Press Room

Contact: Peggy Hamill, State Director
Katherine Ribnek, Communications Director
(262) 796-1111, (414) 416-0489 or info@prolifewisconsin.org


2002 Wisconsin Abortion Statistics are Misleading

Pro-Life Wisconsin disputes reports that Wisconsin induced abortion statistics for 2002 indicate a reduction in abortions in the state. At first glance it appears there were fewer abortions committed in 2002 than in the previous year, but those numbers do not reflect the full range of chemically induced abortions. Chemical abortion is defined as the killing of an unborn child anytime after fertilization by means other than a surgical procedure.

“Birth control chemicals and devices such as the I.U.D., Depo-Provera, Norplant, and ‘the pill’ all have an abortifacient effect at least some of the time,” stated Katherine Ribnek, Pro-Life Wisconsin Communications Director. “This means that one mechanism of action is to induce changes in the uterine lining so that if conception does occur, implantation is prevented, thus terminating a human life in the earliest stages of development.”

“Taxpayer funded abortion techniques focusing on chemical means to end the lives of preborn babies have become more readily available, especially to vulnerable teens without parental knowledge,” stated Peggy Hamill, State Director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. “While surgical abortion is generally relegated to clinical settings, life-ending chemical abortion drugs are easily accessed through a pharmacy.”

Although small print package inserts define the mechanisms by which birth control pills work, many women taking these pills are unaware of their abortifacient nature, a fact that has been suppressed by pharmaceutical companies. “We admit that it is nearly impossible to estimate the millions of abortions caused by abortifacient birth control drugs and devices,” continued Hamill, “nevertheless, to be accurate, it is critical to take into account these untold numbers when referring to Wisconsin’s annual abortion statistics.”