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National Background and Context
• Abortion is a common experience ( 1 abortion/22 seconds)
• 1.34 million abortions per year (45 million/yr. world wide)
• About 1 in 3 American women will have had an abortion by the
time she reaches age 45.
• 57% of women having abortions are in their 20s;
• 60% have one or more children;
• 86% are unmarried;
• 57% are economically disadvantaged;
• 78% report a religious affiliation.
• 41% of women obtaining abortions are white non-Hispanic
• 32% are black non-Hispanic
• 20% are Hispanic and 7% are of other racial backgrounds.
• Russian and Indian women have an average of 12-15 abortions
Who has abortions?
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WHO HAS ABORTIONS?
50 % of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25:
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Women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions;
Teenagers obtain 17% to 22%.
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37% of abortions occur to black women, 34% to non-Hispanic white women, 22% to
Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races.
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43% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant and 27% as Catholic.
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Women who have never married obtain 2/3 of all abortions.
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About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.
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The reasons women give for having an abortion: Three-fourths of women cite concern for
or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; threefourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for
dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems
with their husband or partner.
Q&A
• What comes from Mom? What comes from baby?
Whose chemistry is responsible for the development of:
1. the umbilical cord?
2. the amniotic sac?
3. the placenta?
4. the onset of labor?
5. the cessation of menstrual cycles?
6. the body’s acceptance of foreign body
(baby)
7. the breast milk?
From day 1…
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Day 1 of conception: From the moment of conception, 46 human chromosomes
are present along with 30,000 genes combine to determine all of your physical
characteristics
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Gender
Facial features
Body type
Color of eyes and hair and skin
Even more amazingly, intelligence and personality-the way you think and feel-were already in
place with your genetic code. From the moment of conception, you were essentially you! Just
smaller!!!!
Day 6: embryo begins implantation in the uterus.
Day 18-22: heart begins to beat with the child’s own blood, often a different type
than the mother’s blood type.
Week 3: By the end of third week, the child’s backbone spinal column and
nervous system are forming. The liver, kidneys and intestines begin to take shape.
Week 4: By the end of week four, the child is 10,000 larger than the fertilized egg.
Week 5: Eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop.
Week 6
• Earliest Reflexes
It has been reported that
embryos in the 6th week
show spontaneous
movements such as
twitching of the limbs and
reflex responses to touch.
These first reflexes are
total, i.e., the body reacts
equally to any & every
type of stimulus.
Week 7
Week 6: Brain waves are
detectable; mouth and lips are
present; fingernails are
forming.
Week 7: Eyelids, and toes
form, nose distinct. The baby
is kicking and swimming.
Week 8: Every organ is in
place, bones begin to replace
cartilage, and fingerprints
begin to form. By the 8th week
the baby can begin to hear.
Week 8
The baby (embryo) is about ½ inch long.
The heart now has four chambers.
Fingers and toes begin to form.
Reflex activities begin as the brain and nervous
system develop.
Cells begin to form the eyes, ears, jaws, lungs,
stomach, intestines and liver.
The Story of Steven
The story of Steven
Steven was 6-7 weeks old
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The tiniest human (I call him Steven.)
Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2004
The tiniest human
This award winning photograph was taken by Robert Wolfe, Medical Photographer at the University of
Minnesota.
This tiny unborn child was yet alive at this moment, only 6-7 weeks after the first day of last menstrual period, a
just removed tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. Conception took place only 4-5 weeks earlier.
"Eleven years ago while administering an anesthetic for ruptured ectopic pregnancy (at 2 months gestation) I was
handed what I believe was the smallest living human being ever seen. The embryo sac was intact and
transparent. Within the sac was a tiny (approx. 1cm) human male swimming extremely vigorously in the
amniotic fluid, while attached to the wall by the umbilical cord.
"This tiny human was perfectly developed, with long tapering fingers, feet and toes. It was almost transparent, as
regards the skin, and the delicate arteries and veins were prominent to the ends of the fingers. The baby was
extremely alive and swam about the sac approximately one time per second, with a natural swimmer's stroke.
This tiny human did not look at all like the photos and drawings and models of 'embryos' which I have seen, nor
did it look like the few embryos I have been able to observe since then, obviously because this one was alive.
"The swimming human was observed by the Head Surgery nurse and our children, who were called out of
school to observe such a unique phenomenon. When the sac was opened, the tiny human immediately lost its
life and took on the appearance of what is accepted as the appearance of an embryo at this age.
Six months later, at a lecture in embryology at Harvard University, I had occasion to ask the approximately 150
physicians present whether any had witnessed such a phenomenon. All were amazed and none had seen nor
heard of such an event…"
Dr. Paul E. Rockwell, Director of Anesthesiology, Leonard Hospital, Troy, New York: Letter to the editor, Albany,
Times-Union, 10th March 1970
Week 10
The beginnings of all key body
parts are present, but they are
not completed.
Teeth begin to form, fingernails
develop. The baby can turn his
head, and frown. The baby can
hiccup.
Structures that will form eyes,
ears, arms and legs can be seen.
Muscles and skeleton are
developing and the nervous
system becomes more responsive
(baby can feel pain?)
Weeks 11, 12, 13
Week 11: The baby can grasp objects placed in its hand; all organ systems
are functioning. The baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation.
Week 12: The baby has all of the parts necessary to experience pain,
including nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus. Vocal cords are
complete. The baby can suck its thumb.
Week 13: At this age, the heart pumps several quarts of blood through
the body every day.
Week 12
The baby has all of the parts necessary to
experience pain, including nerves, spinal cord,
and thalamus. Vocal cords are complete. The
baby can suck its thumb.
Fingers and toes are distinct and have nails.
Hair begins to develop, but won't be seen until
later in the pregnancy.
The baby begins small, random movements,
too slight to be felt.
The fetal heartbeat can be detected with a
heart monitor. All major external body
features have appeared.
Muscles continue to develop.
Week 14
The baby is about 3½ inches long
and weighs about 1½ ounces.
The baby begins to swallow, the
kidneys make urine, and blood
begins to form in the bone
marrow.
Joints and muscles allow full body
movement.
There are eyelids and the nose is
developing a bridge.
External genitals are developing.
Week 16
•The baby is about 4½ inches
long and weighs about 4
ounces.
•The head is erect and the arms
and legs are developed.
•The skin appears transparent.
A fine layer of hair has begun to
grow on the head.
•Limb movements become
more coordinated
Week 17
Week 17: The baby can have
dream (REM) sleep.
Week 19: Babies can routinely
be saved at 21 to 22 weeks after
fertilization, and sometimes they
can be saved even younger.
Week 18
The baby is about 5½ inches long
and weighs about 7 ounces.
The skin is pink and transparent
and the ears are clearly visible.
All the body and facial features are
now recognizable.
The baby can grasp and move its
mouth.
Nails begin to grow.
The baby has begun to kick. Some
women feel this movement.
Week 20
The baby is about 6¼ inches long and weighs
about 11½ ounces.
All organs and structures have been formed,
and a period of growth begins.
The skin is wrinkled and appears pink to
reddish in color due to being thin and close to
the blood vessels.
A protective skin coating, called vernix, is
beginning to develop.
Respiratory movements occur, but the lungs
have not developed enough to permit survival
outside the uterus.
By this time, mothers usually feel the baby
moving.
At this time an ultrasound can often identify
the sex of the baby.
Week 22
The baby is about 7½ inches long and
weighs about one pound.
The baby has fingerprints and perhaps some
head and body hair.
The baby may suck its thumb and is more
active.
The brain is growing very rapidly.
The fetal heartbeat can be easily heard.
The kidneys start to work.
At 23 weeks, approximately 31% of babies
born survive. Babies born at this age require
intensive care and usually have lifelong
disabilities and chronic health conditions.
Week 24
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•The baby is about 8¼ inches long and
weighs about 1¼ pounds.
•Bones of the ears harden making sound
conduction possible. The fetus hears
mother’s sounds such as breathing,
heartbeat and voice.
•The first layers of fat are beginning to form.
•This is the beginning of substantial weight
gain for the fetus.
•Lungs continue developing
•At 25 weeks, approximately 68% of babies
born survive.
Week 36
The baby is about 12 to 13
inches long and weighs
about 5½ to 6 pounds.
Scalp hair is silky and lies
against the head.
Muscle tone has developed
and the fetus can turn and
lift its head.
Almost all babies born at
this age will survive.
Newborn baby at 40 weeks
Samuel Armas
Dr. Joseph Bruner at Vanderbilt is known for his
work in fetal surgery, especially on babies with spina
bifida, a condition in which the spine does not close
properly during development. Vanderbilt confirms
that little Samuel Armas was 21 weeks-old in the
womb which makes the surgery very risky because if
anything goes wrong, the baby cannot survive on its
own. Dr. Bruner and his colleagues, however, have
done numerous successful spina bifida surgeries on
fetuses that are not yet viable. In this particular
surgery, the baby's hand poked out of the incision in
its mother's womb and Dr. Bruner says he
instinctively offered his finger for the baby to
hold. Most versions of the story say the baby
reached out and grasped Dr. Bruner's finger, but in
an article in USA Today on May 2, 2000, Dr. Bruner
says both the mother and the baby were under
anesthesia and could not move. Michael Clancy, the
photographer who took the picture and who owns
the copyright to it says, however, that out of the
corner of his eye he saw the uterus shake and the
baby's hand pop out of the surgical opening on its
own. Clancy says that when the doctor put his finger
into the baby's hand, the baby squeezed the finger
and held on. You can read Clancy's description of
the experience and more about the picture at his
website at www.michaelclancy.com.
Update: The surgery was successful and little
Samuel Armas was born on December 2, 1999, and
has been developing well, according to his parents,
Alex and Julie Armas.
Operation on 24 week old Trish Switzer
When women have abortions (in weeks from the last menstrual
period) Eighty-nine percent of abortions occur in the first 12
weeks of pregnancy, 2004.
Two Main Types of abortion methods
• Medical abortions
– Mifepristone & Misoprostol (RU 486)
– Methotrexate & Misoprostol
• Surgical abortions by trimester
– Vacuum aspiration (D & A)- 1st trimester
– Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)- 2nd trimester
– Digoxin abortions (replaced D & X); 3rd trimester
– D & X (Dilatation & Extraction): PBA
Early Non-Surgical Abortion
Local abortion clinic’s description of RU 486 with my
annotations:
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A drug is given that stops the hormones needed for the child to grow. (Mifepristone or Methotrexate)
This causes the placenta or attachment of the fetus to the womb to separate, ending the pregnancy.
(Mifepristone blocks progesterone needed to nourish the baby so the baby starves to death; Methotrexate is a
cancer drug which stops cell division and kills the developing child.)
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A second drug is given by mouth or placed in the vagina causing the womb to contract and expel the fetus and
placenta. (Misoprostol is a prostaglandin which forces the cervix to open unnaturally.)
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Most clinics then send you home where you will abort the baby on your own.
Clinic pays $15 for drugs; you get charged $425 for pills, injections, visits.
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A return visit to the doctor is required for follow-up to make sure the abortion is completed.
Possible Complications:
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Incomplete abortion, Allergic reaction to the medications, Painful cramping, Nausea and/or vomiting
Diarrhea, Fever, Infection, Death, Heavy bleeding, Self abortion: most abortions occur at home.
Breast Cancer if it’s your first pregnancy: ABC link. Proven in over 20 studies. First pregnancy: undifferentiated cells
that would be breast milk cells start to define themselves via the chemicals that the baby produces. When the
pregnancy is abruptly ended, those undifferentiated cells are left vulnerable to cancer development.
From a NC abortion provider
MEDICAL ABORTION
• The abortion by pill is given to patients who are less than 7 weeks and are at least
18 years of age. An ultrasound is used to determine how far along the patient is in
her pregnancy.
• The patient is given medicine called Methotrexate. This medicine stops the fetal
cell growth. It can be administered in a drink form or through an injection. Once
the patient takes this medicine, she cannot change her mind! This medicine can
cause serious birth defects.
• The patient is also given medicine called Misoprostol/ Cytotec. This medicine
helps to shed the uterine lining. The patient will take orally eight pills over the
course of three days. The first four pills are inserted on the third day and the
remaining four must be inserted on the fifth day. The patient will need to have
least 8 hours of rest after inserting the pills. It is recommended that the patient
insert the pills before going to bed. This medicine will cause cramping and
bleeding, which may be heavier than what a patient normally experiences during
a regular menstrual cycle. The doctor will prescribe a mild pain reliever for any
discomfort. The success rate for the medical abortion is between 96% and 93%. If
for any reason this method is not successful, the remaining tissue must be
removed surgically.
Prices in Wilmington
• Prices and Payment Information
• Price ranges for our abortion services are:
– Abortion pill (medication abortion) -$425
Note: During the abortion pill (medication abortion) visit, you
must agree — before you start — that you will have an inclinic abortion if the abortion pill does not work.
– In-clinic abortion price list:
• 6-12 weeks - $425.00
• 12.1-13.6 weeks - $425.00
• ultrasound only - $120
1ST Trimester:
Vacuum Aspiration Abortion
• A local anesthetic is applied or injected into or near the cervix, the
opening to the womb, to prevent discomfort or pain.
• Conscious sedation and/or general anesthesia are also commonly used.
• The opening of the cervix is gradually stretched with a series of dilators.
The thickest dilator used is about the width of a fountain pen.
• A tube is inserted into the womb and is attached to a suction system to
remove the baby, placenta and membranes from the womb. (knife like
instrument is at the end of the tube to scrape the wall of the uterus.)
• Suction from the vacuum aspirator breaks baby apart; vacuum is 29xs
more powerful than your mom’s vacuum.
• Baby’s remains are sucked into machine.
• Possible Complications Incomplete abortion: BLIND OPERATION!
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Pelvic infection
Heavy bleeding
Torn cervix
Perforated uterus
Suction & curettage abortion
2nd Trimester abortions;
Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
• In utero dismemberment is the Latin term used.
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Sponge-like pieces of absorbent material are placed into the cervix. This material becomes moist
and slowly opens the cervix. It remains in place for several hours or overnight. A second or third
application of the sponge material may be necessary.
After a local or general anesthesia has been administered, the baby and placenta are removed from
the uterus with medical instruments such as forceps and suction curettage (pliers like instrument
because baby’s bones are calcified.)
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Occasionally for removal, it may be necessary to dismember the fetus.
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Medical person MUST reassemble the baby on a medical tray to make sure all parts of the baby are
present to prevent infection in the mom.
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Possible Complications Heavy bleeding:
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Cut or torn cervix
Perforation of the wall of the uterus
Pelvic infection
Incomplete abortion
Anesthesia-related complications
Weakened cervix
D&E
Survivor of a D & E abortion
3rd trimester abortions (pg. 1)
• Digoxin Abortions (an overdose of the heart drug,
digoxin, is injected into baby’s heart to cause
heart attack; The drug is administered with a long
needle inserted into the abdomen.)
• Abortionist George R. Tiller pioneered this
abortion method where ultrasound is used to
locate the baby’s heart, which is then injected
with the powerful drug through the woman’s
abdomen. Labor is then induced, or the baby is
dismembered and removed from the womb.
3rd trimester abortions (pg. 2)
• Dilation and Extraction (D&X) (also known as Partial Birth
Abortion: made illegal by USSC in Gonzales v. Carhart, 2007)
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in these steps:
• “1. Deliberate dilatation of the cervix, usually over a sequence of
days;
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2. Instrumental conversion of the fetus to a footling breech;
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3. Breech extraction of the body excepting the head, and
• 4. Partial evacuation of the intracranial contents of a living fetus
to effect vaginal delivery of a dead but otherwise intact fetus.”
Comments by abortionists on digoxin
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Renee Chelian, executive director of Northland Family Planning Centers, said the three Michigan
abortion centers under that name use digoxin. "The woman's health has taken a back seat
[because of the partial-birth abortion ban]," Chelian claimed in comments to the Detroit News.
"The fetus is given an equal status as the woman. It's a horrible precedent that the woman's
health and safety is not paramount.“
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"We have to cause fetal death," Chelian added. It is not necessary, but it is the Supreme Court
telling doctors, 'This is how you do surgery.' It's really scary that the fetus has as much weight as the
woman.“
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Janet Crepps, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, a prominent pro-abortion law
firm in New York, confirmed to the News the reasons for misusing the drug. "Because certain
aspects of abortion procedures are variable in ways that physicians cannot control, physicians may
feel compelled to cause fetal demise in order to avoid any appearance or suggestion that they have
violated the law," Crepps said.
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"One fail-safe way to protect against prosecution under the law is to ensure that fetal demise has
occurred," she added.
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The FDA approved digoxin in 1982 but abortion practitioners have been using it since the to kill the
baby in second-trimester abortions.
Partial Birth Abortion
• The surgeon grasps and removes a nearly intact fetus
through an adequately dilated cervix.
• The author (Dr. Martin Haskell) has coined the term
Dilation and Extraction or D & X to distinguish it from
dismemberment-type D & E's.
• This procedure can be performed in a properly
equipped physician's office under local anesthesia.
• It can be used successfully in patients 20 to 26 weeks
in pregnancy.
• Presented at the National Abortion Federation by Dr.
Haskell at the Risk Management Seminar, September
13, 1992.
D & X (first step)
D & X (second step)
D & X (third step)
D & X (fourth step)
D & X (fifth step)
Medical & Emotional Risks of
Abortion
• Physical side effects
Mental Side Effects
– Pelvic Infection (Sepsis)
- Depression, crying, suicide, guilt
– Incomplete Abortion
- Grief, anger, rage, eating disorders
– Bleeding
-Post traumatic stress syndrome
– Cut or Torn Cervix
-Suicidal urges, drug/alcohol abuse
– Perforation of Wall of the Womb
-Flashbacks, nightmares, low self esteem
– Anesthesia-Related Complications
-Breakup with father of child
– Death, risk of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies -Multiple abortions
– Breast Cancer; incompetent cervix
-Inability to forgive yourself
PAIN of the UNBORN
What does an unborn child feel during an abortion?
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18 Days Brain: The brain begins to take shape only 18 days after conception. By 20 days, the brain has
already differentiated into forebrain, midbrain, and hind brain, and the spinal cord has started to grow.
5 Weeks Pain Receptors: Four or five weeks after conception, pain receptors appear around the mouth,
followed by nerve fibers, which carry stimuli to the brain. By 18 weeks, pain receptors have appeared
throughout the body. Around week 6, the unborn child first responds to touch.
6 Weeks Cortex: In weeks 6-18, the cerebral cortex develops. By 18 weeks, the cortex has a full
complement of neurons. In adults, the cortex has been recognized as the center of pain consciousness.
8 Weeks Thalamus: During weeks 8-16, the thalamus develops, functioning as the main relay center in
the brain for sensory impulses going from the spinal cord to the cortex.
The Silent Scream: abortion of 11 week old unborn baby filmed: baby screamed during abortion
14-18 Wks Nerve Tracts: In week 18, nerve tracts connecting the spinal cord and the thalamus are
established, and nerves from the thalamus first contact the cortex in week 20. Nerve fibers not routed
through the thalamus have already reached the cortex by 14 weeks.
18 Wks Stress Hormones: As early as 18 weeks, stress hormones are released by an unborn child
injected by a needle, just as they are when adults feel pain. Hormone levels in those babies decrease as
pain-relievers are supplied.
Before 18 Weeks? Even before nerve tracts are fully established, the unborn child may feel pain; studies
show anencephalic infants, whose cortex is severely reduced if not altogether missing, may experience
pain as long as other neurological structures are functioning.
20 Wks All Parts in Place: With pain receptors, spinal cord, nerve tracts, thalamus, and cortex in place,
all anatomical links needed for pain transmission to the brain, for feeling pain, are present.
An unborn child at 20 weeks gestation “is fully capable of experiencing pain... Without question, [abortion] is
a dreadfully painful experience for any infant subjected to such a surgical procedure.
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– Robert J. White, MD., Ph.D. professor of neurosurgery, Case Western Reserve University
Abortion Map of the United States
Can I Live? by Nick Cannon
I’m talking, Mama. I know the situation is personal
But it’s something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about; you heard my voice
Yeah, just think, just think, What if you could just
Just blink yourself away…
Just, just wait, just pause for one second
Let me plead my case; It's the late 70's, huh
You’re seventeen, huh
And having me that will ruin everything, huh
It's a lot of angels waiting on their wings
You see me in your sleep, so you can’t kill your dreams
Can I Live?
2
300 Dollars? That’s the price of living, what?
Mommy, I don’t like this clinic
Hopefully, you'll make the right decision and don’t go through with the
knife incision
But it's hard to make the right move
When you’re in high school
How you have to work all day and take night school
Hopping off the bus when the rain is pouring
What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning?
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[Chorus]
I'll always be a part of you; Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk, I'd say to you: CAN I LIVE? CAN I LIVE?
I'll always be a part of you, Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk, I'd say to you: CAN I LIVE? CAN I LIVE
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Can I Live?
[Verse 2]
3
I am a child of the king ain't no need to go fear me
And I see the flowing tears, so I know that you hear me
When I move in your womb, that's me being scary
‘Cause who knows what my future holds
Yo, the truth be told, you ain't told a soul
Yo, you ain't even showing; I'm just 2 months old
Through your clothes try to hide me, deny me, Went up 3 sizes
Your pride got you lying saying ain't nothing but a migraine
It ain't surprising, you’re not trying to be in WIC food lines
Your friends will look at you funny, but look at you, Mommy
That's a life inside, take a look at your tummy
What is becoming, Ma, I’m Oprah bound!
You can tell he's a star from the ultrasound
Our sprits connected, doors open now
Nothing but love and respect
Thanks for holding me down
She Let Me Live...
Can I live?
4
[Chorus]
I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk, I'd say to you: CAN I LIVE? CAN I LIVE?
I'll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it's always true
If I could talk, I'd say to you:
CAN I LIVE? CAN I LIVE?
[Nick Talking]
It's uplifting for real y’all
I ain't passing no judgment
Ain't making no decisions
I am just telling y’all my story
I love life
I love my mother for giving me life
We all need to appreciate life
A strong woman that had to make a sacrifice
Thanks for listening
Thanks for listening
Mama, thanks for listening
Tears Fall by Barlowgirl
I have had the same dream many times it haunts my mind.
It starts with a light but it ends every time.
Oh so many faces that this world will never see.
A reason for your life but your heart will never beat.
May their tears fall down; Let them soften this ground,
May our hearts be found, God forgive us now.
Oh what have we lost because we chose, we'll never know.
And loving You is better than feeling alone.
And all our claims to freedom have become these heavy chains.
And in the name of rights, we keep filling nameless graves.
May our tears fall down; Let them soften this ground,
May our hearts be found, God forgive us now.
Let the tears fall down, Let them soften this ground,
Let our hearts be found, God forgive us now. Ooh, ooh…
Abortion at 7 weeks
Abortion
Abortion at 8 weeks
North Carolina on abortion
Women's Health & Safety
• A physician may not perform an abortion on an unemancipated minor
under the age of 18 without the written consent of one parent or a
grandparent with whom the minor has lived for at least six months. A
court order may be issued foregoing the consent requirement if the judge
finds that the minor "is mature and well informed enough to make her
own decision, that parental consent is not in her best interest, or that she
is the victim of rape or felonious incest."
• North Carolina has enacted comprehensive regulations establishing
minimum health and safety standards for abortion clinics. Among the
areas regulated are clinic administration, staffing, patient medical
evaluations, and post-operative care.
• Only physicians licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina may
perform abortions.
• North Carolina prohibits public funding of abortion unless the pregnancy
is the result of rape or incest or the woman's life is at risk.
North Carolina & abortion
• North Carolina
• #30 Most Pro-life State
North Carolina does not require:
- informed consent for abortion and
-does not protect unborn victims of violence.
North Carolina does not regulate or prohibit:
- destructive embryo research,
-human cloning or assisted reproductive
technologies.
-assisted suicide.
NC Protection for the Unborn & Newborn
• Current North Carolina law does not recognize
an unborn child as a potential victim of
homicide or assault.
• North Carolina does not require that infants who
survive an abortion be given appropriate
medical care.
• North Carolina has a "Baby Moses" law,
establishing a safe haven for mothers to legally
leave their infants at designated places and
ensuring that the infants receive appropriate care
and protection.
INCIDENCE OF ABORTION
• Nearly half of pregnancies among American women
are unintended, and four in 10 of unintended
pregnancies are terminated by abortion.
• 22% of all pregnancies end in abortion.
• 40% of pregnancies among white women, 69% among
blacks and 54% among Hispanics are unintended.
• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed.
• From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal
abortions occurred.
• 47% of women have abortions have had at least one
previous abortion.
Methods Used at Fourteen Weeks
Gestation and After
• Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) (also known as in utero dismemberment)
• FROM 13-22 WEEKS
• Abortion Methods: Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E) or Labor Induction
• Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E)
• Sponge-like tapered pieces of absorbent material are placed into the
cervix. This material becomes moist and slowly opens the cervix.
• Sponge-like material will remain in place for several hours or overnight.
• A second or third application of the material may be necessary.
• Intravenous medications may be given to ease pain and prevent infection.
• After a local or general anesthetic is given, the fetus and placenta are
removed from the uterus with medical instruments such as forceps and
suction curettage. Occasionally for removal, it will be necessary to
dismember the fetus.
Dilation and Curettage Abortion
• A local anesthetic is applied or injected into or near the
cervix to prevent discomfort or pain.
• Conscious sedation and/or general anesthesia are also
commonly used.
• The opening of the cervix is gradually stretched with a
series of dilators. The thickest dilator used is about the
width of a fountain pen.
• A spoon-like instrument (curette) is used to scrape the
walls of the uterus to remove the fetus, placenta and
membranes.
• A follow up appointment should be made with the
doctor.
Methods used after 14 weeks (3)
•
•
FROM 22-38 WEEKS
(From 24-40 weeks after the first day of the last normal menstrual period)
Abortion Methods: Labor Induction or Hysterotomy
•
Labor Induction
•
•
Labor induction may require a hospital stay.
Medicine is given to start labor in one of three ways: medicine is placed in the cervix, directly into the woman's
vein or by inserting a needle through the mother's abdomen and into the amniotic sac (bag of waters).
If the afterbirth (placenta) is not completely removed during labor induction, the doctor must open the cervix and
use suction or instrumental curettage.
Labor and delivery of the fetus during this period are similar to childbirth.
The duration of labor depends on the size of the baby and the readiness of the uterus.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hysterotomy (similar to a Caesarean Section)
This method requires that the woman be admitted into a hospital.
A hysterotomy may be performed if labor cannot be started by inducing labor, or if the woman or her fetus is too
sick to undergo labor.
A hysterotomy is the removal of the fetus by surgically cutting open the abdomen and uterus. Anesthetic
medication, given intravenously or into the woman's back, or by breathing the anesthetic, is administered so the
woman will not feel the pain of the surgery
FOCA: Freedom of Choice Act
What is the Legal Impact of FOCA?
FOCA creates a new and dangerously radical “right.” It establishes the right to abortion as a
“fundamental right,” elevating it to the same status as the right to vote and the right to free speech
(which, unlike the abortion license, are specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution).
•
Critically, in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court did not define abortion as a “fundamental right.” And with the exception of
one justice’s attempt in 1983 to distort the Court’s abortion jurisprudence by framing the abortion license as a “fundamental
right,” the Court has not subsequently defined abortion as a “fundamental right.” Thus, FOCA goes beyond any Supreme
Court decision in enshrining unlimited abortion-on-demand into American law.
•
FOCA would also subject laws regulating or even touching on abortion to judicial review using a “strict scrutiny”
framework of analysis. This is the highest standard American courts can apply and is typically reserved for laws impacting
such fundamental rights as the right to free speech and the right to vote. Prior to the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (which substituted the “undue burden” standard for the more stringent “strict scrutiny”
analysis), abortion-related laws (such parental involvement for minors and minimum health and safety standards for
abortion clinics) were almost uniformly struck down under “strict scrutiny” analysis. If enacted, FOCA would retroactively be
applied to all federal and state abortion-related laws and would result in their invalidation.
•
Father Richard John Neuhaus, who sadly died this week, was a strong pro-life leader and
even advised President Bush on pro-life matters and said of FOCA:
•
"As abortion extremists put it, the woman has a right to a dead baby.”
•
“...the Freedom of Choice Act…would eliminate all state regulation of abortion–including
waiting periods, parental notification, and other very modest measures–(and) leaves no
doubt that (this is) on the farthest edge of abortion extremism," he said.
FOCA
2
What is the Practical Impact of FOCA?
In elevating abortion to a fundamental right, FOCA poses an undeniable and irreparable
danger to common-sense laws supported by a majority of Americans. Among the more
than 550 federal and state laws that FOCA would nullify are:

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003

Hyde Amendment (restricting taxpayer funding of abortions)

Restrictions on abortions performed at military hospitals

Restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion for federal employees

Informed consent laws

Reasonable waiting periods

Parental consent and notification laws

Health and safety regulations for abortion clinics

Requirements that licensed physicians perform abortions

“Delayed enforcement” laws (banning abortion when Roe v. Wade is overturned and/or the
authority to restrict abortion is returned to the states)
FOCA
3

Bans on partial-birth abortion

Bans on abortion after viability . FOCA’s apparent attempt to limit post-viability abortions is illusory.
Under FOCA, post-viability abortions are expressly permitted to protect the woman’s “health.” Within the
context of abortion, “health” has been interpreted so broadly that FOCA would not actually proscribe any
abortion before or after viability.
Limits on public funding for elective abortions (thus, making American taxpayers fund a procedure that
many find morally objectionable)


Limits on the use of public facilities (such has public hospitals and medical schools at state universities)
for abortions

State and federal legal protections for individual healthcare providers who decline to participate in
abortions

Legal protections for religiously-affiliated hospitals who, while providing care to millions of poor and
uninsured Americans, refuse to allow abortions within their facilities
Notably, pro-abortion groups do not deny FOCA’s draconian impact:
Planned Parenthood has explained, "FOCA will supercede anti-choice laws that restrict the right to
choose, including laws that prohibit the public funding of abortions for poor women or counseling and
referrals for abortions. Additionally, FOCA will prohibit onerous restrictions on a woman's right to
choose, such as mandated delays and targeted and medically unnecessary regulations."