The Distant Drummer, no.64 (December 18, 1969 - December 25, 1969)
FREE ABORTION ADVICE
A group of ministers in Philadelphia would like to work. It’s out of a job. About 20 ministers and rabbis, joining together in the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion are offering free advice to women who would like to obtain a legal abortion. Ideally the group would like to see the abortion laws repealed so their service would not be necessary but in the meantime they operate in the grey legal area allowed by Pennsylvania’s somewhat vague abortion statutes (see box). Since November of last year the group has been offering the service with a current average of about 60 calls a week. At last check the calls were running two to one of single over married women. “The whole purpose of our service is to present as many alternatives as possible — marriage, adoption a therapeutic abortion a trip to England or Puerto Rico,” says the Rev. Allan Hinand, pastor of Center Baptist Church, Wayne, and spokesman for the Consultation Service. He admits however that “95 percent of the women who come into this office already have made up their minds that they want an abortion” -- legal or illegal. Though Mr. Hinand won’t say exactly how many abortions they have arranged, approximately 80% of the women they refer end up in hospitals with therapeutic abortions. Two local hospitals Jefferson and Temple are gradually opening their doors to this kind of service. The abortion counselling service works like this: A woman calls an answering service at WA 3-5141 where she gets the recorded message: If you are not a resident of Pennsylvania, call Marilou Theunissen at VI 8-2443.”
The message then gives the names of six clergymen and their telephone numbers.
Pennsylvanla’s statutes, adopted in ’une 1939 from an act of March 31, 1860 with little change except in the amount of punishment. The statutes read as follows: 4718: “Whoever, with intent to procure the miscarriage of any woman, unlawfully administers to her any poison, drug or substance, or unlawfully uses any instrument or other means, with the like intent, is guilty of felony . . .”
The punishment for this statute is a fine not to exceed $3,000 and imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.
4719: “Whoever unlawfully administers to any woman pregnant or quick with child, or supposed and believed to be pregnant or quick with child any drug, poison or other substance, or unlawfully uses any instrument or other means, with the intent to procure the mis¬ carriage of such woman, resulting in the death of such woman or any child with which she may be quick, is guilty of felony ...”
The punishment for this statute, which covers a case where the woman might not actually be pregnant is a fine not exceeding $6000 and imprisonment of ten years, or both.
“It is necessary to bring a dated note from an obstetrician or a gynecologist stating in weeks the length of your pregnancy. Consultation will not be possible without this note,” the
message says.
“We do receive calls from out of state,” Mrs. Theunissen explains. “If the caller is not a resident of Pennsylvania we refer them to the service closest to their home.”
She explains that for awhile the Service was getting calls from the midwest, South, Detroit, Chicago Ohio. Some of those places now have their own counseling services. The Philadelphia one is the second — after a New York service run by the Rev. Howard Moody at Judson Memorial Church and now there are eight or ten in the country and three more are organizing.
So far the group has had no problem with the legality of their service and Mr. Hinand believes this is because they are offering advice to the women rather than drumming up business for abortionists. He does admit that there is always the possibility of a “conspiracy” charge, but it hasn’t happened yet.
One of the drawbacks is the high cost of abortions obtained through the service. Hinand puts the minimum cost of a legal abortion at $200 and the average at between $400 and $500. This cost prohibits the service from being able to offer much help to lower-income women. Believing that the abortion decision rests with the woman and her doctor the service is also careful to weed out what Hinand calls “the knitting needle brigade.” The Service maintains a list of “negative” people who claim to be abortionists. “We only give out names of licensed physicians, not bar maids or gas station attendants with a sideline,” Hinand says.
The clergymen, too. are screened carefully before becoming part of the program.
“If we think they’re going to preach or not respect the woman’s decision,” Mrs. Theunissen explains, “we won’t have anything to do with them."
The service, which gets some referrals from doctors and social workers, is “trying not to wave the red flag and antagonize.” So far it’s been successful. In addition to finding doctors for women the service provides advice to women who call, in frantic straits, and ask is a person they have found themselves is on the clergymen’s “negative” list. Some post-operative counseling is also done by Roman Catholic clergymen when women feel guilty or despondent about their decision.
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