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January 12, 2005

Consumer Reports Gets an "F"

-Martin Kite-Powell

 

 

WorldNet Daily has published an interesting pair of articles about Consumer Reports and its apparently highly partisan leadership.

Consumer reports used to advertise that they would not allow ads in their publication (maybe they still claim this) so they could be free from influence by sellers of any of the products Reports was reviewing.

If anyone wondered why Consumer Reports would then begin to point its readers to seek abortions through Planned Parenthood as a single, one size fits all solution with no drawbacks to any unplanned pregnancy, now the picture becomes a little clearer.

That is, since WorldNet Daily uncovered the fact today that Consumer Reports CEO James A. Guest was formerly the head of Maryland Prevented Planned Parenthood, the clarity is amazing. According to WND, February’s Consumer Reports review of abortion and contraception is rife with unfair and unbalanced examinations of the options one might consider when faced with that nasty unintended consequence of nature’s trademark perpetuative activity: pregnancy.

Other high-ups in the organization were also found to be part of the Berkeley trial lawyer, Leftwing activist crowd with résumés that could make Mary Mapes blush.

But the biography of James Guest doesn’t stop at Planned Parenthood. Lest you wondered where Mr. Guest stood on the matter of protecting women both born and unborn, he has also worked swimmingly as a legislative assistant for none other than Senator Ted Kennedy. He additionally helped to stifle the defense of the defenseless during his tenure at Handgun Control inc. as well as the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence - two groups most famous for supporting laws which prevent law-abiding citizens (often the weak, elderly or women) from owning firearms even in their own homes for self-protection.

Strangely enough, Consumer Reports failed to fully disclose any of these details. More ominously, Consumer Reports failed to fully disclose all of the medical and psychological risks associated with abortion or analyze abortion’s alternatives or alternatives to Planned Parenthood such as OptionLine, which offers a far more balanced list of abortion and adoption pros and cons.  

Consumer Reports also failed to point out with any seriousness even some of the medical mitigators in abortion. Cloaking language aside, Reports only has a short paragraph about the medical risks involved:  


Comparative risks In the U.S., the fatality risk with mifepristone is slightly less than 1 per 100,000 cases, compared with 0.1 per 100,000 for surgical abortion at 8 weeks or less. Pregnancy itself carries a fatality risk of 11.8 per 100,000.    

 

On the other hand, in addition to more accurately detailing the various procedures on its site, OptionLine also discusses with more pertinent detail the possible problems which might arise from the procedure (some of which are common to any major surgery, but even that fact alone is left off the Consumer Reports website) According to OptionLine:

 

Some side effects may occur with induced abortion. These include abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In most abortions, no serious complications occur. However, complications may happen in as many as 1 out of every 100 early abortions and in about 1 out of every 50 later abortions. Such complications may include:

 

Heavy Bleeding - Some bleeding after abortion is normal. There is, however, a risk of hemorrhage, especially if the uterine artery is torn. When this happens, a blood transfusion may be required.

Infection - Bacteria may get into the uterus from an incomplete abortion resulting in infection. A serious infection may lead to persistent fever over several days and extended hospitalization.

Incomplete Abortion - Some fetal parts may not be removed by the abortion. Bleeding and infection may occur. RU486 may fail in up to 1 out of every 20 cases.

Allergic Reaction to Drugs - An allergic reaction to anesthesia used during abortion surgery may result in convulsions, heart attack and, in extreme cases, death.

Tearing of the Cervix - The cervix may be cut or torn by abortion instruments.

Scarring of the Uterine Lining - Suction tubing, curettes, and other abortion instruments may cause permanent scarring of the uterine lining.

Perforation of the Uterus - The uterus may be punctured or torn by abortion instruments. The risk of this complication increases with the length of the pregnancy. If this occurs, major surgery, including a hysterectomy, may be required.

Damage to Internal Organs - When the uterus is punctured or torn, there is also a risk that damage will occur to nearby organs such as the bowel and bladder.

Death - In extreme cases, other physical complications from abortion including excessive bleeding, infection, organ damage from a perforated uterus, and adverse reactions to anesthesia may lead to death. This complication is very rare and occurs, on average, in less than 20 cases per year.

 

Other Risks of Abortion

 

Abortion and Breast Cancer
…The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found: "Among women who had been pregnant at least once, the risk of breast cancer in those who had experienced an induced abortion was 50% higher than among other women." …

Effect on Future Pregnancy
Scarring or other injury during an abortion may prevent or place at risk future wanted pregnancies. The risk of miscarriage is greater for women who abort their first pregnancy.

Emotional Impact

Some women experience strong negative emotions after abortion. Sometimes this occurs within days and sometimes it happens after many years. This psychological response is known as Post-Abortion Stress (PAS). Several factors that impact the likelihood of Post-Abortion Stress include: the woman's age, the abortion circumstances, the stage of pregnancy at which the abortion occurs, and the woman's religious beliefs.

Post-Abortion Stress Symptoms
- Guilt
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Anniversary Grief
- Flashbacks of Abortion
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Relationship Problems
- Eating Disorders
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Psychological Reactions

Spiritual Consequences

 

 

Though immediate death of the mother after an abortion is comparatively low in the United States, in countries such as China where emergency care is of inferior quality if it even exists, maternal mortality is estimated to be much higher.

To be frank, so omitting are the mitigators in the Consumer Reports abortion options review, if I were a woman who decided to have an abortion which ended with significant complications based at least in large part due to that review, I might think about hiring a lawyer.

To add insult to injury to one’s intelligence, Consumer Report on its “Condoms” review page also criticizes the Center for Disease Control for encouraging abstinence or monogamy as behaviors which are the most successful in the prevention of venereal disease and the former of pregnancy.

  

 A CDC spokesperson said the new fact sheet (which promotes abstinence as the best method) is more science-based than its predecessor and is meant for health professionals, but critics, including experts on reproductive health (who might these be?), charge that it puts ideology before science and encourages distrust of condoms.

  

“…Puts ideology before science.”

So what we learn from this is that Mr. Guest and his minions at Consumer Reports are hardcore politicos who are unable to be mature enough to remain objective even when removed from the political environment – much in similar fashion to that which we have seen of late from the Left-wingers who now run the AARP. And that they are of the worst order of hypocrite: those whose sins of omission cost lives.    

 

 

Resources:

WorldNet Daily: Consumer Reports CEO Led Planned Parenthood

WorldNet Daily: Consumer Reports advocates abortion

Consumer Reports: A Guide to Leftwing Reproductive Politics (or Reproducing Leftwing Politics on the Unsuspecting)

Center for Disease Control

OptionLine Pregnancy Counseling Services

The Racist Truth about Planned Parenthood’s Purpose in the Words of its own Founder

 

Posted by Martin at January 12, 2005 04:27 PM

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