Parenthood Of Maryland

FREDERICK - Six weeks after Bruce E. Ivins killed himself, the cremated remains of Ivins, the Army scientist and anthrax suspect, are stored at a funeral home here, awaiting the outcome of an unusual probate court proceeding. In a will he wrote last year, a few months before the FBI focused the anthrax letters investigation on him, Ivins wrote of his wish to be cremated and have his ashes scattered. But fearing that his wife, Diane, and their two children might not honor the request, he came up with a novel way to enforce his demand: threatening to make a bequest to an organization he knew his wife opposed, Planned Parenthood.

James Guest, head of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, says it will be business as usual in the agency's eight clinics today. Until the federal government officially tells them to stop, doctors and counselors will continue to counsel patients about abortion.Yesterday the Supreme Court upheld federal regulations that prohibit abortion counseling at federally subsidized family-planning clinics. In 30 to 60 days, Planned Parenthood lawyers say, the new rules will take effect.And unless those regulations are blocked, perhaps by Congress, Planned Parenthood and other clinics that accept federal Title X dollars may be forced to limit services to poor women or forgo federal money.

Planned Parenthood clinics will soon make nonsurgical abortions available to 3,000 women, including some in Maryland, through a nationwide trial that will use two drugs widely employed to battle cancer and prevent ulcers.The trial will begin by fall in some areas. Planned Parenthood of Maryland plans to start offering the service shortly after the New Year at its Howard Street headquarters and, possibly, at some of its six satellite centers."We don't know what the demand will be because it's new, but what's crucial is that this is a new choice for women," said Sana F. Shtasel, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Maryland.

Abraham Bates, the son of fur traders in Mongolia who was inspired to a life as a human rights activist by witnessing the brutal Japanese invasion of China, died of cancer Thursday at his home in Howard County. He was 81.Mr. Bates, born Abraham Bihovsky, of Russian-Jewish ancestry, was studying economics in China at the time of the 1937 invasion. He changed his name and became an accountant after moving to the United States the next year.Locally, he was assistant director of the Maryland Academy of Sciences from 1965 to 1974, and then director of finance for Planned Parenthood of Maryland until retiring in 1986.

Paul and Beth Szczybor spent yesterday morning wheeling their toddlers along tree-lined Catonsville streets and hanging a color photograph of a fetus on every door they passed.The picture is captioned: "22-week-old unborn child killed by a prostaglandin abortion. VOTE AGAINST Question 6/The New Abortion Bill In November."Eleven-month-old James, clutching an Arrowroot biscuit, rode contentedly in his stroller. But Catherine, 2 1/2 , wanted to help. Holding her mother's hand, she made her way up to a few doors to loop the anti-abortion flier over the knob.

Condoms can work and teen-agers need to know how In response to the letter "Abstinence is the only real protection for teen-agers" (April 25), we at Planned Parenthood of Maryland understand that condoms are an effective, inexpensive form of birth control, proven as such since the 16th century. Contrary to the figures the letter cited, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put condoms' actual breakage rate at a mere two per 100. And a recent study of couples in which one partner was HIV positive yielded only a 2 percent rate of infection, with correct and consistent condom use. A World Health Organization review of 19 studies found no evidence that sexuality education programs, which may include access to contraception, lead to earlier or increased teen-age sexual activity.

Education is key to decline in teen birth rate I am thrilled that the teenage birth rate in Baltimore continued to decline last year, but I am not surprised ("City's teen births decline," Dec. 30). What surprises me once again this year is that little or no mention is made of the many community and faith-based organizations in Baltimore that have played a tremendous role in this success. In school, not only do students have access to contraception, they receive comprehensive health education that promotes healthy, responsible ways to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Susan S. Swift, a health care consultant and former Brooklandville resident, died March 15 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, at her home in Key Largo, Fla. She was 63. Dr. Swift was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Washington and Westchester County, N.Y. She was a 1964 graduate of Scarsdale High School and earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. Dr. Swift earned a master's in public health administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and her doctorate from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, where she later taught.

In an article in yesterday's editions of The Sun, the location of the Baltimore Women's Medical Center was incorrect. It is located on Belair Road in Baltimore County. Also, the story incorrectly characterized the Planned Parenthood of Maryland's women's health centers in Towson and Owings Mills. Those two centers do not perform abortions.The Sun regrets the errors.

Suddenly on April 4, 2006, BETTYKLINEFELTER THOMPSON, age 98, wife of the late Donald Thompson. Survived by three children Peter Thompson, David Thompson and Amanda Thompson Mc Greevy. She is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Interment will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Planned Parenthood of Maryland or Doctors Without Borders.