What is Partial Birth Abortion?

4/5 Infanticide

1/5 Abortion

5/5 WRONG!

Why all the furor over Partial Birth Abortion?

Because unlike any other abortion, this procedure kills a living infant when she is almost fully delivered from her mother's womb.  It's a painful, brutal procedure that's paving the way to open infanticide.

How can this be legal?

It's legal because President Clinton vetoed the bill that would have banned it -- the bill that was passed by a bipartisan majority of the House and Senate..

Why would anyone support this?

Because of misinformation that has been continually aired on the subject, including the following:

• It may be necessary to save a woman's life.
  NOT TRUE.  In fact, "There are absolutely no obstetrical situations ... which require a partially delivered human fetus to be destroyed to preserve the life or health of the mother.¹
• President Clinton argued that it is necessary to prevent "serious adverse health consequences" to the mother.
  NOT TRUE.  The mainstream medical community agrees: There is NO medical necessity for such a procedure.  Even the leading authority on late-term abortion in the United States says that the procedure is never necessary to preserve a woman's health.²
  Furthermore, "health," as defined by law in the abortion context, includes all factors -- physical, emotional, psychological, familial and social.³  This is a loophole large enough to justify any abortion.
• It may be necessary to preserve a woman's future fertility.
  NOT TRUE.  Medical experts say it does the opposite.  Forcefully dilating a woman's cervix for three days and turning a baby in utero to a breech position can make it more difficult to carry a subsequent baby to term.⁴
• The procedure is not as brutal as it looks.  The anesthesia given to the mother kills the unborn baby.
  NOT TRUE.  Leading anesthesiologists in the United States testified before Congress that this is simply not true.⁵
• It is rarely done, and only for the most serious of reasons.
  NOT TRUE.  600 to 2,000 of these abortions are performed each year.  Practitioners report that the vast majority of these abortions are elective and the rest are done to prevent the life birth of a child with handicaps.⁶

Can you be more specific about the procedure?

An artists depiction of the Partial Birth Abortion procedure can be viewed by clicking on the underlined cautionary note which follows. Please note that this contains graphic depiction of partial birth abortion.  Material is unsuitable for children.

What should you do?

Write or call your representative or two senators:

The Honorable ___________________
U. S. House of Representatives
Washington, D. C. 20515

The Honorable ___________________
U. S. Senate
Washington, D. C. 20510

Your federal legislators can also be reached by calling the U. S. Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121 or by calling their local office.  (Capitol switchboard operators can give you the names of your legislators based on your street address and ZIP code.)  Messages can also be sent by FAX, e-mail or telegram.

1. Testimony of Pamela Smith, MD, in US Senate Hearing Report 104 260 (Testimony of November 17, 1995) p82
2. Dr. Warren Hern, in American Medical News, November 20, 1995, p3
3. Doe v. Bolton, 410 US 179 192 (1973)
4. Dr. Warren Hern, in American Medical News, November 20, 1995, p3
5. US Senate Hearing Report 104 260, p108
6. US Senate Hearing Report 104 260, p23