ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 TAG: 9609180063
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID NOVA
THE CONGRESSIONAL Post Office is under siege. The Christian Coalition, the Catholic bishops and others have sent a million preprinted postcards urging Congress to ban a procedure they incorrectly term "partial-birth abortion."
They urge Congress to override President Clinton's veto of a bill criminalizing this late-term abortion procedure, correctly termed intact dilation and extraction.
Buried among the mountain of mail are several dozen letters from women who have had an IDE abortion. They are begging Congress not to criminalize the procedure that saved their lives. These are real families with wanted pregnancies who faced tragic circumstances. Their words are compelling:
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"Dear Members of Congress:
"My name is Coreen Costello and I am writing to you on behalf of my family
"On March 24, 1995, when I was seven months pregnant, an ultrasound revealed that our third child, a darling baby girl, was dying. She had a lethal neurological disorder and had been unable to move any part of her tiny body for almost two months She was unable to swallow amniotic fluid and, as a result, the excess fluid was puddling in my uterus.
"Our physicians discussed our options with us. When they mentioned terminating the pregnancy, we rejected it out of hand. We are Christians and conservative. We believe strongly in the rights, value and sanctity of the unborn. Abortion was simply not an option we would ever consider. This was our daughter. We asked our pastor to baptize her in utero. We named her Katherine Grace
"Amniotic fluid continued to puddle into my uterus at a rate of great concern to my doctors. I was carrying an extra 9 pounds of fluid. It became increasingly difficult to breath, to sit or walk. I could not sleep. My health was rapidly deteriorating.
"We considered a Caesarean section, but experts at Cedars-Sinai Hospital felt that the risks to my health and possibly to my life were too great. A Caesarean section is done to save babies. In my case, even if a Caesarean could be done, Katherine would have died the moment the umbilical cord was cut. "
"This procedure allowed me to deliver my daughter intact. My husband and I were able to see and hold our daughter. I will never forget the time I had with her, nor will I forget her precious face. "
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Dear Member of Congress:
My name is Vikki Stella. My husband Archer and I live in Naperville, Ill. We have three children
"A little less than two years ago I was in my third trimester of pregnancy with a
much-wanted son. But then at 32 weeks, our world turned upside-down. [M]y son was diagnosed with at least nine major anomalies: these included a fluid-filled cranium with no brain tissue at all
"Our options were extremely limited because of my diabetes: I don't heal as well as other people so waiting for normal labor to occur, inducing labor early, or having a C-section would have had potentially severe health consequences for me.
"The [IDE] procedure was gentle and our baby boy was delivered intact. We held him and said our goodbyes. We named him Anthony. He could never have survived outside my womb, so I did the kindest thing, the most loving thing I knew to do. I took my son off life support."
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"Dear Sir/Madame:
"Exactly one year ago I had an intact dilation and evacuation (IDE) because our son, our first child, had severe hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus occurs when there is too much fluid in the head and a brain cannot develop. "
"As our son could not swallow, he was not absorbing amniotic fluid; this fluid would have continued to develop and could have caused my uterus to rupture. In addition to the fluid problem, if our son had died in utero, the resulting toxins could have required a hysterectomy."
"There is a lot of confusion as to how these procedures are performed. Let me tell you how it is done. No scissors are used and no one sucked out our son's brains. A simple needle was used to drain the excess fluid from his head to allow him to pass through the birth canal undamaged.
"I am a registered Republican and my husband and I are practicing Catholics. We believe that God led us to the best doctors, who recommended the best procedure for our circumstances. We are expecting another baby in seven weeks, a child that might never have been possible had we been forced by ill-advised legislation to have a procedure less appropriate for our circumstances."
Mary and William Line
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Dear Honorable Representatives:
" You have seen the diagrams of those sweet little Gerber-like babies. How we wish our baby looked like that. Our baby was riddled with deformities that, frankly, are not pleasing to the eye - but he was our son.
This isn't simply a late term abortion. It's a badly needed medical procedure. This is medicine, not politics.
"We are the families who will forever have a hole in our hearts. We are the families that had to choose how our babies would die. Now we ask you, no, we beg you, on behalf of all those unfortunate women who come after us, to vigorously join President Clinton in support of women's health and families in crisis, and oppose this heinous legislation. Thank you.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Richard and Claudia Crown Ades
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Congress is scheduled to vote to override President Clinton's veto this month. It will decide what the future holds for the hundreds of families that rely on this medically necessary procedure when a wanted pregnancy has gone horribly wrong.
David Nova is public affairs director for Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, Inc.
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Gary Viskupic/Newsday.by CNB