Michigan Abortions Decrease 11 Percent, Abortion Death Ignored

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 1, 2005   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Michigan Abortions Decrease 11 Percent, Abortion Death Ignored Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 1, 2005

Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) — Michigan abortions decreased a whopping 11 percent last year, according to new figures from the state’s health department. However, state officials, in their report on complications resulting from abortions, failed to note the death of a Detroit teenager early last year.

The Michigan Department of Community Health reports 26,269 abortions were performed in Michigan during 2004 compared to 29,540 Michigan abortions in 2003, a decrease of 11.1 percent.

Since 1987, there has been a 46.5 percent decrease in Michigan abortions.

Right to Life of Michigan, which has promoted numerous pieces of legislation designed to reduce the number of abortions and run a longtime television advertising campaign linking women with pregnancy centers, hailed the new stats.

"Michigan is showing a true climate of life with the decrease of abortions. More and more women are rejecting abortion and making the positive choice of life for their babies," RLM president Barb Listing said.

The Michigan abortion report showed that most abortions occurred on women living in state who were not married. Most women went to an abortion business without a referral and doctors sent women for abortions in just 2.9 percent of the cases, down from 6.6 percent in 2003.

More than 60 percent of the women having abortions had a prior pregnancy and the number of repeat abortions is on the rise.

The state report also showed that abortions on teenagers are lower than their high in 1985.

Surprisingly, the Michigan health department made no mention of a woman’s death in 2004 in its complications report. The department only noted that thirteen women reported complications, including shock, cervical lacerations, incomplete abortions and two unidentified complications.

However, Tamia Russell, 15 years-old, died from a second-trimester abortion in January of 2004.

Steven Brown of the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office told LifeNews.com that the cause of death for Russell was listed as, "Uterine infarction with sepsis, due to status post second trimester abortion."

However, the Michigan Department of Community Health makes no mention of infection complications in its 2004 report.

Sparking the strong decrease in the number of abortions in Michigan, Listing pointed to laws that have reduced abortions, such as allowing parents to prohibit a minor teen from having an abortion and ensuring women considering abortion are told about abortion’s risks and alternatives.

She also said the new bill allowing women visiting an abortion business to see an ultrasound of her unborn child will also help drive down abortion rates.

"We will continue to reach out to women in need so that they know that abortion is not their only option," Listing concluded. "There are far too many women who enter an abortion clinic thinking they have no other choices. Our seven resource centers and our toll-free 1-800-57WOMAN number are designed to help women find real choices for themselves and their children."

Related web sites:
Right to Life of Michigan – https://www.rtl.org
Latest Michigan Abortion Figures – https://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/abortion/intro.asp