Late Term Abortions

When it comes to abortion the inhumanity and callousness of liberals never ceases to amaze me. Since Roe versus Wade in 1973 there has been an estimated 60 million abortions in the United States. How many great scientists, great entertainers, or great authors have we lost to abortion? I also recognize that within that 60 million souls are a number of mass murders as well, probably a large number of liberal politicians as well. I do believe abortion is appropriate at times, such as in the case of rape, incest, a non-viable fetus, or a child with significant birth defects. To me for abortion to be legal is not a yes or no decision but it's also should not be treated as a method of birth control or a method to choose the sex of a child.

But the latest efforts by liberal politicians has made the previous level of inhumanity and callousness seem rather kind and gentle. While the left wants to give illegal aliens the same rights as citizens as soon as they get over the border, unborn children have no rights at all. Liberals talk about helping those among us that are the least able to help themselves, but don't recognize that no one can help themselves less than an unborn child. It's an amazing level of hypocrisy.

Several states are working on or have passed bills allowing late term abortions. Virginia's Kathy Tran introduced House Bill 2491 changing the standards for late term abortions in Virginia. During questioning on the bill, Tran admitted that the bill would allow an abortion up to the moment of birth which drew outrage and disgust from many in the public. Most discussion of the bill talks about it's impact on third trimester abortions but the wording in the bill is

§ 18.2-74. When abortion or termination of pregnancy lawful after second trimester of pregnancy.

The law doesn't define the exact moment of birth. Maybe some will consider birth when the baby completely emerges from the mother, others may interpret it to be when the umbilical cord is cut, and others may assume it is after the placenta is expelled. All of these are after the second trimester of pregnancy. Why not define birth as when the child is able to talk and express the knowledge of it's existence?

Within § 18.2-74 there is a paragraph marked up for revision

(b) 2. The physician and two consulting physicians certify certifies and so enter enters in the hospital record of the woman, that in their the physician's medical opinion, based upon their the physician's best clinical judgment, the continuation of the pregnancy is likely to result in the death of the woman or substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of the woman.

So, up until the undefined moment of birth, the mother can request an abortion and rather than allow the doctor to consult with piers, a single doctor is forced into the position of making a snap decision on the well being of the mother. Also take note of the reduction in the impairment requirements of the mother. To me this could be read that if the new born child is going to change my life I could get an abortion.

The bill goes on to remove requirements for the mother to be informed about her decision:

1. A full, reasonable and comprehensible medical explanation of the nature, benefits, and risks of and alternatives to the proposed procedures or protocols to be followed in her particular case;

2. An instruction that the woman may withdraw her consent at any time prior to the performance of the procedure;

3. An offer for the woman to speak with the physician who is to perform the abortion so that he may answer any questions that the woman may have and provide further information concerning the procedures and protocols;

In defending the bill, from the Washington Post Tran made the statements

“Right now women are able to access an abortion in the later stages of pregnancy under certain conditions with the approval of medical doctors.”

“I’ve done nothing to change that,” she said in her Thursday video. “What I have done is try to make sure women are able to make these decisions and access these services in a timely manner.”

At best this statement is about half true.

As humans when faced with a life changing experience most of us tend to have reservations as to whether we are ready for the change. When getting married, it's often called "having cold feet". Imagine a scenario in which a young mother is about to give birth. At the last moment, the mother's anxiety gets to her and she request an abortion indicating she is not mentally ready to be responsible for a baby. What happens? Possible results include:

1. The doctor doesn't perform the abortion recognizing the mother's temporary anxiety. The potential subsequent lawsuits place the doctor's career and the hospital in jeopardy.
2. The doctor performs the abortion based on the anxiety of the mother but the mother changes her mind after the procedure. Again, lawsuits placing the doctor's career and the hospital in jeopardy.
3. The doctor performs the abortion and the mother lives her life happily either with or without regrets of aborting the child.

If I were training for a specialty in medicine this type of potential decision would turn me away from looking at becoming an obstetrician. I think these types of laws could result in the reduction in the number of doctors willing to aid a woman through pregnancy and childbirth. What happens when there are not enough obstetricians?

But look who is lost in this discussion. Liberals want to help those among us that are least able to help themselves, except unborn babies. It's apparent the liberals view a fetus, an unborn child, as some kind of growth or tumor that can be eliminated at the convenience of the mother. I'm not sure I know the right word for what I feel for those supporting this type of law: outrage, disdain, disgust, contempt,... The list goes on and on.