Posted on 02/10/2002 9:47:57 PM PST by J.R.R. Tolkien
Doctor Troubled by Pain of Infants in Abortion
February 8, 2002
www.massnews.com
Letters to the Editor
Thomas V. Messe, M.D.
As a physician, I am always concerned about the level of pain my patients have. One group of people who never receive attention to their level of pain is unborn children. Many scientists have discovered that unborn children experience pain as early as seven weeks gestation. This has been shown by accelerations in their heart rate and brain waves during an abortion. There is no question that a baby in the 2nd and 3rd trimester experiences pain during an abortion. I would like to see legislation passed that makes women aware of fetal pain and gives them the option of receiving some sort of pain medicine during the procedure.
Saline abortions are probably the most painful procedures for infants. This technique is used after 16 weeks of pregnancy, when enough fluid has accumulated in the amniotic fluid sac surrounding the baby. A needle is inserted through the mothers abdomen and 50-250 ml (as much as a cup) of amniotic fluid is withdrawn and replaced with a solution of concentrated salt. The baby breathes in, swallowing the salt and is poisoned. The chemical solution also causes painful burning and deterioration of the babys skin. Usually, after about an hour, the child dies. The mother goes into labor about 33 to 35 hours after instillation and delivers a dead, burned, shriveled baby. About 97% of mothers deliver their dead babies within 72 hours.
The "Dilation and Extraction" (D&X), or "intact D&E" (IDE) is sometimes referred to as Partial Birth Abortion. This procedure is used on women who are 20- to 32-weeks pregnant -- or even later into pregnancy. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn babys leg with forceps and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is deliberately kept just inside the womb. (At this point in a partial-birth abortion, the baby is alive.) Then the abortionist jams scissors into the back of the babys skull and spreads the tips of the scissors apart to enlarge the wound.
After removing the scissors, a suction catheter is inserted into the skull and the babys brains are sucked out. The collapsed head is then removed from the uterus.
Animals in veterinarian offices and in research labs are not allowed to suffer like this. Why do we let members of our own race suffer in this fashion 1.5 million times a year? Lets make it a law that these victims receive anesthesia.
- Thomas V. Messe, M.D.
Groton, CT
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Dr. George Tiller, M.D., DABFP
Picture Jesus
What? To ask for verification of an absolute assertion.
Yeah, right Hank. And graphic pictures of bodies lying in mass graves in Nazi death camps only stimulate the irrational emotions of those already opposed to mass extermination... we over-sensitive types just need to get used to things as they will be in the 'Brave New World'. Thanks for the heads up.
This one made it after being successfully operated on in-utero.
You haven't seen "Silent Scream." Or "The Hard Truth" or "Eclipse of Reason."
a dumbfounded bump
No, no, no Dr. Messe. The law should protect the life of these pre-born children, not lessen their pain.
In any case it is accepted that the baby responds to its mothers voice while in utero. If its nervous system can process sound it surely can process pain.
Sadly, that is the issue. Until we feel compassion for even the lowest of humans we will never be at peace with ourselves, especially the mothers who aborted.
George Bush promised to sign the bill banning partial-birth abortion. Has he even said a word about it since he beat Al Gore?
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