Background: According to a report in the National Review, the ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists) originally opposed the procedure
the select ACOG panel “could identify no circumstances under which this procedure . . . would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.â€
But Kagan wrote them a memo instructing them to change the language:
So Kagan set about solving the problem. … On a document [PDF] captioned “Suggested Options†— which she apparently faxed to the legislative director at ACOG — Kagan proposed that ACOG include the following language: “An intact D&X [the medical term for the procedure], however, may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman.â€
If this is true, then someone at the ACOG needs to discipline those on that panel. You don’t put a mom’s life at risk to please a politician.
This procedure is so dangerous to the mother that we don’t use it, even if the baby is dead.
That’s the political scandal. The rest of the article is clinical, only to be read for those with a strong stomach.
Theoretically the only situation that an intact D&X (the procedure use in “partial birth abortion) it is indicated is if you have a baby with hydrocephalus whose mom comes in to the Emergency room with the body of a dead kid hanging out her vagina.
When you try to deliver the child, you find that the head is too large to deliver. Yet even then, most docs would first try to decompess the fluid in the skull with a needle and deliver the kid, or else do an emergency Caesarian section and pull the kids out from above.
In Africa, in populations where Caesarian section of the mom might result in her being divorced and so she refuses the procedure, if the head won’t come, we then do a symphysiotomy, pop the pelvic bones open, and pull out the dead kid, then suture and bind the pelvis back into place.
Even 20 years ago in Africa, this was rarely done: having the local nurse midwife learn to do Caesarian sections with a ketamine drip and local anesthetics was actually safer for mom and baby for obstructed births.
So why is an intact D&X so dangerous?
Because the procedure consists of putting scissors up into the fetal head, removing the brain, then pulling it out.
But the problem is that in a late delivery, the cervix, the part of the womb in the vagina that opens up during labor, tends to be soft, mushy, and bleeds easily.
A cervical tear is not an uncommon problem, (especially if the mom pushes too soon) but can cause massive bleeding, and if not repaired properly, can result in premature deliveries in later pregnancies (Incompetence of the cervix).
But the insertion of scissors into a skull is even more worrisome, because they are inserted several inches up into the uterus, and the skull is harder than the cervix and the uterus. So you have the danger of not only a cervical tear but that of uterine perforation, where the scissors go completely through the soft uterine wall.
Uterine perforation can be fatal. This was one of the reasons that women died before Roe V Wade. With legal abortion, in skilled hands,there is a tiny risk of uterine perforations in early abortions (8 in 10,000 cases).
In other words, the risk to the mom’s health is so great that we don’t use it to deliver a dead kid.
So why do it? Because other procedures used for late term abortions rarely can result in a live kid, or might require several visits.
The safest alternative for the mother is to inject the heart of the unwanted fetus with a drug, and then induce labor to deliver the dead child.
As a Catholic and a human being, I object to this too, but it is hard to think of any ethical system, even one where a unborn child is considered not a person, that would not prefer a quick death to the painful horrors of an “intact d&X”.
I should bring up one other controversial subject that has nothing to do with this: it is called a “live birth abortion” but is actually inducing a premature birth of a child who has an abnormality that is incompatible with life.
In this, the child is born, and given to a loving mom or nurse to cuddle, and it is only given basic treatment (warmth, oral fluids). In cases of anencephaly or other severe malformations where the mother has so much amniotic fluid that she has trouble breathing, it would be ethical for Catholics to induce such an early labor: such a child might live a few days, but it is allowed to die a natural death.
But doing this and then sticking the kid in the corner to get cold and die of neglect, such as is sometimes done with Down’s syndrome, is not the same thing, but a cruel variation of abortion.
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Nancy Reyes is a retired physician living in the rural Philippines. She worked as a young physician in rural Africa.
2 users commented in " Kagan, the ACOG, and Partial Birth Abortions "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI know in the natural world people see this as ok.I relise when i watched abortions clinices full,every single day.That most of these arnt emergencys,or a first time.They are repeated women who do not protect them selves.I watched one young woman by the time she was 30 she had had 7 abortians.An dr just kept doing the abortions.I know when they do a pelvic,they found the scar tissue from so may being done on her.
Its absolutly awful that a nation would allow these different type abortions. Someone in my family had one.particals or bodie parts were left inside her,she got a major infection, almost blead out big clots an almost died.Another woman came home went to bed.She was found dead,in a pool of blood all from the abortion.An they went to well known dr for the abortion,an paid good for it.
These clinics,an many of these DR aremore about the almighty dollar,than about wheather the woman reall needs this or not..If it wasnt there wouldnt be as many early term,as well as partial birth abortions,being done every day..Just imagine how much that abortionest makes in a days run.Many have the partial birth abortion one.An they are not sick enough to have the PBA,It just signed off by dr that they are..Its all about money more than a womans health,beinf the reason its needed.
Rod Parsley sent me photos booklet/leaflet of these abortions Tiny baby parts.The partial birth baby dumped in a bucket,an removed before the woman sees it.There has to be another way,another anwser to this awful epidemic of murder of innocent.Give out free the morning after tablet if the woman can prove she just got pregnant.like in the first 3 days/to a week no later.
I believe spiritualy God hears the blood of these infants crying out.An hes going to Judge America for it.Because the ones who are over these laws have allowed the murder of trillions of tiny babies.God told Jeremiah he knew him when he was in his mothers womb,an anointed to be a profit.God asked Cain as he killed able when he asked cain where his brother was.That he heard Ables blood crying out to him.
I understand saving a woman,if her health want allow child birth.But when she knowingly ,an the DR,as well as the woman knowingly allows an pulls ababy out the the womb an sticks a pair of scissors into its little skull,an collapes its tiny head,dumps it to get rid of later.God deems both the woman whos have this done,as well as the dr who doee it murderers.
Judgement is going to fall on this land,an these people who condone this,make the laws ok for it to be done,all who work,an dr who do this for gain-women who do this as birth control.All others who take part an ok this awful crime against the innocent will stand before God for it,in this life,an after.This is serious buisness.If a teens health,or a grown womans facing death unless the fetus is terminated.Then that should be the only reason a abortion is done.An i know in my heart,an for a fact that this is not the reason many of these wemon seek those who will do this for them.Probably a hand full out of a thousands really need help,because of health.
We have the babies aborted,an its no crime.But someone who murders a woman carring a baby heas charged for 2 murderers not just one.
What abortions dont do to rid of Gods preciouse gifts /babies.RSO,pedifiles,preditors are killing the rest.
Gods word said a gross darkness would cover the land,an even a grosser darkness would cover the people.We know darkness in Gods word is evil,wickedness an it just the tip of it right now.Yrs ago we didnt here of mothers murdering their own every day,or every other day something happened to a child.But look much worse its gotten in the last 10 yrs,the last 5 yrs. last yr— If we dont get someone in office,an in congress who will stand for whats right in the eyes of God an not allow all the things thats going on such as the trillions of babies being sucked out of their mothers,or pulled out stabbed in the head,an brains sucked out.
Americans need to humble their selves an fall on there knees before God,an pray for mercy.Repent an turn from our wicked ways.Have you seen one of these Abortions done live? I have!!! (Weep was all i could do) Have you seen the photos of the tiny little fingers, legs body parts,or the ones removed full term? Women should be made to sit an watch a live abortion so they see what they are really allowing to happen to the baby.before any get one.
I would like to know just how much extra money thats made other ways off of full term babies body parts hair skin. I read a report,On line a yr back that the skin of these full term babies was being used for burn victims.These full term babies are used for all kinds of science,body parts.I will look for the booklet,pic of what i recived,an would love for it to be posted for all to see. Its way worse to see it,than just speak of it.
Thank you for writting this artical,im sure your speking more on the medical terms .But i cant even get to the medical untill i address the spiritual.I know we need DRs,AN HEALTH CARE.An some wemon,teengirls need help in this area of medicine.But theres got to be another anwser.I still believe the PBA is being done when not needed,way more then anyones aware of.
removed for advocating violence.
nr
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