- Mothers must have rubella during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to affect their babies.
- A review of 15 major studies showed that only 16.9 per cent of the babies in contact with rubella would have defects. Rubella as an indication (reason) for abortion would see five healthy babies aborted for every one affected baby.
- The last large outbreak of rubella was in 1904. Statistics from this show that of the children affected:
- 50 per cent had hearing loss, most correctable by hearing aids.
- 50 per cent had heart defects, almost all surgically correctable.
- 30 per cent had cataracts, often one-sided, but most had fair vision.
- Mental retardation was 1.5 per cent – compared to 1 per cent in a non-affected population.
- Some women are vaccinated against rubella in the early stages of pregnancy (before they are even aware that they are pregnant). These women are subsequently offered abortion in case the child is infected. The current rubella vaccine does not harm the unborn child.
Source: Handbook on Abortion by Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Willke, Hiltz Publishing Co., Cincinnati, 1972 and a recent telephone conversation between Dr. Willke and The Interim.
