The Abortion Paradox

(Author's note: Someone was joking with me this morning about my strong opinions. Well, hold on tight . . .)

I never had children. I wanted them. Alas, I cannot have them now.

And I don't get it. I simply don't get it.

How, in the same supposedly enlightened, civilized country, can I sit around on pins and needles waiting on a 23 or 24-weeker to be born (whose Mom is too dilated/effaced/ruptured/whatever to ship out - and who wants "everything" done) . . . with all of the resources & advanced technology of two hospitals poised to meet that baby's every need . . . and keep it alive . . .

. . . while a CHILD of the same gestational age be put into a biohazard bag ALIVE and thrown away like garbage?

Of course, this child was doomed regardless . . . the product of a "badly-botched" abortion.

Reading the account of what happened to this baby makes me seethe.

Moreover, the "Mother" of this child, who wanted this child DEAD, has the unmitgated gall to sue the abortion clinic for killing her child?

In my humble opinion, aborting an infant at 23 weeks gestation (i.e. a potentially viable infant), the "Mother" (I use the term loosely) should be charged as an accomplice.

Sayeth Mom's lawyer, "She came face to face with a human being . . . and that changed everything."

What? She was suddenly filled with love and concern for the child she knowingly prematurely evicted from her uterus? Hello? She LET the staff put that baby (who apparently bled out from an unclamped umbilical cord) in the biohazard bag and throw it out. She did not stop them There apparently was no 911 call.

So allow me to tell Mom's lawyer: Spare me the melodrama, you despicable, gutter-trolling ambulance chaser. This "Mother" decided she did not have "resources or maturity" to raise her child (or, apparently, the intelligence & intuition to understand that her daughter was a human being before she aborted her).

But now she'll give the child a name and pay a lawyer his contingency fee (there will, no doubt, be a massive settlement) . . . all the while basking in the publicity afforded her by our liberal media as a poor, pitiful "victim".

Oh puhlease. This woman knows she hit the jackpot. She'll no doubt wind up whining on Oprah's couch.

And I still just don't get it. It's "murder" and "malpractice" because the baby was born alive . . . even though the plan was to KILL the "fetus" before it took that first feeble breath?

After all, the abortion was successful. The baby is dead.

What the hell have we, as a society, come to?

[Author's note: Someone asked me this question, so I thought it best to insert this addendum. There are differing opinions as to what constitutes "viability" in extremely premature infants that are born alive. The general rule of thumb used in the rural & level I-II nurseries where I've worked within the last few years is 24 weeks or 500 grams. Many hospitals (very reasonably) require both criteria to be met in order to initiate a resuscitation or transport . . . some tertiary centers will resuscitate if one of the criteria is met (meaning a 23 weeker weighing greater than 500 grams could be resuscitated).

Since "dating" a pregnancy exactly is often problematic (especially in women who present with no prenatal care), viability often comes down to a judgement call (based on physical exam and weight) on the part of the attending physicians (the OB and/or Pediatrician) after the baby is born . . . sometimes in consult with outlying Neonatologists . . . and considering the informed wishes of the parent(s).

Babies deemed too small/young to survive (i.e. where any intervention would be glorified torture) are dressed and wrapped in blankets and allowed to pass away - either in the nursery or in their Mother's arms. It's always gut-wrenching. On more than one occasion, I've gone home and cried myself to sleep.

If they do survive, extremely premature infants can suffer a multitude of horrific complications in the NICU . . . "miracle" babies that survive without serious sequelae are the exception rather than the rule.

I've taken care of a few "exceptions" over the years. And they really are little miracles:)

While I reluctantly support a woman's right to choose, it is my personal opinion that abortions should not be performed after 20 weeks gestation - unless the Mother's life is in extreme danger. This eliminates any question about viability.

It is also my opinion that abortions should not be funded by the state or federal governments.]

Update: Thanks for the link, Joe. I sense (get it?) that folks like "Osama" are afraid to bring their act onto my turf.