Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Top doctors say no abortion is ever necessary to save a mother’s life
Life Site News ^ | 03/06/2019 | Martin Barillas

Posted on 03/07/2019 3:02:34 PM PST by SeekAndFind

PRINCETON, New Jersey, March 6, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Physicians who lead medical associations in the United States fully endorsed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 130) and asserted that the intentional killing of a pre-born child is never a medical necessity to save a mother’s life.

In endorsing S. 130, they wrote that the bill “provides a scientifically sound, medically accurate, and respectful approach to ensure that the innocent human being who survives an attempted abortion will be treated with the same human dignity and respect that similarly aged human beings receive in the course of good neonatal medical care. It also ensures that human beings with disabilities are not targeted for intentional killing at the moment of birth.”

A Senate vote on Feb. 25 failed to reach the 60 votes necessary for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, for the bill to overcome the current filibuster rules and pass. Originally introduced in 2015 and proposed in the current session, the act would require abortionists to provide medical care for babies who survive abortion. Under the 2002 Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, abortion survivors are recognized as human beings with human rights, but did not specify how they should be treated by medical professionals.

The article at Public Discourse cited certain “medical facts” to bolster the physicians’ endorsement of the bill.

“Fact 1: It is an undisputed scientific fact that a distinct, living human being exists in the womb of a pregnant mother.”

The article noted that at the moment of fertilization, a human being meets scientific criteria for a living organism completely distinct from the mother and forming no part of her body. Therefore, the doctors argue that it is “scientifically correct” for S. 311 to identify abortion survivors as human beings worthy of the “full protection of the law.”

To the contrary of assertions heralded by the leftist ACLU that “abortion is healthcare,” the signatories of the article noted:

“Fact 2: Abortion is not healthcare, much less an essential part of women’s health care, and abortions in the third trimester are not done to save a woman’s life.”

They argued that because less than 15 percent of OB-GYNS commit abortions. “Abortion is not an essential part of women’s healthcare. The vast majority of abortions are done by abortion providers who do not provide any other kind of medical care for the woman. Abortion treats no disease. Pregnancy is not a disease, and deliberately killing the unborn child by abortion is not healthcare,” they wrote.

Referring to testimony provided by abortionists to Congress that abortion separates the mother from her baby with the purpose of killing the baby, the physicians noted that an abortion survivor is called a “failed abortion” by abortion providers. This is unlike a normal delivery, they wrote, which “separates the mother and her fetus for the purpose of life.”

They wrote that there are “rare circumstances” leading to the jeopardy of a mother’s life, which may be due to pre-existing conditions or pregnancy complications. “It is extremely rare for this to occur prior to the point of viability (currently 22 weeks after last menstrual period, 20 weeks after fertilization). After 20 weeks’ fertilization age, it is never necessary to intentionally kill the fetal human being in order to save a woman’s life.” They argue that in cases when the mother is actually in danger in the latter half of pregnancy, “there is not time for an abortion, because an abortion typically is a two- to three-day process.” Instead, immediate delivery is needed, which can be done by inducing labor or carrying out a Caesarean section. Saving and caring for the lives of the mother and baby, they wrote, is the appropriate response. “There is no medical reason to intentionally kill that fetal human being through an inhumane abortion procedure,” they wrote, which includes poisoning and dismemberment.

“Fact 3: No matter the circumstances of their birth, infants who are born alive must be given appropriate medical care.”

“Any infant who is born alive, at any stage of development, is a person entitled to the protections of the law and appropriate care as a new patient. There is no scientific or legal reason to distinguish between human beings born after an attempted abortion and human beings born after attempted live birth,” the doctors wrote. “Obviously, a distressed newly born baby presents for emergency medical care at the moment of her or his birth, regardless of whether that birth results from an abortion attempt or attempted live delivery. Citing the Emergency Medical Treatment and Live Labor Act of 1986, they noted that hospitals are required to examine and treat any person who presents for emergency medical care.

“There is no scientific or legal reason to distinguish between human beings born after an attempted abortion and human beings born after attempted live birth,” they wrote, adding that medical professionals are “notoriously poor predictors of whether infants will live or die when supportive medical care is offered.” If a baby’s life is in danger, parents should be offered the benefits of medical care and be offered perinatal hospice, they wrote.

It is common for abortionists to carry out abortions on preborn babies at 22 weeks’ gestation or after. Late-term abortionist Dr. Leroy Carhart recently said in an interview that Sen. Sasse is “ignorant” or even “lying” with regard to the practice. “I don’t care what her reasons are, if she knows it’s what she needs to do,” Carhart told KETV Newswatch 7 of his willingness to commit abortions.

The pro-life physicians signing the article at Public Discourse were: Dr. Donna J. Harrison, executive director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians; Dr. John Schirger, president of the Catholic Medical Association; Dr. David Stevens, CEO of Christian Medical & Dental Associations; and Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. They represent more than 30,000 physicians in the United States who, according to their article, “practice according to the Hippocratic Oath.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; prolife
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
The article at Public Discourse cited certain “medical facts” to bolster the physicians’ endorsement of the bill can be found In this site
1 posted on 03/07/2019 3:02:34 PM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The title and the facts don’t quite line up with each other.

The facts are correct:

Fact 1: It is an undisputed scientific fact that a distinct, living human being exists in the womb of a pregnant mother.

Fact 2: Abortion is not healthcare, much less an essential part of women’s health care, and abortions in the third trimester are not done to save a woman’s life.

Fact 3: No matter the circumstances of their birth, infants who are born alive must be given appropriate medical care.

But there are times when without an abortion, the mother’s life is in danger. Ectopic pregnancies for example. In those cases, the fetus is not going to live either way. However, the mother’s life can be in danger if the pregnancy is allowed to continue.


2 posted on 03/07/2019 3:14:19 PM PST by sipow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Starting this coming Sunday, at 6 PM Central time, our pastor, my wife, and I will be holding a prayer vigil for the protection of the unborn and newly born children, and for the ending of infanticide. I invite anyone who would like to join us in prayer, wherever you are.


3 posted on 03/07/2019 3:19:47 PM PST by 05 Mustang GT Rocks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Duh.

C sections get the baby out in 5 minutes. Clearly the fastest way to save a mom. There is no reason to kill the baby outright.


4 posted on 03/07/2019 3:22:28 PM PST by Yaelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 05 Mustang GT Rocks

Forgot to mention, the prayer vigil will continue every Sunday during Lent at 6 P.M.


5 posted on 03/07/2019 3:24:16 PM PST by 05 Mustang GT Rocks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
10 Abortion Survivors

https://listverse.com/2013/08/20/10-abortion-survivors/

6 posted on 03/07/2019 3:24:56 PM PST by amorphous
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Back in 1973, they did not know as much as they do now about the baby in the womb. They are now performing surgeries on babies before they are born. Couldn't do that in 1973.

So, I think that we should claim that Roe as completely outdated. All the new technologies should have a major hearing.

In front of the Supreme Court.

7 posted on 03/07/2019 3:25:10 PM PST by Slyfox (Not my circus, not my monkeys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

90% of abortions are done for convenience.


8 posted on 03/07/2019 3:30:26 PM PST by gibsonguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: sipow

exactly what i was getting ready to say re: ectopic pregnancies.


9 posted on 03/07/2019 3:38:16 PM PST by SendShaqtoIraq
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: sipow

I agree. Let’s be honest. The vast majority of abortions are done to shield a pregnant woman or the responsible male from shouldering the responsibility of having copulated and set into motion the formation of a new life. It’s fundamental.

It is a sad tragedy that those who feel they are ‘saving’ their lives by aborting a baby, are actually willingly losing the most important thing they will ever be part of in life. I don’t mean just the act of procreation, but being able to bring a new life into the world, and care for that life, and nurture it, and live beyond yourself in doing whatever is best for that new life.


10 posted on 03/07/2019 3:52:46 PM PST by neverevergiveup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: gibsonguy

“90% of abortions are done for convenience.”

Yes, tragically.


11 posted on 03/07/2019 3:53:36 PM PST by neverevergiveup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Rats obviously dont care about facts they only hope to destroy our country. They must be eliminated the pinochet way


12 posted on 03/07/2019 4:03:34 PM PST by genghis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
A key phrase in the statement of the five physicians is "Fetal Human Being." This refers to a human fetus, and is medically defined as a human being from the end of the eighth week after conception, when the major structures have formed, until birth.

The physicians acknowledge that there "are rare circumstances in which a mother’s life is in jeopardy," but that "[a]fter 20 weeks fertilization age, it is never necessary to intentionally kill the fetal human being in order to save a woman’s life."

13 posted on 03/07/2019 4:22:28 PM PST by Carl Vehse
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

BTTT! Save the babies.


14 posted on 03/07/2019 4:23:34 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Medical Opinion is just that: opinion, not foreknowledge.

Regardless, abortion is killing. For the professing Christian, it is murder, and choosing to kill one person to potentially - not certainly - save another is denying God’s place as Lord.

M.D.s have, in documented cases, been wrong about a baby being born non-viable, and/or about carrying a baby to term costing the mother her life.

This is a corollary to Lifeboat Ethics. I say: We all die, and there are worse things than dying.


15 posted on 03/07/2019 4:28:23 PM PST by YogicCowboy ("I am not entirely on anyone's side, because no one is entirely on mine." - J. R. R. Tolkien)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gibsonguy
I would bump that 90% figure up 9.99% plus a lot of change with the progression of prenatal care and caesarean section refinements since the mid-to-late 1970s.

Also, abortions "sanctioned"/performed from a diagnoses of downs syndrome or other "imperfections" of the human in the womb arising from the conception by IMPERFECT beings themselves are for convenience as well.
16 posted on 03/07/2019 4:36:48 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: sipow
Yes. They should be precise in their parameters. The plain sense is that there is no medical need for late term abortions, but the ectopic exception would have been exercised much earlier on.
17 posted on 03/07/2019 5:29:31 PM PST by hinckley buzzard (Power is more often surrendered than seized.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Abortion Statistics - Decision to Have an Abortion (U.S.)

· 25.5% of women deciding to have an abortion want to postpone childbearing

· 21.3% of women cannot afford a baby

· 14.1% of women have a relationship issue or their partner does not want a child

· 12.2% of women are too young (their parents or others object to the pregnancy)

· 10.8% of women feel a child will disrupt their education or career

· 7.9% of women want no (more) children

· 3.3% of women have an abortion due to a risk to fetal health

2.8% of women have an abortion due to a risk to maternal health

----------------------------------------------------------------------

So how many women’s lives have been saved by abortion?

Less than 3% of abortions since 1972 were reported to be “due to a risk to maternal health.” A reasonable person would recognize that not all of those cases represent a lethal risk. But let’s say they did. That means that nearly 55 million fetuses were butchered to save the lives of about 1.6 million women. Or put another way; 34 babies are killed to save each woman.


18 posted on 03/07/2019 5:33:03 PM PST by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I have been saying this forever! You don’t have to kill the baby for the health of the mother in the third trimester. You simply deliver the baby. If the child cannot survive, it’s a sad day but it had a chance. It is never necessary to kill the child intentionally “to save the life of the mother”. Once the baby is delivered, conditions like pre-eclampsia go away and the mother is fine.


19 posted on 03/07/2019 8:16:27 PM PST by luv2ski
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sipow

I believe they were thinking normal pregnancies...my wife had a tubal when she was younger and had to have it terminated....I don’t consider that to be “abortion” per se..


20 posted on 03/08/2019 2:58:46 AM PST by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson