Nine things we need to know about...

Abortion on Guam
Complied by the Esperansa Project from data available form Guam Medical Records.

Visit www.esperansa.org for further information

What We Should Know

1.Number of Abortions: There are approximately 300 reported abortions per year on Guam. Until 2008, there was no penalty for non-compliance with the abortion reporting law. In 2008, a penalty was imposed for noncompliance which accounts for the sudden spike in reported abortions in 2008 as shown on the chart below. Fragments of data from previous years suggest that there may have been (and still may be) as many as 500 abortions per year.

the most dangerous place in the nation for the unborn. (www.aul.org) 4. Abortion is NOT an outside problem: Many think that most abortions are procured by outsiders people not native to Guam. The facts speak otherwise.

Abortions by Ethnicity 2008-2010

500 375 250

No. of Abortions 2000-2010

400 300 200 100 0

125 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

2. Guam is #16 in the world for most abortions per 1000: With an approximate population of 175,000 and 300 abortions per year, Guams abortion rate is 1.7 per 1000 people, making Guam #16 in the world in terms of number of abortions per 1000 people when compared to other nations. www.nationmaster.com> statistics>health statistics> abortion 3. Guam is the most dangerous place in the United States in terms of legal protections: Compared to a 2008 nation wide study by Americans United for Life, which ranked each state according to its legal protections for the unborn, Guam ranked last in the nation, making Guam, in terms of legal protections,

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Ethnicity Abortions Chamorro 474 Filipino 121 Korean 69 White 66 Chinese 40 Palauan 21 Black 16 FSM 19 Vietnamese 12 Japanese 11 Mexican 2 Thai 2 Solomonese 1 Not Provided 13

% 54.67% 13.96% 7.96% 7.61% 4.61% 2.42% 1.85% 2.19% 1.38% 1.27% 0.23% 0.23% 0.12% 1.50%

4. Abortion is NOT a teen problem. As shown on the graph below, teens are the least likely age group to procure an abortion. Trusted sources also suggest that some teens who do procure abortions do not do so willingly but are pressured to abort their babies by boyfriends or even parents. However, most abortion prevention resources are still aimed at teens.

Abortions by Method 2008-2010 Method Vacuum Vacuum D&C Aspiration Asp/Cur D&E RU 486 Saline Kel Cardiac Digoxic Amnio-Infusion No. of Abortions 451 210 113 39 66 17 5 2 1

Abortions by Age 2008-2010

300 225 150 75 0

230 192 158 114 74 73 29 ?

The other abortion methods listed are for later term abortions. Many think that abortion is only legal in the early stages of gestation. This is not true. On Guam, abortion is legal all the way through pregnancy. And in the event a child survives a failed abortion, it is legal to kill the child or leave it to die. 8. The legislative majority in the current Guam legislature DOES NOT support increased legal protections for the unborn - even protections that have the encouragement of the U.S Supreme Court (informed consent) and legislative precedent both on the state and federal level (Born Alive Act). Twice in the last 2 years, bills that would have provided mothers basic information about the risks of abortion (Bill 54-30 & Bill 52-31), were "amended" in such a way as to delete all the relevant informational requirements - making the legislation useless. And Bill 309-30, which would have provided for normal medical care for a child that survives a failed abortion, was left to die in committee. 9. What you can do: Esperansa is committed to advancing legal protections for the unborn on Guam regardless of the opposition of abortion supporters in the current legislature. The key to the passage of prolife legislation is public support and immediate communication. The best means to accomplish this is through our website and our email newsletter.. Visit our website at www.esperansa.org. The newsletter sign up block is on the top right corner. We look forward to working together with you to save more babies and their mothers.

13-17 18-22 23-27 28-32 33-37 38+

5. Abortion is NOT just about unwed mothers. 43% of abortions over the last three years were procured by women who identied themselves as married.

7. Late term abortions are common. Currently the abortion reporting law does not require abortionists to report the gestational age of the child. However, the abortion procedure used is helpful in estimating the gestational age. Vacuum/Aspiration abortions are normally performed in the rst trimester.