40 Gazillion Sperm

From Geneva, here are the most recent worldwide estimates:

• Over 100 million acts of sex per day among our 4-5 billion persons,
• With an average ejaculate of 400 million sperm,
• Which leads to about 4 times 10 to the 16th sperm released per day, or
• 40 gazillion sperm.

So what are the consequences of 40 gazillion sperm?

That translates into almost a million conceptions daily, about half of those unplanned. About 150,000 abortions take place each day. About 1370 maternal deaths and about 275 which are abortion-related. Ten or eleven women who are alive this morning at 9 o'clock will be dead by 10 o'clock somewhere in the world.

Many of you will recall some years ago the worst air disaster that ever occurred when two 747 collided on the runway in the Canary Islands in dense fog killing about 500 people. Remember the headlines. [This was written in April 1996 before the crash of Pam Am 800 off the coast of the New York killing about 360.]

Well, imagine today, if a 747 Jumbo Jetliner crashed in subsaharan Africa filled with young women of reproductive age -- healthy young women. Just think of the headlines.

But imagine the headlines if not just one, but four such planes crashed today -- and then again tomorrow and the day after that another four jumbo jets -- filled with young women of reproductive age -- all young and healthy.

How long would it take for the heads of state around the world to come storming in to the offices of Boeing and ask "what's wrong with your airplanes? This carnage must stop." But how many heads of state are turning to their ministries of health saying "Let's stop this carnage."

Well one is a machine and one is a natural process, but the carnage is just the same and no one pays any attention. Why? Because these are just women, not business men.

We have much to be ashamed of in our history...

The above excerpt was taken from a speech by David Grimes, MD, a physician who performs abortions and teaches abortion procedures to physicians and medical students. He was speaking at the annual conference of the National Abortion Federation in San Francisco, CA in April 1996.

There are approximately 1.5 million abortions in the U.S. annually. Approximately one-third of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion. More than 90% of all abortions take place in the first trimester.

Feminist Women's Health Center