Life Links 7/17/09

The House of Representatives has passed a spending bill with an amendment to allow the District of Columbia to pay for the abortions of poor women. Here's the roll call vote. A press release by the Susan B. Anthony list notes that the House voted 216-213 to prevent amendments dealing with social issues from receiving an up or down vote in the House.


Michael New reports that even pro-choice organizations can recognized that ending tax-subsidized abortions reduce the number of abortions performed.

The evidence presented about the effectiveness of public funding restrictions is very persuasive. A 1999 study by Cook et al. analyzed North Carolina’s provisions for public funding of abortions. North Carolina is unique because instead of funding abortions for low-income women through Medicaid, they did so through a separate state fund which periodically ran out of money. When funds were unavailable, the authors found a consistent increase in the birth rate and a decrease in the abortion rate. Furthermore, these trends were more pronounced among blacks. Another Guttmacher study found that the abortion rate among Medicaid recipients was more than twice as high in those states that publicly funded abortion through Medicaid.

The Washington Times has an article on a study which shows the unborn have memories. The best line comes when, after quoting a representative from National Right to Life, the story notes:

A call to NARAL Pro-Choice America for comment on the implications of the research were not returned.

Americans United for Life has posted Charmaine Yoest's testimony at the Sotomayor confirmation hearings.


In the News, reports on a report in the journal Obstetrician and Gynaecologist which notes a link between domestic violence and abortion.

A report in the Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG) journal said a "significant number" of women requesting an abortion have been or are still in a violent relationship.

One in three has reportedly experienced a lifetime of domestic violence.

The report's authors are demanding a greater awareness about domestic violence; claiming the research underlines the need to support women seeking to terminate unwanted pregnancies associated with violent partners.

Thirty per cent of women having a second abortion reported being in a violent relationship and women having a third or subsequent abortion were over 2.5 times as likely to report a history of physical or sexual abuse by a male partner.

Unfortunately, the authors somehow believe abortion can be a good thing for victims of domestic violence and can become a way for them to get away from their abuser.

They stress that some women are protected by abortion from continuing with unwanted pregnancies and are enabled to escape violent relationships.