Question about medical necessity in late term abortions

[usregimechange]

I posted this http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18278305/site/newsweek article on a forum yesterday and need help explaining the medical reasons for late term abortions. Specifically, how the abortion creates a situation in which the mothers health has better odds of being protected verses if the mother would have delivered the fetus (with say anencephaly) and it be allowed to die later. How does it protect the mother's health in that situation?

Thanks,

[still_one]

1. The truth is that the supreme court decision endangers woman's lives

It is a rare procedure, and performed when the woman's life is in jepordy

I wonder how women feel that a group of men on the Supreme court have decided what is a medically necessary procedure or not regarding their life?

[usregimechange]

2. What I have found so far...

Polyhydramnios is a common complication during pregnancy, and patients may experience significant discomfort from the abdominal distention that accompanies this condition.
http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic639.htm

About 2 percent of pregnant women have too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios). This condition is diagnosed with ultrasound Most cases are mild and are a result of a gradual buildup of fluid during the second half of pregnancy. About half the time, polyhydraminos goes away by itself. Some cases, however, begin as early as 16 weeks of pregnancy and often result in a very early delivery.

The most common cause of polyhydraminos is a birth defect of the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract or bladder and kidneys Polyhydraminos may increase the risk of pregnancy complications including preterm rupture of the membranes, preterm birth, umbilical cord accidents, placental abruption, poor growth of the baby and stillbirth. Women with polyhydraminos are more likely to have a cesarean delivery and to have severe bleeding after delivery.
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1044.asp

[Mass]

3. There are two issues in this article and this is one of the big lies of the RWers.

1/ late term abortions in general: contrarely to what people tell you, late term abortions are not forbidden by the law. They may be forbidden in certain states, but this is not the fact of this specific law.

2/ What is called by the RW partial birth abortion and that is a specific method of abortion. This is this method that is forbidden by the law and this is also the method that has the least risk for the mother. You can still have a late-term abortion by C-section or by classic methods, but the risk for the mother are a lot more important. In fact, this method is forbidden even at very early stages of gestation. By banning "dilation and evacuation", as it is medically called, the legislators and the supreme court told the doctors how to do their jobs.

[SarahB]

4. Gee, another male lacking medical knowledge

who's making other people take the defensive when he has no clue about not only the medical aspects of pregnancy and it's potential complications, but also has no real stake in it because it will never happen to him. Go read a text book or something. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/103-0476824-6505446?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Maternal-Child+health&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

[Lyric]

5. Hope this helps

(from this link: http://usliberals.about.com/od/healthcare/i/PBAbortion_2.htm)

Medical Reasons For Partial-Birth Abortions

Medical conditions and indications may develop after the first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy that could threaten the mother's life and/or health. Late-occurring medical conditions can include:

-- Heart failure
-- Severe or uncontrollable diabetes
-- Serious renal disease
-- Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure)
-- Severe depression

Medical conditions of the fetus may become known or could develop after the first trimester of pregnancy, such as severe deformities and genetic disorders, which may cause the woman to seek an abortion.

Common Logistical and Personal Reasons for Partial Birth Abortions

-- Lack or lack of recognition of pregnancy symptoms, particularly by adolescents
-- Inability to afford a first trimester abortion
-- Inability to locate medical assistance during first trimester (due to lack of local medical professionals)
-- Lack of financial resources, emotional support, and/or partner

[Mass]

8. Geez - This is NOT PPA they are describing here - This is late-term abortion.

This is a real problem and the RW is only too happy to confuse everything.

[usregimechange]

11. Not about that particular condition but thanks

[Doremus]

6. The Big Dawg was on Larry King and answered this same question.

He told the story of how he signed legislation (not sure what it was, sorry), and that he was accompanied by several women who had had LTAs. The majority of these women were right-to-lifers.

They had had late term abortions due to hydrocephalus in the fetus. The large size of the heads can permanently damage a woman's reproductive organs, rendering them unable to have any other children.

There's probably a transcript at CNN. It was a few days ago.

[Mass]

7. This article is NOT about "late term abortion". It is about a specific

medical practice "dilation evacuation" that is now prevented by the law. Nobody in their right mind will contest the right to an abortion for this woman (sure a few wackos will). What the law prevents now is that she has the safest method of abortion (and it does not matter that she was not even 4 months pregnant rather than 6). The medical practice would still be forbidden.

The RW is using the term partial birth abortion because it gives the impression that the baby is born and then killed.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

9. LTTE this morning

LTTE from this morning's Daily Herald (Chicago subs paper):

Abortion never is a medical necessity

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act is a moral victory for those of us in the right-to-life movement.

Yet the sad fact remains that each and every pre-born child can still be killed up to the moment of birth if the abortion is deemed medically necessary.

But abortion is never medically necessary.

xxxx x. xxxxx- (name witheld by Gidney)

Chicago

[usregimechange]

10. My response to the goof ball...

The concern with this specific condition seems to be centered around the greater incidence of polyhydramnios (build up of amniotic fluid), which can lead to umbilical cord prolapse, placental abruption, and hemorrhage. Cesarean section may need to be done, which increases a patients risks of infection, respiratory complications, reactions to anesthesia, additional surgeries, etc. Is that a health or life concern? It depends on how much the mother bleeds and what particular infection she obtains.

and I have to further clarify...

The cesarean section wouldn't be necessary without the prolapsed umbilical cord, which, with the hemorrhage, would have never occured without polyhydramnios due to attempting to bring a fetus which can never survive to term.