April 20, 2010

Dear Friends of Alaska Right to Life,

Many of you have been members and involved with Alaska Right to Life for years. Some of you have served on the board as directors and many have volunteered, giving freely of your time and talents by walking the picket lines, joining us in prayer around town and at the cemetery, working at the AKRTL State Fair booth, supporting us at our Proudly Pro-Life dinners, and helping with our politically oriented activities. The list goes on and on. And, of course, your very generous donations over the years have given us the financial support we needed to keep our organization alive and well.

We currently have 14 directors on our board and 1 part time employee as well as our volunteers, all working hard, doing their best to serve and be accountable to you, our membership. We are very busy trying to move ahead, make progress and find ways to be more visible and effective in the Anchorage area. To facilitate these goals, we are currently looking to find a location for a new Personhood Center, which will relocate and expand our office as a resource facility close to the university, to help in reaching and educating more young people. We look to our youth to change this culture of death, a culture that has been legal and accepted for the past 37 years since Roe vs. Wade came to pass.

Alaska Right to Life believes that education on life issues is essential for the future of our society. With that in mind, we will be focusing more than ever on education. Today’s technology such as advanced ultrasound imaging makes it very clear that a preborn developing baby is a person. We can see the heart beating, we can watch the child growing, we can discover the amazing gift of created human life

As our vision expands, we are excited about our new directions. The Alaska Right to Life web site is up and running and ongoing in its construction, and contains both a daily devotional and current news. Pro-life ads aired for a month recently on five local television stations, thanks to the very generous donation of a local family. There is so much more to do, but it is encouraging to see the steps we are taking.

Please to be patient with us. Many changes have come about in the last year or so and there are many yet to come. We ask that you keep AKRTL in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on. We always appreciate hearing from you, and thankfully someone is now in our office afternoons five days a week, part time at present. One of us will get back to you as quickly as we can if we miss your call.

Thank you for your past support over the years. Rest assured that we are working hard to advance the vision for a culture of life in these challenging times.

Sincerely,

The Mission of Alaska Right to Life is to protect and defend human life from the moment of conception until the natural end of life.

Web Address: www.alaskarighttolife.org Office Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CERVICAL INCOMPETENCE CAUSED BY PREVIOUS ABORTIONS

In this age of technology, one would assume that preterm deliveries during pregnancy would be a thing of the past. But not so. In fact, premature births have increased in the United States by 27% since 1981. So, why are so many babies being born prematurely? The answer is, many young women have made an uninformed decision that ultimately weakened their cervix; the organ that retains the baby in the womb until they are full term and ready to be delivered. Numerous women, who are choosing to terminate an unintended pregnancy, are inadvertently negatively impacting their future pregnancies and children .

A normal cervix is very rigid and tightly closed, and only opens upon the delivery of the baby. In order to perform an abortion, the cervix must be stretched open with a great deal of force. It is during this forced dilation that microscopic tearing can occur, and occasionally, even severe ripping of the uterine wall. According to various hospital studies, up to 12.5% of first trimester abortions require stitching for cervical lacerations. Whether the damage is microscopic or macroscopic, there can be permanent weakening of the cervix. This type of cervical damage is directly related to the stunning increase of premature births. A Rooney and Calhoun study stated, “the abortions preceded the premature births,“ and that “the association is strong.” Also, at least 59 studies have demonstrated a statistically significant increase in premature birth or low birth weight risk in women with prior induced abortions.

Early preterm infants, those born before 32 weeks gestation, comprise 15% of the premature population, but 80% of the neonatal deaths. Early preterm infants also constitute a majority of those with serious disabilities, including mental retardation, epilepsy, blindness, deafness, lung infections and cerebral palsy.

In Poland during the late 1980s, during a period of time when abortion was legal in that country, about 100 children a year were dying before the age of five from cerebral palsy. However, Poland banned abortion 20 years ago, and along with that ban came a 20% decrease in extreme preterm birth weight babies. Between 2004-2006 the number of children who died from cerebral palsy was down to between 5-9 per year; a greater than 90% drop. Also, Polands’ maternal mortality plunged by more than 40% and their infant mortality has decreased by 25% . On the other hand, Polands’ neighbors, Russia and Hungary, where abortion is still legal, have among the highest maternal mortality in the world. Ireland, another country where abortion is illegal, boasts very low maternal deaths. Both Poland and Ireland enjoy lower maternal mortality than the United States, the richest country in the world, but where abortion is legal and results in over 1.2 million elective abortions per year.

Understanding and addressing the risk factors for the preterm birth ‘epidemic’ is crucial because low birth weight and preterm births are the most important risk factors for infant mortality or later disabilities, including cerebral palsy and lower cognitive abilities. Not only is the human cost immense, but the economic cost required to care for the overwhelming number of premature babies is a severe challenge to the medical care system.

Since induced abortion is considered the most common surgical procedure in the U.S., it is imperative that women have full and complete disclosure, about any and all information pertaining to the damages that could be incurred from that procedure. If they don’t receive it, then their consent isn’t truly informed, and they are denied their right to a fully informed decision. Rooney and Calhoun state, “As the liability costs for cerebral palsy are exceptionally high, induced abortion, particularly without very detailed informed consent, may carry an unsupportable legal liability. Courts may not require definitive proof of causation; the existence of a number of positive studies, in absence of definitive refutation, may be sufficient reason to include discussion of a potential serious adverse effect in obtaining informed consent.”

Not only are women entitled to know the complete truth about potential problems and damages pertaining to their medical decisions, it is the law.

Karen L. Lewis
Education Director, Alaska Right to Life