Life Links 1/31/11

Here's more evidence that greater access to morning-after pills/emergency contraceptive doesn't work the way pro-choice organizations have been telling us it will. A policy in England to handout free morning-after pills to teenage girls at pharmacies didn't lower the pregnancy rate and increased the rate of STDs.

They found that pregnancy rates for girls aged under 16 remained the same while the rates of sexually transmitted diseases increased by 12 per cent in those areas where the pill was available free from chemists.

Prof Paton said: "We find that offering the morning-after pill free of charge didn't have the intended effect of cutting teenage pregnancies but did have the unfortunate side of effect of increasing sexually transmitted infections.

Here's the abstract to the study.

Operation Rescue reveals unlicensed abortionist James Pendergraft's most recent foray into late-term abortions. He's set up shop in a secret location in the Washington, D.C. area and will inject chemicals or air to stop the hearts of late-second and third trimester children. He then tells women they can then choose to go to their physician or another facility to have the dead child delivered. From Pendergraft's web site, LateTermAbortion.net:

We perform the intracardiac injection of medication into the fetal heart in our private facility in the Washington, D.C. area. Once the fetal heart beat has stopped, the patient can elect to return back to her private physician to complete the induction of labor with delivery of the fetus, or they may elect to go to another facility to have the termination process completed. It is unfortunate that patients have to go through this process, but it is legal, safe, practical and sound. The location in Washington D.C. where the procedure is performed is not publicly disclosed to prevent harassment, intimidation, harm, and even possible physical injury to patients, staff, and the physicians who dedicate themselves to performing this much needed service. The staff is protected from any potential day to day harassment of themselves or their families.

An advice column in the Washington Post has a letter with a "grim end to a sordid triangle."

A few weeks ago, my husband told me he had an affair. He came clean only after finding out she was pregnant.

Despite being devastated, I told him I'd be willing to try to work things out - for the sake of our two daughters, at least - if he persuaded her to have an abortion. He agreed and she had the abortion, although I suspect she agreed only because my husband lied to her and told her they'd have a future if she had the abortion. He says he has broken off all contact with her since she terminated the pregnancy.

Now I'm disgusted with myself because I feel like it's my fault she had the abortion, and I can't get past the fact that my husband cheated on me. Sometimes I feel just worthless. Is there any hope?