Free Republic

Should doctors and hospitals be required by the federal government to maintain a national network of electronic health records for every individual in America that indicates, for example, whether that individual has had an abortion, a sexually transmitted disease, a mental illness or a drug problem? Such a system has already been mandated by the stimulus law enacted in February, and politicians in Washington, D.C., would now prefer not to answer straightforward questions about it. Americans should not let them get away with it. The stimulus law provided for “the development of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure” that would...

Irene Vilar worries that her self-described "abortion addiction" will be misunderstood, twisted by the pro-life movement to deny women the right to choose. Latina author Irene Vilar's new book, "Impossible Motherhood," explores her dark past: 15 abortions... Latina author Irene Vilar's new book, "Impossible Motherhood," explores her dark past: 15 abortions in 16 years. Pro-choice, she hopes her shocking story will spark a national discussion on abortion, one that won't compromise a woman's right to reproductive freedom. As press on the book has begun to leak out, Vilar -- a literary agent and editor --- says she has already sensed...

Irene Vilar worries that her self-described "abortion addiction" will be misunderstood, twisted by the pro-life movement to deny women the right to choose. Her book, "Impossible Motherhood," which will be released by Other Press on Oct. 6, chronicles her own dark choices: 15 abortions in 16 years, much of it as a married woman. As press on the book has begun to leak out, Vilar -- a literary agent and editor --- says she has already sensed "an inkling of hatred." Vilar has scheduled only closed-door interviews and will not do a book tour. At the urging of her husband,...

Milwaukee, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Project Rachel, the organization that has helped thousands of women rebuild their lives following the problems and pain of an abortion, is marking 25 years of ministry. The anniversary is a bittersweet moment because the need for such a group only arises out of death, pain and heartache. Vicki Thorn founded the ministry, which started as a project out of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and she has seen the physical and emotional scars of an abortion in the bodies and hearts of countless women. She told the Catholic News Service the anniversary has been "an awesome...

Like many black women, I once believed the doctor who told me my babies were no more than "a blob of tissue." I wanted to believe it. Eventually, I realized I was wrong, that I was a secondary victim of abortion. I repented and found healing through God. Today, I work in the civil rights movement of the our century -- the right of every one of every race to live... Abortion has taken a gruesome toll on the black community, killing more than AIDS and crime combined. Some 14 million black babies have been aborted since the 1973 U.S....

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a new national survey conducted by the Polling Company for the pro-life organization Americans United for Life, a majority of Americans say they know someone who has had an abortion. A majority of those surveyed also believe that abortion hurts women. The Polling Company, a nationally known firm, asked the questions about abortion's effects during a May 17-18 survey with 800 adults across the country. Asked if they personally knew someone who has had an abortion, some 68 percent said they know a woman who had one while 30 percent said they did not. Of...

Contact: Margaret, 888-735-3448, ext. 251; Georgette Forney, 412-398-7885; both with Silent No More Awareness CampaignSTATEN ISLAND, NY., May. 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Leaders of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign (SNMAC), the world's largest network of individuals harmed by abortion, responded today to Planned Parenthood's new Mother's Day appeal and urged post-abortive women to seek healing."Just when it seemed Planned Parenthood's Mother's Day fundraising letters couldn't get more hypocritical, this year they've brought in a children's author to say we should honor mothers by donating to the nation's largest abortion business," said Janet Morana, co-founder of SNMAC.   "Honoring mothers by giving money to Planned...

A play created by a member of a Minnesota theater company aims to be an alternative to "The Vagina Monologues," a popular campus play but one that is often criticized for its sexual explicitness. Jeremy Stanbary of Epiphany Studio Productions says his play, "The Vitae Monologues," portrays powerful stories of hope and healing from women who have suffered from the psychological and physical effects of abortion. Stanbary, founder and executive director of the Minneapolis-based Catholic production company, was inspired to write this play a few years ago after hearing women and men speak publicly of their experiences dealing with post-abortion...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The organizers of the 40 Days for Life campaign say their joint effort with Silent No More, a national group for women who have had abortions and regret their decision, was a success. Shawn Carney tells LifeNews.com he is hearing stories of how it was a positive impact for participants and their communities."Women -- and men -- who've experienced abortion stepped forward with signs reading 'I regret my abortion' and 'I regret lost fatherhood,'" he said. "The need for post-abortion healing increases every day, but so does the invitation for hope and healing after the...

Go to the blog for the the video that accompanies this. This is MY personal story... *** My Journey Through Abortion and Backby Shari My story starts in my childhood. I grew up with 2 alcoholics and a stepfather who sexually abused me. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old and my mother quickly remarried. The sexual abuse started within a month of their marriage. I was never raped, but it was always threatened and I lived in constant fear. What a terrible thing for a child to live through. I looked at my kids at 9 years...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The pro-life movement has a rich history of focusing not just on the death of an unborn child in an abortion but on the pain and regret millions of women fell following an abortion. Some of those women who wish they could undo their abortion decision and choose life will speak out again at this year's March for Life. Members of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a network of men and women harmed by abortion, will give their personal abortion testimonies at Thursday's event.They will join the hundreds of thousands of marchers in the...

Intense feelings of guilt, shame, and anger are reported by many women who have had abortions. Psychologists generally agree that about 10 percent of the 1 million women who have abortions each year experience severe emotional trauma following the procedure. There is no consensus, however, about how many women experience less severe symptoms, collectively known as post-abortion syndrome or post-abortion emotional distress. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry indicated that 50 percent of women who have abortions experience post-abortion emotional distress. Another study conducted by Dr. Phillip G. Ney and reported in The Psychological Aspects of...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- While numerous studies confirm abortions cause women subsequent mental health issues, abortion advocates downplay them so abortion isn't seed in a negative light. But one doctor who counsels women after abortions says the proof is in the actual experiences of women who regret their choice.Dr. Linda Mintle, who counsels women after abortions, says she sees problems such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse on a regular basis in the women who have had abortions."Abortion is a loss," Mintle told CBN News on Wednesday."It's a loss of a life and so it only makes sense that even...

Balitmore, MD (LifeNews.com) -- The lead author of a study last week denying that abortion increases the risk of subsequent mental health problems for women is responding to criticism of his research. Johns Hopkins University professor Robert Blum specifically responded to LifeNews.com articles taking the study to task.Blum's team at JHU examined numerous studies and drew the conclusion that abortion doesn't increase the risk for mental health problems.LifeNews.com interviewed Bowling Green State University professor Priscilla Coleman, whose own research shows women having abortions are more likely to suffer from depression or abuse drug or alcohol.Another critique of the JHU...

Study finds depression suffered by 80% of women who abort Madrid, Dec 9, 2008 / 03:52 pm (CNA).- A study by a group of experts in Spain has revealed that 80% of women who have had an abortion suffer symptoms of depression, while 40% have considered suicide.The study, carried out by psychiatrist Carmen Gomez-Lavin of the University of Navarre, also uncovered other symptoms that affect women who suffer from Post-Abortion Syndrome.  These include sexual dysfunction (40%), drug abuse, especially among adolescents (30%), behavioral changes (60%) or irritability (70%).During the process and in the year that follows an abortion, the study...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new study from pro-abortion researchers at Johns Hopkins University may have ignored the link between abortion and depression but women who have been victimized by abortion say they know the pain they feel. Leaders of Silent No More say nothing can dismiss the heartache they and millions of other women have from past abortions.Georgette Forney, one of the co-founders of the group, had an abortion early in life and has been living with the guilt and regret ever since.“As I and thousands of Silent No More women can testify, the ones playing politics with...

No high-quality study done to date can document that having an abortion causes psychological distress, or a "post-abortion syndrome," and efforts to show it does occur appear to be politically motivated, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reviewed 21 studies involving more than 150,000 women and found the high-quality studies showed no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others. "The best research does not support the existence of a 'post-abortion syndrome' similar to post-traumatic stress disorder," Dr. Robert Blum, who led the study published...

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- British advice columnist Dear Deidre is at it again on the issue of abortion and, this time, she is playing down a teenager's emotional devastation from an abortion. Her column comes days after three separate studies showed women who have abortions suffer significant mental health problems.An unnamed teenager wrote to Deidre -- confiding in her about the emotional pain she continues to experience following the abortion."I should be happy because my life seems perfect at the moment, but all I do is cry and shout at everyone for no reason," the teen says. "I'm 17. Some...

Women who have an abortion are three times more likely to develop a drug or alcohol addiction and 30 per cent more likely to have mental disorders compared with other women, research has revealed. The evidence from two studies comes as the number of women having an abortion in England and Wales exceeded 200,000 for the first time last year.More abortions – 57,000 – were carried out on women aged 20 to 24 than any other age group. However, there were 4,400 on the under-16s.Anxiety and drug abuse are the most common mental problems after an abortion, according to...

Washington, DC -- A new research study featuring numerous controls and a national data set finds a link between abortion and psychiatric disorders. The study directly contradicts the report the American Psychiatric Association released in August claiming abortion causes no mental health issues for women. The research team found induced abortions result in increased risks for a myriad of mental health problems ranging from anxiety to depression to substance abuse disorders. Ultimately, the authors write that abortion is directly "responsible for more than 10% of the population incidence of alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, drug dependence, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and bipolar...