Abortions are up in Indiana slightly thanks in part to the Planned Parenthood abortion business doing more abortions and using the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug more frequently.
Indiana Right to Life noted the new numbers and the pro-life group is concerned over the alarming growth of abortions using the mifepristone abortions drug, which was the subject of a new report in April from the FDA showing more than a dozen women have died from it — including several in the United States — and more than 2,200 women have experienced sometimes severe and life-threatening medical complications from it.
Of the women experiencing medical and physical problems resulting from the abortion drug, 612 women required hospitalizations, 339 experienced blood loss significant enough to require a transfusion, 256 experienced infections and 48 women experienced what the FDA labeled as “severe infections.” Given that the RU 486 abortion drug caused sepsis, a potentially lethal infection that resulted in the deaths of women from around the world, the “serious infections” were very likely life-threatening situations.
The Indiana State Department of Health posted the new abortion statistics and, according to ISDH’s Indiana Induced Termination of Pregnancy Report 2008, which represents the most recent official abortion statistics available for Indiana, abortions using the RU 486 abortion drug increased by over 16% from 2007 to 2008.
The 2008 stats from the health department also reveal a slight overall increase of abortions by .3% from 2007 to 2008, largely due to an increase in abortions done in Marion and Monroe counties in Indiana. Not surprisingly, Planned Parenthood is the sole abortion business in Monroe County and does the majority of abortions done in Marion County.
Mike Fichter, the president of IRTL, tells LifeNews these numbers confirm his fears that Planned Parenthood is more aggressively marketing chemical abortions in preparation for an expansion of abortions to multiple areas of Indiana. This all comes at a time when Indiana is defending its decision to revoke taxpayer funding for the abortion business.
“Abortions are on the rise in Indiana and Planned Parenthood is the reason why,” Fichter said. “These latest statistics underscore why Indiana should not send one dime of our public funds to Planned Parenthood.”
The new abortion statistics also reveal abortion’s devastating impact on the Indiana’s black community with a disproportionately high percentage of abortions, 29.8%, done on black women.
“The trends here are clear to see. Abortions are rising in the areas where Planned Parenthood dominates the market, chemical abortions are expanding, and the black community remains a target of Indiana’s abortion business,” notes Fichter.
In spite of the negative trends, Indiana Right to Life is applauding an abortion rate reduction of over 7% in Fort Wayne as well as slight reductions in Lake and St. Joseph counties. Both communities enjoy active local pro-life organizations working to educate about abortion and pro-life issues and direct women to pregnancy centers providing abortion alternatives.
