SYS_HYPERTEXT; World Family Policy Center Newsletter
* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *
Volume 4 Issue 49 - December 19, 2005
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Quote of the Day:
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Today's Contents:
A. Featured Articles
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B. Coming Events:
• World Congress of Families IV - Warsaw, Poland
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FEATURED ARTICLES
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1. In Australia one in four pregnancies terminated
The Australian
Clara Pirani and Patricia Karvelas
December 14, 2005
THE first national abortion figures show more than 84,000 pregnancies are terminated each year, or one in four pregnancies.
The 2003 figure shows the rate of abortion is less than the controversial figure of 100,000 used by anti-abortion Health Minister Tony Abbott.
And young women aged 20-24 have more than one abortion for every two live births, according to the figures provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The report analysed the data from public and private hospitals and some private clinics.
Late-term abortions, performed after 20 weeks, were uncommon, the report found, with only 325 recorded. Almost 95 per cent were performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.
Women in their early 20s were most likely to have an abortion, with 32 in every 1000 between the age of 20-24 having an abortion compared with six in every 1000 in the 40-44 age group.
Women's Forum Australia spokeswoman Melinda Tankard Reist said too many women underwent terminations without prior advice, accusing abortion clinics of failing to inform women about the physical and psychological risks of the procedure.
Ms Tankard Reist welcomed the Howard Government's decision to provide Medicare funding for abortion counselling.
"There is significant evidence that women often feel rushed into a quick decision to terminate, without having fully explored other options," she said. "Professional, objective counselling, independent of the vested interests of abortion providers, is essential.
"These figures, which are unacceptably high, point to the urgent need to address the conditions that often compel women to have terminations."
However, Cait Calcutt, co-ordinator of pro-choice counselling service Children by Choice, said counselling should not be used to pressure women into continuing with an unwanted pregnancy.
To read entire article:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0%2C5744%2C17562237%25255E2702%2C00.html
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2. Norway study: Abortion can cause guilt and shame years later
Lyndsay Moss
December 12, 2005
WOMEN who have an abortion can suffer mental distress, anxiety, guilt and shame five years later, and perhaps longer, researchers have found.
A study in Norway compared a group of 40 women who suffered a miscarriage with 80 who chose to have an abortion, questioning them ten days, six months, two years and five years after the event.
The team found that women who had a miscarriage suffered more mental distress up to six months after losing their babies compared with those who had an abortion. But women who had an abortion experienced more mental distress long afterwards compared with the miscarriage group.
The Oslo University researchers said both sets of women should be given information about the psychological effects of losing a baby.
Pro-life campaigners said the research confirmed the emotional consequences of having an abortion could be massive.
To read entire article:
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=2387382005
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3. Tempers flare as ban on gay marriage report is released
By JOELLE FARRELL
Concord Monitor
December 02. 2005
A commission studying same-sex marriage released its final report Thursday, with a majority of members calling for a constitutional ban on gay marriage and a minority calling the commission's work "nearly a complete failure" and "a disgrace".
The report was presented at a press conference marked by angry outbursts from the commission's chairman, Rep. Tony Soltani, and another member, the tone similar to many of the commission's meetings during the past 16 months.
The goal of the commission, which was formed in 2004 after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, was to examine the legal implications of recognizing gay couples. Currently, state law defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman and does not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The commission's report serves as a recommendation to the Legislature, which could then take action.
House Speaker Douglas Scamman said he hasn't read the report yet, but he hopes further discussion on same-sex marriage will proceed differently.
"I'm glad that the commission is done," he said. "Hopefully the House and the Senate will receive it in a more orderly fashion than some of the meetings went."
Some lawmakers have suggested amending the state's constitution to forbid same-sex marriages. Unlike state law, such a measure could not be overturned by the courts. Advocates on both sides of the issue say an amendment is unlikely to pass.
The majority of the 15-member commission decided that heterosexual married couples make the best parents and that gay marriage is not a civil rights issue because the majority believes that homosexuality is a choice, not a biological predisposition.
The report states that marriage "is not merely a private commitment of two people, but a complex web of relationships and principles that bring a man and a woman together for the purpose of raising children."
The report also lays out differences between heterosexual and homosexual relationships that justifies limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. For example, same-sex couples cannot procreate on their own, and historically, "no great civilization has afforded same sex couples legal recognition equivalent to marriage," according to the report.
To read entire report:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/REPOSITORY/512020312/1031
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COMING EVENTS
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WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES IV
Warsaw, Poland - 2007
Meeting in Rockford, Illinois (October 23-25), a planning committee of the World Congress of Families chose Warsaw, Poland as the site of the 4th World Congress. The Warsaw Congress will be held in May, 2007.
The Polish Federation of Pro-Life Movements, an organization with over 130 affiliates throughout the nation, will serve as the local host for WCF IV.
For more information: http://www.profam.org/press/thc.pr.051027.htm
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Note: The Featured Articles excerpts are highlights of current events and
do not necessarily represent the views of the World Family Policy Center
or Brigham Young University.
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Newsletter created and distributed by:
World Family Policy Center
J. Reuben Clark Law School
Brigham Young University
Managing Director: Richard Wilkins
Executive Director: A. Scott Loveless
Newsletter Editors: Joy S. Lundberg and Gary B. Lundberg
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