SHARON OSBOURNE was still so angry with her mother for pressuring her into an abortion, she refused to attend her funeral.

Osbourne - the wife of rocker OZZY - became pregnant when she was 17 but her mother HOPE ARDON convinced her to undergo a termination.

Following the abortion the rock manager-turned talent show judge suffered complications which led to three miscarriages, and she still blames her mother - who died in 1998.

She says, "I didn't get on with my mother. I didn't want to see her alive so why would I want to see her buried?"

26/09/2005 18:00

Perhaps Sharon's mum conditioned her to think this way.

I don't see why they felt the need to make their personal end-of-life "decision" public.

Nor do I see a reason for you posting this. I wouldn't consider the Osbournes to be an authority on anything, much less end-of-life matters or on morality.

Rae, true. They do let their dogs potty all over their house. They are both a bit "out there."

What they let their dogs do is irrelevant.

I think both of them (based on what I saw from their old TV show) are very lax in disciplining their kids. I mean, if I talked to my parents the way those kids talked to their parents I'd be smacked so hard my future children would be bruised (exaggeration folks...).

Eh, regardless of their parenting (or lack there of...) I don't see why people pay attention to some of what I call "uncontrollable verbal diarrhea" some celebrities seem to have. Most celebrities say very stupid things and should be ignored, yet people harp on said comments like no tomorrow.

Done ranting.

Yes, just like Ms. Magazine had celebrities sign the "We had abortions" petition. Like that somehow makes abortion more acceptable....My rant.

Why are we giving these lunatics attention? They are so unbelievably narcissistic they think the world can't wait for their next utterance of the divinely ridiculous.....by the fact that this got posted here I'm a-feared they are right.

My guess that the reason Jill posted this was because she was probably sick of posting about Aurora.

But who knows...I'm willing to bet somewhere there is a connection between the idiocy of the Osbournes and Aurora somewhere.

I think maybe they have already lost their minds and should have had their bags packed already.

rosie, LOL!

uh... I hate to state the obvious, but isn't Ozzie already to the point where his brain is *affected*????

Sue, yes. I was reading the Motley Crue book. Ozzy once snorted ants out of sidewalk crack through a straw. It was meant to be funny..OUCH! I actually feel bad for the guy. I think he's fried.

Among the contributors is Margot Kidder, who underwent an illegal abortion in a motel room ? performed with a can of Lysol. Whoopi Goldberg performed an abortion on herself with a coat hanger in a park when she was just 14 years old.

Why would women go to such extremes, risking their lives and their fertility with such actions? Anne Archer, who went to Mexico to get an abortion, sums up the feelings shared by many of the others when she writes:

I had that abortion because I viewed having a child at that time as an end to my life. All of my hopes and dreams for myself would have had to be put aside. I had planned and worked hard all my life to be an actress. While I loved my boyfriend, I certainly didn?t feel ready to make the major decision that his was the boy with whom I should spend the rest of my life. And I know that I certainly wasn?t emotionally ready to give full-time attention and nurturing to a young child that each and every one so rightly deserves

oops, I cut off the top of that post. It's about a book called, "The Choices We Made." I found the info on Whoopi Goldberg. I found it fitting since this post mentioned celebrities. I love Anne Archer as an actress, but look at how selfish her reason was for having an illegal abortion. It's all about her! If Whoopi Goldberg had mastered the coat hanger abortion, then why do we need abortion clinics? She was a medical whiz at age 14.

You know that in the early 1900's, lysol was often used as a douche? PAIN!!!

heather- Whoopi wasn't a medical whiz- she was lucky.

Heather,

You quoted:

I had that abortion because I viewed having a child at that time as an end to my life. All of my hopes and dreams for myself would have had to be put aside. I had planned and worked hard all MY life to be an actress. While I loved my boyfriend, I certainly didn?t feel ready to make the major decision that his was the boy with whom I should spend the rest of my life. And I know that I certainly wasn?t emotionally ready to give full-time attention and nurturing to a young child that each and every one so rightly deserves

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 2:44 PM

People don't realize how much you get from giving.

Nothing will leave you more empty than living entirely for some material goal.

Erin -

"You know that in the early 1900's, lysol was often used as a douche? PAIN!!!"

AAAHHHHH!!!! I've never heard that before. I'm in pain just thinking about it! ewwww.

"heather- Whoopi wasn't a medical whiz- she was lucky. "

She was very lucky. I thought the coat hanger abortion was just part of her stand-up routines years ago. It was really true!?

valerie, I don't think it's true at all. I had to look very hard to find it. I have heard her make that claim before, and this is why you always see her at the PC rallies, with a coat hanger in hand. The truth is that Goldberg went on to have several legal abortions. Is she going for shock value?.....I wonder.

Lysol was used as birth control too.
http://www.mum.org/Lysol48.htm

If Goldberg had done this, how did things go so smoothly? Didn't anybody at the park notice this 14 year old child inserting a hanger into her vagina? What, no complications? Did she just trot home when it was over with? What did she do with the remains of the baby? Wouldn't you think that there would be a lot of bleeding? Something stinks with this story.

Milehi, OMG! I'm pretty sure that Kidder had to be hospitalized.

The history of abortion is a history of stories, and the ones that took place before Roe v. Wade are oftentimes so pitiable and heartbreaking that one of the most powerful tools of pro-choice advocates is simply telling them. The Choices We Made is a compendium of such stories, and while you could read it in an afternoon, you should not make the decision to do so lightly: It will trouble you for a long time afterward. In it, women whom we know for the large space they occupy in the world—writers Grace Paley, Linda Ellerbee, and Ursula K. Le Guin, and actresses Polly Bergen and Rita Moreno among them—tell us about a time in their lives when they were reduced to begging for a simple medical procedure that, because of the circumstances in which it was performed, almost killed several of them and left at least one infertile. Abortionists in those days included a handful of merciful and scrupulous doctors willing to risk prison, and more than a few monsters who considered groping or sexually assaulting their patients a droit du seigneur. Who would complain? And who didn’t have it coming? In those days, it was not uncommon for a woman to receive a D & C without anesthetic shortly after being lectured about the wages of being a slut.

okay, here is a post about illegal abortion.

homeAbortion doctor gets 34 years for sex abuse of patients

Jan. 2, 2004 11:10 AM

Jurors in the Brian Finkel case deliberated for 14 days before returning a mixed verdict.

Brian Finkel, a once prominent Phoenix abortion doctor, was sentenced to more than 34 years in prison Friday for sexually abusing patients over a span of nearly two decades in his high-profile practice.

Finkel was also ordered to register as a sex offender and placed on lifetime probation should he serve out his 34¾ -year prison sentence.

A jury convicted the 54-year-old physician last month on 22 counts of sex abuse. It also acquitted him of 34 more counts, including six of the more serious charges of sexual assault.

The sentencing comes after three months of emotion-packed testimony from 32 victims who said the doctor pinched their breasts, or kissed or fondled them during examinations. He denied the charges.

Jurors deliberated 15 days before reaching their verdict. They refused to talk about how they reached the verdict.

Finkel, who performed more than 30,000 abortions over the past 20 years, had become a national figure in the 1990s. He often appeared on network talk shows denouncing the growing violence of abortion protesters, who he compared to terrorists. He wore a bullet-proof vest and patrolled his Phoenix abortion clinic with a gun, saying they were necessary to protect himself and his clients from attacks.
____________________________________________________________________________
By From Staff Reports
East Valley Tribune
Updated: 1:50 p.m. ET Jan. 02, 2004
Valley abortion doctor Brian Finkel was sentenced today to 34 3/4 years for the sexual abuse of
13 women.

Finkel, 53, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court after jurors found him guilty on 22 counts of sexual abuse.

He was acquitted on 34 other sexual offenses and jurors were unable to reach verdicts on four other counts. The jury found Finkel either fondled the breasts or rubbed the genitals of 13 women who went to him as far back as 1986 for abortions or gynecological examinations.

Before grand jury indictments in October 2001 and January 2002 effectively ended his practice, Finkel was an outspoken abortion provider who railed against the anti-abortion movement and even other abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood, which he called "feminine separatists."

He performed abortions with a handgun in a shoulder holster, which he carried after being assaulted by anti-abortion protesters, and his Phoenix clinic was a fortress of magnetically locked doors and bulletproof glass that was situated to be difficult for protesters to get near.

The beginning of the end of Finkel's 30-year practice came in March 2000 when a 39-year-old Scottsdale woman who visited him for an abortion, reported to police that Finkel groped her breasts as she was waking from anesthesia, according to court testimony and records.

The case eventually fell into the hands of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which found other police reports with similar claims by patients.

Media attention on the investigation brought out other women, and eventually two grand juries returned indictments totaling 67 counts and 35 accusers. Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley said there were 70 other women who made allegations but weren't part of the prosecution.

© 2005 EadsHome Ministries
All materials produced by EadsHome Ministries are free for your use as long as a profit is not made.
Materials copyrighted to others are specifically noted and linked.

Here is a post about legal abortion. What's changed?

Here is what I think. We legalized the criminal activity, and we moved the back ally to the front. We gave "Chester the Molester" his own office, and we put him in a white coat. That's it.

Heather,

You quoted:

I had that abortion because I viewed having a child at that time as an end to my life. All of my hopes and dreams for myself would have had to be put aside. I had planned and worked hard all MY life to be an actress. While I loved my boyfriend, I certainly didn?t feel ready to make the major decision that his was the boy with whom I should spend the rest of my life. And I know that I certainly wasn?t emotionally ready to give full-time attention and nurturing to a young child that each and every one so rightly deserves

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 2:44 PM

People don't realize how much you get from giving.

Nothing will leave you more empty than living entirely for some material goal.

Posted by: hippie at October 8, 2007 3:17 PM
.......................................................

You find the ability to earn a living, the ability to support children, the desire to properly parent as material goals? I guess that's better than immaterial goals eh?

Sally, Anne Archer could have given her baby up for adoption. She still could have lived her dreams. She made a poor choice by having sex with a man who she didn't want to have a child with.

Ever seen the Hemlock Society's stuff?

Just scary!

Heather,

Thank you so much for saying,

"Sally, Anne Archer could have given her baby up for adoption. She still could have lived her dreams. She made a poor choice by having sex with a man who she didn't want to have a child with."

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 7:24 PM

Why isn't adoption more attractive to someone who says each and every child deserves full time attention and nurturing? Yet that same person thinks killing the child is the best alternative if she can personally do a great job right now.

On one hand the child deserves love and devotion and on the other hand doesn't even deserve to live. No middle ground?

typo,

should read:

if she can not personally...

hippie, I agree. I have a few friends who are adopted. I'm glad that they are here, and they have good lives. How is it easier to murder when someone out there would love a child? Anne Archer is also a huge PP supporter.

She's also making another mistake by supporting PP.

Sally, Anne Archer could have given her baby up for adoption. She still could have lived her dreams. She made a poor choice by having sex with a man who she didn't want to have a child with.

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 7:24 PM

.....................................

Ummm ok. You have lived inside of this woman's skin and know this about her. Well no. You wish to read a cliff note over her life and pronounce judgement. Quite foolish and very lazy thinking heather.

If Goldberg had done this, how did things go so smoothly? Didn't anybody at the park notice this 14 year old child inserting a hanger into her vagina? What, no complications? Did she just trot home when it was over with? What did she do with the remains of the baby? Wouldn't you think that there would be a lot of bleeding? Something stinks with this story.

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 5:45 PM
...................................

Ask your grandma for an honest accouting of her times and her peer's experiences. If she paid any attention. If you have ever met one of them.

Here is what I think. We legalized the criminal activity, and we moved the back ally to the front. We gave "Chester the Molester" his own office, and we put him in a white coat. That's it.

Posted by: heather at October 8, 2007 6:20 PM
..................................
Criminalizing an 'activity' that was previously legal and then rescinding the criminalization isn't legalizing a criminal activity. It's recalling bad law.

I really think there is more to it. I think it is a control thing. If you get pregnant when you are not planning on it, you feel out of control. In modern life we have become accustomed to controlling so many things that we feel like idiots when something happens to us that we should be able to control. We either sue the person we blame or we make excuses, or try to cover it up. I think abortion is kind of a cover it up thing. I hear people say that women don't admit to abortions, even Ms. magzine says women should talk about it. I mean since you can give up the child for adoption, and the gov't will help with prenatal and obstetric care, there have to be other forces at play.
Pressure from others of course. Being legal is another form of subtle pressure. Also there is the walking around pregnant advertising that the guy who got you pregnant could care less about you. I mean that has to hurt someone's self esteem. Abortion is a way to escape from the reality.

I'm sure someone out there will say I've got it all wrong, that these guys are begging to marry these women, offering child support, promising anything under the sun just to change her mind to keeping the baby or give him for adoption, but I'm skeptical.

hippie, I agree. Also, I think that a lot of women who abort remain staunch supporters of abortion, because they feel that they have to. It's easier to stay in denial when you're wrong. Denial is a natural defense mechanism. We have all experienced it. How else could women support an organization that is killing, molesting, and maiming women? Let's not forget that they are killing female babies[women] as well.

I applaud the women who admit that they were wrong, and they turn away from abortion. Admit you made a mistake, and own that action. That's when healing will begin.

Heather, once again you display uncanny ignorance as to the real issue. A lot of women who have had an abortion remain staunch supporters of it because they actually (gasp!) are in favor of reproductive freedom for women!

I would just like to say (I know I'll be eaten alive, but I don't particularly care) that I sympathize with Sharon's sentiments. I have actually made someone promise me that if I ever get Alzheimer's to kill me. Nothing terrifies me more than the idea of losing my memory and losing who I am.

However, now that I know of this "assisted suicide flat" in Switzerland, I may not have to hold him to his promise...

Ozzy rocks.

What's the big deal if he and his wife choose thusly? Geez...

Doug

"A lot of women who have had an abortion remain staunch supporters of it because they actually (gasp!) are in favor of reproductive freedom for women!"

Now thats ignorant!

My mother-in -law has Alzheimer's disease, we take care of her once in a while. There are many new drugs that help slow the progression...and she know whats going on, its just that the connections are broken.

Leah,

I think no one wants to think of losing their capacity. I know I don't want to. I don't have a pat answer. There can also be potential for abuse when you lose control. If you linger, it could be hard for you, and your relatives. If you are in a care setting, your care could be less than caring. If you sign up for suicide and someone else is more or less in control because your condition has deteriorated, you could still be vulnerable. There are no guarantees. It is scary to think, but it is inevitable for many of us in the future. I think that people sometimes feel that they have to control and manage these contigencies, when the truth is they may not be able to have their wishes respected. I think there is a real emotional struggle to stay in control.

Yeah, Jasper. It's ignorant to think that women support reproductive freedom and choices. How stupid of me (NOTE: blatant sarcasm).

And I don't want the progression to be slowed. IF I get Alzheimer's (I pray I won't) I want the progression to be stopped. Quickly. By a swift death. I don't want to suffer. My best friend's grandfather has Alzheimer's and in his brief stints of lucidity he begs to die.

I NEVER want to have to do that.

Hippie: Thank you for your sentiments. You are right. Absolutely correct.

"A lot of women who have had an abortion remain staunch supporters of it because they actually (gasp!) are in favor of reproductive freedom for women!"

Now thats ignorant!

My mother-in -law has Alzheimer's disease, we take care of her once in a while. There are many new drugs that help slow the progression...and she know whats going on, its just that the connections are broken.

Posted by: jasper at October 8, 2007 9:12 PM

Somehow I don't think that you change your MIL"s diapers Jasper. Taking care of her once in a while doesn't relate to being pregnant 'all the time' or you wouldn't have the time to be hanging on this board like a mindless asshole that is avoiding responsibility.

WOW! Sally, you're a bit harsh. How do you know jasper's situation? He's not here "all the time." I have been pregnant. It's for 9 short months of your life. Not bad at all.

"A lot of women who have had an abortion remain staunch supporters of it because they actually (gasp!) are in favor of reproductive freedom for women!"

Jasper: "Now thats ignorant!"

How is that ignorant. It's absolutely and undeniably true. I've never met a woman who had any regrets about an abortion. I have met women who regretting giving a baby up for adoption. That does't mean adoption isn't a wonderful thing. Life is complicated and there are a whole range of reactions and experiences.

Doug,
Who's Rosa? Does anyone else post under multiple names?

hi rosie! I caught that too. Maybe Doug is a she? OR maybe he and someone else share a computer.

"A lot of women who have had an abortion remain staunch supporters of it because they actually (gasp!) are in favor of reproductive freedom for women!"
-------------------------------------------------
Not to mention the fact that, at least for several years after killing their little boy or girl, self-justification is easier for them than dealing with being both the murderer, and the parent, of the child(ren) killed. One will win in the end; either the killer or the parent; they are mutually exclusive roles. The women (or, for that matter, the man) whose has had her/his own child murdered by abortion will become whole only if the parent prevails over the killer in repentance of the killing.

The unborn women killed will never have any reproductive freedom at all, and abortion takes away the ability to reproduce (a key element in reproductive freedom) from many women who submit to it. Emergency hysterectomies performed in order to stop post-abortion hemorrhage and infection do not enhance reproductive freedom, they destroy it. Women have also lost their reproductive freedom dying from legal abortions.

A woman who has become pregnant HAS reproductive freedom, and she has already exercised it by reproducing, or she would not be pregnant.

Abortion is not, was never, and will never be about giving women the freedom to reproduce; God gives that to most women naturally. Abortion is all about giving big people license to slaughter smaller people with impunity. It is about corrupting the medical profession, about turning healers into killers, and about paving the way to killing off more sectors of society that the eugenicists & population control freaks deem "expendable".

Go try to tell any mother in China about "reproductive freedom"; she'll laugh in your face at least, and set you as straight as anyone can.

"Every child should be a wanted child" -- attributed to Planned Parenthood.

"Every Jew should be a wanted Jew" -- attributed to Adolf Hitler.

"You have lived inside of this woman's skin and know this about her. Well no. You wish to read a cliff note over her life and pronounce judgement. Quite foolish and very lazy thinking..."
-------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Rather like the foolish and lazy "thinking" that reads a cliff note that says "life not worthy of life" over the lives of several thousand innocent babies everyday, and pronounces judgment by sentencing them to a cruel, untimely and unjust death with NO JUDGE, NO JURY, NO CRIME, NO TRIAL, NO APPEAL...AND NO STAY OF EXECUTION.

Only one difference; anyone who can read this HAS lived inside the skin of those babies, and obviously prefers life to dismemberment, like they do. see silentscream.org.

WE LOSE OUR BEARINGS ENTIRELY BY SPEAKING OF "THE LOWER CLASSES" WHEN WE MEAN HUMANITY MINUS OURSELVES.

Sehr geehrte "Wachet Auf"

You wrote:

"Go try to tell any mother in China about "reproductive freedom"; she'll laugh in your face at least, and set you as straight as anyone can."

She would more likely cry than laugh.

hippie,

Yes, she will more likely mourn the loss of her own reproductive freedom too much to find any levity under such a cruel, draconian attack on her womanhood and the children who are no more; I said what I did to emphasize how ludicrous it is to try to link induced abortion with reproductive freedom in the same thought or sentence. A very cruel, dark farce.

Einen schönen Tag noch!

WOW! Sally, you're a bit harsh. How do you know jasper's situation? He's not here "all the time." I have been pregnant. It's for 9 short months of your life. Not bad at all.

Posted by: heather at October 9, 2007 8:27 AM
..................................

How does Jasper 'know' the situations of women who choose to abort? That's right. He doesn't but sure likes to postulate. I've given birth twice Heather. Those 9 months were not short. In another pregnancy 9 months may well have killed me. My kids would have found that quite bad.

"You have lived inside of this woman's skin and know this about her. Well no. You wish to read a cliff note over her life and pronounce judgement. Quite foolish and very lazy thinking..."
-------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Rather like the foolish and lazy "thinking" that reads a cliff note that says "life not worthy of life" over the lives of several thousand innocent babies everyday, and pronounces judgment by sentencing them to a cruel, untimely and unjust death with NO JUDGE, NO JURY, NO CRIME, NO TRIAL, NO APPEAL...AND NO STAY OF EXECUTION.

Only one difference; anyone who can read this HAS lived inside the skin of those babies, and obviously prefers life to dismemberment, like they do. see silentscream.org.

WE LOSE OUR BEARINGS ENTIRELY BY SPEAKING OF "THE LOWER CLASSES" WHEN WE MEAN HUMANITY MINUS OURSELVES.

Posted by: Wachet Auf at October 9, 2007 12:50 PM
........................................................

Oh naive one, the silent scream was proven a complete sham directly after it's 'release'. It's sci fi. If you have based your stance on abortion over that pornographic rubbish, you have no basis for you stance at all.

Who said that "The Silent Scream" is fake?

Who said that "The Silent Scream" is fake?

Posted by: heather at October 9, 2007 7:28 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Facts Speak Louder than "The Silent Scream"

In the mid-1980s, leaders of the anti-abortion movement produced a video called The Silent Scream. The video, epitomizing the anti-abortion agenda and strategy, tried to shift the focus of the abortion debate away from compassion for the health and needs of the woman to an exaggerated concern for the fetus.
Although riddled with scientific, medical, and legal inaccuracies as well as misleading statements and exaggerations, The Silent Scream is still wildly popular with anti-abortion zealots. And it continues to be a key tool in their propaganda efforts.

Originally designed to frighten American women away from choosing abortion, the video is now shown worldwide to troubled women who turn to so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" for assistance with their problem pregnancies. Clips from the film even run continuously on the World Wide Web.

As soon as it was released, Planned Parenthood® recognized that The Silent Scream would be used to propagate harmful myths that could endanger women's health and the constitutional right to choose abortion and jeopardize the lives and careers of abortion providers. To expose these distortions and deceits, Planned Parenthood convened a panel of medical experts to review and critique the video. Panel members were:

Sally Faith Dorfman, MD
Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Assistant Clinical Professor, Mount Sinai
Hart Peterson, MD
Chief of Pediatric Neurology, New York Hospital,
Clinical Professor of Neurology in Pediatrics, Cornell University Medical Center
William Rashbaum, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Seymour L. Romney, MD
Professor, Ob/Gyn, Director, Gynecological Cancer Research, and former Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Allan Rosenfield, MD
Professor, Ob/Gyn and Public Health, Acting Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Director, Center for Population and Family Health, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
Herbert G. Vaughan, Jr. MD
Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology and Pediatrics, Director, Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research in Mental Retardation and Human Development, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Ming-Neng Yeh, MD
Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. of Ob/Gyn Ultrasound Laboratory, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Here is their critique, The Facts Speak Louder, as it was first published in 1985:

The Facts Speak Louder
The Planned Parenthood Critique of The Silent Scream

Introduction

Those who seek to restrict or eliminate access to safe, legal abortion in this country have launched another attack in their desperate attempt to win the hearts and minds of the American public. This approach consists of a "documentary" film titled The Silent Scream, which allegedly portrays the performance of an abortion done under ultrasonography.

The film represents an attempt to shift the focus in the abortion debate to the fetus and away from any concern or compassion for women in need of abortion services. It is an attempt to deny the desperation that once forced American women into the life-threatening, humiliating experiences of the unsafe and often lethal abortions.

The Silent Scream, which was hailed by President Reagan, sent to every member of Congress, shown in part or in total on television news and other programs across the country, and whose text was read into the Congressional Record, has been treated as factual, when the opposite is true.

From its title, to the description of a fetus as a "person," through the descriptive narration provided by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the documentary aspects of this film are flawed and biased. The film is riddled with scientific, medical, and legal inaccuracies, misleading statements, and exaggerations. And through innuendo, the film attempts to denigrate the efforts of Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health and rights organizations to provide safe, legal, inexpensive reproductive health care services, including abortion, for women who want and need these services.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in an effort to increase public awareness about the film's flaws and biases, convened a panel of internationally known and respected physicians who are expert in various disciplines to review and critique The Silent Scream. The panel's finding are incorporated in this booklet.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is committed to assuring that all individuals have the freedom to make their own decisions about whether or when to have a child. To help individuals make and implement those decisions, Planned Parenthood is committed to expanding access to all of the information and services needed to prevent unintended pregnancies. Likewise, for all women who are faced with unwanted pregnancies, Planned Parenthood is committed to preserving the constitutionally protected right to obtain medically safe, legal abortions.

Medical Inaccuracies in The Silent Scream

CLAIM: The 12-week fetus experiences pain.

FACTS: At this stage of the pregnancy, the brain and nervous system are still in a very early stage of development. The beginnings of the brain stem, which includes a rudimentary thalamus and spinal cord, is being formed. Most brain cells are not developed. Without a cerebral cortex (gray matter covering the brain), pain impulses cannot be received or perceived. Additionally, experts find that newborns at 26–27 weeks' gestation (24–25 weeks' fetal age) who survive have significantly less response to pain than do full term newborns.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Statement on Pain of the Fetus

We know of no legitimate scientific information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain early in pregnancy.

We do know that the cerebellum attains its final configuration in the seventh month and that mylenization (or covering) of the spinal cord and the brain begins between the 20th and 40th weeks of pregnancy. These, as well as other neurological developments, would have to be in place for the fetus to receive pain.

To feel pain, a fetus needs neurotransmitted hormones. In animals, these complex chemicals develop in the last third of gestation. We know of no evidence that humans are different.

CLAIM: The 12-week fetus makes purposeful movements (e.g., agitated movement in an attempt to avoid suction cannula).
FACTS: At this stage of pregnancy, all fetal movement is reflexive in nature rather than purposeful, since the latter requires cognition, which is the ability to perceive and know. For cognition to occur, the cortex (gray matter covering the brain) must be present, as well as myelinization (covering sheath) of the spinal cord and attached nerves, which is not the case.
An example of the reflex withdrawal without pain occurs in an anencephalic (absent brain) newborn. Another known example of the reflex movement at this stage of human pregnancy is thumb sucking in utero.

What is termed "frantic activity" by the fetus is a reflex response of the fetus resulting from movement of the uterus and its contents induced by operator manipulation of the suction curette or the ultrasound transducer on the abdomen. This same type of response would likely occur with any external stimulus. A one-cell organism such as an amoeba will reflexively move or display a withdrawal reaction when touched.

In addition, experts in ultrasonography and film technology have concluded that the videotape of the abortion was deliberately slowed down and subsequently speeded up to create an impression of hyperactivity.

CLAIM: Ultrasonogram depicts the open mouth of the fetus.
FACTS: The mouth of the fetus cannot be identified in the ultrasound image with certainty. The statement that the screen identifies the open mouth of the fetus is a subjective and misleading interpretation by Dr. Nathanson. His conclusion is not supportable.
CLAIM: The fetus emits "the silent scream."
FACTS: A scream cannot occur without air in the lungs. Although primitive respiratory movements do occur in the later stages of gestation, crying or screaming cannot occur even then. In fact, a child born prematurely at 26–27 weeks' gestation (24–25 weeks' fetal age) cannot scream but occasionally emits weak cries.
CLAIM: A fetus is indistinguishable from any of the rest of us.
FACTS: A fetus of 12 weeks cannot in any way be compared to a fully formed functioning person. At this stage only rudiments of the organ systems are present. The fetus is unable to sustain life outside the woman's womb, it is incapable of conscious thought; it is incapable of essential breathing. It is instead an in utero fetus with the potential of becoming a child.
CLAIM: Fetal head at 12 weeks requires the use of "crushing instruments" for extraction.
FACTS: At 12 weeks' gestation (10 weeks' fetal age) and even 1–2 weeks beyond, instrumentation other than a suction cannula is not required when abortion is properly performed. Cannulas for aspiration abortion come in varying sizes, and the larger sizes are adequate for withdrawing the contents of the uterus.

Misleading Statements, Exaggerations and Innuendoes in The Silent Scream

CLAIMS: "Brain waves have existed for six weeks" in the fetus displayed on the screen.
EXPERT OPINON: Although some electrical impulses have been recorded as early as 10 weeks' gestation, these cannot be interpreted as or compared with brain waves. Genuine brain waves do not occur until the third trimester.
CLAIMS: Fetal heart rate rose from 140 to 200, which is abnormally high and reflective of fetal response to "imminent mortal danger."
EXPERT OPINION: The heart rate of the fetus portrayed in the film does not change significantly at any time. Nevertheless, a fetal heart rate of 200 is within the normal range (normal 180–200 beats per minute) for this stage of pregnancy. It is also unlikely that the fetus had a heart rate of 140 that rose to 200. A rate of 140 is generally noted in the latter half of pregnancy.
CLAIMS: The large, well-developed fetal model intermittently picked up and displayed during the narrative of the abortion procedure is representative of a 12-week fetus.
EXPERT OPINION: The fetal model displayed during the abortion procedure is much larger than a fetus of a 12 weeks' gestation model visualized by ultrasonography. The model compared in size to a fetus of 18 weeks' gestation (about 14cm or 5½" in crown-rump length [CRL]) as opposed to a fetus of 12 weeks gestation (about 6cm or 2½" in CRL). Such an inaccurate comparison is invalid.
CLAIMS: Many women who have an abortion suffer severe and lasting psychological damage.
EXPERT OPINION: Serious emotional problems following abortion are uncommon. Most women report a sense of relief, although some may experience temporary depression. Serious psychological disturbances after abortion occur less frequently than after childbirth.
CLAIMS: There were 100,000 illegal abortions annually in the US in 1963.
EXPERT OPINION: 100,000 illegal abortions is considered by experts to be an underestimation. Although there are no accurate data on the number of illegal abortions prior to its legal performance, Dr. Christopher Tietze, a demographer who was known worldwide for the scientific quality of his work, estimated that in 1963, the numbers ranged between 200,000 and 1,200,000. It is generally believed that the figure was closer to the higher level, and has risen little since abortion was legalized (currently about 1,500,000). In 1963, only those botched abortions having serious complications requiring hospitalization could be counted. Without a legal requirement for reporting, there are no accurate estimations as to what percentage of the degrading, dangerous, illegal abortions was successful without such complications.
CLAIM: The crime syndicate is heavily involved in the abortion industry today.
EXPERT OPINION: There is nothing to prove or even suggest that the crime syndicate is currently involved in the provision of abortion services. However, it is a well-known fact that organized crime was heavily involved with illegal abortion. The high cost of illegal abortion made it lucrative for underworld elements. In the 1960s, illegal abortions cost from $750 to several thousand dollars. Considering inflation rates over the past 20 years, the cost of illegal abortions now would be more than triple that of the 1960s. Today [1985] the average cost for a first-trimester abortion is $200.
CLAIM: Quoting from Williams' Obstetrics, the fetus is amenable to intrauterine therapy and is to be considered as a second patient.
EXPERT OPINION: The statement in Williams' Obstetrics text is true and intended to stimulate further interest and research in fetal and maternal relationships so as to improve the health of the mother and the autonomous newborn. However, in the film presentation, Dr. Nathanson focuses only on the fetus, totally ignoring the pregnant woman, who is the first patient and the thrust of the text. He misconstrues Williams' statement and implies that Williams considers the fetus the primary patient — an unacceptable premise under any circumstances.

Questions and Other Problems

QUESTION: Does a first-trimester abortion take so long to perform? It seemed to go on for a very extended period of time.
ANSWER: No, an uncomplicated first-trimester abortion usually takes less than ten minutes to perform.
QUESTION: Is it appropriate to refer to a fetus as unborn child, with the same right as other human beings?
ANSWER: No. Constitutionally, a fetus has no rights of personhood. Most legal precedent in English law attributes personhood to the live born.
QUESTION: The film generates sympathy for the fetus. What about the woman who needs an abortion? She is conspicuously absent from the film.
ANSWER: The film ignores the plight of the woman seeking abortion and instead tries to shift the focus to the fetus. It is essential that this defect of the film be placed in correct perspective by reminding people of the horrors to which women were subjected when abortion was illegal, the fact that current contraceptive methods fail, as well as the critical situations that can occur in a women's life which lead her to seek and obtain an abortion.
It must be remembered that the US Supreme Court did not invent abortion when it legalized the procedure with its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Illegal, unsafe abortion existed for hundreds and probably thousands of years, and it still exists in some societies. Legislation to prohibit abortion will not work. Even if illegal, as in the pre-1973 era, women of means would continue to have access to abortion, whereas those who could not pay the price of safe abortion would be forced into the degrading, back-alley tragedies of the past.

QUESTION: If Dr. Nathanson is so anti-abortion, how could he participate in the filming of an actual abortion procedure?
ANSWER: By involving himself in the performance of an abortion, which he states in the film is, in his opinion, the murder of an unborn person, and by misrepresenting the medical facts that are widely known, Nathanson fits the category of a zealot. Zealots will stop at nothing in their attempts to win their cause. Such zeal encourages the kind of fanaticism that exists among those who [bomb and vandalize abortion clinics.]
QUESTION: What about the dead fetuses in disposal containers that are flashed on the screen? Are they all products of late abortion?
ANSWER: Most of these fetuses are so large and in such a state of deterioration that they are actually stillborns (fetuses spontaneously born dead) rather than aborted fetuses. It is possible that some of the smaller fetuses resulted from late saline abortion. Late abortions (after 22 weeks' gestation) constitute less than one percent of all abortions. Many late abortions are performed as a result of fetal abnormalities that can only be diagnosed later in pregnancy or other extreme hardship cases.
QUESTION: What is our response to Dr. Nathanson's statement that Planned Parenthood does not obtain informed consent for abortion, and should show the film to all women requesting termination of pregnancy?
ANSWER: Planned Parenthood takes great care to advise and counsel women and their partners of the various options for managing an unwanted pregnancy. These include continuing the pregnancy with the options of keeping the child or giving it up for adoption, or having an abortion. Those who elect abortion are advised, as with other surgical procedures, of the risks and benefits that may be associated with the procedure. They are given a written fact sheet detailing the potential complications that can occur with abortion. As part of an individual counseling session, all questions are answered and an informed request form for the procedure is signed. For those who wish further information about the fetus and its developmental stages, this information is provided. To require that women receive such information or view the film when they do not wish it is punitive. The Supreme Court has declared that such requirements go beyond the bounds of information required for informed consent and have struck down restrictive ordinances that would impose such requirements.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Cited References

Dorfman, Sally Faith, et al. (1985). The Facts Speak Louder: Planned Parenthood’s Critique of “The Silent Scream.” New York: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.

The Silent Scream. Produced by Donald S. Smith. 28 min. American Portrait Films, 1984. Digital Video Disk.

Published: 03.01.02 | Updated: 11.14.06

Published by the Katharine Dexter McCormick Library

©1985 Planned Parenthood® Federation of America, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Media Contacts
New York: 212-261-4650
Washington, DC: 202-973-4882

Public Policy Contact
Washington, DC: 202-973-4848

Thanks Laura. God bless you.

Laura quoted:

ANSWER: The film ignores the plight of the woman seeking abortion and instead tries to shift the focus to the fetus. It is essential that this defect of the film be placed in correct perspective by reminding people of the horrors to which women were subjected when abortion was illegal, the fact that current contraceptive methods fail, as well as the critical situations that can occur in a women's life which lead her to seek and obtain an abortion.
___________________________

Of note here:

The only people who ever subjected women to these "horrors" were all abortion advocates, hence their involvement.

What plight? Being pregnant isn't a plight, nor is it a critical situation. It is normal and natural. People have sex and women get pregnant even with contraception because as they say, it fails.

As quoted by Laura

"jeopardize the lives and careers of abortion providers. "

I think this summarizes the concern of PP about the film, in their own words no less.

Laura quoted:

ANSWER: The film ignores the plight of the woman seeking abortion and instead tries to shift the focus to the fetus. It is essential that this defect of the film be placed in correct perspective by reminding people of the horrors to which women were subjected when abortion was illegal, the fact that current contraceptive methods fail, as well as the critical situations that can occur in a women's life which lead her to seek and obtain an abortion.
___________________________

Of note here:

The only people who ever subjected women to these "horrors" were all abortion advocates, hence their involvement.

What plight? Being pregnant isn't a plight, nor is it a critical situation. It is normal and natural. People have sex and women get pregnant even with contraception because as they say, it fails.

Posted by: hippie at October 9, 2007 10:08 PM

......................................

Oh cripes! You are a PL because you were told to be. You would make a good Marine. Question nothing and do what you are told.

Laura/Sally,

We want to help both the women and their unborn children in these situations. That is why I support scholastic reform to aid pregnant woment to seek higher education and go for a well-paid job (as well as workplace reform to be more accomodating to pregnant women) to help her better support her child financially. I think we should refer mothers to other charities and government programs that will help their children with any health care problems or income shortages (many will help with food etc). Also, I think prenatal health care should be more accessable. We need to focus on preventing unwanted pregnancies. I think the majority of pro-lifers want to create a world where abortion doesn't seem like a "need" by women who are truly in a crisis. And furthermore, help women get the support they need to get through an otherwise tough situation. I feel that they need our help just as much as the unborn children, so there should be no confusion about a "fetus-centric" philosophy.

I hope this helps. Ask me if you have any questions.

As quoted by Laura

"jeopardize the lives and careers of abortion providers. "

I think this summarizes the concern of PP about the film, in their own words no less.

Posted by: hippie at October 9, 2007 10:13 PM***************** God forbid they lose their practice. They will all have to get jobs cleaning toilets. Nobody else in the medical profession wants them.

The book called "The Choices We Made" should be called "The Stupid Choices We Made."

Sally wrote,

......................................

Oh cripes! You are a PL because you were told to be. You would make a good Marine. Question nothing and do what you are told.

Posted by: Sally at October 9, 2007 11:23 PM

----------------------

Actually, I am the first pro life woman in my family. I grew up hearing how much better things are now that abortion is legal. I heard it from grandma, ma and auntie. Then I saw it for myself and saw that it is killing another person.

If anything, I was told to be for access to abortion.

hippie, I'm glad you didn't buy into the PC BS. I also made my own choice to become PL. It wasn't that hard to do.

PIP -

*applause*

I think we should perhaps mention the plight of most of the colleges and pregnant women.

For the most part colleges do not have housing for parenting students; if they don't have a kid, there is housing.

Most colleges do not attempt to help students with accessable daycare. Many colleges have daycares for the teachers and administration on or very near campus. The ones that do allow students to utilize the facility are placed on waiting lists as student's children are the last ones who are accepted. (one school had a waiting list of 1-1/2 years for a student to put their child in the daycare.)

Most colleges have health centers that provide health care for students. Most health issues that come up the health centers are capable to handle. However, most do not have any programs available for a woman who is pregnant nor do they do referrals for prenatal care.

Many colleges do have a Planned Parenthood available to them. But Planned Parenthood only did 0.12% prenatal services and only 0.41% of clients received prenatal care nationwide last year.

If a woman stays pregnant they do not have any resources or support in order to stay pregnant and stay in school.

Now I ask: Does this really sound like a "choice" to you?

I saw the Silent Scream. Even if the child wasn't screaming, it was still very upsetting to watch a life being snuffed out. That child was so safe in his/her mother, and the abortionist just killed it. Not to mention, I found the abortion procedure very violating to view. The woman was strung up like a piece of meat, and her legs were shaking. It is such a violent procedure to watch.

Valerie-

Hear, hear. It's so sad. That's why the VAST majority of college student abort. This is a fixable problem.

Valerie and PIP:

I, too, think it is truly sad. I agree that the programs PIP was talking about NEED to be put in place, desperately, for all women (not just in college). Women need daycare and parenting housing. They need financial assistance. I am so sick of a society that lets women bear the brunt of childrearing while also expecting her to do well in school and the workplace. Women need the facilities and the institutions and laws to make the choices they really want to make. They should not be forced to make one that they have no way to avoid.

Valerie and PIP, I agree those programs are needed and should be put in place. This might be off-topic: I think society should be more supportive of sahms too.

Carrie,

Stay at home moms should be embraced as well. I am also tired of people saying that a woman is only cut out for one path in life. Women should be loved as stay at home mothers, career women, a combination of the first two, or childless.

Besides that, society should also support stay-at-home DADS.

PIP and Lyssie and Carrie, I agree also.

Lyssie, true. Stay-at-home dads deserve respect and support. I bet they face alot of criticism for their choice to be at home.

If a woman stays pregnant they do not have any resources or support in order to stay pregnant and stay in school.

Now I ask: Does this really sound like a "choice" to you?

Valerie, of course it's a choice. The most basic economic law is the old deal about there being no such thing as a free lunch. Students are in school to go to school, not to have kids. What logic says they should be subsidized, especially at that time and place?

I don't know the ratio, but I believe PIP when she says that most college students have abortions if pregnant. Very understandable. Are they really going to want kids then?

If they want kids later on, fine, great, but at the time it's no surprise to me that that's the way it works out.

Doug

I couldn't care LESS what these idiot celebrities think or why anyone else does for that matter. Why are we continually barraged with story after story about these fools and their sordid lives, their liberal ideas and who they sleep with etc.

If Ozzy Osbourne and his wife want to off themselves, LET THEM ! Maybe it will start a trend in Hollyweird. I can only hope.

I wouldn't walk into the next room to see any of them.

Ever seen the Hemlock Society's stuff?
*
Just scary!

George Felos, Michael Schiavo's lawyer, was a member of the Hemlock society...what does that tell you?

PIP just likes to throw money at the problem, just the way Democrats like to. Responsibily and morals have to come into play as well.

Laura/Sally,

We want to help both the women and their unborn children in these situations. That is why I support scholastic reform to aid pregnant woment to seek higher education and go for a well-paid job (as well as workplace reform to be more accomodating to pregnant women) to help her better support her child financially. I think we should refer mothers to other charities and government programs that will help their children with any health care problems or income shortages (many will help with food etc). Also, I think prenatal health care should be more accessable. We need to focus on preventing unwanted pregnancies. I think the majority of pro-lifers want to create a world where abortion doesn't seem like a "need" by women who are truly in a crisis. And furthermore, help women get the support they need to get through an otherwise tough situation. I feel that they need our help just as much as the unborn children, so there should be no confusion about a "fetus-centric" philosophy.

I hope this helps. Ask me if you have any questions.

Posted by: prettyinpink at October 10, 2007 12:49 AM

.....................................

Honey, I've got your back on making the country more woman friendly. Let's start by auctioning off The Donald's combover. That should raise some funds.

Sally wrote,

......................................

Oh cripes! You are a PL because you were told to be. You would make a good Marine. Question nothing and do what you are told.

Posted by: Sally at October 9, 2007 11:23 PM

----------------------

Actually, I am the first pro life woman in my family. I grew up hearing how much better things are now that abortion is legal. I heard it from grandma, ma and auntie. Then I saw it for myself and saw that it is killing another person.

If anything, I was told to be for access to abortion.

Posted by: hippie at October 10, 2007 7:09 AM

.............................................

I feel that you are very emotionally young and haven't 'seen' much of anything. And are probably enraged by hearing that.