The Elliot Institute News, Vol. 13, No. 7

Doctors: Abortion Not Necessary to Save Women's Lives

Almost 900 medical professionals have now signed the Dublin Declaration on Maternal Health, launched in 2012 to declare that abortion is not needed to save women’s lives.

Unveiled at the International Symposium on Maternal Healthcare in Dublin, Ireland, the Declaration states: “As experienced practitioners and researchers in obstetrics and gynaecology, we affirm that direct abortion – the purposeful destruction of the unborn child – is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.

“We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatment results in the loss of life of her unborn child.

“We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women.”

In 2013, Dr. Anthony Levatino, an ob-gyn who formerly performed abortions and has treated women with high-risk pregnancies, testified before a Congressional subcommittee that abortion is not a viable treatment option when a mother’s life is at risk:

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A report on maternal deaths in Queensland, Australia, has raised concerns about suicide following pregnancy, particularly after abortion. The Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council report noted:

Professor Michael Humphrey, the chairman of the council, said that “the number of suicides was a key concern,” according to the Queensland Courier-Mail.

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A New Zealand abortion advocacy group has created a web site targeting pro-life doctors and encouraging women to share their stories about "hostile or unhelpful health professionals."

The ironically-named "My Decision" web site is being launched the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ). One critic noted, "Through the web site, ALRANZ wants to take options away from women by publishing the names of these individuals and organizations. ... Somehow, in the mixed up world of “choice” every woman is free to make their own decision regarding “her body” as long as she embraces pro-choice rhetoric."

In 2012, ALRANZ criticized a pro-life group for attempting to find out the names of practitioners working a newly opened abortion facility, calling their efforts "a dangerous bullying tactic."

A Baltimore man whom prosecutors say was unhappy that his girlfriend was having their child has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her to death less than a week before her due date.

Prosecutors say Kenneth Walter Worrell III stabbed Summer Shemida Smith multiple times on June 20. Smith's mother discovered her body in the basement of the home the two women shared. The state's attorney's office is reviewing the case to determine if additional charges would be filed for the death of the unborn baby girl.

For more information on violence against pregnant women and unwanted, coerced and forced abortions, see our special report, Forced Abortion in America.

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We are always interested in publishing relevant content from guest experts, thoughtful people, or those who just want to share their story.

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