Global campaign to protect disabled infants

Excerpted from "Irish group Every Life Counts launches global campaign to end ‘incompatible with life’ label," LifeSiteNews. March 11, 2015 — Irish families have joined with international medical experts and disability advocacy groups to launch the Geneva Declaration on Perinatal Care at the United Nations. The Declaration, which is the centerpiece to a global campaign to end disability discrimination caused by the “incompatible with life” label, has already been signed by more than 200 medical practitioners and researchers and 27 disability and advocacy NGOs. It aims to improve care for mother and baby where a life-limiting condition has been diagnosed before or after birth.

At the event, families from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Spain and Switzerland said that the label “incompatible with life” was not a medical diagnosis and was causing “lethal discrimination against children diagnosed with severe disabilities, both before and after birth.”

Barbara Farlow, whose ground-breaking research led to a new understanding of the experiences of families where children had a life-limiting condition, said that the label “incompatible with life” had been shown to lead to sub-optimal care after birth and the phrase dehumanised children.

Professor Giuseppe Benegiano, former director of special programmes for the UN, said that the UN should give support for this important initiative against disability discrimination. Professor Bogdan Chazan, an imminent obstetrician from Poland, said that babies with a challenging diagnosis deserved better care than abortion.

Commentary

CMDA Member and Care Net Medical Advisor Sandy Christiansen, MD, FACOG: “The mark of a civilized society is the degree to which it protects its weakest most vulnerable members. Psalm 82:3 admonishes us to ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed’ (NIV 2011). The Geneva Declaration is a beautiful example of the fulfillment of this passage.

“Routine prenatal testing seeks to detect fetal abnormalities before birth. With the discovery of a problem, what choices are offered? Data across the globe report that anywhere from 29 percent to 85 percent of fetuses with Down Syndrome are aborted.¹²³ But some families are choosing a different path and finding joy in the journey. Turning away from the offered termination of pregnancy for a fetal anomaly that has been pronounced ‘incompatible with life,’ some couples have instead chosen to embrace every minute of life their child has—both inside and outside the womb. They face pressure from healthcare professionals to abort and experience lack of understanding from family and friends. Yet, 97 percent of respondents in a 2012 study of families with children with trisomy 13 and 18 described their child as happy and parents reported these children enriched their family.⁴ Their experience was incongruent with the dismal picture predicted by their physicians. The most common negative comment made by parents in this study was a sense that healthcare professionals did not see their baby as having value, as being unique and as being a baby.

“A recent study looked at women who aborted and women who carried after learning their babies were diagnosed with a life-limiting diagnosis. The abortion group experienced more grief, depression and emotional stress, and they also had symptoms consistent with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for up to seven years after the abortion as compared to the women who chose to carry group.

“Evidence is mounting to support the benefits of taking a hands-off approach to a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis and simply allowing couples to spend time with their unborn babies for as long as they have them. As Christian healthcare professionals, we should be prepared to offer families a different option to the default termination solution so often given for an adverse prenatal diagnosis. Words need to be chosen carefully, avoiding terms like ‘incompatible with life;’ instead, we should use words that affirm the baby’s life and value as a human being. Couples who choose to carry their child should be connected to resources that provide the support and understanding they desperately need.

“Perinatal hospice⁵ is a unique solution and can be thought of as ‘hospice in the womb.’ It is easily incorporated into routine prenatal care and birth planning. A team approach can include obstetricians, perinatologists, labor and delivery nurses, NICU staff, chaplains/pastors and social workers, as well as genetic counselors and traditional hospice professionals. It enables families to make meaningful plans for the baby's life, birth and death, honoring everyone.”<sup>6

1</sup>Siffel, C., Correa, A., Cragan, J., & Alverson, C. (2004). Prenatal Diagnosis, Pregnancy Terminations And Prevalence Of Down Syndrome In Atlanta. Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 70(9), 565-571.
²Khoshnood B, De Vigan C, Vodovar V, Goujard J, Goffinet F (2004) A population-based evaluation of the impact of antenatal screening for Down's syndrome in France, 1981–2000. BJOG 111: 485–490.
³Leroi, A. (2006). The future of neo-eugenics. Now that many people approve the elimination of certain genetically defective fetuses, is society closer to screening all fetuses for all known mutations? EMBO Reports, 7(12), 1184-87. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://embor.embopress.org/content/7/12/1184.
⁴Janvier A. Farlow B. Wilfond B. (2012)The Experience of Families With Children With Trisomy 13 and 18 in Social Networks Pediatrics Vol. 130:293 -298 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-0151).
⁵Hoeldtke, N., & Calhoun, B. (2001). Perinatal Hospice. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 185(3), 525-29.
⁶Calhoun, B., Napolitano, P., Terry, M., Bussey, C., & Hoeldtke, N. (2003). Perinatal hospice. Comprehensive care for the family of the fetus with a lethal condition. Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 48(5), 343-8.

Resources

Perinatal Hospice Resources in the U.S.
CMDA’s Abortion Ethics Statement
CMDA’s Human Life Ethics Statement

Why a feminist changed her mind on abortion

Excerpted from "How I Changed My Mind about Abortion," by Julia Herrington, Patheos, accessed on January 20, 2014 - Abortion was not an issue that I had ever imagined I’d become remotely passionate about. I am a bona-fide feminist with extreme ideas and boisterous opinions. Secretly, I’ve always felt that abortion wasn’t ideal and maybe not even right. But it’s complicated to believe that when you’re a feminist, and it’s certainly not something you profess publicly.

Working at a Pregnancy Resource Center changed all of this. This organization exists to offer women alternatives to abortion. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my co-workers were kind, compassionate and thoughtful.

My perspective changed dramatically because I determined that abortion does not actually benefit women. In so much as this is a women’s issue, it seems that abortion actually oppresses women. Procedurally what abortion requires is the silencing of a woman’s body and the unmitigated dismissing of her gender. What’s more, the reason a woman finds herself seeking out an abortion is that society holds her solely liable for pregnancy. Why are we letting men off the hook?

Abortion has a lot more to do with sex than we might have thought. Pornography, sexual crimes and abuses against women cannot be disconnected from the issue of abortion. Sexual liberation has made slaves out of women; it has only perpetuated and glorified their objectification. Sex that is void of relationship, honor and respect is why we’re here, be it the woman who is raped or the teenager who gets pregnant.

Just because a child is born into tragedy does not mean that his or her life is destined for a tragic ending. Regardless of circumstance, we as Christ followers must possess hope that any situation is redeemable. That’s what Jesus does, He redeems things. To be honest, I’m a fledgling where this conversation is concerned. I have really only just opened the door on this issue.

We cannot disregard this issue. We can no longer allow for the continued unquestioned oppression of women to persist. We need to reclaim healthy sexuality for ourselves, our children, our communities and our culture. And we must defend the weak, the defenseless; the children who might not be born.

Commentary

CMDA Member and Care Net Medical Advisor Sandy Christiansen, MD, FACOG– As an ‘older’ pro-life woman, it does my heart much good to see the next generation taking the standard and running with it. Kudos to Julia Herrington! Right you are that pregnancy centers are all about dispensing the compassion of Jesus to women—and men—at their point of need. Women facing an unplanned pregnancy come to our centers with a jumble of emotions and find a safe place to be heard, to gain valuable information about their bodies and their baby and to explore life-affirming alternatives to abortion.

“Abortion is not healthy for women. In fact, there are no scientific studies demonstrating how abortion improves women's mental health.¹ On the contrary, there is a lot data supporting induced abortion's harmful effect on women's wellbeing and mounting evidence of its negative impact on men.

“Not to burst Miss Herrington's feminist bubble, but pregnancy centers actually are responding to this new research and are customizing services for both women and men. Women are more likely to choose abortion because of lack of support and because they don't want to become single mothers.² Men who have experienced a partner's abortion can struggle with anger, anxiety and depression.³ No matter how you cut it, men are involved and need support, too. To find a pregnancy center near you or to talk to someone who cares, visit www.pregnancydecisionline.org.”

¹Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ, Boden JM. Does abortion reduce the mental health risks of unwanted or unintended pregnancy? A re-appraisal of the evidence. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2013 Sep;47(9):819-27. doi: 10.1177/0004867413484597. Epub 2013 Apr 3
²Finer, L. (2005). Reasons U.S. women have abortions: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 37(3), 110–18.
Coleman, P.K., Maxey, C., Spence, M., Nixon, C. (2009). Predictors and correlates of abortion in the fragile families and well-being study: Paternal behavior, substance use, and partner violence. Int J Ment Health Addict., 7(3), 405–22.
³Rue, V. (1996). His abortion experience: The effects of abortion on men. Ethics and Medics, 21(4), 3–4.
Coyle, C. (2007). Men and abortion: A review of empirical reports. Internet J of Mental Health, 3(2).

President of Heartbeat International Dr. Peggy Hartshorn– “What a breath of fresh air it was to read this clear and articulate, first-hand account of a woman whose eyes were opened to the fact that abortion, far from advancing women's rights—or human rights for that matter—instead contributes to the increased and continued oppression of women.

“How fitting to come to grips with this truth in a Pregnancy Help Center, which for over 40 years have offered women in the United States and around the world the type of emotional support and practical resources needed in the midst of an unexpected or difficult pregnancy. Out of a sea of statistics showing that the pro-life movement is gaining ground in recent years, stories like Ms. Herrington's burst forth in vivid light and color, screaming, ‘Pregnancy Help Centers are good for America!’

“Today more than ever, physicians and everyone in the medical field have a critical role to play in the protection and cherishing of all life—born and preborn. Pregnancy Help Centers across the nation are adding and enhancing existing medical services, and they are in need of life-minded professionals from all corners of the medical field to lend their expertise to everything from medical advisory boards to staff physicians. What a joy it would be for the director of a local Pregnancy Help Center to receive a call from a pro-life medical professional in its community, asking what he or she can do to help save lives from the violence of abortion.”

Action

Medical pregnancy centers need physicians willing to volunteer as little as an hour per week to write orders, read ultrasounds and provide oversight to the nurse administering the medical services. To find a pregnancy center near you through a national pro-life organization:

• Care-Net centers: Go HERE to see centers in your region or call 703-554-8753 or email.
• Heartbeat International centers: email Heartbeat's Medical Specialist - SDammann@HeartbeatInternational.org

Resources

• Women’s Protection Project - state legislation
• CMDA Abortion Resources

Many women physicians regret delaying reproduction

Excerpted from “Many women physicians regret delaying reproduction,”OB.Gyn.News. October 21, 2013 – Many female physicians say that if they had to do it over again, they might have tried to have children sooner, chosen a different specialty or elected to have embryos frozen "just in case" they had later fertility problems, an investigator said at the conjoint meeting of the International Federation of Fertility Societies and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Dr. Natalie A. Clark and her colleagues surveyed a random sample of female physicians in the United States to ask about their choices for timing of conception, their basic knowledge of reproductive limitations, and how reproductive choices factor into their professional and personal decision making. The investigators randomly selected 600 women who graduated from medical school from 1995 through 2000, and a total of 333 (55.5%) responded.

Asked whether they would in retrospect have changed anything about their reproductive choices, 27.9% said they would have attempted to conceive earlier, 17.7% would have opted for a different specialty, 7.2% would have used cryopreservation of embryos or oocytes, 5.3% would have started medical training earlier, and 4.3% would have taken a leave from training. The survey highlights the unique challenges women of childbearing age face when trying to balance the demands of education, training and career advancement, said Dr. Clark, a third year resident at the University of Michigan department of obstetrics and gynecology in Ann Arbor. "We have a number of highly educated patients who come into our clinic who have finished their MDs or PhDs, and have done a great amount of postgraduate work, and they present at very late reproductive ages. They say, ‘I’m ready to start reproducing, and I don’t want to be too aggressive, but what can I do?’ – not fully realizing that they’ve missed their ideal reproductive window," Dr. Clark said in an interview.

One-fourth (25%) of all respondents had been diagnosed with infertility. "Despite having a medical background, 44% of infertile respondents were surprised about their diagnosis of infertility," Dr. Clark said.

Commentary

CMDA Member and Care Net Pregnancy Center Medical Director Sandy Christiansen, MD, FACOG: “Dr. Clark’s survey of 333 U.S. female physicians highlights an important pitfall to the pursuit of a career in medicine for women: the impact of delayed childbearing. As the reproductive clock ticks, female medical students and residents are spending their fertile prime time pouring over textbooks, taking night call and honing their skills as physicians. A significant portion of women physicians surveyed wished they’d tried having children sooner, but that choice brings an entire new set of challenges. One thing seems clear: women in medicine are rethinking their priorities and more are seeking ways to balance the needs of family and career during training years.

“Changing mores within medical education are reflective of increasing numbers of women in the profession. Shared training slots, extended family leave, shortened work days and reduced night call have all helped make room for living life, instead of putting it on hold during training years. The rate of childbearing among surgical residents at one program increased from 7 percent to 35 percent from 1976 to 2009, leading the authors to conclude programs should make accommodations or lose out on well qualified applicants.¹ Sometimes, it isn’t the institution that needs to adjust, but one’s own expectations and goals.

“As a Christian physician, when I married and began having babies, my priorities completely shifted. It was scary making changes, at first, but I’ve never regretted subordinating career for my family. Romans 12:2 provides a great counterpoint to society’s ‘you can have it all’ message: ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will’ (NIV 1984). In God’s economy, sometimes less is more.”

¹Caitlin Smith, Joseph M. Galante, Jonathan L. Pierce, and Lynette A. Scherer (2013) “The Surgical Residency Baby Boom: Changing Patterns of Childbearing During Residency Over a 30-Year Span.” Journal of Graduate Medical Education In-Press. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-12-00334.1

Dr. Sandy Christiansen is a Fellow of the American College of OB/GYN, is the medical director of the Care Net Pregnancy Center of Frederick and national medical consultant for corporate Care Net, whose mission is to promote a culture of life within our society in order to serve people facing unplanned pregnancies and related sexual issues and whose vision is a culture where lives are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and every woman chooses life for herself and her unborn child.

Resources
Women In Medicine & Dentistry
Wait ‘til Your Mother Gets Home