Misplaced Pages

David Reardon: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 21:36, 19 November 2007 editStrider12 (talk | contribs)1,243 edits Removing biased material← Previous edit Latest revision as of 20:59, 7 September 2024 edit undoHuskerdru (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,308 editsm →Biography 
(700 intermediate revisions by 98 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American electrical engineer and anti-abortion activist}}
{{Neutrality}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David C. Reardon
'''David C. Reardon''', director of the Elliot Institute, is a biomedical ethicist specializing in research and education related to the effects of abortion on women.<ref>". (2000). ''Afterabortion.org.'' Retrieved February 11, 2007.</ref>
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| alma_mater = ]<br />]
| known_for = ]
| notable_works =
}}


'''David C. Reardon''' is an American electrical engineer and ]. He is the founder of the Elliot Institute, an anti-abortion advocacy group,<ref name="globe"/> and the author of a number of articles and books on ]. Reardon was described in '']'' as the "Moses" of the "post-abortion movement".<ref name="nytimes">, by ]. Published in the '']'' on January 21, 2007; accessed November 27, 2007.</ref>
Reardon has published numerous peer reviewed studies regarding emotional and physical complications associated with induced abortion.<ref>See in this article. You can also go to "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/" and search on "Reardon DC""" for an updated list of journal articles</ref> These studies have shown statistical associations between a history of abortion and elevated risks of death<ref> Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK, Strahan T. Southern Medical Journal. 2002. 95(8):834-41. </ref>, psychiatric hospitalization<ref> Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. Canadian Medical Association Journal. CMAJ 2003; 168(10):1253-7. </ref>, suicide<ref>Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications. Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW. The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. 2004; 20(2):279-327. </ref>, substance abuse<ref> www.afterabortion.info </ref>, depression<ref>Depression associated with abortion and childbirth: a long-term analysis of the NLSY cohort. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK. Med Sci Monit. 2003 Apr;9(4):CR105-12. </ref>, anxiety<ref>Generalized anxiety following unintended pregnancies resolved through childbirth and abortion: a cohort study of the 1995 national survey of family growth. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2005 19(1):137-142.</ref>, sleep disorders<ref>Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study. DC Reardon and PK Coleman. Sleep 2006; 29(1):105-106. </ref>, and other sequalae<ref> Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC. Med Sci Monit, 2004 10(10): SR5-16. </ref>.


==Biography==
A principle thesis of Reardon's work is that the medical issues associated with abortion can and should be analyzed separately from the political and moral controversies surrounding this medical procedure. In short, he argues that in each case where an abortion might be considered the attending physician has an obligation to develop an informed medical opinion regarding the question "Is an abortion likely to produce more benefit or more harm for this particular patient?" This theme is most thoroughly explored in Reardon's review article entitled ''The duty to screen: clinical, legal and ethical implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment'' <ref> Reardon DC. J Contemp Health Law Policy. 2003 Winter;20(1):33-114.</ref> In this paper Reardon argues that advocates of abortion have consistently presumed that the benefits of abortion are self evident, but, he argues, there is actually a remarkable absence of any research that has statistically validated any of the mental, physical, or social benefits claimed benefits for abortion. He argues that this lack of knowledge of when, if ever, abortion contributes to women's health must also be weighed in the context of studies which demonstrate that certain groups of women, perhaps even the majority of abortion patients, have "risk factors" that have been proven to be associated with an increased likelihood of suffering one or more negative effects.
A graduate of the ] department of ],<ref name="pra"/> Reardon began researching the effects of abortion in the mid-1980s. Reardon subsequently received a ] in ] from ], an ] correspondence school.<ref name="pra">, by Pam Chamberlain. Published in ''The Public Eye'' by ], Summer 2006. Accessed February 17, 2008.</ref><ref name="mooney">Mooney, Chris. (October 1, 2004). {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404034430/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0410.mooney.html |date=April 4, 2008 }}. ''].'' Retrieved February 11, 2007.</ref><ref name="pbsnow1">, show #329, aired on ] on July 20, 2007; accessed November 27, 2007. In the transcript, PBS senior correspondent Maria Hinojosa describes Reardon: "With a PhD from an unaccredited online institution, he's turned out dozens of studies that supposedly prove abortion is dangerous to women's mental health."</ref>


Reardon describes his position on abortion as both "]" (believing a human fetus is deserving of protection) and "pro-woman" and "anti-abortion" (believing abortion hurts women).<ref>David C. Reardon. Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996) Acorn Books. See especially {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023032809/http://www.afterabortion.info/MAR/IGCHAP2.htm |date=2007-10-23 }} where Reardon discusses the terms pro-life, pro-woman, anti-abortion, pro-choice and pro-abortion.</ref> In a 2002 article in ''Ethics & Medicine'', Reardon argued that in order to be effective, anti-abortion efforts had to present "a moral vision that consistently demonstrates just as much concern for women as for their unborn children."<ref name="ethicsmed">{{cite journal |author=Reardon DC |title=A defense of the neglected rhetorical strategy (NRS) |journal=Ethics Med |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=23–32 |year=2002 |pmid=14700036 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4004/is_200207/ai_n9119576}} Full text in pdf </ref> Reardon appealed to the anti-abortion movement to support his "pro-woman/pro-life" strategy, writing:
==Academic Criticisms==
Critics of Reardon include Barbara Major of the Department of Psychology at the ], and Nancy Russo, a psychology professor at ].<ref>Bazelon, Emily. ''The New York Times''. </ref>


<blockquote>For the purpose of passing restrictive laws to protect women from unwanted and/or dangerous abortions, it does not matter if people have a pro-life view. The ambivalent majority of people who are willing to tolerate abortion in "some cases" are very likely to support informed consent legislation and abortion clinic regulations, for example, because these proposals are consistent with their desire to protect women. In some cases, it is not even necessary to convince people of abortion's dangers. It is sufficient to simply raise enough doubts about abortion that they will refuse to actively oppose the proposed anti-abortion initiative.<ref name="ethicsmed"/></blockquote>
Barbara Major argues that Reardon's interpretation of his research results, and the conclusions he draws from those results, are mostly informed by ] bias and not a search for truth.<ref name="CMAJ"> . (2003). ''Canadian Medical Association Journal, 169 (2).''</ref> Major also argued Reardon's methodology of comparing women who have had an ] to women who completed their pregnancies normally is flawed, asserting that a more appropriate comparison would be to women who wished to abort their pregnancy but chose not to or were not allowed to do so.<ref name="CMAJ" /> She explains that a higher incidence of psychological problems among women who have abortions is likely to be explained by higher rates of pre-existing psychological problems among women inclined to have abortions.<ref name="CMAJ" /> Another argument raised by Major and others is that evidence of a statistical correlation between abortion and negative effects is not the same as proving causation.


==Media coverage==
Reardon has generally responded to these criticisms with the counter-charge that his critics arguments and motives are themselves tainted by ] biases. In response to Major's commentary regarding his study of psychiatric hospitalization following abortion, Reardon asserts that Major's critique fails to inform readers of her own studies which confirmed that a small portion of women having abortion suffer post-traumatic stress disorder coinciding with their abortions.<ref> www.afterabortion.info</ref>
In a '']'' article titled "Research and Destroy", author ] profiled Reardon as an example of what he describes as "Christian conservatives have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment."<ref name=mooney/> He also notes that Reardon's findings conflict with those of the ], which in 1990 had rejected "the notion that abortion regularly causes severe or clinical mental problems", and with the conclusions of former ] ].<ref name=mooney/><ref >{{cite journal |vauthors=Schmiege S, Russo NF |title=Depression and unwanted first pregnancy: longitudinal cohort study |journal=BMJ |volume=331 |issue=7528 |pages=1303 |date=December 2005 |pmid=16257993 |pmc=1298850 |doi=10.1136/bmj.38623.532384.55 }}</ref>


In a front-page story for the '']'', '']'' editor ] describes Reardon as arguing that the anti-abortion movement will "never win over a majority... by asserting the sanctity of fetal life", and therefore should focus on disseminating information that abortion is psychologically harmful to women as a more effective strategy.<ref name="nytimes"/>
In response to the controversy and challenges presented by Reardon's research, a group of New Zealand researchers undertook a study published in 2006 to test Major's argument that psychological differences between women with a history of abortions and those with no history of abortion can be best explained by more pre-existing psychological disorders among the types of women most likely to undergo an abortion.<ref>, and </ref> The team, led by Professor David Fergusson, examined data collected from a longitudinal study of 500 New Zealand women between the age of 15 and 25 years of age. The study found an association between women who had abortions and elevated rates of suicidal behaviors, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and other mental problems. Moreover, after attempting to explain these differences by examining demographic variables and measures of mental health prior to the women's first pregnancies, they concluded that the difference in subsequent mental health could not be easily explained by causes other than exposure to abortion.<ref>David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.</ref> In the conclusions section of their paper Fergusson's team criticized the ] (APA) for its one sided reviews of abortion complications.<ref>Warren Throckmorton "Abortion and mental health" The Washington Times, January 21, 2006. Now available at </ref> The New Zealand study also cites Reardon four times, using his conclusions to draw similar conclusions of their own. However, the authors of the New Zealand study are careful to not draw a ] between abortion and depression or stress.<ref>David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.</ref>


When researchers attack his findings, Reardon writes to the journals' letters pages. "Even if pro-abortionists got five paragraphs explaining that abortion is safe and we got only one line saying it's dangerous, the seed of doubt is planted," he wrote in his book.
<ref name="nytimes"/>


Reardon has been described in the '']'' as someone who "wants Congress to impose strict barriers to abortion." The ''Boston Globe'' also wrote:
<blockquote>
This dual role of advocate/researcher is becoming more common, especially as advocacy groups realize they can sway more opinions by asserting that their research is based on science, rather than simply on personal belief. <nowiki></nowiki> Reardon, like many people who play this dual role, insists he can objectively look at the data without being influenced by his personal viewpoint.<ref name="globe">, by Michael Kranish. Published in the '']'' on July 31, 2005; accessed November 27, 2007.</ref>
</blockquote>


According to the website of the Elliot Institute, which Reardon founded, he is "a frequent guest on Christian radio and Christian television talk shows and has been a frequently invited speaker state and national conventions for crisis pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927160420/http://www.afterabortion.info/biograp.html |date=2007-09-27 }} Retrieved November 19, 2007</ref> Reardon addressed the National Pro-Life Religious Council in 1998, where he discussed emotional reactions to abortion in the context of the disputed entity of "]".<ref> Retrieved November 19, 2007</ref><ref> Publication: National Right to Life News</ref>
==Criticism in American Newspapers==
===''The Washington Monthly''===
In a <i>Washington Monthly</i> article titled, "Research and Destroy" author Chris Mooney profiles Reardon as an example of what he describes as a "Christian conservatives have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment." <ref>Chris Mooney Washington Monthly, October 2004</ref> In his article, Mooney writes that Reardon earned his Ph.D. from an "unaccredited correspondence school." He also argues that Reardon's studies, most of which have been published since 2000, are out of line with (1) the ], which has rejected the "the notion that abortion regularly causes severe or clinical mental problems" and (2) the conclusions of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's delivered by letter to President Reagan in 1988 in which Koop states that "scientific studies do not provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women."<ref> Chris Mooney Bucking the Gipper, October 2004</ref>


==Elliot Institute==
===''The New York Times Magazine''===
In a front page story for <i> New York Times Magazine</i> describing the growing movement of post-abortion counseling ministries around the United States, Emily Bazelon, a senior editor at <i>Slate</i>, asserts that Reardon is the "Moses" of the post-abortion movement's efforts to promote the idea that "abortion harms women and that this should be a weapon in the anti-abortion arsenal." She writes that Reardon has claimed the anti-abortion movement will "never win over a majority... by asserting the sancitity of fetal life.<ref>Bazelon, Emily. ''The New York Times Magazine''. </ref> Those in the ambivalent middle 'have hardened their hearts to the unborn ‘fetus’' and are 'focused totally on the woman.' And so the anti-abortion movement must do the same." She also quotes Reardon's book, ''Aborted Women'', where he claims, "Even if pro-abortionists got five paragraphs explaining that abortion is safe and we got only one line saying it’s dangerous, the seed of doubt is planted."<ref>Ibid</ref>


Reardon is the founder and director of the Elliot Institute, which in 2005 reported that it had two full-time and one part-time employees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.afterabortion.info/news/yearend2005.htm |title=Elliot Institute 2005 Year End Report |access-date=2008-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509085239/http://afterabortion.info/news/yearend2005.htm |archive-date=2008-05-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to its web site, the Elliot Institute studies "the effects of eugenics, abortion, population control, and sexual attitudes and practices on individuals and society at large."<ref></ref> The institute was described by '']'' as an "anti-abortion organization focusing on the physical and psychological effects of abortion."<ref name="usatoday">, by Rita Rubin. Published in '']'' on February 26, 2003; accessed March 6, 2008.</ref>
Bazelon, a cousin of NOW founder ] and co-defender of abortion rights,<ref> </ref> writes that the issues raised by Reardon may pose a new threat to abortion rights:
:: "For anti-abortion activists, this strategy offers distinct advantages. It challenges the connection between access to abortion and women’s rights — if women are suffering because of their abortions, then how could making the procedure readily available leave women better off? It replaces mute pictures of dead fetuses with the voices of women who narrate their stories in raw detail and who claim they can move legislators to tears. And it trades condemnation for pity and forgiveness. “Pro-lifers who say, ‘I don’t understand how anyone could have an abortion,’ are blind to how hurtful this statement can be,” Reardon writes on his Web site. “A more humble pro-life attitude would be to say, ‘Who am I to throw stones at others?’<ref>Bazelon, Emily. ''The New York Times Magazine''. </ref>


The Elliot Institute has endorsed model legislation regarding ] provisions for women considering abortion and bills that would increase the liability of physicians who provide abortions that are deemed "unsafe or unnecessary".<ref></ref> The Elliot Institute is also leading an effort to build a coalition of groups to advocate for laws that would create a preemptive ban on ].<ref></ref>
==Other Criticisms==
Some commentators<sup>cite needed</sup> have characterized Reardon as "controversial" because a case review by Reardon suggesting that abortion associated ] (PTSD)was a contributing factor behind ]'s act of severing her husband's penis with a kitchen knife, in 1993.<ref>Ertelt, Steven. (January 15, 2004). "." ''Lifenews.com''. Retrieved February 11, 2007.</ref> Reardon asserts that the attack, which occurred almost exactly three years after the abortion, reflected aspects of an "anniversary reaction" associated to the abortion. To support this theory, Reardon notes that Lorena testified that she had flashbacks to the abortion moments before the attack when she was in the kitchen and retrieving the knive. Court records indicate she was also treated for psychosomatic cramping and other symptoms days before the attack which Reardon also asserts may be related to post-abortion anniversary reactions.<ref> The PostAbortion Review 4(2-3) Spring & Summer 1996.</ref>


Reardon and the Elliot Institute opposed ], and proposed a competing initiative which would have prohibited any embryonic stem cell research which resulted in the destruction of a human embryo, as well as some other types of genetic research, in Missouri.<ref></ref> The Elliot institute created a website which mimicked the site of a pro-stem-cell-research group, the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. The group sued the Elliot Institute in federal court for alleged copyright and trademark violations. Consequently, the Elliot Institute website was ordered temporarily shut down by a federal judge.<ref>, by Donna Higgins. From news.findlaw.com, originally published March 27, 2006. Accessed January 7, 2008.</ref>
Other critics<sup>cite needed</sup> infer that Reardon's views are biased by pro-life considerations because the Elliot Institute (of which Reardon is the Director) has advocated for a preemptive ban against "human engineering", meaning the genetic manipulation or alteration of human beings favored by some ] and ].<ref> </ref>

==See also==
*]

== References ==
<div class="small">
<references />
</div>


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==


*{{cite book|author1=Reardon, David C.|title=Aborted Women: Silent No More|publisher=Loyola University Press|year=1987|isbn=9780829405798|location=Chicago, IL}}
<b>Books</b>
*{{cite book|author=Reardon, David C.|title=Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation|url=https://archive.org/details/makingabortionra0000rear|url-access=registration|publisher=Acorn Books|location=Springfield, IL|year=1996|isbn=0-9648957-6-5}}
*''Aborted Women, Silent No More'' (1987)
*{{cite book|author=Reardon, David C.|title=The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing|publisher=Acorn Books|location=Springfield, IL|year=1996|isbn=0-9648957-5-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/jerichoplanbreak00rear}}
*''Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation'' (1996)
*{{cite book|author1=Reardon|first=David C.|author2=Makimaa, Julie|author3=Sobie, Amy|title=Victims and Victors: Speaking out about their pregnancies, abortions, and children resulting from sexual assault|publisher=Acorn Books|location=Springfield, IL|year=2000|isbn=0-9648957-1-4}}
*''The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing'' (1996)
*{{cite book|author1=Burke|first=Theresa|author2=Reardon, David C.|title=Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion|publisher=Acorn Books|location=Springfield, IL|year=2002|isbn=0-9648957-8-1}}
*''Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault'' (with Julie Makimaa and Amy Sobie - 2000)
*''Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion'' (with ] - 2002)


==See also==
<b>Peer Reviewed Journal Articles</b>
*]
* Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Lee MB. ''Journal of Medical Ethics.'' 2006 Aug;32(8):435-8.
*]
* Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study. DC Reardon, PK Coleman. ''Sleep'' 2006; 29(1):105-106.
* Substance use among pregnant women in the context of previous reproductive loss and desire for current pregnancy. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. ''British Journal of Health Psychology'' 2005; 10:255-268.
* The psychology of abortion: a review and suggestions for future research. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Strahan T, Cougle JR. ''Psychology and Health'' 2005; 20(2):237-271.
* Generalized anxiety following unintended pregnancies resolved through childbirth and abortion: a cohort study of the 1995 national survey of family growth. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK, ''Journal of Anxiety Disorders'', 2005 19(1):137-142.
* Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC. ''Med Sci Monit'', 2004 10(10): SR5-16.
* Risk factors for legal induced abortion-related mortality in the United States. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 104(3):635.
* Pregnancy-associated mortality after birth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology'', 2004 191(40):1506-1507.
* Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW. ''The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy''. 2004; 20(2):279-327.
* Substance use associated with unintended pregnancy outcomes in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Cougle JR. Am. J. ''Drug and Alcohol Abuse.'' 2004; 26(1):369 - 383.
* Reardon DC. ''J Contemp Health Law Policy''. 2003 Winter;20(1):33-114.
* A history of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term - Letters Reply. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology'' 2003;189(2):618.
* Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. Canadian ''Medical Association Journal.'' 2003; 168(10):1253-7.
* Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK. ''Med Sci Monit''. 2003 Apr;9(4):CR105-12.
* Jonathan Shepherd, David C Reardon, Peter Davies, and Graham V Vimpani, Violence as a public health problem: Report misses association of violence with pregnancy, ''BMJ'', Jan 2003; 326: 104.
* History of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. ''American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology'' 2002;187(5):1673-8.
* The quality of caregiving environment and child development outcomes associated with maternal history of abortion using the NLSY data. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. ''J Child Psychology and Psychiatry''. 2002; 43(6):743- 757.
* Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK, Strahan T. ''Southern Medical Journal''. 2002. 95(8):834-41.
* Depression and unintended pregnancy in young women: Authors Reply. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. ''British Medical Journal''. 2002; 324:1097.
* Depression and unintended pregnancy in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth: a cohort study. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. ''British Medical Journal''. 324:151-2 (2002).
* State-funded abortions vs. deliveries: A comparison of outpatient mental health claims over five years. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. ''Am J Orthopsychiatry''. 2002; 72(1):141-152.
* Science, philosophy, religion, and use of embryonic stem cells. ''Lancet'', 2002:359:2036-7.
* Suicide rates in China. Reardon DC, Bertolote JM, Phillips MR. ''Lancet'' 2002; 359:2274-5.
* Suicide associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK. New research poster session at the 2002 ''American Psychiatric Association Conference'', Philadelphia.
* Abortion and Subsequent Substance Abuse, Reardon DC, Ney P. Am. ''J. Drug and Alcohol Abuse'' 26(1):63-80 (2000)
* Differential Impact of Abortion on Adolescents and Adults, Franz W, Reardon DC, ''Adolescence'', 1992.


== References ==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
*


{{Authority control}}


] {{DEFAULTSORT:Reardon, David}}
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 20:59, 7 September 2024

American electrical engineer and anti-abortion activist
David C. Reardon
Alma materUniversity of Illinois
Pacific Western University (Hawaii)
Known forAnti-abortion activism

David C. Reardon is an American electrical engineer and anti-abortion activist. He is the founder of the Elliot Institute, an anti-abortion advocacy group, and the author of a number of articles and books on abortion and mental health. Reardon was described in The New York Times Magazine as the "Moses" of the "post-abortion movement".

Biography

A graduate of the University of Illinois department of electrical engineering, Reardon began researching the effects of abortion in the mid-1980s. Reardon subsequently received a Ph.D. in biomedical ethics from Pacific Western University (Hawaii), an unaccredited correspondence school.

Reardon describes his position on abortion as both "pro-life" (believing a human fetus is deserving of protection) and "pro-woman" and "anti-abortion" (believing abortion hurts women). In a 2002 article in Ethics & Medicine, Reardon argued that in order to be effective, anti-abortion efforts had to present "a moral vision that consistently demonstrates just as much concern for women as for their unborn children." Reardon appealed to the anti-abortion movement to support his "pro-woman/pro-life" strategy, writing:

For the purpose of passing restrictive laws to protect women from unwanted and/or dangerous abortions, it does not matter if people have a pro-life view. The ambivalent majority of people who are willing to tolerate abortion in "some cases" are very likely to support informed consent legislation and abortion clinic regulations, for example, because these proposals are consistent with their desire to protect women. In some cases, it is not even necessary to convince people of abortion's dangers. It is sufficient to simply raise enough doubts about abortion that they will refuse to actively oppose the proposed anti-abortion initiative.

Media coverage

In a Washington Monthly article titled "Research and Destroy", author Chris Mooney profiled Reardon as an example of what he describes as "Christian conservatives have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment." He also notes that Reardon's findings conflict with those of the American Psychological Association, which in 1990 had rejected "the notion that abortion regularly causes severe or clinical mental problems", and with the conclusions of former United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

In a front-page story for the New York Times Magazine, Slate editor Emily Bazelon describes Reardon as arguing that the anti-abortion movement will "never win over a majority... by asserting the sanctity of fetal life", and therefore should focus on disseminating information that abortion is psychologically harmful to women as a more effective strategy.

When researchers attack his findings, Reardon writes to the journals' letters pages. "Even if pro-abortionists got five paragraphs explaining that abortion is safe and we got only one line saying it's dangerous, the seed of doubt is planted," he wrote in his book.

Reardon has been described in the Boston Globe as someone who "wants Congress to impose strict barriers to abortion." The Boston Globe also wrote:

This dual role of advocate/researcher is becoming more common, especially as advocacy groups realize they can sway more opinions by asserting that their research is based on science, rather than simply on personal belief. Reardon, like many people who play this dual role, insists he can objectively look at the data without being influenced by his personal viewpoint.

According to the website of the Elliot Institute, which Reardon founded, he is "a frequent guest on Christian radio and Christian television talk shows and has been a frequently invited speaker state and national conventions for crisis pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations." Reardon addressed the National Pro-Life Religious Council in 1998, where he discussed emotional reactions to abortion in the context of the disputed entity of "post-abortion syndrome".

Elliot Institute

Reardon is the founder and director of the Elliot Institute, which in 2005 reported that it had two full-time and one part-time employees. According to its web site, the Elliot Institute studies "the effects of eugenics, abortion, population control, and sexual attitudes and practices on individuals and society at large." The institute was described by USA Today as an "anti-abortion organization focusing on the physical and psychological effects of abortion."

The Elliot Institute has endorsed model legislation regarding informed consent provisions for women considering abortion and bills that would increase the liability of physicians who provide abortions that are deemed "unsafe or unnecessary". The Elliot Institute is also leading an effort to build a coalition of groups to advocate for laws that would create a preemptive ban on human genetic engineering.

Reardon and the Elliot Institute opposed The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, and proposed a competing initiative which would have prohibited any embryonic stem cell research which resulted in the destruction of a human embryo, as well as some other types of genetic research, in Missouri. The Elliot institute created a website which mimicked the site of a pro-stem-cell-research group, the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. The group sued the Elliot Institute in federal court for alleged copyright and trademark violations. Consequently, the Elliot Institute website was ordered temporarily shut down by a federal judge.

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ Science in support of a cause: the new research, by Michael Kranish. Published in the Boston Globe on July 31, 2005; accessed November 27, 2007.
  2. ^ Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?, by Emily Bazelon. Published in the New York Times Magazine on January 21, 2007; accessed November 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Politicized Science: How Anti-Abortion Myths Feed the Christian Right Agenda, by Pam Chamberlain. Published in The Public Eye by Political Research Associates, Summer 2006. Accessed February 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Mooney, Chris. (October 1, 2004). "Research and Destroy" Archived April 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Washington Monthly. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  5. PBS NOW transcript, show #329, aired on PBS on July 20, 2007; accessed November 27, 2007. In the transcript, PBS senior correspondent Maria Hinojosa describes Reardon: "With a PhD from an unaccredited online institution, he's turned out dozens of studies that supposedly prove abortion is dangerous to women's mental health."
  6. David C. Reardon. Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996) Acorn Books. See especially Chapter Two Archived 2007-10-23 at the Wayback Machine where Reardon discusses the terms pro-life, pro-woman, anti-abortion, pro-choice and pro-abortion.
  7. ^ Reardon DC (2002). "A defense of the neglected rhetorical strategy (NRS)". Ethics Med. 18 (2): 23–32. PMID 14700036. Full text in pdf here
  8. Schmiege S, Russo NF (December 2005). "Depression and unwanted first pregnancy: longitudinal cohort study". BMJ. 331 (7528): 1303. doi:10.1136/bmj.38623.532384.55. PMC 1298850. PMID 16257993.
  9. Elliot Institute Website Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 19, 2007
  10. Real Audio from the National Pro-Life Religious Council website Retrieved November 19, 2007
  11. "Pastors Gather to Meet Challenge of Pro-Life Ministry." Publication: National Right to Life News
  12. "Elliot Institute 2005 Year End Report". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  13. Elliot Institute Website "About Our Coalition"
  14. No Abortion-Breast Cancer Link, by Rita Rubin. Published in USA Today on February 26, 2003; accessed March 6, 2008.
  15. Elliot Institute Website "Politics"
  16. Elliot Institute homepage
  17. Missouri State Government website
  18. Court Shuts Down Anti-Stem-Cell Web Site for Copyright Violations, by Donna Higgins. From news.findlaw.com, originally published March 27, 2006. Accessed January 7, 2008.

External links

Categories: