On July 25th, 1998, George Cardinal Pell, then Archbishop of Melbourne, published a pastoral letter “On Life and Love” to mark the 30th anniversary of Humanae Vitae.

July 25 2008 will mark the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth).

We at Family Life International Australia believe that we will not BEGIN to defeat the culture of death until Humanae Vitae is faithfully proclaimed by our Bishops, and faithfully adhered to by the laity.
(More…)

Over the last half century, significant changes in the social fabric have led to a deterioration of moral standards and even to the rejection of the concept of the intrinsic value of each and every individual human being. This is seen particularly in the disintegration of the traditional family unit, the promiscuous sexual mores, the rampant spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the killing of unborn children, and now the move to euthanase the elderly and infirm, and to legitimise same-sex unions as “marriage”.

“We must look at the world as it really exists, and then look elsewhere for the solace of its troubles.” - Pope Leo XIII

Obviously, the Pope was saying that you can’t be a good bishop, priest or truly Christian layman unless you know what kind of world you’re living in. While the basic moral law never changes, there are different moral problems in every age. Christians are now faced with a great war - the destruction of the unborn by abortion. Worldwide, a conservative estimate puts the number of surgical abortions at 46 million per year (1). To these we must add the millions of chemical and mechanical abortions annually, which range from 401.73 million to 448.35 million worldwide per year, caused by hormonal birth control pills and devices. (For our calculation, please see below.) This gives the minimum abortion rate of 447.73 million per year (46 million + 401.73 million), that is, 1,226,657 a day; 51,110 an hour; 851 a minute.

Has it hit you yet?

Father Marx quoted 400 abortions a minute fifteen years ago. How much worse do we need to get before God punishes such wickedness?

Calculation of chemical and mechanical abortions worldwide:

Below, we list some of the more commonly used hormonal birth control pills and devices. The hormonal / mechanical abortion rate is probably much higher than our calculations, given the wide range of contraceptives available on the market. Please note that all the contraceptives listed below are, in fact, also abortifacient, ie, they cause early abortions that the mother is not even aware of.

Combined Oral Contraceptives (OCs): Current worldwide use of combined OCs is estimated to be approximately 100 million women per year (2). Women have on average, 12 cycles per year, so 100 million x 12 = 1200 million cycles per year. OCs have a ovulation breakthrough rate (where an egg is released) of anywhere from 2% to 10% (3). So, anywhere from 24 million to 120 million eggs ‘break through’ each year (1200 million x 0.02, and 1200 million x 0.10 respectively). In any given cycle, there is a 25% overall conception rate in normal circumstances (4). The abortifacient actions of the OC pill ensure that the womb will not support this new human being’s life, giving anywhere from 6 million to 30 million chemical abortions per year (24 million x 0.25 and 120 million x 0.25 respectively).

Intrauterine Devices (IUDs): Current worldwide use of IUDs is estimated to be approximately 145 million women per year (5). 145 million x 12 cycles per year = 1740 million cycles. The IUD does not prevent ovulation, so there are approximately 435 million conceptions (1740 million x 0.25). It is known that there is a 15% unplanned pregnancy rate. So 85% of these babies will be mechanically aborted, giving 369.75 million mechanical abortions from the IUD per year (435 million x 0.85).

Depo-Provera: Current worldwide use of Depo-Provera is estimated to be approximately 20 million women per year (6). 20 million x 12 = 240 million cycles per year. Depo-Provera has a breakthrough rate of 40% to 60% (7), (8), so ovulation occurs between 96 million and 144 millon times per year (240 million x 0.40, and 240 million x 0.60 respectively). Conception occurs in 25% of these cases, giving between 24 million and 36 million chemical abortions per year (96 million x 0.25 and 144 million x 0.25 respectively).

Norplant: Current use of Norplant is estimated to be approximately 6 million women per year (9). 6 million x 12 = 72 million cycles per year. Norplant has a breakthrough ovulation rate of 11% to 70% (10), so ovulation occurs from 7.92 million to 50.4 million times per year. (72 million x 0.11, and 72 million x 0.70 respectively). At the 25% conception rate, this gives from 1.98 million to 12.6 million chemical abortions per year (7.92 million x 0.25 and 50.4 million x 0.25 respectively).

Lower figure:

6 million from the pill
+
369.75 million from the IUD
+
24 million from Depo-Provera
+
1.98 million from Norplant
=
401.73 million (chemical and/or mechanical) abortions per year.

Higher figure:

30 million from the pill
+
369.75 million from the IUD
+
36 million from Depo-Provera
+
12.6 million from Norplant
=
448.35 million (chemical and/or mechanical) abortions per year.

References:

1. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/abortww_nr.html

2. Hatcher, R.A., Nelson, A. (2004). “Combined Hormonal Contraceptive Methods”, in Hatcher, R.A. (ed.): Contraceptive Technology, 18th rev. ed., New York: Ardent Media, pp. 391-460.

3. Peel J. & Potts M. (1964), Textbook and contraceptive technology, pp 98-9, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press

4. Kippley, J.F. (1989) The pill and early abortion. ALL About Issues. 4:22-3.

5. Population Reports, IUDs: An Update. Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. 1995; 23 (5). http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/b6/B6chap6.shtml

6. Rubin, R. (2004) Contraceptive is linked to high STD risk. USA TODAY. Posted 8/22/2004 9:41 PM Updated 8/22/2004 9:50 PM http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-08-22-std-risk_x.htm

7. Belsey, E.M. Vaginal bleeding patterns among women using one natural and eight hormonal methods of contraception. Contraception, 1988; 38 (2):181-206

8. Lande R.E. New era for injectables. Population Reports, Series K, No 5, 1995; 23 (2):1-31

9. hrp – Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. Contraceptive implants come of age. Progress in Reproductive Health Research. 2003, 61. http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/hrp/progress/61/news61.html

10. Hilgers T.W. Norplant. Linacre Quarterly. 1993; (2):64-69

We hereby like to thank Avanti Hosting for their generous help in providing hosting for this website.