ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 1996 TAG: 9606110016
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANNE LAVERY
FOR ALL of you who want to "save animals from experimentation," "save a whale," "save the wetlands" etc., I implore you to read the following. Since the editor had no qualms about going into detail about "rat surgery" ("Ratsky's Pain: A lesson in compassion weighs 1 pound," May 6 Commentary page), I am sure the following will be allowed to be printed.
Please keep in mind that as early as four weeks, a preborn baby's heart starts to form and then spontaneously begins to beat. The eyes have begun to form, as well as extensions which will become arms and legs.
From up to 10 or 12 weeks of pregnancy, two methods of abortion can be used. The first is suction curettage. The cervix is dilated and an instrument is inserted into the uterus, connected by a tube to a vacuum. The fetus is sucked out. The second method is D and C (dilation and curettage), in which the cervix is dilated and a sharp curette is inserted into the uterus. The uterine wall is then scraped, which cuts the fetus up for removal.
Dilation and evacuation (D and E), is used up to 18 weeks gestation. This method uses a grasping forceps (similar to a pliers with teeth) and is inserted into the womb to grasp part of the fetus. Because the developing baby already has calcified bones, the part must be twisted and torn away. This process is repeated until the body is totally dismembered and removed. Sometimes the head is too large and must be crushed to remove it.
The doctor usually waits until the pre-born child has grown to 16 weeks before using the following method. The saline method is one in which a large needle is inserted through the abdominal wall of the mother and into the baby's amniotic sac. Some of the amniotic fluid is withdrawn, and in its place is injected a salt solution that causes the baby to burn, convulse and die.
And now, thanks to President Clinton's veto, babies that are 9 months in gestation may be able to experience partial abortion! The mother delivers the baby, feet first, with just the head remaining inside. The doctor then makes an incision, at the base of the baby's skull, inserts a suction catheter into the incision hole, and evacuates the baby's brain. This causes the skull to decompress, and allows the baby to be more easily removed.
Please, all of you who want abortion rights: Open up your eyes! Aside from the horrors stated above, the risks and possible complications of abortion to women are enormous. They risk hemorrhage, possible sterility, damage to the cervix, blood clots, abdominal perforation, infection, perforation of the uterus, subsequent spontaneous abortions and premature births, infection of the Fallopian tubes, increased risk of future Fallopian tube pregnancies, anesthetic deaths, hepatitis, congenital birth defects, RH sensitization to a later child, and suicide.
The road we all travel is a difficult one, but there are agencies that will help you emotionally and financially to have your precious child. Either keep him or her, or put the child up for adoption. Birthright is one such agency. It has a National Hotline number of 1-800-848-LOVE. They will refer you to agencies in your area that will help you to "save" your baby and yourself.
Anne Lavery is a homemaker who educates her five children at home in Botetourt County.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB