PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION

Last year, for the second time, Congress overwhelmingly voted in favor of a ban on partial-birth abortion. This put the spotlight on President Clinton who vetoed similar legislation the first time, after saying that he and his wife had "prayed" about it. Of course, He vetoed it again the second time. Opponents of partial-birth abortion were encouraged however, because the Senate fell only three votes short of the 67 needed to override the forthcoming presidential veto. The House passed similar legislation by more than enough votes to override a veto.

Here are Some Key Facts About Partial-Birth Abortion:
The partial-birth abortion method is a three-day procedure. During he first two days the abortionist must mechanically force open the mother's cervix. This is a highly painful and possibly damaging procedure. On the third day, after the cervix has sufficiently dilated, the abortion is performed.

View Partial-Birth Abortion Animated Diagram (Graphic!)

To begin the procedure, the abortionist turns the baby into a breech position by grabbing the legs with forceps. Pulling the live baby feet-first out of the womb and into the birth canal, the doctor purposely keeps the head lodged just inside the cervix. The abortionist then sharply thrusts a pair of long surgical scissors into the base of the skull and opens them to enlarge a hole. This, of course, kills the baby. A tube connected to a high-powered vacuum is then used to suction out the brain material. This allows the skull of the baby to be crushed, making it easier to complete the extraction.

Medical experts testified at congressional hearings that the baby feels tremendous pain during the partial-birth abortion procedure. In fact, doctors say a baby at this stage of development has a much higher density of Qpioid (pain) receptors than children or adults.

Partial-birth abortions are performed routinely on mothers from 41/2 months into the pregnancy through full-term. About 90% of partial-birth abortions are done during the fifth and sixth months. The majority are performed on healthy babies carried by healthy mothers for elective reasons.

The American Medical Association (AMA) does not recognize the partial-birth abortion procedure. In fact, the AMA officially endorsed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in Congress.

Contrary to what the proponents of partial-birth abortion are saying, this procedure is never medically necessary to save the life or future fertility of the mother. In 1996, a group of physicians, mostly experts in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics, were outraged over the false stories being spread by the national media and pro-abortion groups. They banned together to form Physicians' Ad Hoc Coalition for Truth (PHACT). PHACT now consists of more than 600 medical specialists including former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. These doctors came together to get the message to the American people that partial-birth abortions are never medically necessary to save the life of the mother or her future fertility. (Under the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a mother can still have a partial-birth abortion if her life is in jeopardy.)

Dr. James McMahon, a Los Angeles abortionist and inventor of the partial-birth abortion procedure, developed the procedure to meet the demands of women who wanted an abortion late into their pregnancies. The often used dilation and evacuation abortions or "D and E", used from 10 - 18 weeks, in which the fetus is torn limb-from limb inside the womb, carries a high risk of perforation and tearing of the uterus. This can result in severe hemorrhaging and even death. Before his death last year, Dr. McMahon testified he had performed over 1,000 partial-birth abortions.

Supporters of the procedure argue that only in rare cases of great fetal abnormality or threats to the mother's life, are partial-birth abortions performed. During the debates on Capitol Hill, the lie was exposed. Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers had argued that partial-birth abortions were extremely rare and used only in dire situations. Now he says his remarks were only a deception to protect the abortion industry. "I lied though my teeth," Fitzsimmons said. He now says the numbers are more in the 5,000 per year range, and "they are primarily done on healthy fetuses of healthy women." (Many believe that his estimate is still quite conservative.)

Partial-birth abortion has nothing to do with the health of a mother. It has everything to do with politics and greed. The abortion industry has always lobbied intensively against any legislation restricting any type of abortion procedure. But they are now caught having to defend a procedure that is clearly infanticide. Congress certainly has the legal right to restrict this type of abortion, even under the Roe V. Wade decision, but President Clinton stands squarely in the way.

Misinformation has been Continually Aired on Partial-Birth Abortion, Including the Following:

• It may be necessary to save a woman's life. Not true. In fact, H.R. 1122 allows partial-birth abortion to save a mother's life. In any event, "There are absolutely no obstetrical situations...which require a partially delivered human fetus to be destroyed to preserve the life or health of the mother." [1]

• President Clinton argued that it is necessary to prevent "serious adverse health consequences" to the mother. Not true. The mainstream medical community agrees: There is NO medical necessity for such a procedure. Even the leading authority on late-term abortion in the United States says that the procedure is never necessary to preserve a woman's health. [2] Furthermore, "health", as defined by law in the abortion context includes all factors -
  physical, emotional, psychological, familial and social. [3] This "health" factor is a loophole large enough to justify any abortion. So, adding any health exception would effectively negate the ban. Addition to the modifiers "serious" and "adverse" will not change the way the law defines health.

• It may be necessary to preserve a woman's future fertility. Not true. Medical experts say it does the opposite. Forcefully dilating a woman's cervix for three days and turning a baby in utero to a breech position can make it more difficult to carry a subsequent baby to term. [4]

• The procedure is not as brutal as it looks. The anesthesia given to the mother kills the unborn baby. Not true. Leading anesthesiologists in the United States testified before Congress that this is simply not true. [5]

• It is rarely done, and only for the most serious of reasons. Not true. It was testified before Congress that 1500 of these were done in New Jersey alone! And 80% of them were done on healthy mothers and babies. We do not know the total number of these abortions... but even if it were only 500 per state (500x50) it would be at least 25,000 babies per year. Practitioners report that the vast majority of these abortions are elective and that some are
  done to prevent the live birth of a child with handicaps. [6]

[1] Testimony of Pamela Smith, MD in U.S. Senate Hearing Report 104-260 (Testimony of Nov.  17, 1995) p. 82.

[2] Dr. Warren Hern, in American Medical News, Nov. 20, 1995 p.3.

[3] Doe v. Bolton 410 U.S. 179, 192 (1973).

[4] Dr. Warren Hern, in American Medical News, Nov. 20, 1995 p.3.

[5] U.S. Senate Hearing Report 104-260 p.108.

[6] U.S. Senate Hearing Report 104-260 p.23.

This information was quoted from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops brochure on partial-birth abortions solely for the purpose of helping to overturn the veto of the partial-birth Abortion Act.

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