Partial-birth abortion: dispelling the myths

BP News ^ | 11/703 | Pia de Solenni

[truthandlife]

Among the facts about partial-birth abortion: It is never necessary to save the life of the mother; rather, it exposes women to additional and substantial health risks.

Former Surgeon General Koop explained that, "Partial birth abortion is never medically necessary to protect a mother's health or her future fertility." Women who undergo partial birth abortion risk uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, trauma to the uterus, iatrogenic laceration, secondary hemorrhage and infertility.

Warren Hern, MD, abortion practitioner and author of "Abortion Procedure," commented, "I have very serious reservations about this procedure.... You really can't defend it.... I would dispute any statement that this is the safest procedure to use." The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG] released a Statement of Policy on Jan. 12, 1997, stating: "A select panel convened by ACOG could identify no circumstances under which this procedure ... would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman."

To dispel other myths about partial-birth abortion, here's a true-or-false test:

1. True or false: Partial-birth abortions are performed only in extremely dire circumstances, i.e., to save the life of the mother.

FALSE -- According to Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist who has performed more than 1,000 partial-birth abortions, about 80 percent are done for "purely elective" reasons. The other 20 percent are done for "genetic reasons," which includes such non-life-threatening conditions as having a cleft palate or Down syndrome. ("Shock-tactic ads target late-term abortion procedure," American Medical News, July 5, 1993.)

2. True or false: "Elective abortion" means electing an abortion in a tough circumstance rather than risking death.

FALSE -- "Elective" means that there is no medically necessary reason for the patient to undergo a certain procedure. For example, cosmetic surgeries such as facelifts or tummy tucks are considered "elective" procedures. Thus, an elective partial-birth abortion means that the mother could have given birth to a healthy baby, but chose to abort her child.

3. True or false: Although grotesque, the procedure of suctioning out the brains of the fetus is necessary, otherwise the fetus' head would be too large to pass through the birth canal.

FALSE -- In an Oct. 28, 1995, letter to Congressman Charles Canady, R.-Fla., Dr. Pamela Smith, director of medical education in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Chicago said that "cephalocentesis (drainage of fluid from the head of a hydrocephalic fetus) frequently results in the birth of a living child." She adds that "relaxing the uterus with anesthesia, cutting the cervix (Duhrssen's incision) and Caesarean section are the standard of care for a normal, head-entrapped breech fetus."

4. True or false: In a partial-birth abortion, the anesthesia the woman receives for pain actually kills the baby so that he or she feels no pain.

FALSE -- During testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in November 1995, Dr. Norig Ellison, president of the 32,000-member American Society of Anesthesiologists, said, "I believe this statement to be entirely inaccurate. I am deeply concerned, moreover, that the widespread publicity given to Dr. McMahon's [a deceased California physician who performed partial-birth abortions and previously testified before Congress] testimony may cause pregnant women to delay necessary and perhaps life-saving medical procedures, totally unrelated to the birthing process, due to misinformation regarding the effects of anesthetics on the fetus." Dr. David Birnbach, director of obstetric anesthesiology at St. Luke's Hospital in New York, said, "Every day we have pregnant patients who get anesthesia -- women who break their ankles, need knee surgery, have appendectomies, gallbladder removals, breast biopsies, and so on. Anesthetics done safely by an anesthesiologist do not do harm to either the mother or the baby."

5. True or false: The underdeveloped fetus does not feel pain from the partial-birth abortion.

FALSE -- Professor Robert White, director of the division of neurosurgery and brain research laboratory at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, told the House Constitution Subcommittee that "the fetus within this time frame of gestation, 20 weeks and beyond, is fully capable of experiencing pain. Without a doubt, this is a dreadfully painful experience for any such infant subjected to such a surgical procedure." Paul Ranalli, M.D., a neurologist on the medical faculty at the University of Toronto, stated: "Intriguingly, far from being less able to detect pain, such premature newborns may be more sensitive to painful stimulation." He said that one study, regarding babies born under 30 weeks, indicates it may be that "the newly-established pain system is 'raw' and unmodified at such a tender age."

6. True or false: The Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act would force women whose children had died in their wombs to keep carrying them.

FALSE -- Abortion stops a progressing pregnancy. If the child has already died in the womb, removing the corpse would not ever be considered an abortion, especially not a partial-birth abortion. The Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act specifically defines a "partial-birth abortion" as "an abortion in which a physician delivers an unborn child's body until only the head remains inside the womb, punctures the back of the child's skull with a sharp instrument, and sucks the child's brains out before completing delivery of the dead infant."

7. True or false: It is illegal to perform abortions after the first trimester (the first three months of pregnancy). It is also illegal to perform abortions for reasons like sex selection.

FALSE -- The 1973 Supreme Court decisions on abortion (Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton) struck down state laws which protected the lives of unborn children. The court did not provide any protection for the unborn at any point in pregnancy. Because of the "health" exception which came from the Doe v. Bolton ruling, any abortion, at any time, using any method, is effectively legal. (Poll numbers show that more than 70 percent of American adults do not know that abortion is legal past the first trimester.) Although Roe is better known, Doe, a case decided on the same day as Roe, extended Roe throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy.

8. True or false: If a woman experiences trouble late in her pregnancy, she has to have an abortion or she may not be able to have future children because her uterus may rupture.

FALSE -- The primary cause of sterility is blockage in the fallopian tubes. According to Dr. David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical Association, sterility in a late-term pregnancy situation rarely happens and is most likely to be caused by a ruptured uterus. If the uterus is in danger of rupture, physicians usually drain some fluid or proceed with a C-section. The normal course of action would not be a partial-birth abortion. A woman who experiences late-term problems in her pregnancy does not need to fear blockage in her fallopian tubes or interruption in her egg cycle, Stevens said.

[jwalsh07]

Good post, shedding light on a dark chapter in American history.

[Jack of all Trades]

It seems to me that there is a health exception in the law - deliver the baby.

[Roughneck]

"...Women who undergo partial birth abortion risk uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, trauma to the uterus, iatrogenic laceration, secondary hemorrhage and infertility.."

Too bad it's only a risk. What the H-E-double L do these murderers think the child goes thru...?

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP - MURDER, Inc

[lainde]

bttt

[squidly]

Too bad that most of the liberal press isn't reporting it this way. All you hear from them is how "there is no exception for when the mother's health is in danger."

[jwalsh07]

Time to pull this thread out of the mothballs.

Gonna be a lot of balogna flying around.

[jwalsh07]

[truthandlife]

Agreed

[Coleus]

`

[Coleus]

PBA

Partial Birth Abortion

Partial-Birth Abortion

Partial-Birth Abortion Goes on Trial -- March 29, 2004

Click on the illustration above to see a series of medically accurate illustrations of a typical partial-birth abortion as performed at 24 weeks (5-1/2 months).

**  The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act -- Misconceptions and Realities, by NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson -- November 5, 2003

** A collection of key documents on medical issues relating to partial-birth abortion is HERE.

**  A collection of key documents on the pain experienced by unborn children is HERE.

** "Partial-Birth Abortion -- You Can Look it Up in the Medical Dictionary!" -- October 29, 2003

** For much more information on partial-birth abortion, click here.

These color illustrations of a partial-birth abortion were prepared on the basis of an instructional paper by an Ohio abortionist, explaining step by step how he performs the procedure.  These drawings accurately depict a partial-birth abortion being performed on a baby at 24 weeks gestational age.  Most partial-birth abortions are performed in the 20-26 week range (the fifth and sixth months), and some are performed even later.  Artwork by Tanja Butler, used courtesy of Heathers Place, 505-521-0105, pla@zianet.com.  Letters from medical authorities affirming the accuracy of these drawings are posted below.

 

For better viewing, click on images to enlarge:

 

 

 

 

Letter from Anthony P. Levatino, M.D., J.D., former abortionist, explaining that the images shown above "accurately depict" the partial-birth abortion method, and that "the images are size-appropriate to a fetus of approximately 24 weeks gestation."  --  March 4, 2003
(PDF document -- requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Letter from Watson A. Bowes, Jr., M.D., co-editor-in-chief of the journal Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, explaining that the images shown above "accurately depict" the partial-birth abortion method being used on "a fetus of approximately 24 weeks gestation." -- March 6, 2003
(PDF document -- requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader)

 

Black-and-White Drawing of Final Stage of a Partial-Birth Abortion

Click here to see a line drawing of the final stage of the partial-birth abortion procedure. Click here to see a letter from eminent medical authority Watson Bowes, M.D., affirming that this drawing accurately depicts the final stage of a partial-birth abortion on "a fetus of approximately 24-26 weeks gestation."  (PDF documents)

 

About "Dilation and Evacuation" (D&E) Dismemberment Abortions

At the same developmental stage at which most partial-birth abortions are performed -- in the fifth and sixth months -- many unborn children are killed with a different abortion method called "dilation and evacuation" ("D&E").  It also is very brutal and painful to the unborn child, as depicted in a series of illustrations produced by a professional medical art firm. 

[TheWriterInTexas]

There are only two instances that I know of where an abortion "may" be necessary to save the life of the mother:

1. Tubal pregnancy. Although advances are being made to try to save these babies, they usually are unable to survive past the second trimester because the tube ruptures.

2. Fetal rejection. When the mother's immune system overrides the baby's ability to fight off natural defenses, very similar to an organ transplant rejection. The mother's body sees the infant as an invading foreign body and attempts to destroy it, while other systems attempt to nourish it. Typically, the baby can defend against it. In extremely rare cases, it does not. I personally know only one woman this has happened to; it was terribly debilitating, and she agonized over her decision. Two days before she gave in to pressure to abort, God took the decision from her hands and swept the baby home to Him. She was in her fifth month and her health was failing.

She was urged never to attempt another pregnancy, and, given her emotional and physical suffering, she has chosen not to have children.

[cpforlife.org]

Partial-birth abortion: dispelling the myths

Important facts PING

[cpforlife.org]

Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

[hocndoc]

I know most of y'all know all this, but I feel the need to preach:

Tubal pregnancies usually cause rupture in the 1st trimester, often before 8 or 9 weeks. They are a life threatening condition for the mother. And, of course, the D & E is not even an option. (The ethical problem is whether it's appropriate to kill the child outright or to cause his or her death by means of removing the "diseased" fallopian tube. We could debate for days on that one. I know I have.)

As someone said, the remedy for the mother's health endangerment in other cases is to deliver the child. But, as we all know, it's not necessary to kill the child to deliver him or her. Yes, the child may die as a result of early birth, but that's not a reason to intentionally kill him or her. And early delivery is not an abortion.

Any interference after 15 weeks is statistically more dangerous to the health of the mother, both in terms of risk of death and of damage to organs, than waiting for term delivery.

There is no way that D & E is safer than a C section, for instance and I don't believe that a manipulation such as D & E is safer than induced labor. The "benefit" is in time (both for the "doctor" and the mother) and in facility costs (1 to 3 days of in patient or observed forced labor) and - here's the real reason for PBA - the assurance of ending up with a dead child.

As though a dead child is not a child, at all.


For abortionist - favorable statistics and info, look at the Alan Guttmacher institute's info page. (The AGI is the "research and policy" arm of Planned Parenthood.)

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

By the way, (blatantly, unapologetically, asking for money, here) if you appreciate the illustrations on PBA, they were provided to Senator Santorum and colleagues by Dr. Anthony Levantino, one of the founders of Physicians Life Alliance, which sponsors Medical Students for Life, as we attempt to give an alternative to the PP's $4 million per year support of Medical Students for Choice. (I'm on the board, too.) All of our money comes from donations. If you'd like to join or donate, here's the address:
http://www.physicianslifealliance.org/

[MHGinTN]

bttt

[cpforlife.org]

Thanks for your # 16 hocndoc

Technical Question: What about moving an ectopic pregnancy into the uterus?

[cpforlife.org]

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Trial Begins, Opening Statements Given

http://www.lifenews.com/nat410.html

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 29, 2004

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- The first of three separate trials of lawsuits filed by those seeking to overturn the ban on partial-birth abortions began on Monday in New York. An attorney for the National Abortion Federation, a trade group of abortion businesses, said the abortion ban was unconstitutional for a variety of reasons.

Attorney A. Stephen Hut told U.S. District Court Judge Richard Casey that the ban should be declared unconstitutional for many reasons, including its vagueness and that it lacks an exception allowing abortions to protect a woman's health.

"[O]ur evidence will show the court that this act unconstitutionally compromises a woman's right to reproductive choice and it is designed to remove the abortion alternatives," Hut told the court, the Associated Press reports.

Hut said the trial would include descriptions of partial-birth abortions that are "very raw" and "not for the faint of heart."

But one pro-life law firm that has filed a firend-of-the court brief in the cases says that's good news. Pro-life groups have cited the educational aspects of the partial-birth abortion ban as a second reason to put forward the legislation.

"The opportunity to present testimony showing the horrific nature of this procedure is an important ingredient in defending the national ban on partial-birth abortion," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice.

NAF insists that partial-birth abortions must remain legal to help women in rare, severe medical cases.

"The law has no exception to protect a woman's health; it prohibits abortions doctors say are safe and medically appropriate. To safeguard women's health, medical decisions must be made by doctors and not by politicians," said Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation.

But many doctors insist that's not the case.

The Physicians' Ad Hoc Coalition for Truth (PHACT) -- a group of over 600 physician-specialists (mostly in obstetrics, perinatology, and related disciplines) -- says partial-birth abortions no only are unnecessary to protect the health of a woman, but actually do more harm than good.

In September, 1996, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and other PHACT members wrote members of Congers saying that "partial-birth abortion is never medically necessary to protect a mother's health or her future fertility. On the contrary, this procedure can pose a significant threat to both.”

“We, and many other doctors across the United States, regularly treat women whose unborn children suffer ... serious conditions," the group adds. "Never is the partial-birth procedure medically indicated. Rather, such infants are regularly and safely delivered live, vaginally, with no threat to the mother's health or fertility.”

The Bush administration agrees.

"[T]his violent practice is unnecessary, as well as painful and cruel to the partially-born child," Monica Goodling, a Justice Department spokeswoman said. "A bipartisan majority in Congress reached this conclusion after eight years of testimony from respected medical professionals who stated that partial-birth abortion is never medically necessary."

Regardless of the outcome of the district court trials, the results will likely be appealed to the federal appeals court level. Beyond that, they will almost certainly land at the feet of the nation's high court.

"This is the beginning of a very long legal road that ultimately leads to the Supreme Court of the United States," said

The abortion businesses that belong to Saporta's group are responsible for more than half of all abortions performed in the United States annually. Planned Parenthood is the single largest abortion business.

[MHGinTN]

"[O]ur evidence will show the court that this act unconstitutionally compromises a woman's right to reproductive choice hire a serial killer to murder an alive unborn child and it is designed to remove the abortion murder alternative(s)," Hut told the court, the Associated Press reports.