The Heartbreak of the churches stance on Anti-Choice

[Horse with no Name]

I had a conversation with another nurse--and as usual, war stories always seem to crop up. This nurse is an outstanding teacher, we well as bedside clinician. She shared this story.
We were talking about ethics, the church, and medicine.
The hospital that I work for now is a corporate owned entity. Previous to that though, they were a Catholic Hospital and governed under that accordance. Which basically meant that they didn't do tubals, etc.
So there was this patient. A very nice lady. Married, had kids, loving family and had private payor insurance.
So this lady is rocking along with a 27-week pregnancy when something on an ultrasound alarms the physician. Further testing lead to the diagnosis of anencephaly--or without a brain. The infant did not have a brain. Just a short brain-stem. Not enough to sustain life. So the hard choice at this point is what to do? Do you let this woman suffer irreversible psychological damage by carrying an infant destined to die? Do you let her feel the kicks, hear the heartbeats? Or do you hasten the delivery of this unfortunate baby? A baby that was wanted and love and one that was planned for?
At this point in pregnancy, the procedure to terminate the pregnancy is called a prostaglandin induced abortion. Basically a vaginal suppository is inserted to augment labor.
Then the baby is delivered. In this situation, what generally happens is that the family keeps the infant for as long as they like--the baby is wrapped up so that they can mourn their loss. Take pictures. But basically a chance to grieve their loss.
So anyway--sitting on a hospital ethics committee are physicians.
There happens to be a lone Catholic on the committee. Even though abortion are "technically" against the rules, the committee decides to grant the exception because the child is incompatible with life and it is more humane to stop the pregnancy. Well the physician who is the lone Catholic says NO! We will not do this. He also threatens to call the main diocese to report this if it is done (from what I understand this is pretty bad--priveleges suspended, jobs lost, etc).
So the attending physician starts looking for a place to deliver this child. They don't have any luck. Most hospitals do the procedure--but won't take transfers of outside patients--my guess is that they don't want to run the risk of being labeled abortion clinics.
They are out of options with the only option remaining is to send this woman to an abortion clinic and all of the trappings thereof. Protestors, women pushing baby carriages spitting, etc.
So this grieving woman has to go to this clinic.
The clinic is not set up to do a delivery using prostaglandin.
That is not what they do or how they do it.
At this stage in pregnancy, the procedure is basically to pull the baby out--piece by piece.(This is NOT how they do their terminations--but because the health of the mother was in jeopardy and because it was medically indicated--they agreed to help because nobody else would.)
When the entire horrific experience is over, apparently the Mother of this child approached the hospital board and told them she would never forgive ANY of the sitting members OR the hospital. She said that ALL she wanted was to hold her baby. To spend a few minutes saying goodbye and THEY took it away from her.
Instead, she said, her baby was ripped from her body and she had nothing to remember it by. The one lone Catholic stated that his conscience was clear because he stood by his faith.
I know that most of what we talk about is the right to have abortions--but we must consider the rights of the women who choose to have babies, then get to the point that when something goes wrong, their choices are horrific. Not every pregnancy results in the Gerber baby.
Not every pregnancy has a viable outcome.
Woman MUST have the choice to deal with particular situation with dignity and grace. We MUST make sure this choice is upheld.

[karmaqueen]

1. What a horrible story.

Why can't people see what they are doing by these ridiculous laws. I feel so sorry for that family.

[REP]

2. She Was Forced to Have a D&E Because IDX Are "Bad"

Undoubtedly, the clinic she was sent to might have been able to perform an intact dilation and extration rather than the dilation and extraction procedure she had because proliars have labeled IDXs "partial birth abortion." Not only was the procedure she had more traumatic emotionally (after all, this was a planned and wanted pregnancy), it was far more dangerous for her than a IDX.

As for the self-righteous smug bastard who voted against her, well, it's nice his conscience is clear :sarcasm: There are time I wish I believed in hell.

[Erika]

3. A very sad story

I also knew a lady whose ultra sound found her baby had only one heart chamber and would never survive birth. She chose to abort and had to travel several hundreds of miles for the abortion.

How degrading.

[justgamma]

4. This is something

that really hits home. It's heartbreaking for the parents who desperately want this child. The choice is very personal. The family may not feel it is emotionally capable of carrying the child for nine months only to watch him die.

[Mind_your_head]

5. I personally know a woman who had a similar scenario

in terms of knowing the child she was carrying wouldn't survive (b/c of similar reasons for the child cited in your story). She DID carry the child to term, delivered, and she & her husband and two very good friends held this baby for about 45 minutes until it's death.

I dunno....it was a very emotional (obviously) and "deep" experience for all those involved (I was not one of 'the inner circle' there that day, btw).....but there's something to be gained/learned by going thru something like that that contributes to our humanity/growth is what I see.

I'm DEFINITELY pro-choice, but I really don't like how you are framing this. The person that I know CHOSE to carry her baby to full-term knowing full well that it wouldn't survive very long. I realize that not everyone would make that choice, but frankly if it weren't for current medical technology, a mother would never know that her baby had some fatal flaw until it was born (and didn't survive).......and she, her husband, other children, friends, family would be shocked, love, gather, grieve, learn, grow, revive, and carry on (with the memory of this one that wouldn't make it).

I sort of feel like you're pushing the idea that "if you know the fetus/baby won't survive, you should just cut the pregnancy short and spare everyone the emotional/intellectual gymnastics.....when perhaps the emotional/intellectual gymnastics (as painful as they may sometimes may be) is a huge part of what being 'human' and our humanity is about.

[NMMNG]

7. I disagree

I sort of feel like you're pushing the idea that "if you know the fetus/baby won't survive, you should just cut the pregnancy short and spare everyone the emotional/intellectual gymnastics

I don't think that's what the OP was suggesting at all. I think that what was being stressed was that the parents should be afforded the choice to do what they feel is best for them rather than have somebody else force them into an option that causes them emotional and/or physical distress.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Apologies for the answer delay

I work 12 hour shifts and just got home.
I think in this situation, a woman should be able to choose what is right for her.
It isn't my decision or yours or the Doctor or the hospital.
It should be hers and hers alone.
I don't know where you got the impression that I was pushing to cut the pregnancy short?:shrug: I didn't say anything like that.

[NMMNG]

6. Yes, his conscience is clear

Because only the mother was traumatized, on behalf of a fetus that was never going to live in the first place. And the mother doesn't matter anyway. :sarcasm:

[VeggieTart]

9. Let me see if I've got this straight:

Rather than allow a procedure that would remove the fetus intact so the mother could say goodbye and grieve for her baby, she was forced to go to a clinic where it was done far more brutally in a procedure the antis scream about when they protest abortion.

I'm glad the woman went to the hospital board and ripped them a new one. The doctor who refused to allow the procedure deserves to be thrown off the board. There was going to be no baby. Man, it royally pisses me off when dogma trumps science and compassion.