abortion
...l birth abortion is. A partial birth abortion is a procedure done typically between 4 ½ and 6 months of pregnancy, but is commonly done into the 9th month. (Shafer, 1995) This transparency shows the procedure that takes place during a partial birth abortion. (fc.net/~garlt/newsletter/step95/diagram.html, 1998) First, the doctor reaches up and grabs the baby's leg with a forcep, or his/her hand, and turns the baby around so that it comes out with it's feet first. Then the baby's legs are pulled out into the birth canal. The doctor delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head. The doctor will then stick scissors into the baby's head, and then the sicissors are opened so the whole will enlarge. The scissors are removed, and then a tube is stuck into the babies head, and the baby's brain is sucked out by a suctin catheter. The caved-in skull is then removed. B. Following are some startling quotations and statistics that most people are not aware of. A pro-choice nurse of 13 years, Brenda Shafer, was assigned to an abortion clinic for three days. She thought this would not be a problem, but this is what she says about her experience: "I stood at the doctor's side and watched him perform a partial birth abortion on a woman who was six months pregnant. The baby's body and arms, everything but his little head. The baby's body was moving, his little fingers were clasping togethe. He was kicking his feet. The doctor took a pair of scissors and inserted them into the back of the baby's head, and arms jerked out in a flinch, a startle reaction, like a baby does when he thinks that he might fall. Then the doctor opened the scissors up. Then he stuck the high powered suction tube into the hole and sucked the baby's brain out. Now the baby was completely limp. I never went back to the clinic. But I am still haunted by the face of that little boy. It was the most perfect, angelic face I have ever seen." (Shafer, 1995) 80% of these abortions are not for medical reasons, like to keep the mother alive or complications with the baby, but purely for elective and social reasons. The mother just simply decides that she doesn't want the baby. Has this become a form of birth control? (Shafer, 1998) C. With this type of procedure legal, is this causing confusion and the value of life to go down, in the minds of our generation, and the generations to come? Educating ourselves about this topic will help. Satisfaction Step Partial birth abortion needs to be made a federal crime. A. Our Congress can override President Clinton's veto on the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. It will take the citizens support though. B. In 1997, both the House of Representives and the Senate passed the proposed Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. (NCRL, 1998) The act states that a physian, or anyone, commits a federal crime if they perform a partial birth abortion, except for in the case that the mother's life is endangered, that is if no other medical procedure would take care of her. President Clinton vetoed this act in October of 1997, still making it legal to perform such a gruesome procedure. Twice now, the House has voted to override the President's veto. Their last vote, on July 23, 1998, surpassed, by 10 votes, the 2/3's necessary to override. It then went to the Senate where the 2/3's override lost by only 3 votes. C. All of us are of an age that we can write a letter to our Congressman, supporting their vote against such an act as partial bith abortions. D. There are many objections to the banning of abortions, but here are a couple of things to ponder. 1. Dr. Pamela Smith, Director...