Partial Birth Abortion

Factual Questions
1

In the interest of testing the new GQlite to destruction (“All the facts without the debate!”), I’m going to pose an abortion question.

One of the reasons against banning partial birth abortions seems to be that this procedure may be necessary to safeguard the health of the mother. From my very limited understanding of what the procedure entails, I have trouble understanding this. Once labour has been induced, isn’t the pregnancy ending anyway? Can the mother get the same health benefits from simply inducing labour early without the abortion bit?

This is essentially a medical question so no debate, please!

On your marks! Get set . . . .

Actually, I’m kidding about my motivation. I’m particularly curious now because the U.S. Senate had a debate on this today. Banhattan’s err, I mean, Manhatten’s new policy is what makes me brave enough to ask.

2

Was covered… Good info in the GQ thead:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156829&highlight=partial+birth+abortion+philster

3

That link might not work.

Here ya go:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156829&highlight=partial+birth+abortion+philster

4

Alright, Philster, you spoilsport. What fun is that?

Actually, I did a search on “partial birth abortion” on thread titles in GQ and found nothing. :confused:

Anyway, that thread, while very informative, doesn’t entirely answer my question. Let me modify it to make it a bit more clear. Apart from cases where the fetus is horribly deformed, can the mother get the same health benefits from simply inducing labour early without the abortion bit?

Let me also append a second question, based on the description of the procedure in the other thread. Will the definition proposed by the Senate actually restrict this procedure?

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5

The short answer is no – as you have surmised, unless the fetus is greatly deformed, there are no physical health benefits to the mother from killing the fetus once its head and shoulder have left the vagina. However, “health of the mother” has been stretched to include “mental health”.

6

Partial birth abortion takes advantage of the definition of “fetus” vs. “baby.” It’s done to insure the fetus does not survive the birth process. As partial birth abortions typically take place in the third trimester, the possibility of survival is otherwise very high.

IIRC, a good number of partial birth abortions are done while the entire fetus is still within the birth canal, usually by destroying the brain. If that is so, then the current bill does not go far enough in stopping the practice.

7

Thanks to Doe v. Bolton, “health” is now defined so broadly as to effectively eliminate any barrier to obtaining an abortion. That’s the conclusion which a Senate Judiciary Committee was forced to arrive at in 1983.

8

Thanks everyone. This helps me understand the Senate’s reasoning a bit better. I was particularly puzzled by

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I thought, perhaps, the Senate was doing one of those deals where they pass a law making Pi=3.