The Tough Topic of Abortion...

I am so very reluctant tonight to discuss the topic of abortion, but, in light of the recent shooting of Dr. Tiller, a physician who performed late term abortions, I wanted to briefly address this subject.

Let me start by saying that abortion is murder. Is this a strong statement? Yes, it is but what else do you call a procedure that terminates a human life? So, I want to make sure I reveal my stance immediately. Now, I don’t want to spend a great deal of time debating the ethics of legal abortion. What I would like to discuss is the issue of late term abortions.
Late term abortions are now illegal in the United States unless the abortion is to save the life of the mother. Now, on the surface we all understand that if a pregnant woman’s life is in danger and the only thing that can save her life is to abort her baby, then we understand the very tough decision to proceed with the abortion.

The problem with this issue is that rarely is aborting a child necessary to save the life of the mother. In those rare cases, where the life of the mother is in question, the late term abortion procedure is and should never, ever, be utilized. If a woman is in an emergency life or death situation where he life needs to be spared, then an emergency C-section would be performed.
The late term abortion procedure that Dr. Tiller and other abortion doctors perform would never be performed by a competent physician who is working to save the life of the mother.

To understand the late term abortion procedure you have to understand that a woman is placed on the table. The physician ruptures the amniotic sac in the uterus. He then has to turn the baby so that it is delivered feet first. Once the legs and body are out of the vaginal canal the delivery is suddenly stopped with the head still in the vaginal vault. A hollowed trochar needle is then inserted into the base of the babies head and the brain is then evacuated from the skull. The dead fetus is delivered and discarded with the placenta.

This process is not a very efficient method to remove a child if the life of the mother is hanging in the balance. Additionally, if the life of the mother is in question, then why is it necessary to stick a trochar into the child’s brain to kill it, if the physician is simply concerned about saving the mother’s life?

Any pregnancy that may be threatening the life of the mother would be ended by a competent physician through a C-section and an attempt would me made to save the life of the child as well as the mother. Additionally, life of the mother issues should never be performed in a room, in a store in a strip mall.There is never, ever, ever, a medical indication to perform late term abortion in any woman. It simply is malpractice to use such a procedure and is absolutely never indicated to spare the life of the mother. This is why the procedure has been banned.

Unfortunately, Dr. Tiller and a few others, forged medical notes stating that the woman’s pregnancy is putting the mother at risk. This is a lie and any first year medical student should be able to see through this ruse. Late term abortions as advocated by organizations like Planned Parenthood are illegal and are flat out murder. These physicians should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I know that this sounds like a tough stance and it is, but someone has to advocate for the unborn.Now, I want to make it clear that as much as I hate abortion, I absolutely condemn any violence to abortion rights believers. This is simply not the route in which change will come. As a Christian, I believe that the power of prayer and organized public efforts are the way in which change will come.

Now, I want to take a little deeper look at those young ladies who are seeking abortions. I am very sensitive to rough situations that can overwhelm a person. A young lady who finds herself pregnant faces incredible pressures. Often times, a woman who does become pregnant is abandoned by the man who caused her condition. They feel alone and isolated. Now, this may not be true of every pregnancy, but each woman has to deal with her pregnancy in her own way.As abhorrent as I think abortion is, I truly understand the temptation to consider abortion. It is a very tough decision and in a young lady’s mind an abortion is a logical step in relieving her life of an unwanted stressor. So, please understand that I do not have animosity against women who have taken the abortion route. In fact, I understand their feelings and have great compassion for them. I wish for nothing more than peace and comfort for them.

Because the problem of unwanted pregnancies is not going to go away, we need to stop dealing with this problem by arguing about abortion. An abortion is a branch of a problem that has much deeper roots. No one likes abortion. No one wants to go through the tough decision to have an abortion, but an abortion is a by product of an unwanted pregnancy. The question we should be asking is, ‘Why are so many women getting pregnant who don’t wish to become pregnant?’ This is where our energies and resources should be focused and is the area where both pro-life and pro-choice people can work together to decrease the number of abortions that are performed.

It is to idealistic to assume that abstinence is the solution. As much as I pray that young people will abstain from intercourse, the simple fact is that this is pie in the sky thinking. I would really like to see Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice groups get together with pro-life organizations and focus on pregnancy prevention. I realize that Planned Parenthood does encourage pregnancy prevention through birth control and education. Unfortunately, Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice groups look at pro-life groups as the enemy and visa/versa. This needs to end. It is my prayer that we unite our resources and encourage our young people to practice more responsible behavior. Pro-life groups need to drop their opposition to birth control methods and relax their beliefs that the only way to deal with unwanted pregnancies is through prevention via abstinence.

I believe that appropriate societal pressures, unfettered access to reproductive education such birth control methods, adoption options etc.., and a united front from both pro-life and pro-choice groups can and will decrease the number of abortions that are performed in the United States.

I would like to ask you all to pray for Godly intervention in this matter and to pray for these young ladies that are faced with an unwanted pregnancy. Abortion is an important and highly volatile subject that needs to be taken head on for the good of our society.
I pray that you are all well. May God bless your day.

Jeff