Central Ohio Abortion Rate 2018
 
The abortion rate in Central Ohio has significantly dropped from 4844 in 2017 to 3706 in 2018.
Note: in the e-news-version of this story, a typo in this article was produced throughout. The abortion rate declined by 25%, not 36%. Consider that our goal for next year! - BV.
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If you have not heard, Ohio’s abortion statistics report was issued today. Each fall, Ohio’s Department of Health issues abortion statistics for the year prior. The statistics look at various demographic information like where the abortion was performed and where the mother who had the abortion resides. It tracks the method of abortion – both distinguishing between surgical and non surgical abortions but also breaking down types of procedures within the larger subset. It also looks at things like the mother’s race and ethnicity, the number of reported prior abortions or live births, her education, her age, and her marital status. You can review a copy of the 2018 Ohio Abortion Statistics online here (warning – it is a larger pdf file).

Earlier this month, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute released a report detailing a national decline in the number of abortions over the past seven years. The abortion advocacy research organization argues that the proliferation of pro-life laws does not explain the reduction in total abortions but also indicates that some of the decrease is due to abortion restrictions passed by various states.

In context, the report issued by Ohio today shows that the local abortion rate has fallen by nearly 25% and that abortions in Ohio have hit another all-time low.  In all, the number of abortions statewide decreased from 20,893 abortions in 2017 to 20,425 in 2018.

Statewide, the reduction in abortion is largely among women aged 19 or younger. The majority of women having abortions continue to be unmarried, with 79% reporting that they are single, divorced, separated, or widowed. Approximately 10% did not disclose their marital status and about 10% reported being married. Among the women who reported their race, about 48% were white, about 44% were African American, about 6% were Hispanic, and about 4% were Asian/Pacific Islander. Another 4% reported multiple ethnicity.
The Ohio abortion statistics report tracks abortion by two metrics. One is by the county in which the abortion was performed and the other is by where the mother reports that she resides.
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A record-breaking crowd joined Greater Columbus Right to Life for its annual banquet on Monday, June 10th, at the Villa Milano with special guest, Dr. William Lile, The Pro-Life Doc. Pictures from the event are available here.

Dr. William Lile is a pro-life OB/GYN who is licensed to practice in Florida and in Alabama. In 1999 he took over a practice that was also the largest provider of abortion services in Pensacola. All abortion services and abortion referrals were stopped on the first day. The abortionist retired and left the country. The abortion equipment is now used to demonstrate the brutality of abortions performed in all 3 trimesters. Today, there is no one offering abortions in the Florida panhandle and Dr. Lile uses his experience and information about modern obstetrics to demonstrate the life and personhood of the unborn. For Dr. Lile, all unborn children are treated as patients, no matter how small. 

Dr. Lile is also one of more than 700 physicians across the country who is providing the Abortion Pill Reversal procedure, and he serves on the medical advisory board for Heartbeat International and the Abortion Pill Reversal Network, which to date has seen more than 750 successful reversal of the abortion pill in the United States. Dr. Lile explained to the crowd, “Opiate addiction is a major problem in the United States. The medical community understands that if someone misuses an opiate and experiences an overdose, we can administer a medicine like Narcan to reverse many of those overdoses and save the patient’s life. Abortion pill reversal is no different – if a woman takes the first dose of the abortion pill regimen and realizes she has made a mistake, we can often administer a drug commonly used in obstetric care to reverse the abortion and save the unborn patient’s life.” Dr. Lile shared that his practice in Florida just provided its sixth successful abortion pill reversal of 2019.

The procedure works because the abortion pill is a combination of two medicines. The first blocks a pregnant woman’s body from producing progesterone, which causes the death of her unborn child. A second medicine often used causes her body to expel the then-deceased child. The mechanism of the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is that it provides additional progesterone to a woman, counteracting the progesterone-blocking mechanism. It can be taken up to 72 hours after administering the abortion pill, but is most successful when taken in the first 24 hours. Progesterone is commonly used in obstetrical care to support healthy pregnancies, especially in women at risk of miscarriage.

In recent years, the percentage of local women choosing non-surgical methods of abortion has skyrocketed from about 3 percent to more than 30% locally, and GCRTL has seen first-hand women who walked out of the abortion clinic, experienced immediate regret, and wanted to reverse the process. Several years ago, a group of Seminarians were praying outside of Founder’s, and they witnessed a woman who came out and attempted to induce vomiting, crying out ‘what did I just do? What did I just do?’ We were just starting to hear about the APR process then, but our team was not yet familiar with it. Since then, we have been very invested in making sure that women, our volunteers, and the greater community know about Abortion Pill Reversal.

Legislation pending in the Ohio General Assembly would require that Ohio’s abortion informed consent law be updated to include information about the availability of abortion pill reversal. Not surprisingly, the effort has been decried by abortion advocates and the media, calling it “junk science” or an unnecessary effort to increase abortion stigma.

It seems surprising that advocates for so-called ‘choice’ would oppose expanding the options for a woman who changed her mind about her abortion. They are asserting, basically, that a woman does not have the right to information that, if she chooses, would allow her to withdraw consent from an abortion procedure. The more than 750 babies who have been born following APR are the best witnesses to the efficacy of the process. Dr. Lile added, “we are currently seeing success rates in the hundreds, and soon the thousands and the tens of thousands, and as more and more women are electing to have a chemical (non-surgical) abortion, it is vital that we continue this work from both the perspective of saving lives and also confirming the science involved.”

Greater Columbus Right to Life provides abortion pill reversal information and referrals to the national APR hotline, which is based here in Columbus out of the offices of Heartbeat International, to each client that their team of volunteers interacts with. In the last year, the group has provided information to more than 1000 women at the clinic as part of their ministry work. Proceeds from the evening’s fundraiser will support their programs such as sidewalk ministry, education – including an upcoming APR informational series, and other projects – such as the advanced medical directives project.

If you were not able to attend the fundraiser but would like to make a donation to support their work, you can visit www.gcrtl.org/gift.

To learn more about Abortion Pill Reversal, visit: www.abortionpillreversal.com.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio's East Surgical Center: quotas, no matter what...
 
You won’t find many people who are truly gung-ho about abortion. Even the most ardent pro-choice voters simply want women to be able to make the decision, but they don’t often cheer when a baby is killed. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who wants to increase the number of aborted children.

Unless, of course, you’re talking about Planned Parenthood. The chilling fact is we have evidence of something alarming happening even within our own community: Planned Parenthood's East Surgical Center has abortion quotas.

We have proof — provided by none other than Planned Parenthood itself.

That’s right. Abortion for Planned Parenthood is not a last resort. This is about killing as many unborn children as possible to make more money; it’s a budget balanced in blood money. An ultrasound alone costs $200 at Planned Parenthood, and abortion costs range between $540 - $1,100, depending on a woman’s stage of pregnancy. We aren't making this up; you can check out their website here, or catch the screen shot here. 

We recently learned of a job posting for a Planned Parenthood clinic manager at the east surgical facility in Columbus, Ohio. The responsibilities listed include “accepting individual and joint responsibility for, and lead the surgery center’s efforts to achieve annual surgical visit goals.” Click this link for the job description, or check out a screenshot here and here.
 
Abortion is the only procedure offered at this Planned Parenthood. In fact, there has long been a sign on the door reminding patients (or customers) that they do not offer any family planning services at the location. The phrase “annual surgical visit goals” is code for annual abortion goals. Planned Parenthood needs women to have abortions to keep the lights on and to continue profiting off from killing unborn children.

Sue Thayer, a former employee of Planned Parenthood explains, “As a Planned Parenthood Center Manager for nearly 18 years, I know that abortion services are their biggest moneymaker and top priority. Each center was given a monthly goal. Failure to meet abortion quotas necessitated a corrective action plan, a reprimand or worse. Reaching the abortion goal was often rewarded with extra PTO, lunch with the CEO or even a pizza party. I'm sad to say it, but free pizza was a huge motivator for staff to sell abortions. Purchasing a few pizzas was a small price to pay in return for a packed schedule on abortion day.”

Of course, Planned Parenthood denies having abortion quotas. See what they have to say on the matter by clicking here. After that, see how Snopes covered the topic by clicking here.

We know Planned Parenthood has been caught in a bevy of falsehoods before. A simple Google search will make that plain. Is this just the location in Columbus? Nope. It’s a widespread issue. Check out this article here from The Washington Times.

How they can possible refute this when it’s literally listed in their own job description?

Remember, this is all about the money. The more babies are killed, the more dollars they earn. 

Life Site News recently crunched the numbers and found that over half of Planned Parenthood’s non-government income comes from abortions (52%). Although Planned Parenthood claims that abortion comprises on 3.4% of its services, they upped their abortion quotas by nearly 4% over the past three years. In total, Planned Parenthood’s abortion revenue accounts for about 11%, which is about $200 million.

Let’s face it. Planned Parenthood needs abortion quotas to keep the lights on.

Note: Unlike Planned Parenthood, Greater Columbus Right to Life does not receive any taxpayer dollars; we rely entirely on the generosity of our donors to keep the lights on. If you would like to support the work to expose and end abortion in central Ohio, you can make a donation here. If you are not able to make a donation at this time, please consider offering a prayer for our work or joining us as a volunteer. If you are visiting from outside the central Ohio area, consider volunteering with your local organization.

​The Right to Know and the Right to Life

This week we were at a press conference announcing that Representative Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) and Senator Peggy Lehner (R–Dayton) will introduce legislation in the Ohio House and Senate to amend Ohio’s informed consent law to require that women seeking abortion counseling get information about the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol.

Doctors have successfully reversed chemical abortions by administering doses of the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for maintain a healthy pregnancy. In the process of a chemical abortion, a woman initially takes a mifepristone pill, which blocks progesterone and causes the unborn child to be disconnected from the uterine lining. Several days later, she takes a second drug (misoprostol) to remove the contents of her uterus. The APR protocol consists of providing a woman who has taken the first dose of the abortion pill with supplemental progesterone within 72 hours (but preferably within 24 hours). By taking progesterone over a number of weeks to overcome the deficiency caused by mifepristone, is possible that the woman can save her baby. Over 750 babies have been born following the reversal protocol, which is similar in nature to a medical protocol that is frequently used to help women who are at high risk of miscarriage due to progesterone insufficiency. The protocol was recently described in a BBC article about reducing miscarriage.

“It is perfectly reasonable to require that the informed consent process include this indispensable piece of information that this procedure can be stopped once it has started,” Sen. Peggy Lehner said, during a pro-life press conference at the Statehouse on May 14, 2019.

​Surprisingly, organizations that claim to a woman’s “right to choose” vehemently oppose the legislation and have embarked on an extensive campaign to dispute the science of the bill, a drumbeat which has been picked up by Ohio’s media.

Much of their argument stems from a lack of medical trials on the process. However, they fail to recognize that a medical trial pertaining to abortion is unethical, as it inevitably results in killing the life of an unborn child. In medical trials, there is always a control group, which either receives a placebo or experimental drug. In testing the effects of progesterone on a woman who has taken mifepristone, it would be necessary to induce an abortion, either by giving the patients in the control group a placebo or by later performing an abortion, if the abortion pill reversal procedure is successful. However, the purpose of medicine is to promote maternal and fetal health, not death.

GCRTL’s executive director commented, “With more than one-third of local abortions being performed via the abortion pill, it is important that the community be aware that reversal is possible. A woman who changes her mind after she starts the abortion process has the right to withdraw her consent from inducing the death of her child, and if abortion advocates were truly in the business of supporting women’s choices they would be the first to recommend this process, even if it only provided a fraction of a percent of success.” Initial studies suggest the APR protocol has a 68-74% success rate.

One of the national leaders of the Abortion Pill Reversal process will be in Columbus on Monday, June 10th for the Greater Columbus Right to Life’s banquet. There is no cost to attend, although advance registration is required. There will be an opportunity to make a donation to support the work of GCRTL following the program.

If you or someone you know may benefit from the abortion pill reversal procedure, you can call their help hotline (877) 558-0333 or visit https://www.abortionpillreversal.com/. 

Did you miss your opportunity to watch the Gosnell Film at theaters?

Join Greater Columbus Right to Life and the Respect Life Committee at St. Simon and Jude Church (9350 High Free Pike, West Jefferson, OH 43162) for a showing of the film on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30 pm. Following the movie, GCRTL staff will be available to take questions and talk about local clinic conditions and opportunities to get involved in pro-life work.

Gosnell is the true story of the investigation and trial of America’s most prolific serial killer. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia Abortion Doctor was brought to trial in 2013 after operating his abortion clinic for over 30 years while public authorities turned a blind eye to the atrocities taking place there. The film is rated PG-13. Many have asked, but the film is not "gory" in nature. 

Popcorn and sodas will be served. To assist with planning, advance registration is requested, but not required.  

You may know Andrea Bocelli as an Italian singer-songwriter and the world's most famous living tenor, but did you know that when his mother was pregnant with him her physicians urged her to abort him for medical reasons?  She refused, giving her son the precious gift of life - a gift which he has shared with billions through his talent. A few years ago, Bocelli shared his story mid-concert, expressing his appreciation for his mother saying no to that abortion and sharing his hope that every woman can say yes to the life within her. 

Why are we sharing this? Because in December, Bocelli will be coming to Columbus to perform for one night, and Greater Columbus Right to Life wants to give you an opportunity to experience Andrea Bocelli live while supporting the life-saving work that we do.  

We are excited to announce that we have a phenomenal two-ticket VIP treatment concert package available, which we will be raffling off. The proceeds of the raffle will benefit Greater Columbus Right to Life. We will be making just 500 raffle tickets available. Tickets can be purchased online, in person at the GCRTL office (call ahead for open hours), or with select volunteers. 

On an average day in central Ohio, 13 children are aborted. This is a tragedy, and Greater Columbus Right to Life works every day to help empower women to choose life for their unborn children, because we believe each one of them has the potential to change the world - regardless of if it is in the smallest or most profound of ways. 

Ticket Package information:
This package consists of two tickets in Section F2, Row M, Seats 10-11 at the Schottenstein Center. In addition to the premiere seating location, these tickets are part of a VIP package that includes a pre-show Italian themed, multi-course dinner featuring a free glass of Bocelli wine (where liquor laws permit), additional cash bar, VIP parking, and a custom Andrea Bocelli merchandise gift bag with a color photo tour program, Bocelli music, embroidered tote bag, and more. The concert package has a retail value of approximately $1500.

You can visit our website for more information including rules here, or you can purchase your raffle ticket today here. With only 500 tickets available, we anticipate that this opportunity will sell out quickly.  Note: While we appreciate his sharing his story and the opportunity to make this package available, this promotion is not endorsed or sponsored by Andrea Bocelli, his tour or tour promoters, or the venue.

Want to support GCRTL a little more? Consider joining us for our 2019 Dinner, An Evening with the Pro-Life Doc, on Monday June 10th. There is no cost to attend or to serve as a table host. Sponsorships and volunteer opportunities are still available. 

Cal Zastrow and his daughter Corrie have experienced victory in the protection of their free speech rights to advocate for life. This happened in Toledo, but it affects us right here in Columbus.

It all started when they were attempting to peacefully advocate for the lives of unborn babies on the public sidewalks near the Capital Care Network, a local abortion clinic.

Their advocacy includes prayer, preaching, worshiping, distributing literature and holding pro-life signs on public sidewalks near abortion centers where innocent children are killed on a daily basis.

But Toledo Police weren’t having it; the advocacy and voices of this father and daughter were effectively silenced. But not for long as God was on their side.

The American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) stepped in and filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on behalf of the Zastrows against the city, its chief of police, along with two officers. Said suit claimed the officers violated the Zastrows’ constitutional rights — outlined in the First and Fourteenth amendments.

The First amendment reads as such: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Fourteenth: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The judge recognized these rights and sided with the plaintiffs, ordering the city to allow the Zastrows to continue on with their peaceful protests undeterred. And that’s not all. The city is also required to pay $7,500 in attorneys’ fees and costs to the AFLC.

This victory affects pro-lifers right here in the capital city as it further empowers us to continually protest in peaceful manners near abortion clinics within our own community. Let’s continue to fight the good fight!

A copy of the decision can be read here.

To the stunning surprise and relief of many, Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio Senate recently came together in support of babies who survive abortion attempts. This show of unity comes in dramatic contrast to their federal counterparts.

State senators unanimously passed Senate Resolution 41, which urges Congress to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This happened in the same hearing where the Heartbeat Bill was passed.

Democratic Senator Nickie Antonio said she does not take her vote on the issue lightly and described the issue as “troubling” because laws are already on the books that protect newborn babies.
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But this issue must be clearly understood. The Born-Alive Protection Act of 2002 was signed at the time by President George W. Bush. However, the current legislation in Congress is significantly different. One of the biggest changes is the earlier bill did not include penalties for medical professionals who allow babies who survive abortions to die from lack of medical care. The 2019 bill does and closes loopholes that allow abortion providers to put a screaming, crying, unwanted infant in a room alone to slowly pass away. The WONDER database from the Centers for Disease Control reveals that from 1999-2017, at least 592 babies perished after surviving abortions.
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Antonio acknowledged that “the minute that baby takes a breath, they are a citizen of the United States.”
She eventually grew visibly emotional as she continued to speak.

“When a baby is born, a baby is born. And we should do everything we can,” she said through tears.
Senate Resolution 41 was brought forward by Senate President Obhof and Republican Senator Matt Huffman. Democrats asked to caucus (meaning to meet privately) and then voted unanimously in support along with all Republicans.

We pray those in Congress see the unity within Ohio on this extremely important issue. 

To encourage Ohio's members of the US Senate to support the Infant Born Alive Act, you can contact Ohio's Senators at:

Senator Rob Portman (has voted to support the Act)

Senator Sherrod Brown (has voted against the Act)
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Note: Existing Ohio law (2919.17) generally requires that abortions performed or induced after the point of viability are done in a facility that has appropriate neonatal facilities to care for a premature infant and that any abortion or induction be done in a way that gives the child the best opportunity to survive. Failure to abide by this provision is a 4th degree felony in Ohio and grounds for loss of a medical license.

A few weeks ago, Greater Columbus Right to Life was the first to share the shocking news that Ohio’s first abortion provider had permanently relinquished his medical license. The reasons behind the relinquishment were not clear beyond some vaguely worded content in the action from the Ohio Medical Board document, indicating that he had surrendered his license in lieu of additional investigation into irregularly providing certain drugs to male patients. Subsequent public records requests to the Ohio Medical Board gained no additional clarity beyond the agenda for a quickly-called meeting and the outcome of a vote.

The next day, we were able to share that subsequent to the relinquishment of Mr. Blank’s license, the clinic he co-founded, which has been mired in scandal for years, closed in June of 2018, and reopened in November, had surrendered its license to perform surgical abortions. The clinic is currently open 4-5 days per week providing the abortion pill, and seems to be referring women who are later than ten weeks in pregnancy to clinics in Cleveland or Dayton for surgical procedures.

We’ve continued to pursue the truth of what is going on at this and other clinics as part of our community education program and we regularly maintain information on this and other clinics, but a few days after we exposed Ohio’s first abortion clinic, we learned that someone (or a group of people) really wants us to quit this work.

For the last month, someone has been using the name (or a version of the name), the email, and the phone number of our ED to apply for large numbers of “contact requests” from career and technical schools, multi-level marketing sales opportunities, jobs, “adult novelty” catalogs, non-mainstream religions, and more.  It resulted in a large number of phone calls, emails, and texts in an effort to disrupt our office activities. It appears that these folks really, really, really want us to be doing something different – anything different. It lead us to ask why it is that the response of abortion supporters, when confronted by the bad actions and bad actors of their industry, is to result to this kind of behavior rather than denounce the bad behavior of their cohort.  While it was a minor inconvenience to us, it was also a disrespectful waste of the time of the people who reached out to us in response to their false request – some of whom worked on commission or with pay based on success/fail rates – people who were just trying to do their jobs. Not surprising, more than a few of them were happy to share with us the information (like ISP address from the original contact) gathered when the form was submitted, information that we could provide to law enforcement. 

If anything, this activity has more firmly cemented our resolve to continue advocating for the unborn, the weak, and the infirm. We need to continue steadily proclaiming the dignity of the unborn while also peeling back the veil that enshrouds abortion as being good and necessary for the advancement of women.

So our resolution is that in 2019 we are not going to stop pressing forward in defense of human life, and we are going to continue from every angle we can.

But, we need a little help from you. Can you make a donation that is postmarked today or completed online tonight by midnight to help us end 2018 in a strong position? Or, can you make a donation in early 2019 to jump-start our efforts?  Can you resolve to volunteer to pray outside a clinic with us for just one shift a month, or help us to lead the 40 Days for Life efforts at your church? Would you like to bring the Memorial of the Unborn display to your church or school? Can you pray for our leaders and volunteers?  Because we can only be “all in” if you are!

Happy New Year, and may 2019 be blessed beyond measure.