THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300071
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Marie Joyce, staff writer
LENGTH: 66 lines
A BILL PENDING in the state General Assembly would ban so-called ``partial-birth'' abortions.
The sponsor sees the measure as a chance to limit abortions in a way that would be accepted even by legislators who generally support abortion rights.
However, the bill apparently wouldn't apply to any procedures done in Hampton Roads, says a local doctor who does second-trimester abortions in cases of genetic defects. The procedure described in the bill is not performed here and is rarely done anywhere else, he said.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Mark L. Earley of Chesapeake, is modeled on a federal bill that passed Congress last year but was vetoed by President Clinton.
Simply defining the terms is important in this debate. ``Partial-birth'' and even ``late-term'' abortions are political and popular names, not medical terms. In Virginia, for example, ``late-term'' can be no later than the second trimester.
``Partial-birth,'' as defined in Earley's bill is: ``An abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery.''
Earley said this method is so repellent that most people would support a ban. State record-keeping isn't precise enough to say how often this procedure is done.
The state bill doesn't address how the fetus is killed. When the debate erupted last year, abortion opponents circulated a drawing that shows a baby being pulled out of the womb feet-first. Then a pair of scissors are jammed into the base of the infant's skull.
But Dr. R. Nathan Slotnick, an obstetrician who deals with cases of genetic defects in pregnancy, said he has never done such a procedure, and has never seen it done. Although he has heard that such a procedure is performed, he knows no one - here or in other parts of the county - who does abortions that way.
``I can't imagine a situation or scenario that would require it,'' he said.
The description in the pro-life literature, he says, is ``pulling on people's emotions rather than pulling on their brains.''
When he has to perform a second-trimester abortion, Slotnick uses one of two methods, depending on the stage of the pregnancy and his patient's preference.
Until 20 weeks, he may administer a drug to kill the fetus, which is extracted with surgical instruments. Until 24 weeks, the woman may choose rapid labor induction, taking medication to induce strong contractions that shear the placenta from the wall of the uterus and cut off oxygen to the fetus, which is delivered dead.
Slotnick doesn't do abortion on demand, only in cases of genetic defect.
Earley's bill does not address the procedures Slotnick uses, but the senator acknowledges he'd like to see more limits. For now, he must be realistic about what has a chance of succeeding, he said.
``Legislatively, you begin with what you can, and you do what you can.''
It's dangerous for a society to consent to these procedures even in the case of genetic defect, Earley said. While some genetic defects are lethal, he points out, others may cause relatively mild problems like slight mental retardation. And whether a defect is unacceptable, he said, depends on who is making the decision.
``We're all captive to our own prejudices,'' he said. ``It's very dangerous as a society to say that certain people with certain disabilities are not valuable. . .
``We start sliding down a slippery slope.''
KEYWORDS: PROPOSED BILL PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION LATE TERM
ABORTION