Elliot Institute 2003 Year End Report

Through your support, we have been blessed during the last year to have accomplished the following major activities:

We completed filming of a six part television series called “Making Abortion Rare” that will air on the cable/satellite network Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) in January. The series is based on Dr. Reardon’s book of the same title and is hosted by Dr. Reardon and Dr. Theresa Burke, with whom he co-authored Forbidden Grief.
At the request of the Justice Foundation we provided affidavits (one 136 pages, the other 256 pages) on the detrimental effects of abortion on women. These affidavits have been filed with the Justice Foundation’s motions on behalf of Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) and Sandra Cano (Doe), asking the Supreme Court to reverse the rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v Bolton because of the new evidence that abortion is harmful to women.
Two of our studies on abortion complications have been published in journals of medicine or psychology. A summary of the major findings and journal of publication are listed below.
- Compared to women who carry to term, women who have abortions are at significantly higher risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric illness at 90 days, 180 days, and years 1 through 4 following the pregnancy event. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
- In a national survey of women, women whose first pregnancies ended in abortion were significantly more likely to be at risk of clinical depression. (Medical Science Monitor)
Four additional papers have been accepted for publication — two dealing with substance abuse, one with anxiety, and one with risk factors for more severe post-abortion reactions. These should be published within the next six months. Several additional papers are in various stages of preparation or submission.
Our research is being used by the Justice Department in its defense of the partial birth abortion ban. We are also assisting several private legal firms that are engaged in lawsuits against the abortion industry.
Portions of our model legislation, “The Women’s Health Protection Act,” have been passed in Missouri and South Dakota. The Missouri bill includes one of our most key provisions, a requirement that abortionists screen patients for known risk factors for abortion complications. The law is currently enjoined after abortionists challenged the its constitutionality.
We redoubled our efforts to better educate pro-life leaders about the negative effects of abortion on women and to unite them behind our pro-woman/pro-life strategy. To this end, we:
- Developed our introductory “Pro-Woman/Pro-Life Resource Materials” kit, with reproducible fact sheets, project ideas, and new brochures and resource materials. This kit was distributed to 200 of the largest and most influential pro-life and pro-family groups in the country. It can be downloaded from www.afterabortion.org/list/kit. Future kits will include “A Politician’s Resource Kit” and “A Pastor’s Resource Kit.”
- Developed a new pocket guide, Reversing the Gender Gap: A Pro-life Candidate’ Essential Guide, to help pro-life politicians articulate the pro-woman/pro-life message.
- Attended summit meetings for pro-life leaders seeking to develop a greater unity of vision and strategy within the pro-life movement.
We distributed 36,700 copies of Hope and Healing, our 12-page newspaper insert that teaches abut post-abortion problems and promotes post-abortion healing. We also provided the layout to three organizations who distributed nearly 200,000 copies at their own expense.
To enhance our ability to educate the public through the internet, we have installed an automated email system to manage multiple email lists. This will allow us to more efficiently offer free series of information, such as a “six week course on post-abortion complications.”
We published four issues of The Post-Abortion Review; twelve issues of our email newsletter, Elliot Institute News; and expanded the content of our Internet site at www.afterabortion.org.
We answered innumerable inquires for information from students, legislators, attorneys, academics, pro-life lobbyists, and post-abortive women and men.

These and other accomplishments were achieved with three employees and total expenditures during the last fiscal year of $133,104 and net income of $135,599. Approximately 60% of our income was from private donations and the remainder from sales of books or other assets.

We have been promoting our pro-woman/pro-life strategy since our incorporation fifteen years ago. We have seen much progress, and continue to believe, as stated in prior year end reports:

It is the hand of God that is weaving together an ever-growing number of people and organizations who are collectively proclaiming His mercy, converting hearts, and exposing the evil that abortion inflicts on everyone it touches. Together, we are witnessing the “coming of age” of the post-abortion movement.

Someday soon, the fact that abortion injures women, both physically and psychologically, will become part of common knowledge. Once it does, the denial of the truth that abortion also kills innocent children will also collapse. Both of these steps are essential to making abortion unthinkable. That is our destiny. It is not as far off as most pro-lifers imagine.

Thank you again for your support and prayers. They make a big difference, especially for a small organization like our own.