For once, I am proud to have GWB for a president - Page 3

[Potty Diva]

This is a very big discussion even in our town!! The news is covering it like white on rice.

Another thing that concerns some people is that the wording of the law could put women who get more common abortions (as early as 12 weeks) in jeopardy. The wording of the law is very flimsy.

I know I'm not wording myself very well, hope you all can see past that

[TiredX2]

A *major* issue I have with this law is it does nothing to protect FUTURE children that the woman wants to have. In certain situations, a "partial birth abortion" is the only way to protect a womans ability to bear future viable babies. Why take that away from a woman?

It makes me :Puke to hear someone who supports the death penalty say the govt should not decide when life should begin/end.

[Harper]

Thank you GoodWillHunter. That explains it perfectly. The law is just cruel.

[Marg of Arabia]

Thanks for your post! GoodWillHunter! It best represents my take on all of this.......................

[mamawanabe]

we don't want to ban 2nd trimster

This bill doesn't ban abortions in the second and third trimester, but a couple of posters mentioned that they thought it did and that banning abortions in the 2nd and 3rd trimester was a good thing. While most unwanted pregnacies are ended in the 1st trimester, abortions in the 2nd and 3rd most often occur because of fetal abmoralities.

Amniocentesis is usually performed between the fourteenth and eighteenth week of pregnancy. That would be second trimester right? Though this country is split 50-50 (actually I think it is more 40-60, but the pro-choice camp is louder and more effective at rallying, so in terms of public discourse, 50-50 is fair) on the abortion issue, 90% of women/couples who recieve results that show serious a chromosomal disorder (down syndrom etc) decide to abort. I heard the 90% figure on a dateline (or 48 hours or 20/20) show about a couple that agonized over the decision before deciding to keep the baby.

CVS test can be done earlier (10-12 weeks) but it carries a more significant risk of miscarriage.

This isn't to say that someone can't argue that 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions (or all abortions) should be abolished, but the 90% figure should give us pause. If 90% of people, some 20% of whom had to have been pro-choice before being faced with such a decision, choose to abort, than abortion is something that an overwhelming majority of our population wants available for themselves even as some don't want it availble for others.

Of course, the 90% is just a figure I got off a TV news show, and we all know how "facts" like statistics can be skewed.

[Delilah]

I had to have additional

testing at 25 weeks to determine if my son's brain was developing normally or abnormally due to hydrocephaly. It would have been a difficult decision to make if he was severely abnormal, but ultimately, I would want that decision made by me, my husband, and my doctor, not some bureaucrat.

Not everything gets covered before 18 weeks...

[MFuglei]

The original Nebraska law as struck down by the Supreme Court because the language regarding the PBA itself was too vague -- it could have led to the complete ban on ALL abortions in ALL trimesters, so in the spirit of R-v-W, the Supreme Court struck it down.

This law isn't much different from Nebraskas and is just as reprehensible in my mind. It is another effort by the anti-choice movement to remove a woman's right to choose.

Do I think PBAs are awful? Absolutely and I hope to never ever be in the position to have to make a decision like that. I have a good friend who had a PBA in her 27th week of pregnancy after discovering her child had severe spina bifida and hydrocephaphy. The child would not have survived labor. During her PBA she had a full placental abruption and her uterus ruptured. Any other procedure would have killed her.

ANY OTHER PROCEDURE -- which is exactly what Georgie Porgie would have physicians do to her. . . if George had enacted this legislation 2 years ago my friend would be dead now - her 4 year old would be motherless because some man wanted to control her uterus.

Oh, and for the record, I'm pro-life. But I also believe in keeping laws off my body. . .

[jannan]

can someone answer this question?

So, are all PBA's done by d and x? What is the common procedure say, after 12 weeks? and why are PBA's banned but it is Ok to murder Iraqi children? And why didn't Barbara Just walk into the Abortion clinic and do us all a favor and abort George?



I could go on and on and on...........

[Ms. Mom]

Again, let's try to keep this on-topic and keep the debate respectful - thank you.

[MFuglei]

Re: can someone answer this question?

Originally posted by jannan
So, are all PBA's done by d and x? What is the common procedure say, after 12 weeks?

Partial Birth Abortion is the slang term referring to a procedure called "Dialation and Extraction".

My understanding is, after 12 weeks, the following abortions can be performed:

Dilation and Curretage (late 1st trimester) - cervix is dilated and uterus is scraped

Dilation and Evacuation (9% of abortions are of this variety): cervix is dilated and the fetus is removed in pieces. This is a 2nd trimester abortion and is used up to about 21 weeks.

Saline or prostaglandin abortions (about 1.5% of total): Saline is injected into the womb and the fetus is poisoned.

Hysterotomies: The baby is removed via c-section

Partial Birth Abortion (Dilation and Extraction - about 0.2% of all ended pregnancies).

** above information found at www.religioustolerance.org**

[Lucysmama]

Originally posted by TiredX2

It makes me :Puke to hear someone who supports the death penalty say the govt should not decide when life should begin/end.

I totally agree.