Reviewed book unreliable

Catholic New Times, May 18, 2003 by Kathleen Howes

The book, Women's Health After Abortion, was reviewed by Jane Ubertino in the May 4, 2003 edition of CNT as if it were an objective medical text. I am well aware of the many ways abortion opponents dress up and disguise their intent. "Objective" medical information is one of these. Ms. Ubertino describes the book its being "for anyone truly concerned about the welfare of women", and states that it was written, "primarily for the woman contemplating abortion, as well as for the medical personnel involved in counselling her". But it is written with the intention of scaring a woman from having an abortion.

The publishing house, DeVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, is suspect as to objectivity. It started out as the Human Life Research Institute. The authors, Ian Gentles and Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy, have firm connections to the anti-choice movement, and have written or edited other books that are polemically anti-abortion They give talks at anti-abortion meetings. Ring-Cassidy, for example, spoke at "Americans United For Life" in November 2002 in Washington.

There are undoubtedly medical risks associated with having an abortion, as with any medical procedure. The risk of death associated with childbirth is about 10 times higher than that associated with abortion (Induced Abortion, Facts in Brief New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute). The decision to have a child and the decision to terminate a pregnancy are both intensely personal, and it woman has the right to expect clear, unbiased medical information when contemplating either. She won't get this from Women's Health After Abortion. I recommend Abortion and Common Sense by Ruth Dixon-Mueller, PhD and Paul K. Dagg, M.D.

Kathleen Howes

Toronto