The Truth About "Partial Birth Abortions"

[WeDidIt]

I had a family member who was pregnant. She was seeing a rightwing doctor who did not believe in abortion through the second trimester, then she moved to another city and found a new doctor at the beginning of the third trimester.

The new doctor became concerned immediately. The fetus had not developed anything beyond the brain stem. There was no cerebellum in the skull and fluid had taken up the space, thus expanding the size of the head. This new doctor could not understand how the prior doctor had missed this defect in prior sonograms.

My family member did not know what to do, and so waited. The pregnancy went bad. She had to be rushed to the hospital. Long story short, the doctor told her he had no choice but to perform a "D&C".

The head had expanded to about three time normal size, filling with more and more fluid. The fetus had to be removed partially and an incision made at the base of the head in order to allow the fluid to come out and remove the remains.

This is what is now so "elegantly" referred to as "partial birth abortion". Had this procedure not existed, my family member would be dead.

No amount of terrorism will alter the medical necessity of this procedure.

[AllentownJake]

1. Why won't you just accept the will of God

God obviously was angry at her and wanted her to die for no good reason. Otherwise God would have given her a good baby. Why do you hate God.

:sarcasm:

[secondwind]

2. does this condition have a clinical name, I wonder.........then it should be used

whenever the term "Partial Birth Abortion" is used.

They sure do love a fetus, of any shape or size. It's the real life kid they have a problem helping out, they don't believe in free lunch programs, early childhood education, and don't get me started on affirmative action, please! But there is always a nice, clean jail cell for them if they "misbehave".

[FlyingSquirrel]

3. IDX (Intact Dilation and eXtraction)

From wikipedia:

Intact dilation and extraction (IDX or intact D&X), also known as intact dilation and evacuation (intact D&E), dilation and extraction (D&X), intrauterine cranial decompression and controversially in the United States as partial birth abortion, is a surgical abortion wherein an intact fetus is removed from the uterus via the cervix.

[WeDidIt]

7. The condition is called Hydroanencephaly

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydranencephaly/hydranencephaly.htm

The procedure is intact dialation and extraction.

[Skidmore]

4. Not one news or cable channel ever has anyone on to discuss these procedures.

Many people are misinformed or just react to the emotionally overwrought rantings of the religious right, who really don't give a damn about women or children.

[Shanti Mama]

8. Actually, AC360 just interviewed a woman who had a late abortion

She sand Dr. Tiller's praises and explained how difficult the decision had been for her.

[Raster]

5. The term "partial birth abortion" is PURELY a creation of the anti-choice crowd.

No where in any medical journal is this procedure referred to thusly. This is a prime fucking example of creating a meme to shape the message.

Another tidbit about a late-term abortion: it's almost always done to save the mother's life or when the fetus is irreparably deformed and cannot survive on its own. In other words, this is NEVER an "elective" procedure.

[Vinca]

6. It's a life saving procedure and a rare event.

The fact the right came up with the term "partial birth abortion" shows how ignorant they are.