Thursday, October 8, 2009

Abortion and Health Care Costs in Alberta


From Alberta Pro-Life

Campaign to de-fund abortion in Alberta Pro Life

In late August, Albertans learned that the provincial government has racked up a $7-billion dollar deficit. The day of the announcement happened to coincide with a meeting Alberta Pro-Life had with Premier Ed Stelmach’s Deputy Chief of Staff to discuss de-funding abortion under the Alberta Health Care insurance program. It was very timely. We were not making a pitch for money, rather showing the government a way of reducing $6-8 million per year. That’s how much the province paid last year for 12,195 abortions – virtually all of which were medically unnecessary. Less than 3% of abortions are required to save the life of the mother.

At a time when medically necessary procedures like MRI’s, the closing of acute care beds and long-term care beds, and other cut backs yet to be announced, it does not make sense to pay for abortions at taxpayers’ expense. We would like you to visit your MLA and ask that he/she support de-insuring abortion. Abortion is not a medical service, it is a booming business in Alberta. In the Capital Health Annual Report 2007-2008 The Women’s Health Options clinic (formerly the Mortgentaler Clinic) across the street from the Alberta Pro-Life office billed Alberta Health for a whopping $2,179,900 for pregnancy terminations. That is only 1 clinic in the province of Alberta. That does not include any of the abortions done at the Kensington Clinic or in any of the hospitals here in Alberta.

By now, every MLA in Alberta should have received the MLA Information Package prepared by Alberta Pro-Life. Our goal is to have every MLA in the province approached by as many constituents as possible to demand that abortion is de-insured. At a time when Alberta is experiencing its largest yearly deficit in its history, we have an opportune time to lobby to stop the cost of abortions being paid by taxpayers. If you are unsure who your Provincial MLA is, please go to http://alberta.ca/home/mla contacts.cfm

Something else you can do…

Alberta Pro-Life hopes to move to the next step in our campaign for De-funding Abortion in Alberta. Our plan is to place a number of ads in various Alberta newspapers. As you know advertising is very expensive. If you find it in your heart to help out financially to help us get the word out about De-funding at this very crucial time, please forward cheques to Alberta Pro-Life, PO Box 11479, Edmonton, AB T5J 3K5 or call 1-877-880-5433

Church Bu
lletin Insert

For the month of October, 2009

Please consider inserting the following into your church bulletin for the month of October. NOW is the time. Our prayerful actions CAN make a difference when it comes

PRO-LIFE ACTION ITEM

October is the month to pray, pray, pray. Alberta Pro-Life is in the midst of a provincial campaign, asking our MLAs to de-fund abortion in Alberta in 2009-10. Each year 1 in 5 Albertans are aborted with taxpayers’ money, with little thought to the damage it does to baby, mom and dad. Now is the time to de-fund this procedure, with so many proven harmful effects. Call your MLA and encourage them to take a stand – you can find their address at www.assembly.ab.ca or call Alberta Pro-Life for more info 780-421-7747.

Bless you for speaking up on behalf of those who suffer as a result of abortion.

4 comments:

Rabble said...

"I practice ob-gyn in new york, and estimate that about 80% of the abortions we do at my hospital are covered by Medicaid - probably similiar stats in the other 16 states where medicaid will cover it. With [the Stupak-Pitts Amendment], that coverage might disappear, if medicaid gets pulled into the exchange. Most of my patients will not have the money for an abortion. They will go to the pharmacy and buy medication to induce an abortion under the counter (widely available in our latino neighborhood).

They will come to the hospital with bleeding, probably denying that they took anything, but stuck somewhere in the process of the abortion, what we call incomplete;. Most will be perfectly stable. But even those who are fine will require follow up ultrasounds, clinic visits and possibly a d&c to complete the process, as well as many expensive lab draws if the fetus is passed by the time they come to the hospital, because then we have to make sure it isn't an ectopic pregnancy which requires weeks of follow up.

So, your not wanting to have your dollars go to pay for a $500 abortion has now turned into you paying $1500-$2000 in medicaid hospital bills for management of an incomplete miscarriage or rule out ectopic. You have saved yourself exactly NO tax dollars. Congratulations.

How do I know this exact sequence? Because we already do this exact thing between 3-5 times a week for women who already do this, because they don't know abortion is legal, they don't know medicaid will pay here, they have a friend who did it that way. If they take away the medicaid option, I'll just be running my ass down to the ER to see these ladies about 200 times more often, and all you abortion-hating taxpayers will still be footing the bill."
Via: 1

Thought you might find this interesting.

Love,
Rabble

Brigitte said...

1. There is some logic to this and nobody has said that these providers are all heartless and evil. Though the commercial interest already mentioned must be taken into account.

2. Yet, what you write should not incite you against Back Porch or Pregnancy Care Centers?

3. It's not all about money. People find money for what they find money for.

4. The ease of "under-the-counter", where available, would be a problem, just like the abortion booked over the inter-net the night before. Or paying out of empty government coffers. The ease is a problem. Removing obstacles and stigma of abortion does not in the long run serve women.

5. Women "needing" these abortions, via pharmacy or clinic, is a symptom of other problems that should not be ignored: usually a history of poor choices involving males, relationships, schooling, sex and STD's. Having an abortion or a series of them does not often wake them up to that. You have to have support and make some right choices before something will really help. The abortion is only a band-aid on a big gash of a wound.

6. Women coming out of the local abortion clinic are also needing emergency medical care and are transported off by ambulance.

7. Why are these pharmacy abortions available under the counter?

8. I sympathize with your ob-gyn friend. It is nearly impossible to do much in a busy practice beyond getting things done for the patient.

But obviously the patient needs also other care, which is social, psychological, spiritual. This care, however, involves the patient understanding where she has gone wrong. Saying that pro-lifers want to "punish" people for having sex, is a hysterical reaction.

When I counseled, a big opportunity always arose, when someone came in scared and it turned out they were not pregnant, at all. Then you have a huge opportunity to take time and explore where she's been, wants to be going, what she's learned from this scare, what this all means for her. It's a big wake-up time. Ask them lots of questions and help them figure themselves out. Women need and deserve more than quick fixes. Men need to be men, too, and provide what they are supposed to provide. Ignoring the gravity of the situation (we are talking about your baby, a new person; you have got yourself into a big mess; you need to look your life and philosophy over very carefully) and not helping her with this, is doing her a disservice. There is a good chance she will continue to spiral, end up angry and yea, maybe with PAS or major disorders. And, yes, frequently, with more abortions. It will not have helped except dealt with a perceived "emergency".

Making a good choice now, will set her up for more good choices down the road--such as making a choice, now, to give up that rotten "boy-friend", that abusive "spouse"; talk to your parents, a pastor, a counsellor; place the baby with a family and visit the child; you can feel good about it and yourself, the rest of your life; they will love you and respect you. Or what else can happen--maybe even turning, or turning back, to God, whose love is the foundation for all profound love, your best friend. You have to realize you will not value yourself highly enough until you realize that the living God went to the cross for you, to bear the weight of your sins so you could have fellowship with him; and he did the same for your child. You should value the child just as highly, because Christ died for that person,too. Everyone is wanted.

Unknown said...

I find it odd that we don't question the "Justice System" when an abortion is allowed for no other reason than straight outright selfishness, however, when we see and know of a convicted killer that gets life in a so called jail with all the ammenities included including a gym for exercise, it sickens me to know end to know that our tax dollars are protecting criminals from death row, yet they will murder a baby, now that is a true mark of a coward, only our government would Justify.

Brigitte said...

There are many inconsistencies.

Just before Christmas I was singing in a jail and I thought, wow, it's ok to sing Christmas carols here, anything you want, (the inmates came out to the railing volunarily), but in other public places you might be banned and if you want to talk to people about Christ.

We all need to take God's word seriously and love as we ought. Yet, forgiveness is available for all our failures--all of them.