Report Of Induced Termination Of Pregnancy (For Statistical: Fill & Download for Free

It can be one of the causes of infertility.Secondary InfertilityOne major pathway for infertility associated with abortion is through pelvic inflammatory disease, PID. Please read this second on PID."Role of Induced Abortion in Secondary Infertility," J.R. Daling, L.R. Spadoni, I. Emanuel, Obstet Gynecol 57: 59,1981.A case-control study of married couples diagnosed as having secondary infertility at the University of Washington Hospital in 1976-78 found that women with a history of prior induced abortion had a 1.31 relative increased risk of secondary infertility (0.71-2.43, 95% C.I.), which was not statistically significant, compared with controls."Induced abortions, miscarriages and tobacco smokingas risk factors for secondary infertility," A. Tzonou, et al, J. Epidemiology and Comm. Health 47:36,1993.In a case-control study by the Harvard Schools of Public Health and the University of Athens, of women in Athens, Greece in 1987-88, the occurrence of either induced abortions or spontaneous abortions independently and significantly increased the risk of subsequent secondary infertility. The logistic progression adjusted relative risks was 2.1 (1.1-4.0, 95% C.I.) for secondary infertility when there was 1 previous abortion and 2.3 (1.0-5.5, 95% C.I.) when there were 2 previous abortions. The adjusted relative risk of tobacco smoking for secondary infertility was 3.0 (1.3-6.8, 95% C.I.) compared to non- smokers. Secondary infertility was defined as [1] patient had a previous conception; [2] patient was married; [3] husband had a normal semen analysis and [4] patient had been trying become pregnant for at least 18 months."The effect of induced abortion on subsequent fertility," P Frank et al, Br J Obstetrics and Gynecology 100:575, 1993.In a follow-up analysis of British women who had an induced abortion compared to women whose last pregnancy had a natural outcome, it was found that at the end of 12 months 89% of the abortion group had achieved a pregnancy compared to 93.3% on the non-abortion group which approached statistical significance"Contraception after abortion and postpartum," H. Vorherr, Am.J. Obstet. Gynecol. 117(7):1002, Dec. 1, 1973A study at the University of New Mexico reported that in 5-10% of healthy nonpostpartum women (apparently post abortion women) anovulary cycles are observed."Short and Long-term Results of Pregnancy by Different Methods, E.I," Sotnikova, Acta Medica Hungarica 43 (2): 139-143 (1986).A Russian study of 560 women undergoing abortion by curettage, prostaglandin and vacuum aspiration found that one-third of the women had serious ovarian dysfunction 3-5 years post-abortion. Ovarian dysfunction was six times more observed than genital inflammations. Post-abortion complications were more frequent in women with a late menarche and with a history of genital inflammation. Instrumental abortion has more short-term complications (12%) than the other methods.SOURCE: Abortion RisksPelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)====General Background Studies for PID===="About 1 out of 10 women cannot become pregnant after having PID once. After having PID three or more times, as many as 7 out of 10 women become infertile."Factors Related to Infertility in the U.S.. 1965-1976," William D. Mosher and Sevgi 0. Aral, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 12(3): 117-123, July/September 1985.The longer sexually active women postpone having their first baby, the greater is their risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and hence primary infertility."Chlamydia Trachomatis in Acute Salpingitis," J. Paavonen, E. Vesterinen and K. Aho, British Journal Venereal Diseases, 55: 203-206 (1979).Acute salpingitis is a common disease and seems to be increasing. The clinical diagnosis of acute salpingitis was based on common criteria: pelvic pain of short duration, tender adnexal masses, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and usually fever. The late sequelae of salpingitis are well known: infertility, increased frequency of ectopic pregnancies, and chronic abdominal pain. The risk of spread of cervical infection to the fallopian tubes must be considered in the treatment of cervical chlamydia."Chlamydial Infection in Infertile Women," T.R. Moss (letter). Fertility and Sterility,44(4): 559, October 1985.Chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an important cause of lost fertility. The challenge must be to prevent the tubal damage by early diagnosis, effective chemotherapy and prevention of reinfection. Fifteen percent of male patients attending this clinic were found to be asymptomatic with chlamydia trachomatis. It is considered a serious clinical omission in the investigation of PID to fail to take specimen from the anterior urethra of the male partner of the female patient."Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in Women," Farq, Journal of Reproductive Medicine 30(3):273-278 (Supp), March 1985.Infants of women with cervical chlamydial colonization have a 60-70 percent risk of being colonized during birth. Approximately 25-50 percent of them develop conjunctivitis, and 10-20 percent develop pneumonia. The patophysiology of Chlamydia trachomatis genital tract infection is not well understood. However, the principal focus of infection appears to be the cervix. Sequelae to acute salpingitis include chronic pelvic pain, hydrosalpinx pyhosalpinx, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, tuboovarian abscess and the Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome."Effect of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease on Fertility," L. Westrom, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 12(5); 707-713, March 1,1975.Obstruction of the fallopian tube is the most common cause of sterility in women. The only unequivocal proof of preserved tubal function after PID is an intrauterine pregnancy. Reinfection was found to have the strongest effect on fertility after PID. One out of five previously healthy women who fell ill with acute PID had a second infection. The relatively low frequency of sterility (12.8 percent) after one infection increased nearly threefold (to 35.5 percent) after two infections, and six fold (18 out of 24 cases) after three or more infections."Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Etiology. Diagnosis and Treatment," Richard L. Sweet, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 8(4): 308-315 (Supp.) December 1981.PID caused by sexually transmitted pathogens results in infertility in more than 20 percent of the cases, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy increases six- to tenfold after PID. It is crucial to prevent reinfection by seeking out the sexual partners of women with PID and treating them for sexually transmitted diseases. In this way, the recurrent infections which lead to poor prognosis for fertility can be circumvented."Economic Consequences of PID in the U.S," James Curran, American Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology, 138 (7): 848 (1980).In 1978, nearly one million women in the United States suffered from PID and its sequelae. They accounted for more than 2.5 million physician visits, 250,000 hospital admissions and nearly 150,000 surgical procedures. PID associated with sexually transmitted disease often begins in young, single women; manifestations of recurrent disease, sterility, ectopic pregnancy and major surgery occur five to ten years later. It was estimated that the direct annual cost is greater than $600 million, and the total cost for this disease is upwards of $3 billion."The Economic Cost of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease," A.E. Washington, P.S. Arno, M.A. Brooks, Journal of the American Medical Association, 255(13): 1735-1738, April 4,1986.This study concluded that the total cost of PID and PID-associated ectopic pregnancy and infertility in the U.S. exceeded $2.6 billion in 1984. By 1990, the estimated cost of PID and its sequelae will total $3.5 billion per year, assuming an annual medical care inflation rate of 5 percent and the constant rate of incidence of PID during this six-year period. The study concludes that these estimated costs of PID and its associated sequelae emphasize the urgent need for effective programs to prevent Pm."Incidence, Prevalence and Trends of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Its Consequences in Industrialized Countries," L. Westrom, American Journal Obstetrics Gynecology, 138: 880-892 (1980).Despite antibiotic therapy, patients who have had at least one episode of salpingitis have a 21 percent rate of involuntary infertility, as compared with the rate of 3% among the control population."Introductory Address: Treatment of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in View of Etiology and Risk Factors," L. Westrom, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, October-December 1984, pp. 437-440.Clinically, PID can vary from an almost symptom-free disease to a life threatening condition. Sequelae to the disease are common. Ever since the first reports on PID in the literature, a strong correlation has been observed between sexually transmitted disease and PID. In recent studies, up to 75 percent of cases of PID in women less than 25 years of age have been associated with cultural and/or serologic evidence of infection with n. gonorrhea, chlamydia trachomatis, or m. hominis. For any sexually active woman, the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and hence of running this high risk of acquiring PID, is proportional to the regional prevalence of the corresponding STD and to the number of sexual partners.Abortion Related Pelvic Inflammatory DiseaseThe association between Mycoplasma genitalium and pelvic inflammatory disease after termination of pregnancy. Bjartling C1, Osser S, Persson K. BJOG. 2010 Feb;117(3):361-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02455.x. Epub 2009 Dec 15.The prevalence and complications of Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis infections among women undergoing termination of pregnancy were studied in this nested case-control study at Malmo University Hospital, Sweden, during 2003 to 2007. The study comprised 2079 women presenting for termination of pregnancy. Forty-nine women with M. genitalium infection and 51 women with C. trachomatis infection, together with 168 negative control women, were evaluated. The prevalences of M. genitalium and C. trachomatis were 2.5% and 2.8%, respectively. The M. genitalium was strongly associated with post-termination pelvic inflammatory disease (odds ratio 6.29, 95% CI 1.56-25.2). The increased risk for pelvic inflammatory disease associated with M. genitalium infection after termination of pregnancy suggests a causal relationship."Induced Abortion: Microbiological Screening and Medical Complications," B. Stray- Pederson et. al.. Infection 19: 305,1991.A Scandinavian study found that Pelvic Inflammatory Disease developed significantly more often in untreated chlamydia-positive women (22.7%), mycolpasma hominis-positive women (8.1%) and Group B streptococci-positive women (6.1%) than in women without these microbes (0.5%)."Bacterial Vaginosis and Anaerobes in Obstetric-Gynecologic Infection," D.A. Eschenbach, Clinical Infectious Diseases 16 (Suppl. 4): S282, 1993Bacterial vaginosis has an important role in the development of postabortion pelvic inflammatory disease."Early and Late Onset Pelvic Inflammatory Disease among Women with Cervical Chlamydia trachomatis Infection at the Time of Induced Abortion- A Follow-up Study," J.L. Sorensen et al.. Infection 22(4): 242,1994.A Danish study found that untreated women with chlamydia trachomatis infection at the time of induced abortion had a cumulative risk of 72% of developing early or late pelvic inflammatory disease, if observed for 24 months."Delayed Care of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease as a Risk Factor for Impaired Fertility," S.D. Hillis et. al.. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 168:1503-1509,1993.A Centers for Disease Control study found that women who delayed care for pelvic inflammatory disease after onset of symptoms had nearly a threefold increase risk of fertility impairment. Among women who delayed seeking care were women who had a history of a recent induced abortion."A Randomized Trial of Prophylactic Doxycycline for Curettage in Incomplete Abortion," J.A. Preito et. al., Obstet. Gynecol. 85: 692-696,1995.Several epidemiologic studies have examined risk factors associated with postabortal pelvic infection. These include: patient less than 20, nulliparity, multiple sex partners, previous PID or gonorrhea, and untreated lower genital tract infections."Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Following Induced First-Trimester Abortion. Risk Groups. Prophylaxis and Sequelae," L. Heisterberg, Danish Medical Bulletin 35(1): 64-75, February, 1988.Little is known about the costs of abortion complications and the true incidences of their sequelae. Long term prospective studies with follow-up of women who had abortions are most needed to assess the rate of sequelae after post aborted complications."Mobiluncus and Clue cells as Predictors of PID After First-Trimester Abortion," P.G. Larsson, B. Bergman, V. Forsum, J. Platz-Christenson and C. Pahlson, Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand. 68:217-220, (1989).In a Swedish study of 531 women in 1985-86 a correlation was found between the presence of mobiluncus and clue cells in vaginal discharge and the incidence of PID. Where women had clue cells the incidence of post-abortion PID was 11.8% compared to 3.2% PID when women showed normal epithelium cells."Early Complications of Induced Abortion in Primigravidae," K. Dalaker, K. Sundfor and J. Skuland, Annes Chirurgiae et Gynaecologiae 70:331-336(1981).A follow-up examination 4-6 weeks following abortion by vacuum aspiration found 4.8% with retained fetal parts: 11.1% had post-abortion bleeding greater than normal menstrual period, and 4.1 % had pelvic inflammatory disease."Therapeutic Abortion," F. Jerve and P. Fylling, Acta. Obstetric Gynecology Scand. 57:237 (1978).Pelvic inflammatory disease is a major complication after therapeutic abortion; readmission rates to hospitals were 4 percent in this study, with pelvic infections and retained products being the main causes."Chlamydia Trachomatis in Relation to Infections Following First Trimester Abortions," T. Radberg and L. Hamberger, Acta. Obstetrida Gynecological (Supp. 93) 154:478 (1980). (abstract)In a Swedish study, women with endocervical chlamydial infections were over five times more likely than uninfected women to develop PID within four weeks after a first-trimester induced abortion. (23.4% vs. 4.4%)"Chlamydia Trachomatis Infections in the United States, What Are They Costing Us?" A. Eugene Washington, R. Johnson, and L. Sanders, Jr. Journal of the American Medical Association, 257(15):2070-2072 April 17,1987.Approximately 30-50 percent of PID episodes are caused by chlamydia trachomatis infection. It is estimated that each year 402,200 episodes of chlamydial PID occur, leading to 1,005,400 outpatient visits 106,900 hospitalizations, 8,050 infertility consultations, 13,900 ectopic pregnancies, and 280 deaths. Other adverse health effects, and estimated direct and indirect costs are discussed. Ed. Note - This report is most significant to the issue of induced abortion as it is implicated in the onset of pelvic inflammatory disease."Therapeutic Abortion and Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection," E. Qvigstag, K. Skaug, F. Jerve, I. Vik and J. Ulstrup, British Journal of Venereal Disease, 58:182-183(1982).In a study of 218 women admitted for legal termination of pregnancy in Oslo, Norway, 30 (13.8 percent) had chlamydia trachomatis in the cervix before abortion. Twenty-one of the 30 patients exhibiting chlamydia trachomatis were followed up three months after their abortions. Seven (23.3 percent) had developed PID, six (20 percent) had developed salpingitis, 17(81 percent) showed detectable chlamydial antibodies. Conclusion: Patients harboring chlamydia trachomatis in the cervix at termination of pregnancy are at high risk of developing post-operative infections. Routine screening in the cervix before surgery is essential."Chlamydial Serology in Infertile Women by Immunofluorescence, R," Punnonen, P. Terho, V. Nikkanen and O. Meurman, Fertility and Sterility, 31(6): 656-659(1979).This study showed the distribution of chlamydial antibody titers among infertile women, pregnant women and women exposed to males with STD. Non-sexually promiscuous women have significantly lower percentages of chlamydial antibodies.Sexually Transmitted Diseases, K.K. Holmes, P.A. Mardh, P.F. Sparling, P.J. Wiesner (McGraw-Hill, 1984) 623Operative procedures such as cervical dilatation, curettage, tubal insufflations and IUD insertions carry a small risk of infectious complications. During the last few decades, the numbers of legal abortions and IUD insertions have reached such proportions that the immediate consequences have influenced the epidemiology of salpingitis."Acute Salpingitis: Aspects on aetiology, diagnosis and prognosis," L. Westrom and P-A Mardh in Genital Infections and their Complications, D. Danielsson et al. eds. (Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International, 1975,) 157-165.In some cases iatrogenic procedures, such as legal abortions and insertion of lUD's, can cause an unrecognized infection in the cervix to spread to the uterine tubes.SOURCE: Abortion RisksRestore after abortion Are You Worried About Infertility after Abortion? -However, as with any medical procedure, there are certain risks involved. In the majority of cases where abortion has impacted fertility, this is been the result of post-operative infection….Any medical procedure carries some degree of risk, and abortion is no exception. The most serious problems occur in those rare instances when a post-operative infection develops. But if a woman has had a significant number of abortions, scar tissue might develop at the top of the cervix or inside the uterus. If this interferes with later attempts to get pregnant, it is often possible to repair this medically. A woman who has had more than one abortion may also have a weakened cervix, due to repeated dilations during the earlier procedures; this could cause difficulty sustaining a pregnancy later on, as the cervix could dilate (open) prematurely. In many cases a weakened or incompetent cervix can be sutured closed for the duration of a pregnancy.Additionally, an abortion can be an emotionally challenging experience for a woman, and this in turn might have an indirect effect on fertility, if she retreats from sexual contact out of feelings of guilt or conflict.SOURCE: justmommies site“…some studies suggest a possible link between pregnancy termination and an increased risk of premature birth and low birth weight.Risks may depend on the type of abortion performed:Medical abortion. Medication is taken in early pregnancy to abort the fetus. Medical abortions do not appear to increase the risk of future pregnancy complications.Surgical abortion. A surgical procedure removes the fetus from the uterus through the vagina. It's typically done using suction and a sharp, spoon-shaped tool (curet). Rarely, this can cause scarring of the uterine wall (Asherman syndrome), which may make it difficult to get pregnant. Women who have multiple surgical abortion procedures may also have more risk of trauma to the cervix.If you have had an abortion and you are concerned about its possible impact on a future pregnancy, talk to yourhealth careprovider. He or she can help you understand the potential risks and the steps you can take to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.”WithYvonne Butler Tobah, M.D.SOURCE: Mayo clinicin rare cases, multiple dilations and curettages (the cleaning out of the uterus, also known as a D&C) can cause scarring at the top of the cervix or inside the uterus. A procedure called hysteroscopy (when a small camera is placed through your cervix into your uterine cavity) can check for this problem and usually repair the scar tissue at the same time.But even if that's not the case for you, you should know that any procedure that dilates the cervix – a necessary step during most abortions – can weaken it.So if you've had more than one abortion and you get pregnant again later on, you may find that you have what's known as an incompetent cervix, a cervix that starts dilating prematurely. This can sometimes be treated with a stitch to keep the cervix closed, called a cerclage.SOURCE: BabycenterResearchers at Tel Aviv University found that women who have just one abortion are more likely to have complications in other pregnancies. The Daily Mail reports that even though most scientists agree that women who have numerous abortions are at greater risk for experiencing pregnancy complications, the new study shows that just one abortion can lead to problems in the future….found that women who have one abortion during the first trimester are 30% more likely to have complications such as pre-term birth, vaginal bleeding, low birth weight and placenta complications with future pregnancies. Additionally, the study found that these women face higher rates of induced labor, retained placenta after delivery and caesarean sections. The results from the study were published in the Journal of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. Dr Liran Hiersch conducted…for his study he analyzed 15,000 deliveries over the last five years. Dr. Hiersch’s research team compared pregnancy outcomes of women who’ve had first trimester abortions with those who have never aborted. Women who had histories or multiple abortions or miscarriages, had complications during pregnancy or a history of multiple births did not participate in the study…he did say that one past abortion did not affect a woman’s chances of getting pregnant in the future.He explained, “In most cases it has no effect on future fertility or pregnancy outcome. In addition, although we found that a single early pregnancy loss was associated with an increased risk for subsequent adverse pregnancy outcome, the effect was mild. Our findings should be taken into account together with other parameters when assessing the risk for adverse outcome. We hope this study will be incorporated in the usual risk assessments. Doctors should know there is another element to factor in when assisting a woman before labour.”Tragically, abortion definitely can contribute to infertility in women because the procedure sometimes causes infections or leaves scar tissue. As LifeNews previously reported, the Mayo Clinic acknowledges that complications from an abortion can cause infertility in some cases. Also, studies in other countries have found that abortion is linked to cervical incompetence, which can lead to preterm birth….Dr Liran Hiersch, who assessed only those women who delivered their first infants and compared them with those who had only one or no pregnancy loss in their past, said: ‘A history of normal pregnancy is considered protective from adverse outcomes, so this group already had an advantage over those who had pregnancy loss in their past.This, I believe, was the main advantage of the methodology of our study in comparison to previous reports.’ Dr Hiersch said it is important to emphasise that a single pregnancy loss is a ‘very common event’ during a woman’s reproductive years.SOURCE: LifeNewsSOURCE: Home (The Life Resources Charitable Trust) ~Abortion and InfertilityThe growing rates of infertility and secondary infertility (infertility after a woman has had one child) can be attributed to many things, but many medical experts and researchers are reluctant to name surgical abortion as a possible causal factor…There is usually a qualifer, however, that says legal abortion should not affect future fertility "where there are no complications."With rising rates of infertility there has been some speculation as to a possible link with damage a woman has experienced with a previous abortionWomen with infertility of 1-5 years' duration after an abortion, have had bone fragments discovered on vaginal ultrasound, and conceived after removal.Foetal tissue left in the womb can rot, leading to infection and sterility.Perforation of the uterus can lead to removal of the uterus.Women with previous or existing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease have a decrease in fertility following an abortion.Multiple abortions and delayed childbearing can lead to infertility.Abortionist Dr George Tiller's website cites the following complications of abortion that can lead to a woman being unable to have children at a later date of her choosing. With first and second trimester abortions:"Another case series with West African women, involved eleven with secondary infertility lasting 2-15 years' duration. All these women had a previous pregnancy termination performed between 10 and 26 weeks gestation. Diagnosis of retained fetal bone was made with transvaginal ultrasound in all cases. Hysteroscopy was then performed to remove the bone fragments, and eight out of the eleven women subsequently conceived spontaneously." 3N.B. The best imaging technique for visualising retained foetal bone, is vaginal ultrasound.Retention of foetal tissueIn a first trimester abortion the doctor sometimes performs what is known as an "incomplete abortion" accidently leaving some tissue in the uterus. When foetal tissue is left behind in the womb it can rot and cause a severe infection that can cause permanent damage to the female reproductive organs. This can result in sterility or miscarriage of future pregnancies.InfectionsWhile many abortion advocates deny future infertility can be due to an abortion, they do mention that it could have resulted from a sexually transmitted infection/disease that was present at the time of the abortion. It is indeed likely that following an abortion the main risk to fertility is the development of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which is an inflammation uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Any use of instruments on the cervix, such as during a D&C, can lead to a greater spread of these organisms and, therefore, the risk of PID.A Scandinavian study found that women with previous or existing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease had a decrease in fertility following an abortion. Acta/Obstetrics and Gyn. Scandinavia 1979; 58:539-42 4Multiple abortionsIn some cases, multiple dilations and curettages (D&C) may cause some scarring at the top of the cervix or inside the uterus. Any procedure that dilates the cervix, which is a necessary step during most abortions, can weaken it. It can affect the ability of an embryo to implant into the uterus or the ability of your cervix to support a pregnancy.Women who have had more than one abortion and get pregnant again later on, may find that they have what's known as an incompetent cervix ? a cervix that starts dilating prematurely.Delaying childbearingSince the mid-1960s there has been a trend, especially among higher educated women, of delaying childbirth while they established their career goals. In order to put off having a child until she is established in her career, has paid off student loans and, perhaps purchased a house many women use abortion as a back-up for contraceptive failure.Quite apart from any possible abortion-related cause, she may simply find that her optimum time for conceiving has come and gone without her realizing it.The Estrogen connectionA growing body of scientific evidence suggests that while a number of factors may be to blame for rising infertility rates, one of the greatest could be because of an an excess of estrogen.An excess of the estrogen hormone can effect ovulation in women and some experts also believe that uterine fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts and infections of the reproductive organs ? all of which can impair fertility in women ? are often the result of estrogen overload.While many experts would agree that excess estrogen can be a causal factor in infertility, most would avoid all suggestion that abortion may also be a contributing cause because of the 'politics' involved.By 7 to 8 weeks gestation, a pregnant woman's blood already contains six times more estradiol (an estrogen hormone) than it did at the time of conception, more than twice the highest level attained in the non-pregnant state.Whereas after pregnancy, many women breastfeed, thus suppressing the production of estrogen, many girls/women may conceive again within 12 months after having an abortion. Having repeat abortions, especially in young females, may well be a reason for future fertility.

I acknowledge Conservative arguments against abortion, which is why I think the Conservative argument, which claims to be “pro-life”, is morally questionable.Sister Joan Chittiser states some of the hypocrisy in the anti-choice arguments more eloquently then I can:For starters, I do not believe that life starts at conception, but that life is a process on a continuum.Conservatives posit that personhood = potential for human life. Any arguments against abortion based solely on “potential” are arguments in favor of taking women’s basic human rights to body autonomy away because a fertilized egg might become a person.Conservatives do not get to play God based on a possibility inside another person’s body, nor do Conservatives get to pretend that a possibility has the same right as a human being does.Ironically, religion does not back up conservative views on abortion because the Bible does not really say anything about abortion.However, the Bible does talk about when life “begins”:Genesis 2:7 - “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”life = breathingExodus 21:22-25 - “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise”A miscarriage is called an injury to the woman, but not a serious injury (according to the Bible). Then, it says that the woman is a life and that killing her is a capital crime.Miscarriages are not considered to be of equal importance compared to the life of the mother.The fetus is seen as an object but not as life. The law of taking and/or harming a life does not apply to the fetus.The law of taking and/or harming a life does apply to women, though, since this passage puts women and their rights over the “rights” of a fetus.The arguments of anti-choiceare are focused on controlling women’s bodies and women in general. If conservatives cared about the “lives” they believed they were protecting in prohibiting abortions, then cutting funding for welfare programs would not occur as millions have been funneled to Foster Care.The foster care system does not differentiate between mothers who live in poverty and children that are abused. There is no system that determines the severity of a home situation.Conservatives seem to be focused on paying people to babysit children that aren't the children’s immediate family as opposed to helping families that live in poverty care for their children. That produces trauma, abandonment issues and a cycle of pain carried on into the next generation.I think it is irresponsible and disturbing where Conservatives lay their priorities. Whether these priorities are a subconscious misunderstanding or are purposeful acts, the theme continues to be about creating a way to make women less empowered and less in control of their lives.Adoption isn't the answer either. Society looks at adoption as a blessing, but the truth is that adoption is a paradox that creates trauma for the adoptee (doesn't matter if the adoptee is adopted hours after birth or years after birth). Society tells adoptees that they should be grateful for the love that caused their predicament.Adoption should not be treated as a solution to a “problem”. The people that do adopt are not adopting in rates that would put a dent in the abortions that currently occur. There would still be hundreds of thousands of children that aren't placed into families.Adoption should not be exploited as a tool to attack women’s rights.Foster Care statistics from 2010: [1]Quick facts on the Foster care system: [2]Tens of thousands of teenagers are released from the foster care system in the United States without high school degrees or strong family relationshipsTwo to four years after discharge, half of these young people still do not have either a high school diploma or equivalency degree, and fewer than ten percent enter college.Nearly a third end up on public assistance within fifteen months, and eventually more than a third will be arrested or convicted of a crime.Mental and physical health of children in foster care: [3]…children placed in foster care, compared with children who experience socioeconomic disadvantages, have a greater likelihood of having mental health problems. For example…children placed in foster care have a greater likelihood of:ADD/ADHD (OR = 3.13; 95% CI = 1.91–5.13)Depression (OR = 4.78; 95% CI = 2.47–9.25)Anxiety (OR = 3.67; 95% CI = 2.11–6.39)Behavioral or conduct problems (OR = 4.14; 95% CI = 2.44–7.03).The results support 3 key conclusions:First, children placed in foster care had more mental and physical health conditions than children not placed in foster care.Twice as likely to have a learning disability and 3 times as likely to have ADD or ADHD.Twice as likely to have asthmaTwice as likely to have speech problems3 times as likely to have hearing problems3 times as likely to vision problems.Differences were even more substantial for other mental health conditions:5 times as likely to have anxiety6 times as likely to have behavioral problems7 times as likely to have depressionSecond…many of the differences in mental health persisted after adjusting for these child and household characteristics, suggesting possible effects of foster care placement on mental health.Third, children placed in foster care were in poor mental and physical health relative to children in virtually every other type of family situation and in children in economically disadvantaged families.The differences in mental health outcomes (ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, behavioral or conduct problems) were statistically significant.Additionally, the results show that children adopted from foster care had worse health than their counterparts placed in foster care.These differences could be driven partially by the fact that children in foster care only become available for adoption after parental rights have been terminatedChildren who are in foster care are in significantly worse mental and physical health than children in the general population.As such, they are indeed a highly vulnerable population of children, something that both previous research and their histories of maltreatment implied, but that has never been demonstrated before.Yet the implications for pediatricians are also important because they suggest that foster care placement is a risk factor for health problems in childhood.Conservatives routinely cut entitlement programs for families. These families are then incapable of buying food for their children. Because these families can not put food on the table, their children are taken away. Conservatives would rather pay billions for the foster care system then to help families living in poverty - how is this rational?The federal government spends $29 billion dollars on the foster care system each year (this combines state and federal money). [4] [5]For 2012, the income levels to be eligible for certain anti-poverty programs was $11,170 for a single person and $23,050 for a family of four.Being slightly above either income prevents government welfare. Most families do not receive the help they need, yet the foster care is readily funded.Adoptions in the U.S. in 2015: [6]Comparatively, 699,202 abortions were done in the United States in 2012. [7]The foster care system is already overburdened. So what do Conservatives logically expect to happen?By forcing a woman to give birth against her will, what then?Women represent ~20% of the spots in government. [8] The rest are men. One of the things that prevent women from achieving equality is society's pressure on women to be housewives and to have children.The sexist views on women would absolutely change or be irrelevant if more women were in government positions.Since the U.S. is currently ranked at the 45th spot out of 144 countries for gender equality by the World Economic Report, [9] I think Conservatives have a lot of soul searching to do.I would also like to look at the lack of effort put into guaranteeing that fathers do not leave their children.Many people want to force motherhood. Many of those people are flippant about fatherhood.If motherhood is not a choice, but fatherhood is a choice, how can Conservatives take their arguments seriously?Child Support Statistics: [10]In 2002, an estimated 13.4 million parents had custody of 21.5 million children under 21 years of age whose other parent lived somewhere else. About 5 of every 6 custodial parents were mothers (84.4 percent) and 1 in 6 were fathers (15.6 percent).Of the 13.4 million custodial parents in April 2002:7.9 million custodial parents had some type of support agreement or award for their children, and5.5 million custodial parents had no child support agreements.Child Support Owed: [11]The most common amount of child support due to custodial mothers is $4,800 annually, of which $2,500 is typically received (52 percent)Moms who are owed child support outnumber dads almost 9 to 1.Custodial dads who don’t receive the child support they’re due have an average household income that is $9,749 higher than dads who do get child support.For custodial moms, it’s a completely different story: Those who don’t receive the child support they’ve been awarded have a household income that’s $4,132 lower than moms who do.The average household income of a dad who doesn’t get the child support money he’s due is $51,791. For moms, that figure is $26,231.In 2011, 31.8 percent of custodial mothers were living in poverty — the figure for custodial fathers is half that.Custodial dads are also more likely than custodial moms to receive non-cash support from the other parent. That means that moms who don’t have custody are more likely to pitch in for things like groceries, medical expenses, clothes and giftsCustodial mothers were more likely than custodial fathers to have two or more children living with them (45.3 percent and 33.7 percent, respectively).Let’s consider for a moment a separate group of custodial parents: those who weren’t awarded child support in the first place:Then there’s another system called the IV-D program, which was established in 1975 to help custodial parents get the money they’re owed by giving the state the right to collect child support payments. Families in the IV-D program are more likely to be “moms on welfare,” according to Osborne.How many pregnancies occur from rape each year?There aren’t enough statistics, records or studies done on this topic (shocking). Nor does there seem to be a collective consensus: [12]A 1996 Medical University of South Carolina analysis of the federally-funded 1990-92 National Women’s Study of 3,031 women over 18. The analysis concluded that among rape victims aged 12 to 45, 5 percent of rapes resulted in pregnancies, and, using the study’s figure of 683,000 "forcible rapes" in 1990, estimated that "there may be 32,101 rape-related pregnancies annually among American women older than 18 years."A 2000 article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, using the 1996 analysis’ estimated rate of 5 percent pregnancies from rape, assumed a 50 percent drop in rapes since 1992 to reach an estimate of 25,000 pregnancies from rape in 1998.The NARAL Pro Choice America fact sheet attributes its 25,000 figure to the 2000 article.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t keep data on pregnancy due to rape, nor does the U.S. Department of Justice…spokesman Greg Phillips at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the 32,000 figure is "the best estimate we have now."March 2013 federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report, "Female Victims of Sexual Violence, 1994-2010," compiled statistics from the National Crime Victimization Survey showing that average annual completed rapes dropped 65 percent from 402,000 in 1995 to 143,300 in 2010.Using the method the 1996 and 2000 researchers did -- multiplying the rape counts by the 5 percent pregnancy rate -- we calculated that there could have been 20,100 pregnancies from rape in 1995 and many fewer, 7,165, in 2010.On the other hand, Kilpatrick disagreed with the results of the federal survey, which he said misses most rape cases in large part because its questions are framed in the context of crime and can leave doubt about exactly what’s being asked.He and his colleagues estimated higher numbers of rapes in the 1990-92 survey and in a 2007 follow-up, estimating in both studies that only about 17 percent of rapes were reported. In fact, their data showed a 61 percent increase from 1990 to 2006, from 683,000 to 1.1 million rapes.In 2011, according to the FBI’s most recent finalized rape statistics, 83,425 forcible rapes were reported to law enforcement. Multiplying that by the 5 percent rate suggests 4,171 pregnancies resulting from reported rapes that year.If that FBI figure represented about 20 percent of rapes committed, in line with Kilpatrick’s research, the total would be 417,125 rapes. Applying the 5 percent pregnancy rate suggests about 20,900 pregnancies could have resulted from rape in 2011.So, applying the 5% rate to the above numbers, the possibilities of pregnancies caused by rape vary greatly. But, what can be noted is that more specific questioning of women being surveyed produce higher numbers, and possibly more accurate results.Here are the following possibilities for pregnancies caused by rape: [19]3,200 -- From national anti-sexual-violence organization.7,165 -- Our calculation with federal data for 2010 released in 2013.20,900 -- Our calculation with FBI reported-rape data for 2011, adjusting for assumption that only 20 percent of rapes were reported.32,000 -- Based on 1990 study but still in use by the obstetricians and gynecologists’ group.50,000 -- Kilpatrick’s estimate based on 2007 and 2010 research showing approximately 1 million rapes.A lot of conservatives don’t even see pro choice as an option for women who have been raped. Why?The other arguments is that women are just careless and should use condoms or take birth control. This argument doesn’t add up either, especially since no pressure is put on men to be responsible about condoms (and why does male birth control not exist?)Failure rates in contraceptives that result in a pregnancy: [13]Hormonal implant: 1 out of 100The shot: 1 out of 100Transdermal patch: 1 out of 100Progestin-only pills (mini-pills): 9 out of 100Vaginal ring: 9 out of 100Hormonal IUD: 1 out of 100Copper IUD: 1 out of 100Male Condom: 18 out of 100Female Condom: 21 out of 100Vasectomy: 1 out of 100Tubal Ligation/tubal implants: 1 out of 100Who gets abortions? [14]Approximately 926,200 abortions were performed in 2014, down 12% from 1.06 million in 2011.In 2014, some 1.5% of women aged 15–44 had an abortion.The abortion rate in 2014 was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, down 14% from 16.9 per 1,000 in 2011.[2] This is the lowest rate ever observed in the United States.In 1973, the year abortion became legal, the rate was 16.317% of abortion patients in 2014 identified as mainline ProtestantMore than half of all U.S. abortion patients in 2014 were in their 20s:Patients aged 20–24 obtained 34% of all abortionspatients aged 25–29 obtained 27%12% of abortion patients in 2014 were adolescents:Those aged 18–19 accounted for 8% of all abortions15–17-year-olds for 3% and those younger than 15 for 0.2%.59% of abortions in 2014 were obtained by patients who had had at least one birthSome 75% of abortion patients in 2014 were poor or low-income.26% of patients had incomes of 100–199% of the federal poverty level49% had incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level ($15,730 for a family of two)The three most common reasons—each cited by three-fourths of patients—were:Concern for or responsibility to other individualsThe inability to afford raising a childBelief that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents.Half said they did not want to be a single parent or were having problems with their husband or partner.51% of abortion patients in 2008 were using a contraceptive method in the month they became pregnant, most commonly condoms (27%) or a hormonal method (17%)LAW AND POLICYThe Hyde Amendment, in effect since 1977, essentially bans federal dollars from being used for abortion coverage for women insured by Medicaid, the nation’s main public health insurance program for low-income Americans.Similar restrictions apply to other federal programs and operate to deny abortion care or coverage to women with disabilities, Native Americans, prison inmates, poor women in the District of Columbia, military personnel and federal employees.Although the Hyde Amendment bars federal funds from being used to provide Medicaid coverage of abortion, states may use their own, nonfederal funds.Seventeen states have a policy requiring the state to provide abortion coverage under Medicaid, but just 15 appear to be doing so in practice.As of January 1, 2017, at least half of the states have imposed at least one of five major abortion restrictions­:unnecessary regulations on abortion clinicsmandated counseling designed to dissuade a woman from obtaining an abortiona mandated waiting period before an abortiona requirement of parental involvement before a minor obtains an abortionprohibition on the use of state Medicaid funds to pay for medically necessary abortions.In 2014, some 76% of abortion patients were able to obtain an abortion within seven days of calling to book an appointment.The 7% of abortion patients who had to wait more than 14 days between booking an appointment and obtaining the procedure were more likely to have been exposed to disruptive life events or to live in a state with a required waiting period.In 2000, a total of 13 states had at least four types of major abortion restrictions and so were considered hostile to abortion rightsBy 2016, this category included 27 states.The proportion of U.S. women of reproductive age living in hostile states rose from 31% to 57% during this time period.In contrast, the number of states that were supportive of abortion rights fell from 17 to 12 between 2000 and 2016.The proportion of women of reproductive age living in supportive states declined from 40% to 30% over this period.War on Women: [15]Restrictions of access to get abortionsBirth control restrictionsDefunding Planned Parenthood (restricts ability to get medical attention/check ups)Violence against WomenIn 2014, Michigan law prohibited all public and most private insurers from covering abortions including in cases of rape and incest.It requires women to buy separate insurance and has been called "rape insurance" by opponents because of the possibility that women will need to have separate insurance for an abortion resulting from rapeSexual assault in the military - comment by GOP member:Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia was criticized for saying that part of the cause of the sexual assault was young officers' "hormone level created by nature".Violence against Women Act:The renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides for community violence prevention programs and battered women's shelters, was fiercely opposed by conservative Republicans in 2012.The Act was originally passed in 1994 and has been reauthorized by Congress twice.Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, who has previously voted against renewal of the Act, said the bill was a distraction from a small business bill.Discrimination in the workplace:In April 2012, Governor Scott Walker repealed Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement ActThe Equal Pay Enforcement Act was passed in 2009 in response to the large gap between the wages of men and women in Wisconsin.Among other provisions, it allowed workplace discrimination victims redress in the less costly and more accessible state court system, rather than in federal court.These bullet points are just some of the reasons why I think that the argument from Conservatives about abortion is motivated by sexism, not morality.Conservatives fight for a clump of cells but 31 states in the U.S. let rapists sue for custody.Conservatives fight for a fertilized egg but cut funding for Planned Parenthood even though only ~3% of what Planned Parenthood actually does is provide legal abortions (which are not funded by the government).Conservatives try to give personhood to a zygote but the U.S. is the only industrialized democracy that has not passed CEDAW or the Equal Rights Amendment - is that not important?Conservatives give platforms to the likes of Todd Atkins who says that if a woman was really raped her body “shut that down” and pregnancy would not occur as he pushed to pass anti abortion laws…yet conservatives claim to be “pro-life”.Please tell me, when will conservatives collectively start treating women - and other marginalized groups - like we have personhood?In summary, the Conservative obsession over uteruses is misogynistic and rooted solely in unfounded religious beliefs that help ensure the status quo of white heterosexual male hierarchy. I do not see the ethics or logic. I see a thinly veiled war against women and exploitation of women.Conservatives disagree with the following:Motherhood is not a duty that is automatically determined by genitalia.Motherhood should not be forced.Anti-choice is a modern day message of The Scarlet Letter. I refuse to pretend any of the Conservative arguments are valid or rational because nothing I see shows a collective effort to care about lives.I think Conservatives believe that sperm fertilizing an egg is superior to the rights of women; I will not humor this flawed thinking.Footnotes[1] Adoption Statistics[2] Beyond The Foster Care System[3] Mental and Physical Health of Children in Foster Care[4] https://childwelfaresparc.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/child-welfare-financing-in-the-united-states-final.pdf[5] Anti-poverty spending could give poor $22,000 checks, Rep. Paul Ryan says[6] Adoption Statistics[7] Abortion Surveillance - United States, 2012[8] See How Many Men There Are for Each Woman in U.S. Government[9] Economies[10] Child Support Statistics and Trends - FindLaw[11] Are Moms Less Likely Than Dads To Pay Child Support?[12] Surveys show wide disagreement on number of rape-related pregnancies per year[13] Effectiveness Rate of Birth Control Methods-Topic Overview[14] Induced Abortion in the United States[15] War on Women - Wikipedia

Thanks for the question. I have listed your points, underlined them, and then discussed them.Minority rights would include:the right of poor black people to vote• Where was the Obama Justice Department when The New Black Panthers blocked a polling place in Philadelphia, November, 2008? Here's Your "Black Panther at Philadelphia Polling Place" Photothe right of poor women to get an abortion• In 2008, approximately 1.21 million abortions took place in the U.S., down from an estimated 1.29 million in 2002, 1.31 million in 2000 and 1.36 million in 1996. From 1973 through 2008, nearly 50 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. (AGI).Based on available state-level data, an estimated 1.16 million abortions were performed in 2009, 1.13 million were performed in 2010, and 1.06 million in 2011.In 2009, the highest number of reported abortions occurred in New York (119,996), Florida (81,918) and Texas (77,630); the fewest occurred in Wyoming (≤20), South Dakota (769) and North Dakota (1,290) (CDC).The 2009 abortion ratios by state ranged from a low of 57 abortions per 1,000 live births in Mississippi (Wyoming had too few abortions for reliable tabulation) to a high of 713 abortions per 1,000 live births in NYC (CDC).The annual number of legal induced abortions in the United States doubled between 1973 and 1979, and peaked in 1990. There was a slow but steady decline through the 1990's. Overall, the number of annual abortions decreased by 6% between 2000 and 2009, with temporary spikes in 2002 and 2006 (CDC).The US abortion rate is similar to those of Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden but higher than those of other Western European countries (NAF).In 1998, the last year for which estimates were made, more than 23% of legal induced abortions were performed in California (CDC). (Not a bastion of Conservatives.)In 2005, the abortion rate in the United States was higher than recent rates reported for Canada and Western European countries and lower than rates reported for China, Cuba, the majority of Eastern European countries, and certain Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (CDC).Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended; about 4 in 10 of these are terminated by abortion. Twenty-two percent of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion. (AGI). U.S. Abortion Statisticsthe right of gay people to get married• There is no law preventing civil contracts which have the same affect as marriage. Last I knew, marriage is still defined as between a man and a women.the right for affirmative action to overcome the injustice of the past• The SCOTUS case in Texas in June , 2013: The Supreme Court avoided a sweeping ruling on affirmative action in a closely watched case involving the University of Texas, sending the case back to a lower court for a new review.""This decision begins the restoration of the original colorblind principles to our nation's civil-rights laws," said Edward Blum, an opponent of racial preferences who financed the lawsuit through his Project on Fair Representation. Page on WsjI find that minority rights are important when equality is discussed, not "fairness". There is no ownership by one party over the other on these issues. There are though, and always will be, people of all political stripes who do not interpret "fairness" as being met until they get their way.The recent Zimmerman-Martin case in Florida highlights this debate and may be the genesis of this question. The State of Florida, the last I checked, is still sovereign and has the right to enact state laws that are amenable to and by their electorate. The case was tried as self-defense and it was not about "Stand Your Ground". Now some people want to change the law. The federal government, led by President Obama and Attorney General Holder, should be uniters in this case. They know the sting of racism, which has been claimed in this case-where none was found. They find it necessary to tacitly condone protests when they should be encouraging dialogue. Dialogue, as in this question, for equal results, not "fair" results.Where is the compassion of our elected high officials? We are all engaged in these race issues, education issues, poverty issues, voting rights, and more. The last time any debate was resolved properly, it involved an exchange of issues and ideas. A debate on the facts. A resolution to move things forward and improve everyone's life. It is not about "fairness", it is about equality.