what medical benefit to the woman could there possibly be for partial birth abortions?

Question

it does not make any sense,why is the main defense to save the life of the mother when the baby is already partially delivered ??

Answer 1

Thank you for asking this question. And thank you, baggyk for that informative answer. I have often ondered the same thing and it is all much clearer to me now. I am pro-choice but this was one part of the issue that I just could never understand. Now I do, thank you.

Answer 2

A "partial birth abortion" means that the abortion takes place when the fetus has developed to the point that development might continue until the birth. For example, if a fetus is developing with only a brain stem, the fact won't necessarily reveal itself until the 22nd week of pregnancy and an abortion cannot be scheduled until the 24th week. The unviable fetus, however, may continue to grow even though it will never be a living child. It is called a partial-birth abortion because the procedure essential induces labour. Some of them are performed at a time when an otherwise healthy premature infant could live outside with womb with a lot of medical intervention. That said, "partial birth abortions" are not performed when the infant is healthy. They are performed in "no hope" situations.

All births represent a risk to the mother's health, but women in this situation risk their health, future fertility and lives giving birth to a dead child. Babies with massive deformations, also, are extremely dificult to move through the birth canal and are more likely to injure the mother.

Not to mention the toll of the additional stress and heartbreak of forcing them to continue a pregnancy that they know is going to bring nothing but grief.

Answer 3

I'm sorry, but baggyk couldn't be more mistaken. Consider these quotes, not from a pro-lifer, but from Ron Fitzsimmons, Executive Director for the National Coalition of Abortion Providers:

"In the vast majority of cases, the procedure is performed on a healthy mother with a healthy fetus that is 20 weeks or more along. The abortion-rights folks know it, the anti-abortion folks know it, and so, probably, does everyone else."

The New York Times, February 26, 1997

Mr. Fitzsimmons admitted that he had "lied through his teeth" when he previously said that partial-birth abortions were rare and done for mainly for medical reasons. In a 1997 front-page article in the Washington Times, Fitzsimmons estimated "that up to 5,000 partial-birth abortions are performed annually and that they're primarily done on healthy women and healthy fetuses."

A Washington Post investigative report published on September 17, 1996 described those who have partial-birth abortions in the following way: "The 'typical' patients tend to be young, low-income women, often poorly educated or naive, whose reasons for waiting so long to end their pregnancies are rarely medical." Often, teenagers hide their pregnancies from their parents as long as possible, and when the parents finally do discover the pregnancy in the second or third trimester, they force an abortion.

Please note that almost 500 American physicians so far have testified that NO abortion is EVER necessary to save a mother's life:

http://www.all.org/article.php?id=10682
http://www.advocatesfortheinnocent.com/motherslife.html

It flies in the face of reason to suggest that forcibly dilating a woman's cervix, turning her baby to a breech position, yanking the baby out of the womb feet first, and shoving scissors into the base of his skull is somehow "safer" than a simple c-section or even the natural process of labor. Physicians agree:

"With all that modern medicine has to offer, partial-birth abortions are not needed to save the life of the mother, and the procedure’s impact on a woman’s cervix can put future pregnancies at risk."

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. Letter to the Editor The New York Times, September 26, 1996

"Most partial-birth abortions are performed on healthy mothers with healthy babies," and "there is no obstetrical situation that requires the willful destruction of a partially delivered baby to protect the life, health or future of a woman."

Nancy Romer, M.D., Curtis Cook, M.D., Pamela Smith, M.D. and Joseph DeCook, M.D. Letter to the Editor The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 1996

In the case of a disabled child, we need to remember that we are all imperfect. We all die at some point. That doesn't give anyone the right to kill us prematurely. A disabled child has just as much right to live and deserves just as much protection as any of us. What kind of society are we when we say that the brutal murder of a child is preferable to loving and helping that child? Approximately 90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted in this country. Are they less worthy to live than the rest of us?

More information on partial-birth abortion can be found here:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/testimony/brendatestimony.html
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=10178&department=CWA&categoryid=life
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/bioethics/faqs/a0027734.cfm

For more information on all aspects of abortion, I recommend http://Abort73.com

Answer 4

Baggy K is wrong you do not need any medical reason for a late term abortion all you need is the money and willingness to kill a viable human. There is no benefit just sorry selfish women in most cases. They do it because they dont want to raise the baby.

Answer 5

It doesn't make sense to me either. My cuz ,let her then boyfriend and his mother take her to Texas to have one done when she was 6mths. He promised to marry her later and all that crap. His mom helped to convince her and paid for everything. It seemed highly illegal to us. I was born early at 7mths and perfectly healthy, so it makes me real angry every time I think about it. He dumped her out at her apt. and hauled butt so none of us could get our hands on him. She nearly hemorrhaged to death before someone found her. Needless to say her mental health wasn't all that great for years. I am not against abortion in the very early stages, everyone has the right to make there own decisions. This procedure I am against though, I have never heard of any benefit to the woman for having this done.