Termination of a Pregnancy

New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 sets a dangerous precedent 

Termination of a Pregnancy

The headline freaked me out: “New York Pass a Bill Legalizing Abortions Up to Birth.” This horrified me. I had a knee jerk reaction: “reprehensible,” “murder,”  “atrocity.” I quickly posted: “Silence is Complicity.” I have always been against “elective abortion.” By “elective” I mean that there is no medical reason to terminate a viable fetus. I was shocked, emotionally sucker punched that as a culture we have come to a point of madness that we can condone and even celebrate a liberty, a right, to perpetrate violence on an innocent.

The reaction to my statement “Silence is Complicity” brought both censure and commendation. The less congenial critics cursed me; those of a more reasoned persuasion encouraged me to do some research into what the New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 really put into law. I never want to play the role of “Chicken Little” as I so often have warned and scorned others for their perpetuating half-truths by not checking sources and hearing all sides of a story. I fear I may have. But let’s see.

First, New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 removes any criminal charges that could be brought against a practitioner or participant in an abortion. That sounds reasonable, I am told it is a difficult choice to have to make in the first place to terminate a pregnancy let alone face possible prosecution. But in the process, this legislation also removed “the protections in the criminal code for unborn babies who are killed due to the conduct of another person (i.e. due to homicide or abuse of the mother).” ( https://www.theblaze.com/news/commentary-ny-abortion-law-lie) “The law states that an unborn child cannot be a victim of homicide if he dies while in the womb following an attack on the mother.” (https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/24/8-shocking-facts-about-new-yorks-radical-abortion-law/ )

My concern resurfaced when I read that a person “means a human being who has been born and is alive.” Therefore a fetus is not a person, regardless of the fact that a person is the result of a successful gestation period. When does a fetus become a human being? As one proponent said, “It is my body until they cut the umbilical cord….”( https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/21/womens-march-teen-boasts-about-her-multiple-abortions-i-dont-give-a-fk/ ) I believe this is a biologically imprecise statement. A human being begins at conception. The zygote has life.

Second, New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 states that the termination of a pregnancy may be performed “according to the practitioner's reasonable and good faith professional judgment based on the facts of the patient's case: the patient is within twenty-four weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an  absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the  patient's life or health.” Does anyone have a good definition of “reasonable judgment?” “The average Abortion Doctor in the US makes $105,461. Abortion Doctors make the most in San Francisco at $159,148, averaging total compensation.” (https://www.comparably.com/salaries/salaries-for-abortion-doctor ) My point being, if there is money to be made isn’t it reasonable?

The Law rectifies a problem concerning the removal of a non-viable fetus after 24 weeks of gestation. Before it was not allowed and the result would be stillborn. I believe a woman should have the right to decide to undergo medical procedures to remove the “dead” fetus. 

When the mother’s life is at stake, meaning carrying the pregnancy to term (or birth) would bring about the death of the mother, this is another difficult decision to be made, and I would not prohibit the decision to terminate the pregnancy. I do wonder what real medical conditions exist so late in the gestation cycle that after 24 weeks the life of the mother is threatened. Dr. Omar L. Hamada, an OBGYN, wrote: “I want to clear something up so that there is absolutely no doubt. I'm a Board Certified OB/GYN who has delivered over 2,500 babies. There's not a single fetal or maternal condition that requires third-trimester abortion. Not one. Delivery, yes. Abortion, no.” (https://www.theblaze.com/news/commentary-ny-abortion-law-lie)  Further, I question the need to abort when the survival of a premature birth after 24 weeks is very possible.

What I truly find objectionable is the addition of the word “health.” There is no definition of “health” in the bill. Given the nature of “legalize” the word, “health” can be stretched to cover such a wide range of situations that “health” can basically mean any reason for third-trimester abortion is approved. This is just the approval of unrestricted abortion any time before birth.

Now at this point, I can hear the objection: “Stop talking about women’s reproductive rights …!” “You’re a man. You don’t get to comment about me having a … baby!” (https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/21/womens-march-teen-boasts-about-her-multiple-abortions-i-dont-give-a-fk/ ) For the most part, I have been silent concerning the issue. Now I am compelled to speak out and voice an opinion because we have gone way too far in promoting a “woman’s right to choose.”

Third, New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 states an abortion may be performed by any person authorized under “AUTHORIZED UNDER TITLE EIGHT OF THE EDUCATION LAW.” You would assume that only a medical doctor would be authorized to perform a surgical procedure, you would be wrong. The law allows non-physicians to perform abortions. “During 1988-1997, the overall death rate for women obtaining legally induced abortions was 0.7 per 100,000 legal induced abortions. The risk of death increased exponentially by 38% for each additional week of gestation. Compared with women whose abortions were performed at or before 8 weeks of gestation, women whose abortions were performed in the second trimester were significantly more likely to die of abortion-related causes. The relative risk of abortion-related mortality was 14.7 at 13-15 weeks of gestation, 29.5 at 16-20 weeks, and 76.6 at or after 21 weeks.” ( Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Apr;103(4):729-37 ) Terminating a pregnancy is not as the legislation suggest --safe,  “safety of abortion…”  and now the procedure will be conducted by non-physicians. I would expect fatality rates to increase.

After this little bit of research, removing my emotion from the issue, I still think the New York's Reproductive Health Act of 2019 is wrong. The major concern for a woman’s right to choose is not her choice but gaining political support with a divisive issue. Behind all of this is a political agenda dressed up as a civil rights concern. Where does it stop? In the harshest light what we have with this legislation is the sanctioning of dehumanizing a fetus and terminating its life because it is convenient to do so.

Now that the pig is out of the pen, I want to build a community in which an abortion option is extremely undesirable because of the value we put on human life.