Abortions in Ohio Hit All-Time Low Last Year: 5,000 Pregnancies Terminated Legally In Hamilton County

Ohio Health Department County Stats

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- State health statistics show there were 28,721 abortions performed in Ohio in 2009, the lowest number since the 1980s when records began to be kept.  Ohio Right to Life said there has been a 40% decline in pregnancy terminations over the decades, and that the downward trend has been consistent and steady since the year 2000.  Still, the Ohio Department of Health's annual report contained some disturbing data.  There were 190 girls under age 15 who had abortions last year.  Were they sexually active or victims of child molesters?  The report does not offer any clues.  Overall, 18% of Ohio abortions involved women under the of 20; 83% were single and 41% were African American.  Said Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis, whose organization has posted the state health department's annual report:

"We are winning the fight against those who push abortion as the first and sometimes only choice for women in crisis.  We continue to witness a trend of Ohioans moving towards a firm respect for life.  One of the reasons for the continued decline in abortions has been the enactment of new laws which help young women make positive decisions for themselves and their babies.  Whenever you have even the slightest legislative gain that protects women and defends her baby, it will make a difference.” 

The Ohio Right to Life press release is available here. The full text of the Ohio Health Department's report on Ohio abortions in 2009 is accessible by clicking here. The documents contains data going back to 1997. Reaction to the numbers has been muted. Right Ohio blogger Matt Naugle said, "Any abortion is horrendous and an act of murder," but he was first to publish the numbers and noted the decline. On the Democratic left, Plunderbund called the declining number a positive development:

"The reduction in the number of abortions in Ohio IS good news and providing women with as much information as possible and as many options as possible SHOULD be everyone’s goal. That’s because we all have the same goal: reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in Ohio. And, based on the statistics, that has been happening, and happening rather quickly in the past few years."

Tebow Family's Abortion Story: An Evangelical Christian Myth From The Phillipines?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A New York blogger contends University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's family is being deceitful by claiming that a Philippines doctor suggested the athlete's mother have an abortion. If she had agreed, Tebow would not have been born. Inland Z in Buffalo points out the procedure would have been illegal under Philippine law, and notes that the island nation is one of the most Roman Catholic nations in the world. The Catholic Church is fierce in its opposition to abortion. The Tebow's were missionaries trying to convert Catholic Filipinos into becoming Protestants. Here's some of what Inland Z published today:

"The big problem:
1. Pam [Tim Tebow's mother] was seriously ill, post coma, and heavily medicated when the doctor made the alleged suggestion for an abortion. You don't discuss that sort of thing with a woman doped up with medications.
2. The Philippines Federal Penal Code ( Revised Penal Code of 1930) is very stringent when it comes to abortions. The grounds on which abortion is permitted is severely restricted:
To save the life of the woman - Yes
To preserve physical health - No
To preserve mental health - No
Rape or incest - No
Fetal impairment - No
Economic or social reasons - No
Available on request - No"

The Bellwether located a United Nation's document that has more details about abortion in the Philippines. It clearly states that abortions take place in great numbers because the anti-abortion laws aren't enforced. Inland z appears to quote material from the same document without attribution. Here's a pertinent excerpt from the UN report:

"Despite the severity of the law, abortion appears to be widely practised in the Philippines as a means of birth control and is rarely prosecuted. The International Planned Parenthood Federation reports estimates ranging from 155,000 to 750,000 induced abortions per year. However, illegal abortion is performed in a climate of fear and shame resulting from strong cultural, religious and legal prohibitions. Surveys indicate that women resorting to abortion are often from economically disadvantaged groups and take this step because they are unable to provide for another child. Surveys also indicate a high incidence of repeat abortion. In a context of poor health conditions and widespread malnutrition, and where some 76 per cent of deliveries occur at home and only 21 per cent are attended by a physician, induced abortions are poorly performed and result in high maternal mortality and morbidity. The maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 280 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990. Hospital surveys have found that about one third of maternal deaths occurring in hospitals can be attributed to induced abortion."