legal authority says: “The absurdity of the principle upon which these distinctions are founded is easy of demonstration. The fetus, previous to the time of quickening, must either be dead or living. Now, that it is not the former, is most evident from neither putrefaction or decomposition taking place, which would be the consequences of an extinction of vital principle. The embryo, therefore, before the crisis, must be in a state different from that of death, and that can be no other than life.”

When the female germ and male sperm unite, then is the inception of a new life; all that goes to make up a human being – body, mind, and spirit, must be contained in embryo within this minute organism. Life must be present from the very moment of conception. If there was not life there could not be conception. At what other period of a human being’s existence, either prenatal or postnatal, could the union of soul and body take place? Is it not plain that the violent or forcible removal of it from the citadel of life is its premature death, and hence the act can be denominated by no more mild term than murder, and whoever performs that act, or is accessory to it, is guilty of the crime of all crimes?

The life of the babe in her arms is to the mother more precious than all else; her heart is thrilled with a pang of agony at the thought of the least danger to its life. By what false reasoning does she convince herself that another life, still more dependent upon her for its existence, with equal rights and possibilities, has no claim upon her for protection? More than this, she deliberately strikes with the red hand of murder and terminates its existence with no thought of wrong, nor consciousness of violated law.

The woman who produces abortion, or allows it to be produced, risks her own life and health in the act, and commits the highest crime in the calendar, for she takes the life of her own child. She defrauds the child of the right to its existence.

There may be no harm in preventing the conception of a life, but once conceived it should not be deprived of its existence in that world which in all its appointments is specially adapted to its development.

What are some of the incentives to produce abortion? An unmarried woman, seduced under false representation by a man who feels no responsibility for his own offspring, suffers alone all the shame and contumely of the act, and is tempted to cause a miscarriage to shield her good name.

Married women who fear that maternity will interfere with their pleasures, are guilty of forcibly curtailing embryonic life. Others again, who are poor or burdened with care or grief, or have licentious or drunken husbands, shrink from adding to an already overburdened existence.

The first class, the girls would lost their virtue under promise of marriage – are most deserving of sympathy and commiseration, though none receive less. “Let him who is without sin cast the first out stone.” At the least imputation against the fair girl’s character, even those professing to be the followers of the loving Christ, often have so little leniency, so little of the Father’s love in their hearts, that they hug their Christian robes to their bodies, lest they be contaminated by the polluting touch of the victim. They “pass by on the other side” and leave the poor brokenhearted child bleeding by the wayside.

This girl’s lessons of life and purity have been learned mainly from one she loved and trusted, only to be betrayed. What wonder that in her ignorance of the value of life she should be tempted to add a second wrong to the first! And if she can conceal the evidence of her guilt, she may hope by honest endeavor to retrieve her good name, and thus is tempted to produce an abortion. Two wrongs cannot make a right…

When girls are given proper instruction upon the relations of the sexes and understand how to govern and guard themselves; when young men are taught that virtue has as high a meaning for one sex as for another, that the protective chivalry of which they boast does not imply that they shall force the woman with whom they associate to the defensive; and that the paternal interest in, and responsibilities for child are equal to the maternal, then the temptation to produce abortion for the purpose of shielding one’s character will not exist.

Of the second class, who produce miscarriage for pleasure and for selfish interest, there is little to say in extenuation. They may be victims of ignorance or of a false education. The maternal instinct is inherent in every woman’s heart. It seems strange that any morbid idea of pleasure could antagonize the natural aspirations to such an extent that one could destroy the viability of her own offspring…

Of the last class, who have an apparent need to limit the size of the family, what can be said in extenuation of their committing this crime? Shall not the mother who already has many children, who is herself sick, nervous, and prostrated, save herself additional care by arresting the life of the embryo? The heart goes out in sympathy for all such, but even the most aggravating circumstances cannot atone for the crime. The whole nature of every true woman revolts against forced maternity.

The remedy is the prevention of pregnancy, not in producing abortion. When men and women have learned the wise control of the procreative functions, then may we hope that children will be begotten in love and unselfishness. It is the undesired and undesigned maternity that is revolting to the nature of woman. As long as men feel that they have a right to indulgence of the passions under law, no matter what the circumstances, what the condition of the wife, or the probabilities of maternity, so long with the spirit of rebellion take possession of women and the temptation and traversals to relieve themselves of this unsought burden. May the day soon arrive when men will learn that even passion should serve reason, and that gratification at least should not be sought at the expense of conjugal happiness and unwelcome children.”

Tokology, pages 245 – 251

Mary Krane Derr “Man’s Inhumanity to Woman, Makes Countless Infants Die”: the Early Feminist Case against Abortion, 1991

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Late-term abortionist: I am doing God’s will

“I believe in God and I am doing his will….The fetus is not human until birth.”

Late-term abortionist Dr. Leroy Carhart, who was caught on tape calling a third trimester unborn baby “meat in a crockpot” after he would kill the child

In a conversation with pro-life activist Monica Miller

Monica Miller“My Recent Incredible Encounter with Late Term Abortionist Leroy Carhart” One More Soul

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Abortion after rape plunges woman into suicidal depression

A post-abortion woman shares her pain in a pro-life tract:

It was in 1973, and I became pregnant from a date rape. I tried to hide it from my parents, but they found out, and then the pressure started. “How are you going to go to college with a baby?” “How are you going to support it.” “It’s only a Blob of Blood…it’s not a Baby yet!” And, before I had time to think about what I wanted, my Abortion was over.

The Abortion itself was a living Hell! I thought my guts were being pulled out! It was degrading and I was terrified; and when it was over, something made me ask the doctor, “Was it a Boy, or a Girl?” And he answered, “I can’t tell, it’s in pieces!” The counseling consisted of throwing some birth control pills my way. It’s hard to put into words how the abortion affected me! After that, I became a tramp and slept with any man who offered me sex. I engaged in unprotected sex, and every month that I wasn’t pregnant, I went into a deep depression. I wanted my parents to see what I had become. I dropped out of college and attempted suicide. I couldn’t get sleeping pills, so I used over the counter sleeping pills and booze; When that failed, I then tried to make relationships work with men, any man. I was driven with a deep need to have a child, and, thinking irrationally, I thought that if I was married, my parents couldn’t interfere, so I got married, but I got married for all the wrong reasons. Six months after we got married my first child was born, and I was ecstatic with joy! Then, I got pregnant again, and soon after this, we lost this baby when I was 5 months along. Then the depression that I had dealt with earlier, came back in full force; and I can remember thinking:

“I deserve this…I have sinned against God.” Then, six months later, I was pregnant yet again! I had this need to get pregnant and have as many babies as possible. The hardest thing was to forgive myself for having the abortion, altho when I finally asked for God’s forgiveness, He forgave me instantly.

It wasn’t as easy for me to forgive myself, however; It took time and working through the grief at a Pregnancy Crisis Center in counseling. Today I am working with other women in a Pregnancy Crisis Center in trying to help them to choose not to abort, and sharing, with love and empathy, the other options they can choose; instead of ending their child’s life.

The tracts author then shares this bible verse:

“I call Heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose Life, that both thou and thy seed may live; That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy Life; and the length of thy days.” Deut. 30:19-20

Religious beliefs expressed in testimonies are not necessarily endorsed by clinicquotes

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Woman shares story, photo of miscarriage

“I had a miscarriage on Palm Sunday last year. We think he was a boy and named him David Raphael. My only prayer when the doctor told me at 11 weeks that my baby had died a month earlier (at 7 weeks gestation), was that I would have something to bury. The doctor said he would either be too small to find or that his fragile body would be crushed in the miscarriage process and there wouldn’t be anything left. On Palm Sunday afternoon he came out. The entire sac was in tact and there he was still floating in the amniotic water. I took a picture so I wouldn’t forget that moment and how God answered my prayer. I think it would be an amazing photo to show people contemplating abortion. Even though he was only 7 weeks when he died, you can see his little arms and legs forming. My 4 year old was looking through my phone when I wasn’t looking one day and found the picture. He came up to me with it and asked me whose baby it was. Even a child can tell that at 7 weeks, the fetus is a little person.”

At 7 Weeks gestation, that is, 7 weeks since the start of the woman’s last period, the unborn baby is 5 weeks old.So this is really a picture of a baby at 5 weeks.

See more photos of miscarried babies that show the humanity of the unborn

This picture and story was shared by Abby Johnson on Facebook

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Do abortion clinics describe abortion accurately on their websites?

Note; This article was written in 2005, and many of the clinics it talks about are no longer in operation so some of the links may not work. Other clinics may have changed their websites. But I wanted to post this anyway, as it is a testament to how dishonest some of these clinics are. An updated version of this article will be available at some point.

Did you know that many abortion clinics advertise online? One need only do a search for “abortion clinic” on Google or Yahoo to find many clinics advertising for patients. Some clinics have fancy websites, often featuring patient testimonials about how fast and easy an abortion is at their clinic. Graphics shouting things like “New Jersey’s (or insert state here) Best Clinic!” catch the eye. Smiling, happy women are featured on many of these pages.

Interesting, though, is the way these clinics describe the abortion procedure on their site. Many of these clinics have information about the procedures ready for possible clients right at the touch of a button. Here are a few examples of how clinics describe their services.

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From one abortion clinic :

“A gynecologist with special expertise in abortions performs the procedure by a method known as suction dilatation and curettage (D&C). We use only sterilized instruments. During this procedure, the cervical canal is very gently dilated with sterile dilators, and the uterine contents are gently suctioned out with sterile, one-use-only, disposable plastic uterine curettes.”

Here is an example of what is “gently suctioned out” in a standard first trimester suction D & C abortion (ten weeks).

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At American Women’s Services, a first trimester abortion is described this way:

“…The procedure begins with the gradual and gentle opening of the cervix by a series of narrow, tapered rods called dilators. The doctor will then insert into the uterus a small plastic tube that is attached to a suction machine, similar to the one dentists use to clear the mouth of saliva. The tube is moved within the uterus for a minute or two to remove all of the pregnancy tissue by gentle suction. During the aspiration, you may experience cramping that is similar to heavy menstrual cramps…”

Here is a pictures of some pregnancy tissue removed by gentle suction (10 weeks)

The same clinic describes a later abortion as follows:

“Surgical abortion between 14-24 weeks:

If you are between 14 and 24 weeks pregnant, your procedure will take two to three days to complete…..When adequate dilation has occurred, the laminaria will be removed and your uterus emptied by the technique the physician feels is best for you. Twilight sleep will be provided for all patients undergoing an abortion procedure in the second trimester. This medication will relax you, reduce the amount of discomfort you may feel and can inhibit memory formation.”

This picture is from an emptied uterus at 20 weeks.

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This clinic offers no information about the ‘removal’ procedure at all. Their website simply says:

“A Choice for Women specializes in second trimester abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. In general, this usually requires a 2- day visit to our clinic. The first day will consist of an Ultrasound, counseling, evaluation by the physician, and a cervical dilator inserted into the cervix to soften and dilate the cervix. You will return to the clinic the next day for the termination procedure. You will be given general anesthesia for the procedure and will not feel the procedure at all.”

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An abortion doctor here describes abortion before twelve weeks in this way:

“Once the cervix has been adequately dilated, the products of conception are removed by inserting a hollow plastic tube called a “vacurette” and applying negative pressure (suction/ vacuum). Generally, the vacurette is moved in a series of in and out strokes or is rotated to enhance the traction forces at the tip of the vacurette. This is sometimes followed by curetting (scraping) the walls of the uterus to ensure that no tissues are remaining that might cause subsequent problems.”

Here are some removed products of conception at nine weeks

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At South Jersey Women’s Center, an abortion is described as follows:

“After completing paper work, a brief informational counseling session, lab work, and ultrasound, she will have the abortion procedure. The D&E procedure is performed through the vagina and involves gently dilating or opening the woman’s cervix, which is the small opening at the top of the vagina and then using an instrument that applies a suction to remove the contents of her uterus. No cutting or incision is necessary and the procedure takes only 5 to 7 minutes.”

Here is a picture of a D & E at fourteen weeks.

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Choices Women’s Medical Health Center describes a late abortion (D&E) as follows:

“…The physician removes the dilators that have been in place since insertion some hours ago. After that he has access to the inner part of your uterus and by use of various instruments, the pregnancy is removed. A hollow tube is inserted into the uterus. This tube is connected to a machine that produces suction and when turned on, whatever material remains in the uterus will be drawn out through the tube and into a bottle. A long thin instrument with a spoonlike end will also be inserted and drawn over the inside surface of your uterus to check that nothing remains. Some of these measures may have to be repeated to be certain that the abortion was done thoroughly….”

A pregnancy removed from a woman’s uterus in this type of abortion at fourteen to sixteen weeks.

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AAron Women’s Clinic of Houston and Southeast Texas boasts:

“You will find a team of professionals who have specialized in middle and late second trimester pregnancy terminations (16 to 25 weeks) both elective and fetal anomaly (abnormal) indications for more than 30 years with a complication rate less than continuation of a pregnancy to full term and much less than the national average for providers….

D&E has always been the procedure of choice for second trimester pregnancy terminations at our facility. All terminations are preceded by serial multiple laminaria treatment over one to two days to dilate and soften the cervix gradually and sufficiently. After adequate cervical preparation, the evacuation procedure is performed under deep pain free anesthesia administered by our certified anesthesia staff. Gentle currettage is performed to complete all procedures.”

Here is the result of gentle cutterage at one abortion clinic after 16 weeks.

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At Abortion Advantage an abortion up to thirteen weeks is described this way:

“A sterile speculum will be placed into the vagina to visualize the cervix. The cervix and vagina will be cleansed with betadine or phisohex. The cervix will be anesthetized or numbed with a local anesthetic. Next small sterile dilators are passed through the cervix to gently open the cervix. A small sterile plastic tube is then placed through the cervix and into the uterus. The pregnancy is then removed by vacuum. The speculum is removed and the procedure is completed. The entire surgical procedure will take about ten minutes.”

This is a picture of a removed pregnancy at 12 weeks

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A description of abortion from 5-16 weeks at The Allentown Women’s Center:

“When the cervical opening is large enough, a blunt-tipped tube (a cannula) is inserted into the uterus. The cannula is attached to a vacuum aspirator, and a light suction removes the pregnancy tissue from the uterus. A spoon-shaped instrument (a curette) may be used for a final cleaning of the uterine lining.”

From a cleaned uterine lining at 15 weeks

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From Atlanta SurgiCenter – this description is given for abortions up to 14.5 weeks:

“The procedure involves the gradual widening of the cervix followed by the insertion of a thin flexible tube attached to a vacuum aspirator, which gently removes the uterine contents.”

At the Atlanta SurgiCenter you can be scheduled for a one-day D&E procedure through 20 weeks. Late Second Trimester procedures are performed on two consecutive days. [up to 26 weeks is advertised on the site]

The D&E procedure consists of two parts: dilation and evacuation…Evacuation is the removal of the contents of the uterus. The evacuation procedure is performed with a combination of suction aspiration and surgical instruments.”

From the removed contents of the uterus at 26 weeks

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Austin Women’s Center advertises its first trimester abortions as follows:

“The first trimester surgical abortion is an in-office procedure. Your cervix will be gradually opened and the contents of your uterus will be removed through a gentle suction. During the 5 minute procedure we have a guided relaxation CD for you to listen to, as well as soothing lighting in the exam rooms. A female escort may be with you during your procedure.”

What is removed by gentle suction at seven weeks:

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At BuffaloGyn Women’s Services, a first trimester abortion is described:

“This simple and safe procedure usually takes from 5-10 minutes and is usually preformed during the first 5 through 12 weeks of pregnancy. A local anesthetic is used to numb the cervix, which is gently dilated. A small vacurette is inserted into the uterus and suction is used to remove the pregnancy.”

BuffaloGyn also performs second trimester abortions. In the FAQ section the website says:

“Why are there protesters outside the clinic?
Some people believe that abortion should not be legal, and because of freedom of speech, they can picket outside. These people also believe that women do not have the ability to make their own decisions. Many of the statements they make or signs they hold are not true. They say these things to scare you and stop you from finding out the truth. We have a guard and escorts in front of the clinic to help you. If a protester has harassed you be sure to tell your counselor.”

The site also says:

“Unfortunately, sometimes protesters gather in front of the clinic entrance to try to convince you to change your decision. Remember, although they have the right to be there, they cannot stand directly in front of the clinic entrance, enter our back parking lot, stop your car, or force you to speak with them. Our clinic has a state of the art security system to protect you. Just be strong and ignore their propaganda!”

Back to the FAQ page, there is a question asking why a friend or family member cannot come with the patient to hold her hand or comfort her during the procedure itself. The clinic answers:

“We feel strongly that during surgery only medical personnel should be present in the operating room. Remember, our priority is the patient. Our concern is that your friend or loved one may get nervous or anxious. We do not want anything to divert attention away from your medical needs.”

Might the loved one get anxious or nervous because they see something the clinic desperately does not want anyone to see?

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The Center for Women’s Health proclaims:

“No one has the right to judge your reason(s) for having an abortion. If you choose to terminate a pregnancy, an abortion can be safely performed in our office up to 22 weeks after your last period.”

The site then goes on to say:

A woman is considered to be in the first trimester of pregnancy if less than 13-14 weeks have passed since her last menstrual period… This extremely safe procedure is the most common one performed in our office….A small tube (cannula) is inserted into the uterus, and connected by tubing to a suction machine. The uterine contents are suctioned through the tube. Lastly, the doctor carefully checks the walls of the uterus to be sure no tissue remains. The entire procedure only takes a minute or so. Women have discomfort like menstrual cramps during the procedure, and sometimes for an hour or so afterward.”

This is what The Center for Women’s Health says about the D & E procedure:

“The D&E procedure requires much more skill on the part of the surgeon, and is an extension of the suction method just described. To perform this, the doctor uses suction as in first-trimester procedures, but also must use forceps to remove tissue too large to pass through the suction tubing.”

No one really wants to hear that the tissue being removed by forceps actually consists of arms, legs, ribs, organs and heads.

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Upon going to the website of Early Options, one immediately sees the face of a smiling woman with the caption, “I didn’t realize it could be so simple!” The clinic advertises a procedure called menstrual extraction, or as they call it, the aspiration procedure, in which a hand-held pump device is used instead of a suction machine. This method is advertised for pregnancies up to ten weeks.

“The aspiration procedure is a simple, natural procedure to end an early pregnancy.”

Here is a picture of an aborted baby at 8 weeks. He or she was torn apart in one of these “simple, natural” procedures.

At this stage, he has a beating heart and a brain already giving off waves as well as tiny organs, and he can move independently of the mother. He will respond if touched. Unborn babies have been observed bringing thumb to mouth at this stage just like an infant. (H. Hamlin, “Life or Death by EEG,” JAMA, Oct. 12, 1964, p. 120,) (W. Liley, The Fetus As Personality, Fetal Therapy, 1986, p. 8-17) (A. Hellgers, M.D., “Fetal Development, 31,” Theological Studies, vol. 3, no. 7, 1970, p. 26)

Describing the procedure:

“The doctor inserts a thin tube into your uterus, through the cervix. (opening to your uterus) Gentle pressure is applied with a hand-held plastic instrument. The contents of the uterus come into the plastic instrument.”

Also:

“….An embryo cannot be seen until you have missed two periods. At that point the embryo is about the size of a pea, and it is not formed.”

At the Hope Clinic, member of the National Abortion Federation, a first trimester abortion is described as follows:

“[After describing dilation] The doctor completes the abortion by slipping a small plastic tube, a vacurette, into the cervix and connecting it to a small machine, called a vacuum aspirator, that creates a gentle suction. At the very end, the doctor inserts a sterile tampon, and the procedure is over.”

Here is a picture owhat that ‘gentle suction’ removed at eleven weeks.

This clinic also does abortions in the second trimester. In the FAQ are answers to the following question.

“Q: Will I see the fetus? Can I, if I want to?

A: No, you will not see the fetus. The final decision is up to the physician.”

Also on the site:

“You will be cared for by physicians who have been experts in the field of abortion for over 15 years. Plus, Hope’s caregivers, nurses, counselors, and medical secretaries are hired for their friendliness and warmth as well as their competence. There may be protestors at any abortion clinic. At Hope Clinic, they may not come into our parking lot, and a security guard is present… Legally, they can shout anything they can think of – true or not – to stop you from walking into the clinic.”

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An abortion at Camelback Family Planning is described this way:

“Intravenous sedation is given to you through a small needle in your arm. Then Dr. Goodrick will begin the procedure only after the sedation takes effect… The doctor inserts a small tube, or cannula, which is attached to an aspirator machine. The mild suction action of the machine empties the contents of the uterus. You might have mild cramps during the procedure. Many patients do not remember the procedure and have no cramps at all.

After the procedure, you will be observed in a semi-private, cozy recovery room in a comfortable recliner with a heating pad. Our staff will make sure that your blood pressure and heart rate are normal and that bleeding and discomfort are within normal limits. You can then have something to drink and some cookies…”

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Aradia Women’s Health Care Center performs abortions through the fourteenth week. They feature the following testimonial:

“All of my previous notions of an abortion procedure were dissipated. The women who worked with me soothed any anxiety I had, which empowered my decision even more.”

After describing how the cervix is numbed and dilated, their website says:

“Depending on where you are in the pregnancy, a hand held silent device (for women less than 9 weeks) or a motorized machine (for women between 9 and 14 weeks) is used to remove the pregnancy tissue from the uterus.”

Here is a picture of pregnancy tissue at 12 weeks after conception.

Here is a picture of what this tissue looks like before it is removed.

Apparently, Aradia Women’s Care Clinic believes that all a woman needs to know when deciding to have an abortion is that the “pregnancy tissue” is “removed.” In case they may want to seek more information at a crisis pregnancy center, Aradia has this on their website:

“Crisis Pregnancy Centers intend to prevent women with unplanned pregnancies from seeking or getting abortions…They keep women and teens from getting important, medically accurate information about reproductive health care and give incorrect information.
– Crisis Pregnancy Centers in California: The Hidden Threat to Women’s Health, California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League

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Family Planning Associates (which has clinics in California and Illinois) which performs abortions up until 24 weeks has no details of the second trimester procedure on its site. It describes a first trimester abortion in a typical way:

“IN SURGERY a licensed CRNA will administer anesthesia and a licensed medical doctor specializing in gynecology will perform the abortion by gently removing the contents of the uterus by vacuum aspiration.”

The site also assures clients that “You’re [sic] partner does not need to know. You’re services are completely confidential…”

They stresses that telling parents is optional too. The clinic also assures patients

“Protesters are not allowed on Family Planning Associates property but they may be in the street or on sidewalks. You need not to speak to any protesters or accept literature from them. [sic]”

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On their national website, Planned Parenthood cautions that:

“Hundreds of so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” scare women about abortion. They lie about the medical and emotional effects of abortion.”

They want us to know that:

“Vacuum aspiration empties the uterus with gentle suction of a manual syringe or with machine-operated suction.”

And that:

“D&E is a two-part procedure. The cervix is slowly opened. The procedure is completed by emptying the uterus using a combination of suction and medical instruments.”

Here are some examples of what is left after a uterus is emptied in this type of abortion. Planned Parenthood does not provide this information for women who want to know what a D&E really is.

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After viewing the websites of scores of clinics, all of which use the same basic words (“gentle,” “removal”, “products of conception” and “tissue”) to describe what they do, one has to wonder how hard some of these places are working to prevent women from facing the reality of what goes on in an abortion. Do women need to be ‘protected’ from the whole story? Are the very institutions (Planned Parenthood, NOW, etc) that are supposed to improve women’s lives really helping us when they sugarcoat this issue? Or is the information on this site too subversive, too disturbing, too ‘scary’ to make known? As one clinic put it:

“Many of the Internet sites about abortion are sponsored by anti-choice organizations that use misinformation intended to frighten you.”

When a mere look in an embryology textbook can verify that the photos shown here are representative of abortions happening today, can sites such as mine be so easily dismissed as ‘misinformation?’ Or is this constant refrain of “Don’t listen to the other side!” merely a technique to keep women (and men) in the dark about the true nature of abortion?

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CPC director – 90-95% of women have their babies after seeing ultrasound

Barbara Chishko, executive director of Birth Choice in Oklahoma City, a crisis pregnancy center, said 90 – 95% percent of abortion minded women change their minds about having an abortion after seeing their fetus on an ultrasound.

“They have a developing baby within them. They have been told it is just a blob of tissue, but when they see the ultrasound, they are able to see arms and legs,” she said. “Women understand what is really happening after an ultrasound.”

The clinic operates to give women free access to health care to help them make more empowered decisions about a pregnancy, Chishko said. She thinks the new legislation will reduce the number of abortions. “The bottom line is that (the legislation) will make women think, and that is all we are asking,” she said.

The legislation she is referring to would require doctors to tell women they can get free ultrasounds before their abortions.

Jennifer Mock “New law targets abortion in state” The Oklahoman July 3, 2006

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Pro-Choice professor admits that life begins at conception

Pro-Choice geneticist Ashley Montague, then Professor at Harvard and Rutgers:

“The basic fact is simple: life begins not at birth, but at conception.”

Ashley Montague, Life Before Birth (New York: Signet Books, 1977), vi.

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National Cancer Institute official convinced that abortion raises breast cancer risk

“In a workshop in 2003 National Cancer Institute (NCI) had denied an abortion – breast cancer link. Dr. Louise Brinton, an NCI official who helped organize the conference, reversed her opinion and admitted that both abortion and oral contraceptives raised breast cancer risk. Her changed opinion was due to a study she co-authored with researcher Jessica Dolle of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute. It documented a 40% increased risk of breast cancer in women who had abortions, and up to 320% increased risk of triple negative breast cancer in recent users of oral contraceptives.”

(Cancer Epistemology, Biomarkers and Prevention, April 2009)

Dr. and Mrs. John C. Willke Abortion and the Pro-Life Movement: An Inside View (West Conshohocken, PA: Infinity Publishing, 2014) 604 – 605

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