Posted by
Katie Favazza on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 3:02:12 PM
The 2 links Allah provides here are very disturbing.
In the first, the Telegraph reports that British teens are smoking during pregnancy to stunt their babies' growth. It is seriously painful to read the following article--particularly after having spent the weekend with my 4-week-old niece, the most amazing gift from God I have ever seen. (She was born 7 and a half weeks early, so even at one-month, she is still itty-bitty.) But I digress... Read this and try not to squirm in your seat [emphasis added]:
Undernourished babies are less able to control their temperature and deal with jaundice and are at a greater risk of cot death.
They are also likely to suffer ailments such as chest and ear infections and delays in physical and intellectual development.
Smoking
hinders the growth of an unborn child by reducing the amount of oxygen
and nutrients it receives via the placenta and umbilical cord.
Research
by Action on Smoking and Health, the anti-smoking pressure group,
suggests that around 17 per cent of smokers refuse to give up during
pregnancy. Of those, the vast majority is young, single and poorly
educated.
Although there is little evidence on
the reasons why pregnant teenagers smoked, the Royal College of
Midwives said their members had come across girls who believed it would
make labour less painful.
"They think a smaller baby will be easier to push out," said a spokesman.
"What
we try to tell them is that healthy eating during pregnancy and
remaining relaxed are much more important. If they have any concerns,
they should speak to a midwife rather than getting their information
from magazines."
Gail Johnson, who has been a midwife for 20 years, said there was no evidence that having a smaller baby reduced pain in labour.
"A small baby is very appealing for some girls who are frightened at the prospect of giving birth," she said.
"But what they don't realise is that the stretching sensation is the same regardless of the weight of the baby.
"The
best way to reduce labour pains is to remain fit and well during
pregnancy. Labour is hard work and you need as much energy as possible
to cope with it."
It it really saddening to think there are people stupid enough to believe that smoking will make it all easier.
In the second link in Allah's post, Newsmax.com reports that Ms. magazine will publish the names of women who are proud to have had abortions. The disgust grows:
At a pivotal time in the abortion debate, Ms. magazine is releasing its
fall issue next week with a cover story titled "We Had Abortions,"
accompanied by the names of thousands of women nationwide who signed a
petition making that declaration.
The publication coincides with what the abortion-rights movement
considers a watershed moment for its cause. Abortion access in many
states is being curtailed, activists are uncertain about the stance of
the U.S. Supreme Court, and South Dakotans vote Nov. 7 on a measure
that would ban virtually all abortions in their state, even in cases of
rape and incest.
The article continues:
Even before the issue reaches newsstands Oct. 10, anti-abortion
activists have been decrying it. Judie Brown, president of the American
Life League, wrote in a commentary that when she saw a Ms. announcement
of the project, "the evil practically jumped right off the page."
This is by far the worst part [emphasis, again, is my own]:
Another signatory, Debbie Findling of San Francisco, described her
difficult decision last year to have an abortion after tests showed
that she would bear a son with Down syndrome.
"I felt it was my right to make the decision, but having that right
doesn't make the decision any easier," she said. "It was the hardest
decision I've ever made."
Findling, 42, is married, with a 5-year-old daughter, and has been
trying to get pregnant again while pursuing her career as a
philanthropic foundation executive.
She says too many of her allies in the abortion-rights movement tend to
minimize, at least publicly, the psychological impact of abortion.
"It's emotionally devastating," she said in a phone interview. "I don't
regret my decision - but I regret having been put in the position to
have to make that choice. It's something I'll live with for the rest of
my life."
Of course it is "emotionally devastating!" You participated in eugenics and decided that your child was not good enough to live in this world. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. And if it's so "emotionally devastating," why add your name to a list of women proud of their contributions to a culture of death?
Where has the sanity of the world gone?
Apocalypse...now?