Partial Birth Abortion: An End Essay, Research Paper

Partial Birth Abortion: An End in Sight

Abortion has ever so quietly stuck its head into the American culture over the last twenty years. Upsetting many Americans in 1973 was the verdict of Roe Versus Wade. This was the decision that the Supreme Court legalized abortion. Because of that ruling abortion has now evolved to the point at which it is. In the dawn of a new millennium abortion is not just a broad topic, but has been narrowed down to different procedures and methods to perform. As controversial as abortion is as a whole, one certain procedure brings upon the most controversy, partial birth abortions. Why partial birth abortions are wrong, and the power that government now has to stop it.

Partial birth abortions are different from regular abortions where partial birth abortions are done much later in the pregnancy. They are normally done around the fifth to sixth month of pregnancy, but can be performed much later. By the fifth month the baby is around twelve inches long, already hiccupping and the baby s organs are complete. By the time the baby has been in the womb six months it starts opening its eyes and could survive at this point if born prematurely. After the sixth month the baby: starts using all five senses, gains weight, responds to mothers voice and music, face fills out and prepares for birth. Though the baby is this mature all of the doctors who perform abortions and government still approve of partial birth abortion.

There are two procedures that are used for partial birth abortions. As stated before these procedures are done into the fifth or sixth month, but sometimes it has been extended to the ninth month. The first method is dilation and evacuation, which will be referred to as D&E. Justice Anthony Kennedy s dissent explained the procedure very well:

The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: it bleeds to death as it is torn from limb to limb The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off Dr. [Leroy] Carhart [the abortionist who challenged Nebraska s partial-birth abortion ban] has observed fetal heartbeat with extensive parts of the fetus removed, and testified that mere dismemberment of a limb does not always cause death because he knows of a physician who removed the arm of a fetus only to have the fetus go on to be born as a living child with one arm. At the conclusion of a D&E abortion the abortionist is left with a tray full of piece (qtd. in Smolin).

D&E is very close to one of the worst forms of torture in all of history, the rack. This was a procedure, which a man was laid out on a table, feet tied to below, and hands tied above. The torturer would proceed to pull both the ropes with additional devices until the arms and legs came out of joint, and eventually if stretched enough, completely dismembered. This is what the baby is feeling the whole time.

The second type of abortion is known as dilation and extraction, which will be referred to as D&X. D&X is a very gruesome procedure, which very few nurses can stand to be in the same room while it takes place. When a doctor performs D&X first he takes scissors or a similar object and inserts it into the back of the baby s head. He then opens the scissors and twists them around. Through the opening that has been made, he then inserts a vacuum and vacuums out all the contents inside the skull. Therefore this procedure kills the baby and leaves it to die a quick and very painful death.

Anytime that the subject of abortion appears there are obviously two sides, one for it and one that is against it. Most Americans do not choose to take a side in the subject of abortion. Even past the subject of abortion, most do not know anything about partial birth abortions. They do not know about the facilities in which they are performed, who perform them, or anything of the other important information. In one such clinic Sallie Tisdale wrote in We Do Abortions Here: A Nurse s Story, Again I gauge, and sometimes lie a little (272). Why would someone have to lie if the procedures and practices are such a normal and completely necessary operation?

Janet Folger writes in Partial-Birth Abortion Too Common, Never Necessary To Protect Women, The defenders of partial-birth abortion tried to discredit Brenda Pratt Shafer, a nurse who assisted with the procedure and told Congress what she witnessed. They said Shafer never worked for the Ohio abortionist until she delivered the cancelled check and pay stub (qtd. in Internet site). Why do employees of abortion agencies have to watch their back every time they walk into a building or exit a building? People who do things that are wrong are regularly the individuals who have to watch their back. When a person is speeding and knowingly speeds in their vehicle they are ever so cunningly on the look out for police officers.

Everyone has to obey the laws and ordinances of the nation. What is the difference between a baby while it is in the womb and one outside the womb? Janet Folger writes, if you did this procedure to a dog in Ohio, you would be jailed for cruelty (Internet site). President George Bush the very first day in office cut off any government funding to agencies who assisted in overseas abortions. Recently President George Bush appointed John Ashcroft as Attorney General. John Ashcroft along with President George Bush are very pro-life and stand firm on their beliefs.

With the implementation of John Ashcroft into office this puts a whole new light onto the whole abortion debate and specifically partial birth abortions. As everyone knows due to recent news coverage, John Ashcroft played a key role in the prior partial birth abortion bans. Unfortunately none of those bans passed, but now there is a much better chance. As was said before, both the President and the new Attorney General are actively pro-life. This gives the opportunity for some very good things to happen over the next couple years.

While former President Bill Clinton was in office, twice he vetoed the partial birth abortion ban. The bill then went back to the Senate where they needed a two-thirds majority vote, or 67 votes. Unfortunately they did not reach 67 so the ban was not passed. Now all that is needed is 51 votes from the Senate and the bill go through the House of Representatives, then President Bush has said that he would sign the bill. With the implementation of this bill, a whole new light will be shed on partial birth abortions. Possibly now our nation will start to turn back to the truths that it was founded on. As the Declaration of Independence states, all men are created equal with Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Now let our nation give these little children a chance at life.

Works Cited

Folger, Janet. Partial Birth Abortion Too Common, Never Necessary To Protect

Women. Columbus Dispatch 25 Sept. 1996. 7 May 1997 http://www.ovnet.com/ voltz/folger1.htm.

Smolin, David. Woe to those who call evil, good The Supreme Court 2000

Oct. 2000. 3 Feb. 2001 http://199.190.91.5/nprofit/lifespan/Oct7_00.htm.

Tisdale, Sallie. We Do Abortions Here: A Nurse s Story. Arguing in Communities. 2nd

ed. Ed. Gary L. Hatch. California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1996. 270-276