TABLE IV.-OUT-OF-WEDLOCK LIVE BIRTHS AND MATERNAL DEATHS (1950-73) TABLE V.-ANALYSIS OF MATERNAL DEATHS IN OUT-OF-WEDLOCK PREGNANCY (1950-73) STATEMENT OF DR. ALEX BARNO, CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Dr. BARNO. Mr. Chairman, my name is Alex Barno, M.D. I have been a physician for 30 years and an obstetrician and gynecologist from Minneapolis, Minn., for the past 28 years. I am a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, a past president of the Minnesota Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, and a member of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, I am chairman of the Minnesota Maternal Mortality Committee of the State Medical Association, chairman of the Committee on Obstetrics, Gynecology and Maternal Health of the State Medical Association, and I am a member of the Minnesota Cervical Cancer Mortality Committee. I am a nonCatholic physician. I hope not to talk too long. Some philosopher once said that the mind can only absorb what the posterior can endure. I am here today in favor of the Human Life Amendment. These are my comments, and they do not represent in any official capacity any of the aforementioned organizations. Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit the following items that I have for the written record: a summary report on deaths and near deaths of legal abortions by Dr. Matthew Bulfin, president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, of which I am a charter member; and second, Induced Abortion, A Documented Report of World's Literature, by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, a former resident at the Mayo Clinic; also, Abortion and Social Justice, by Hilgers and Horan, especially for chapter 4 where Dr. Hilgers summarizes the world's literature regarding medical hazards of legally induced abortions; and finally, a report by Dr. Margaret Wynn and Dr. Arthur Wynn from England entitled Some Consequences of Induced Abortion to Children Born Subsequently. May I present that? Senator BAYH. Without objection, it will be put in the record at the appropriate place. My presentation will be in two parts-some data from the Minnesota maternal mortality study, which I believe will be of interest to you, and some general remarks. Santayana stated that "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The pro-abortionists flooded the American public with scare tactics before the Supreme Court decision, claiming that there were 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 criminal abortions annually, and that 5,000 to 10,000 women were dying annually in the United States as a result of induced abortions. Statistics from Minnesota maternal mortality study suggest that these figures were grossly exaggerated. This is a clinical research study sponsored by the Minnesota State Medical Association, the Minnesota State Department of Health and the Minnesota Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. It has been continuous since 1950. I have been involved with the study since its beginning. Every maternal death in the State of Minnesota is studied in detail by an ob-Gyn specialist field worker, going to the hospital, doctor's office, etcetera, and obtaining firsthand all the information. Final decisions are then made at periodic meetings of the committee as a whole, consisting of 23 physicians. These decisions were the determinations of the cause of death, criticism regarding prenatal care, labor and delivery and postpartum care as to whether the care was contributory or not contributory to the cause of death, evaluation of the autopsy, criticism of the death certificate and birth certificate, and finally preventability of death and responsibility for the death." Now, I briefly want to go over this because I think it is important. It is a quality-control study. Before the study was begun, it was outlined in our state medical journal, "Minnesota Medicine." Each doctor was notified by letter. Each hospital administrator and chief of staff of every hospital in the State was also notified by letter. The cross-matching techniques has been utilized. The death certificates of all women ages 15 through 45 are cross checked against any births or stillbirths-additional cases are discovered since pregnancy or the postpartum state was not mentioned on the death certificate. Additional cases were discovered through notification by physicians, nurses, social workers, medical students, hospital record room librarians and newspapers. In addition, the State Department of health issued a ruling to all hospitals that a maternal death should be reported within 3 days of occurrence. Two of every three deaths were autopsied and this added to the accuracy of the assessment as to the cause of death. Senator BAYH. That is of abortion-related deaths? Dr. BARNO. No; I am saying two out of three are autopsied of all maternal deaths. Senator BAYH. All maternal deaths? Dr. BARNO. And I will bring in the abortion deaths, sir. I have presented to you data, tables I through IX from this study for a 24-year period, 1950 through 1973, regarding rates, a breakdown of the causes of death, the out-of-wedlock pregnancy situation, the induced abortions, and the suicides in prgenancy. During this 24year period of time 840 maternal deaths occurred in Minnesota among 1.763,702 live births. Only 31 of these deaths were induced-abortion deaths or 1.3 per year, 28 illegal, or 1.2 per year, 2 therapeutic-for medical reasons-and 1 legal in 1973, table IX. Automobile accidents, 48, are killing more pregnant patients in Minnesota than induced abortions, 31, yet this does not create such a furor or emotional impact as the abortion thing has. Senator BAYH. Do you suppose we could amend the Constitution to make it illegal to have accidental automobile deaths for pregnant women? Dr. BARNO. We could do it better if we could make people wear seat belts. Senator BAYH. Doctor, I say amen to that. Dr. BARNO. The pattern in our State, i.e., the abortion pattern in the State is the same as it has been, even after the latter part of the sixties when some of the States began liberalizing their abortion laws and Minnesota residents could go out of State for abortions. Now, I have the figures and you can look at that table, table IX. 57-676 76-14 |