abortion

[keitra]

What is the difference between abortion and partial-birth abortion?

[Yinzer]

It's really ugly. Regular abortion is removal of the embryo from the uterine lining. Partial-birth abortion is when you go through the whole pregnancy, the baby is fully bloomed and ready to be born, then when it is half-way out the "doctor" sticks a needle into the base of the skull and kills it. So for a few moments you have a murdered baby hanging out of you. Either have a proper abortion done by a professional, or find someone to adopt it. There are plenty of folks looking to adopt. But partial-birth abortion is just a nicer way of saying murdered. (I guess they thought that if the kid was still partially inside then technically it's not alive and thus they're not really killing anybody).

[sammy85]

just have somebody else adopt him, abortion is against God's will. afterall, you're the one that makes the final decision :-)

[Shellywba]

Oh my God. Partial birth abortion is disgusting. How can someone do that? How can anyone kill a newborn baby? It's sick. :-(

[lizw]

That can't be legal can it Yinzer?

[kags]

The correct term is intact dilation and extraction, and it is carried out when there is a severe risk to the mother or the foetus is not likely to survive birth or far beyond it. It is indeed an unpleasant and distressing procedure, and any woman who faces it should be given support and understanding, not the condemnation and hurtful, judgemental comments that have been given here.

[Doolallygirl]

Abortion can be done up to twelve weeks on the NHS and is up to the "mother" to decide until then. After that it becomes a little more difficult I thought? Partial-births are only carried out if the "baby" has a genetic disorder or the like ie spinabifida (excuse the spelling) that is discovered before full term? That's what I thought anyway. And the "mother" has to go through a full delivery like Bianca in Eastenders?

[lizw]

Well said Kags - the reason I asked if it was legal was because the way it was described sounds appalling - as though anyone can request it. Your comment is eminently sensible and I think we should all feel a little ashamed. To go through a procedure like that is tragic for everyone involved and to say adoption is the answer clearly isn't correct.

[froggequene]

...nobody was asked to pass judgement only to answer a question...

[tracymort]

i believe partial abortion is how they carry out late abortions which means women who find out they have the "wrong" sex baby get rid of it this way!! just terrible. and they do get rid that late because of sex, it's the reason many hospitals don't sex babies at scans. but why are they agreeing to the abortions anyway. "1st do no harm" they don't seem to keep to that oath very often these day!

[Yinzer]

I didn't mean to sound so judgemantal in my answer. From things I read and people I've talked to I did get the impression that anybody could simply request the partial... I never considered those other reasons for having it done. Forgive me.

[zgma]

To clarify - "partial birth abortion" isn't a medical term... it's a term coined by anti-abortion activists, and it's misleading. As kags said, it's name is really dilation and extraction. It is NOT carried out just before a baby is about to be borm. More commonly it is carried out in the second trimester (3rd trimester abortions are very, very rare), and often it is the safest option. It is performed by fully trained doctors, not butchers. Alternatives are to induce delivery (which is long, and drawn out, and often unsafe), or to perform a different surgery called dilation and evacuation. It's pretty gruesome, but so is the idea of open heart surgery. I am not saying the two are moral equivalents, just pointing out that a lot of medical procedures aren't pretty, but sometimes they are the best or safest option. Making so-called "partial birth abortion" illegal does nothing except raise the risk level for women seeking care.

[zgma]

I also wanted to say that there are many reasons why people would choose to have an abortion in the second trimester. In the states anyway (I don't know what it's like in the UK), many states have laws that make it extremely difficult to get a timely abortion. Young girls who can't tell their parents for whatever reason (incest, or fear of being kicked out, for instance) have to go to court to be allowed to have abortions. Women in rural areas often have to travel for an abortion, meaning missing work, finding lodging, childcare, etc. Money can be an insurmountable obstacle, especially if women have to travel. The further along the pregnancy, the more expensive it is... and women often get caught in cycles of trying to get together the money, only to find that now they need more. State laws putting unnecessary burdens on clinics drive the costs up. Women can be unaware that they are pregnant for months (in fact someone recently posted that she had periods until she was five months along). And there are the reasons already mentioned: birth defects, high maternal risk, etc. So someone seeking a 2nd trimester abortion is not necessarily making a frivolous last minute choice. I can't imagine getting to the 5th month and deciding I didn't like the sex of the baby, for instance, and I think that the general conception that this is why people have late term abortions, is pretty demeaning of women.

[tizzle]

Late Second and Third Trimester Partial Birth Abortion:The doctor turns the unborn child into the "breech" position (feet first) and pulls the child from the mother until all but the head is delivered. He or she then forces scissors into the base of the skull and inserts a catheter to suction out the child's brain. Why would you want to be understanding to that? What if you never got the chance to breath on your own? To take your own steps? To have the chance one day to be a father or mother? The infant is alive! On ultrasounds the baby has a heartbeat. Just because the baby isn't out of the mothers womb doesn't mean its not alive. It still breathes with help by the mother, it still moves within the stomach, and it still gets food threw the mother till its ready to do it on its own! And why kill the infant? Obviously the mother wants to get unpregnant. Even if this is accepted, we must still ask, why kill? Most of these babies are viable. They are only 3 or 4 inches from delivery. One gentle pull and the head will come out. Then the cord could be cut, and the infant given to the nurse to take to the intensive care nursery. Then people think Is this being alive? Yes. He or she has the characteristics of life. That is, he or she can reproduce his own cells and develop them into a specific pattern of maturity and function. Or more simply, he or she is not dead. Also most women don't ONLY do it for medical reason!