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Operation Rescue: 10-Year-Old Should Be Forced to Carry Pregnancy to Term

by Norma Nyhoff, Field Intern

On July 27, hatemongering anti-abortion group Operation Rescue cheered as the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts (KSBHA) filed an 11-count petition recommending that Dr. Ann Neuhaus face disciplinary action for late-term abortion referrals she made for Dr. George Tiller before his murder last year. The petition, based on a complaint originally filed by Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger in 2006, could result in the revocation of Neuhaus' medical license.

Among the 11 cases for which she faces discipline is one in which Neuhaus recommended a 10-year-old girl for an abortion, supposedly without "adequate patient interview," "adequate patient history," or "adequately evaluat[ing] the 'behavioral or functional impact' of the patient's condition," among other charges. That is, Operation Rescue believes that Neuhaus acted prematurely in allowing a 10-year-old girl to obtain an abortion. They dare to suggest that this child, doubtless a victim of pedophilic rape, could have carried her pregnancy to term without compromising her health.

When I was a 10-year-old, I was focused on collecting glitter pens and memorizing the state capitals for social studies class. I didn't know how to navigate pregnancy or sexual violence or legal statutes because 10-year-olds are children. How could a 10-year-old process the horrific reality of her own rape, likely perpetrated by an adult male whom she once trusted, only to then be further punished for the crime that he has committed against her? How could a 10-year-old ever be prepared for pregnancy or motherhood? How could she be expected to sacrifice her childhood at the altar of "pro-life" ideology?

Kansas law requires proof of "substantial and irreversible" harm to the health of the woman -- or in this case, girl -- in order to obtain an abortion past 22 weeks' gestation. Precedent has dictated that this include both mental and physical health. Even if the body of a 10-year-old child were somehow developed enough to avoid permanent physical harm through pregnancy and birth (a prospect that I find highly unlikely), Operation Rescue's original complaint and the subsequent charges by the KSBHA suggest that a 1o-year-old rape victim will not be psychologically harmed by being forced into carrying a pregnancy to term. After all, according to the petition, there is insufficient evidence that the young girl's pregnancy had a clear "behavioral or functional impact" on her.

Operation Rescue leaders should be ashamed of themselves. In so clearly prioritizing their anti-abortion agenda over the life, health and happiness of a 1o-year-old girl, they have demonstrated themselves to be lacking in basic human levels of compassion and decency. Operation Rescue and its ilk seek to strip girls and women of their autonomy and basic reproductive rights under the guise of "pro-life" sentiments, but fail to value human life outside of the womb. Join NOW in denouncing Operation Rescue's hypocrisy and hate not only in the name of women, but in the name of girls everywhere.

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Comment from: ms. gina barr [Member] Email
I've lived in Kansas and I currently live in Oklahoma. There's tragic way of life going on, which will probably never change. I think they are attempting to change the times and have it in the works for everybody to be tattooed with 666. More than likely the tattoing will take place in the Church of Christ.

I think the beast will probably be some sort of lusus naturae born from an eight year old mother and a dog.

Run like hell, the dark ages are coming.
08/13/10 @ 18:50
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Comment from: letsbefair [Member] Email
You can't merely assume she is a victim of pedophilic rape. The youngest modern parents recorded were 7 and 8. Kids sometimes find their ways around, and 10-years-old is the age most schools begin teaching sex ed.
08/14/10 @ 20:07
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Comment from: basol [Member]
letsbefair, do you believe that if a 10 year old has figured out how to drive a car, that they should be out on the road driving around? And you also believe that a 10 year old, whether raped or not(it is called statutory RAPE, however), should be forced to carry a fetus to term? What a great Mother she will be, perhaps she can play dolls with the baby.
08/19/10 @ 00:29
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Comment from: letsbefair [Member] Email
basol, while I admire your passion, you are making unfortunate assumptions. I certainly have sympathy for the girl and the family, and as I feel it would be unsafe for the mother I most definitely do not believe she should be forced to carry it to term. I simply believe that a blog that asks for credibility should be credible and that such credibility not be granted freely. There is reasonable doubt that the young girl was not a victim of pedophilic rape, so the term "doubtless" probably wouldn't pass freshman level writing unless it had basis in fact. But unfortunately, we simply don't know and we can't parade as fact something about which we don't know. If progress is to be made, we must look to our leaders and demand the best of them, and the fairest of them. That's all I ask.

Have a lovely day.
08/19/10 @ 18:27
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Comment from: goodcitizen [Member] Email
You don't have to convince the vast majority of people that a 10 year old should not be forced to give birth. However, to simply assume that the 10 year old was raped by someone over the age of 18 is playing the "Evil Male" card. Quote: "They dare to suggest that this child, doubtless a victim of pedophilic rape, could have carried her pregnancy to term without compromising her health". You must know by now that a 12 year old boy has sperm, and the means to deliver. This passage, and the primitive mentality behind it will never aid women's issues.
08/20/10 @ 13:02
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Comment from: Lisa Bennett, NOW Communications Director [Member] Email
Ok, @letsbefair and @goodcitizen, as the staff member who edited this piece, I should not have let "doubtless" stand -- as you see in the next paragraph, the word "likely" is used, and I should have seen to it that a similar qualifier was used earlier. I do appreciate your concern for our credibility and our ability to advance women's rights through accurate messaging.

But "primitive mentality" does strike me as a bit over-the-top. What do you think the chances are that this 10-year-old was impregnated by a 12-year-old boy versus a male old enough to view her as a child and not a peer? I believe the writer's frustration with the prevalance of rape, statutory and otherwise, and the horror that a 10-year-old be forced to carry a pregnancy to term fueled the words chosen, not some primitive attitude or a deliberate decision to play the "evil male" card.



08/20/10 @ 13:36
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Comment from: dancer [Member] Email
I agree with basol
08/25/10 @ 01:08
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Comment from: rounz [Member] Email
goodcitizen, i'm still trying to understand how you can equate a 12 year-old boy ejaculating with a 10 year-old girl carrying a baby to term. Do you really think they are equivalent physically and psychologically?
09/12/10 @ 17:07
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Comment from: cbprincess5 [Member] Email
my friend quit her job she was working at a hospital and there was a 10 year old having a baby my friend overheard a social worker telling this little girl that she could keep her baby This and other " little" things made my friend crazy and she left the hospital and never went back Problems like this have been going on occasionally for some time now in the United States My question is what can we do about it? What is the right thing? Do we even know anymore? What if the 10 year old dies having the baby? What if she does not want a baby? What do we do about whoever had inappropriate contact with her? Don't you think they should ask her parents or legal guardiian what they think about her having a baby so young? Do they want a baby? Let's face it most 10 year olds are not old enough to take car of a baby full time by theirselves. Is this early pregnancy? Fingers and toes all formed? Is every one going to argue until the baby is all formed and comes to full term? What if this were your niece or daughter or sister or cousin? Would that make your answers different? I would have to know for certain alot more facts and still not think it a good idea for a ten year old to be trying to give birth. What if you were that 10 year old? Who would want their 10 year old having babies? This is something that I would want kept private and try like hell to do the best I could do. What in the world is wrong with people?
10/07/10 @ 05:00
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Comment from: a1perdigao [Member] Email
I agree 100% with Letsbefair and good citizen. Thank you. Lisa, I'm sorry but wrongly jumping to conclusions as you have with ou the facts is wrong and immoral. Dr. Ann failed to do adequate patient interviews, failed to perform adequate reviews of patients’ history, failed to perform adequate evaluations of the impact of the patient’s condition and failed to perform adequate mental status examinations. This seems to be that the "Good Dr" is playing GOD and in deciding for the patient on what needs to be done. Where are the parents?? NEVER NOTIFIED! It's a shame and a I feel terrible for the situation the 10 year old was in. Does the old saying
"you make the bed you sleep in" mean anything to you, Lisa? We should be focusing on how to prevent that from happening rather than anything else. Rounz, maybe the 10 yr old girl got pregnant from playing the game "I'll show you mine if you show me yours"!?!?!?!?
Think about it
10/15/10 @ 01:36
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Comment from: Lisa Bennett, NOW Communications Director [Member] Email
@a1perdigao: You say this blog wrongly jumped to conculsions, and then you end your comment with a complete speculation that the pregnancy resulted from two kids playing around. You accuse the doctor of playing God, but you want to play judge and jury with this girl, and based on what evidence?

Regardless of how it happened, I think it's a crying shame that anyone would suggest that a pregnant 10-year-old needs to "make the bed" she slept in -- in other words, she should suffer the consequences of her actions by carrying a pregnancy to term that could endanger her life or her future ability to have children when she's ready? Real nice.
10/15/10 @ 11:13
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