Abortion at 32 Weeks

[polecat]

I'm not sure where else to put this, but I find it interesting (and sad) that now that we're looking at the possibility of widespread birth defects, Americans are deciding that maybe late term abortion isn't so bad after all. 

http://kxan.com/2016/08/08/poll-more-americans-support-late-term-abortion-if-zika-harms-fetus/

I guess this falls under the same category of the pro-life protesters sneaking into PP clinics for their own abortions and then heading back to the protest lines the very next day. Their abortions are the only righteous ones? 

idk. It just bugs me for some reason.

[bea]

I had an abortion at 14 weeks after genetic testing showed a chromosome defect that was not compatible with life. I came across a message board, afterwards, a place for women who had made choices like mine to receive and give support. I eventually became an admin on the board.
I think the thing that many people forget when they discuss abortions for medical reasons is that we unfairly focus on Down Syndrome - because it is the only survivable trisomy. Even then, it can and often does occur with a whole host of physical problems. It makes sense, when you think about it, it's a third copy of a chromosome in every single cell in the body. In Down Syndrome, it's the 21st chromosome. But it is by far not the only trisomy, just the only one that can result in a live birth and a lifespan of more than a few days or weeks. Most of the women I knew who had abortions after a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome were also told about major heart defects, lung defects, hydrocephalus, etc. It takes money and resources to raise a child with significant physical and developmental disabilities. If someone feels that they are not equipped to do this, I am certainly in no position to tell them that they are. Or that they must.

The thing is, any number of those women would have gone through with their pregnancies and delivered a child with physical and developmental disabilities if they felt they would be able to offer that child a good quality of life. Unfortunately, in a country that doesn't even provide maternal leave, we are not a place where we offer any kind of concrete help to parents of children with medical or developmental problems. Sure, we TALK a good game, respect life, choose life, etc. but once that child arrives, and parents need help? Nope. No respite care, no health care, nothing. Every single woman who ended a pregnancy after a diagnosis of a problem that was not immediately fatal cited a lack of resources as one of the reasons for their choice.

People like to talk about the "frivolous" reasons women choose to have later term abortions. I can tell you, as someone who has made this choice, and has talked to and supported women making the same decision for the last 10 years, there is *nothing* frivolous about their choice. I have never encountered anyone who ended a pregnancy because of a cosmetic issue, or simply because it was easier than having a disabled kid. The things that can -and do - go wrong during a pregnancy are, unfortunately, legion. We just don't talk about it, because it's uncomfortable discussion. No one to believe that they, too, could be in a position to have to make the same choice we did. No one has ever had a theoretical abortion. When you are faced with the choice you must make it.
Personally, I think one of the reasons people in the US have become more comfortable with the idea of late-term abortion is that many women like me are sharing their stories online. We are talking about it, when before it was a huge secret. Huge national newspapers carry stories about women who undergo terminations because it's the kindest, least awful thing they can do for their child. Social media and the Internet connect people and allow us to tell our stories in a way that wasn't possible before. I would like to think more people are aware that this is not an easy choice, and the women who make it are not just irresponsible and discriminating again a child that is not physically perfect.
I would never be comfortable putting restrictions on the reasons a woman has an abortion.

[RandomTrivia]

I'm putting this here instead of starting a new thread, because it's pretty directly related to the original article.  It's a related article from Jezebel, posted yesterday AFAICT.

Abortion Doctor Warren Hern Says Congressional Investigation Against Him Could Lead to His Assassination

There's a House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives out there.  One of the members is from my state, but she's a Republican and from seeing her ads, I'm not sure her views would be swayed by constituent input. 

 

[VelociRapture]

52 minutes ago, RandomTrivia said:

I'm putting this here instead of starting a new thread, because it's pretty directly related to the original article.  It's a related article from Jezebel, posted yesterday AFAICT.

Abortion Doctor Warren Hern Says Congressional Investigation Against Him Could Lead to His Assassination

There's a House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives out there.  One of the members is from my state, but she's a Republican and from seeing her ads, I'm not sure her views would be swayed by constituent input. 

 

I seriously hope nothing happens to Dr. Hern. He sounds like an incredibly intelligent, compassionate, and dedicated man. If anything happens to him though then his blood will be on the hands of Blackburn and the rest of those assholes. I'm not a religious woman. But if there is a God and an afterlife then I pray that they take no mercy on their souls if Dr. Hern is harmed due to  their harassment.