Why is late term abortion being repeatedly mentioned? I've never heard of a medical provider who would perform a late term abortion unless it was either to save the life of the mother, or to remove a nonviable fetus. The only other possibility would be if the fetus is known to have a horrible disorder that would only allow it to live for a very short time, while suffering terribly. If you feel the need to use the term killing in the last case, it would be a mercy killing.
The vast majority of abortions are performed in the first trimester. Most that are done during the second trimester are done for specific reasons. When I worked in a maternity clinic in the early 80s, any woman who was 35 or older was offered a test to see if her fetus had Down's syndrome. If it was positive, she was offered the option of an abortion. Some people are willing to give birth and to raise a child with Down's. But, I wouldn't judge those who opt for abortion. I've had quite a few patients with Downs. Some are fairly happy and they can have decent lives, especially if they. had parents who were willing to make sacrifices for them, and who were well educated in how to raise a person with Down's. Some are almost vegetative, requiring total care, hand feeding, wearing diapers their entire lives etc. And a very small percentage have normal IQs and can live normal lives. I never met one like that, but a physician who specialized in genetics told me that sometimes is the case. But, shouldn't a woman be permitted to make the decision whether or not to give birth to such a child? Raising a child who has Down's is quite a task. I worked with a very nice nurse who chose to give birth to a Down's child. She was anti abortion, but she didn't judge those who disagreed with her. She did an outstanding job of raising her daughter, but not everyone is up to the job of raising a child with both severe cognitive and physical problems Such decisions are difficult and heartbreaking.
I've never known a woman who had an abortion for convenience. That's a very ignorant view. Although my sister never talks about it anymore, I think she told me she had an abortion when she was young and had been raped. I've never had one, but I was elated when I was pregnant in 1970, when NJ had just made abortion legal. It made me happy to know that I had a choice. I chose not to have an abortion. Still, you can't even imagine what this means to most women. Pregnancy is very risky, both physically and emotionally. Women should have choice. Roe V Wade just made abortion safe and legal. Good birth control makes it rare.
Ending Roe v Wade will not stop abortions. Margaret Sanger was an activist who helped inspire the development of OCPs. She talked about women standing in long lines, while waiting for 50 cent abortions, when she was a child during the early 20th Century. During those times, women often had large numbers of children, due to the lack of birth control along with no option for safe, legal abortions. Sanger's own mother died while she was in labor with her 8th child. I'm sorry. It's necessary that a democratic country has safe, legal options for women who choose to have an abortion.
It always bothers me when people, especially men, condemn women who choose abortions. There are far more spontaneous abortions, aka as miscarriages by the lay community, compared to the number of abortions that women choose to have. Why is it okay for nature or god if one is a believer, to abort so many fetuses, but it's wrong for the woman, who is carrying that fetus, to decide to abort for her own personal reasons?
I remember a coworker who chose to abort. She had 3 or 4 children and was married to an abusive alcoholic, who she wanted to divorce. She wasn't mentally or financially able to give birth to another child, so she had a very early first trimester abortion. I was the only one she told because some of the other women we worked with were hateful and judgmental. An embryo is tiny without any resemblance to a live infant during the first trimester. I'll say it again, about 90% of abortions are done during the first trimester.
Late term abortions aren't done due to choice. They are done if the fetus is nonviable, or to save the life of the mother. No provider is going to do a late term abortion without a valid reason. It's just a ploy used by the religious right to try and make it sound as if thousands of women are waiting until the last moment, then rushing off to a clinic to have a doctor to kill a baby. That's propaganda, not reality.
