Those who seek late-term abortions are seeking them before a pregnancy reaches full term but often and unfortunately after they have discovered in the second or third trimester some problem with the fetus or danger to the mother.
“Partial birth” is a political, not medical, term, and it does not refer to all late-term abortions. It refers to a very specific and rare procedure called dilation and extraction, in which a fetus is partially pulled through the birth canal and then aborted, nearly always when the fetus cannot live outside the womb and typically when the mother’s health is in danger, the fetus has a serious abnormality, or both. Such a procedure is not conducted lightly: the fetus has a fatal defect and will not survive, or the mother is at risk of death herself.
What happens in the even more rare case where the propcedure fails and the baby still has some signs of life? Will the doctors be prosecuted for murder if they fail to provide massive and heroic measures? Or allow the baby to expire? This is the situation whicxh is the subject of the current and most volatile controversy - and it is NOT so simple as pro life would make it seem - imagine you are a pregnant woman anticipating with joy your upcoming birth when the bad news comes - the doctors inform you that the baby will be unlikely to live on its own after birth - agonizing and tragic - so the couple decides to terminate - and in the process indeed a deformed infant is removed but still has a frail heartbeat and can be kept alive with machines - but will never live on its own - what to do? Should the STATE make this choice now? And then pay for all the ER procedures and lifetime of special care that the doctors say is NOT a good idea?
Just 1.3% of abortions are performed at or after 21 weeks, and an estimated 0.2% of all abortions involve the dilation and evacuation procedure. And why would women seek them in the first place?
The kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make. Women who toward the end of their pregnancy get the worst news one could get, that their health is in jeopardy if they continue to carry to term or that something terrible has happened or just been discovered about the pregnancy. The United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions.
A number of fetal abnormalities that lead to death or extremely severe disability in a fetus — including the majority of problems caused by a Zika infection during pregnancy — are not identified until after the 20th week of pregnancy.
This fact is now under attack by the pro-life movement which asserts that most late-term procedures are not performed for these reasons. Ansd there is some evidence of this as studies show that women who received late-term abortions also cited “difficulty securing insurance coverage,” “difficulty getting to the abortion facility,” and “not knowing where to go for an abortion” as delaying reasons more often when compared to the first-trimester group.
OK what does this prove? That making early abortion difficult and expensive causes MORE late term abortions!
Is there a solution? Of course and it is common sense - Debate discuss and pass a national referendum - Abolish Roe v Wade to take power back from the Courts - Pass severe limitations and criminal penalites on late term abortion for procedures other than fetal abnormality or defect, or physical threat to the mother. Permit and make available pre-quickening procedures at all medical facilities that do not oppose on religious grounds.
These measure are reasonable and supported by most americans - yet many "pro lifers" seek to ban ALL abortions - early, and late for any reason - and "pro choice" seeks unlimited abortions - is it any wonder why this issue is so DIVISIVE? It is CAUSED deliberately by those pushing extreme positions on BOTH sides. TIME TO TAKE POWER BACK - GET UNITED AND END THE DIVISION