“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.”
Isaiah 54:2,3

As you are probably aware, abortion isn't a procedure unique to the United States or even the so-called Western World. Abortions happen around the clock all over the world. Below are some case studies of abortion in different countries including what is being done to educate women about the alternatives available.

Silent Voices Expands to Include International Ministries

Since 1991, Silent Voices has been able to partner with other pro-life organizations around the world, and has also been instrumental in opening pregnancy support centers in a number of countries. Our first “missionary journey” was to Guam, where we assisted the local pregnancy center with developing their Post Abortion Healing outreach. This was followed by a trip to Israel and Romania in 1992, where we worked with Messianic Believers from Be’ad Chaim, and with a small group of missionaries in Cluj and Timisoara, Romania. These first trips made it clear to us that working internationally required a long-term commitment to developing relationships and providing on-going support in the form of finances and supplies.

We have expanded our international ministries to include centers in Russia, the Ukraine, Zambia, and India. We have also partnered with a maternity home in Israel, and a pregnancy center in Hungary, and provide them with supplies and monthly financial support. As the Lord provides, Silent Voices will continue to respond to requests for help from all over the world. We’re committed to going wherever God opens doors for ministry!

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Abortion in Russia

The Soviet Union was the first nation to legalize abortion in 1921. It is well known that Soviet Communism encouraged abortion as a badge of women's liberation under Marxism-Leninism.

About 60 percent of all pregnancies in Russia end in abortion, according to Vladimir Kulakov, head of Russia's Scientific Centre for Obstetrics and Gynecology. Only Romania has more abortions per capita.

In addition, about 6 million Russian women are infertile (out of 38 million females who are of child-bearing age), and medical authorities consider abortion to be a "major cause" of infertility, Kulakov said. The number of infertile women is set to increase, as at least one in 10 abortions in Russia is performed on a teenage girl.

According to a compilation from the Demographic Yearbook of the European Council and an analogous Demographic Yearbook by the United Nations, Russia is the only nation in the world where abortions consistently outnumbered live births by a ratio of about 2 to 1. In 1970, for example, there were 1.9 million births and 4.8 million abortions. Today, with more access to real contraceptives, that number has decreased: for every live birth there are between 1.3 and 1.5 abortions, depending on the statistics you look at.

Oral contraceptives appeared only in the early nineties. Although oral contraceptives are readily available at every pharmacy, they still remain one of the less popular forms of birth control in Russia. And not just because they’re expensive: a part of the population is still “biased” - or superstitiously afraid of anything hormonal, according to Inga Grebeshova, of the Russian Association for Family Planning. Abortion for many women just seems the safer, more familiar thing to do - even though, according to a report from the Rand Corporation, complications from abortions are responsible for more than one in four maternal deaths.

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Abortion in Romania

Statistically, Romania has the highest abortion rate in the world. Currently 3 out of 4 pregnancies are terminated with abortion. It is difficult to collect accurate numbers since abortions are so readily available throughout the country in both states hospitals and private clinics; only the hospitals report their abortion statistics.

In Romania, a country with the population of 23 million, it is estimated that there are about 800,000 abortions a year and this is probably on the conservative side. (At that same rate in the United States, that would be 8.5 million abortions a year!)

It's been called the Romanian abortion epidemic. Doctors typically react to the results of a positive pregnancy test by assuming their patients will want an abortion (75% do). Their next comments then are more likely to be about scheduling an abortion rather than about due dates.

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Abortion in Zambia

Abortion has been legal in Zambia since 1972. The official Government policy on abortion in Zambia is as follows:

Grounds on which abortion is permitted:

Yes - To save the life of the woman
Yes - To preserve physical health
Yes - To preserve mental health
No - Rape or incest
Yes - Fetal impairment
Yes - Economic or social reasons
No - Available on request

Additional requirements: An abortion requires the consent of three physicians, one of whom must be a specialist in the branch of medicine related to the woman’s reason for seeking an abortion. However, the requirement may be waived if the abortion is immediately necessary to save the life or prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the woman. A legal abortion must be performed by a registered physician in a government hospital or other approved institution unless the patient’s life is in danger.

While abortion is legal, physicians are still reluctant to schedule appointments , and junior physicians are often the ones who perform the abortions in the operating room. Some private physicians insert an IUD to induce abortion and tell the women to go to the gynecology ward at the hospital when bleeding begins. Other private doctors insert a plastic cannula and tell the women to go to the hospital ward. Most women go to traditional healers or midwives who insert roots soaked in water into the cervix which act as an irritant/dilator. Traditional healers also provide herbs claimed to be abortifacients which are taken in tea or eaten. Other women attempt to induce abortion themselves by inserting plants or twigs into the cervix. Desperate and often the youngest women drink gasoline or detergents or take large overdoses of chloroquine, aspirin, or other toxic substances. Many women die as a result of poorly performed abortions.

We just got this in from our Director in Zambia.

Happy, 2006!!

We are so excited just to continue sharing with you what the Lord continues doing in our midst. I must say that God has been so faithful and gracious.

I would to share with you Beauty's story. She is 32 years old and came in to the center seeking an abortion a year ago. When she explained the reasons to why she wanted to terminate the pregnancy, Beauty said she was married for 10 years and whenever she could fall pregnant, she always had stillbirth. This continued even up to the 6th child. Because of this the husband was disappointed, he told the wife that he could not live with her, due to the fact that her pregnancies ended in death. During that same time , Beauty shared with her husband that she was expecting again but the husband could not accept any responsibility and said even if she was pregnant she was not going to have a baby and so He decided to abandoned her and left for another woman whom he thought will give him children. Beauty was encouraged at the center and did not terminate her pregnancy.

Yesterday when we were at the center we saw Beauty coming to the center with (3) triplets beautiful babies,with the other girl who was helping her carry one baby. As soon as we saw her, we were very exited to see that God has given her 3 girls at once. Tears rolled in our eyes and thanked God for his faithfulness. All the girls are healthy and the mother too. She has named them Sara, Rachel and Phoebe. They are all BEAUTIFUL. These beautiful face could not be there had it not been for Silent Voices she exclaimed!

The husband has never showed up and he is not even aware of what God has done. BEAUTY AT THE MOMENT IS IN NEED OF SOME BABY SUPPLIES AND EXTRA MILK TO SUSTAIN ALL OF THEM. Silent Voices has helped in a small way and we encourage you to stand with us as we continue helping her during this time. Beauty earns her living by cultivating the land but since she was pregnant she did not plant anything.

Just have a look at this wonderful picture of the three ANGELS!!!

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Abortion in India

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was enacted by the Indian Parliament in 1971 and came into force on April 1, 1972. The MTP act was again revised in 1975. The MTP Act lays down the condition under which a pregnancy can be terminated, as well as the persons who are qualified to perform terminations, and the places where they may be performed. The reasons for which MTP is done, as interpreted from the Indian MTP Act, are:

1. Where a pregnant woman has a serious medical disease and continuation of pregnancy could endanger her life, such as: heart diseases, severe rise in blood pressure, uncontrolled vomiting during pregnancy, cervical/ breast cancer, diabetes mellitus with eye complication (retinopathy), epilepsy, psychiatric illness.
2. Where the continuation of pregnancy could lead to substantial risk to the newborn leading to serious physical / mental handicaps (ie. chromosomal abnormalities, Rubella (German measles) viral infection to mother in first three months, if previous children have congenital abnormalities, Rh iso-immunization, o exposure of the fetus to irradiation.)
3. Pregnancy resulting from rape.
4. Conditions where the socio-economic status of the mother (family) hampers the progress of a healthy pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child.
5. Failure of Contraceptive Device irrespective of the method used (natural methods/ barrier methods/ hormonal methods). This condition is a unique feature of the Indian Law. Virtually all pregnancies can be legally terminated using this criterion.

Consent:
If married--- her own written consent. Husband’s consent not required.
If unmarried and above 18years ---her own written consent.
If below 18 years ---written consent of her guardian.
If mentally unstable --- written consent of her guardian.
A consent assures the clinician performing the abortion that she:
Has been informed of all her options.
Has been counseled about the procedure, its risks and how to care for herself after she has chosen the abortion of her own free will.

Person or persons who can perform MTP: Any qualified registered medical practitioner who has assisted in 25 MTPs; a house surgeon who has completed a six months post in Obstetrics and Gynecology; a person who has a diploma /degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology; 3 years of practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology for those doctors registered before the 1971 MTP Act was passed, 1 year of practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology for those doctors registered on or after the date of commencement of the Act; whenever the pregnancy exceeds 12 weeks but is below 20 weeks opinion of two registered medical practitioners is necessary.

Place where MTP can be performed: any institutions licensed by the Government to perform MTP. The certificate issued by the Government should be conspicuously displayed at a place easily visible to persons visiting the place.

Methods of Induced Abortion: abortion can be induced by different methods depending on the weeks of pregnancy completed.

First trimester, medical methods:
(i) Methotrexate - misoprostol (a suppository inserted into cervix)
(ii) Mifepristone (RU486) - misoprostol

First trimester abortion, surgical methods:
(i) Cervical dilatation followed by evacuation of uterus by: curettage /suction evacuation / vacuum aspiration / dilatation and evacuation
(ii) Menstrual aspiration (MR)

Second Trimester Abortions (13 - 20 weeks):
Medical methods using drugs like: Ethacridine lactate and prostaglandin.

Surgical methods include aspirotomy, hysterotomy, and hysterectomy.

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Abortion in Israel

“They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons,
and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
and the land was polluted with blood.
Psalm 106:37,38

A 1977 law ensures a low-cost, and in some cases free, legal abortion to any woman who fills one of four criteria: she is under 18 or over 40; she is carrying a fetus with a serious mental or physical defect (free); she claims that the fetus results from forbidden relations such as rape or incest (free) or, in the case of a married woman, that the baby is not her husband's (not free) - single women also fall under this clause, and they too must pay; she shows that by continuing the pregnancy, her physical or mental health would be damaged (free).

In 1980, a fifth criterion that allowed abortions for women living in economic hardship was abolished due to pressure from religious political parties.

A woman who seeks to terminate a pregnancy must appear before one of the 41 abortion committees operating in public and private hospitals around the country. These committees include a physician whose field of expertise is obstetrics and gynecology; another physician who is either a family doctor, psychiatrist, internist or gynecologist and a social worker. At least one woman must be present on each committee.

Six separate committees consider requests for termination when a fetus is beyond 24 weeks old. No hospitals in Jerusalem, however, will perform these abortions. In 1999, 19,674 applications out of 20,581 were approved (96%) and 18,785 pregnancies were terminated. In addition, 16,000 abortions were illegally performed in private doctors' clinics.

Silent Voices has partnered with Be’ad Chaim (www.beadchaim.org), and with a maternity home in Kefar Saba (www.abundantlife.org.il).

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Abortion in Hungary

According to “Shout for Life” (a crisis pregnancy counseling center located in Budapest, Hungary), there were approximately 50,000 abortions performed in Hungary during 2004. Their research shows that 40% of all babies conceived in Hungary are aborted. We met Ed and Susanna Bergs at an International Pro-Life Conference held in Jerusalem in 2005, and have partnered with them in their work in Hungary.

From other sources we have learned that In Hungary today there is an increased presence of abortion as a political and moral issue. The reasons given are the collapse of communism, the fact that multi-party democracy has increased peoples’ ability to function politically, and the demographic problem of a shrinking population. Hungary has a high abortion rate and ratio compared to other European countries. In 1990 there were 36 induced abortions/1000 women aged 15 to 49, and 74 abortions/100 live births. Hungary's population has been decreasing since 1981. Some influential intellectuals have argued that this trend is a result of liberal abortion laws.

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1. LifeSiteNews.com, Six out of 10 Pregnancies End in Abortion in Russia, Tuesday October 22, 2002
2. MosNews.com, Abortion in Russia: No Big Deal, Created: 25.11.2004
3. Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat
4. PMID: 2219228 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE], “Observations on abortion in Zambia.”
5. 1to9months.com (“India’s First Exclusive Pregnancy Portal”), Abortion
6. www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org, Abortion in Israel: Terms of Termination
7. PMID: 12284555 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE], Induced abortion in Hungary today: results of a public opinion poll.