Wednesday, January 16, 2002
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Wednesday, January 16, 2002 |
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We give anesthesia even to animals; why not unborn babies in abortions? As a physician, I am always concerned about the level of pain my patients have. One group of people who never receive attention to their level of pain are unborn children. Many scientists have discovered that unborn children experience pain as early as 7 weeks gestation. This has been shown by accelerations in their heart rate and brain waves during an abortion. There is no question that a baby in the second and third trimester experience pain during an abortion. I would like to see legislation passed that makes women aware of fetal pain and give them the option of receiving some sort of pain medicine during the procedure. Saline abortions are probably the most painful procedures for infants. This technique is used after 16 weeks of pregnancy, when enough fluid has accumulated in the amniotic fluid sac surrounding the baby. A needle is inserted through the mother's abdomen and 50 to 250 milliliters (as much as a cup) of amniotic fluid is withdrawn and replaced with a solution of concentrated salt. The baby breathes in, swallowing the salt, and is poisoned. The chemical solution also causes painful burning and deterioration of the baby's skin. Usually, after about an hour, the child dies. The mother goes into labor about 33 to 35 hours after instillation and delivers a dead, burned, and shriveled baby. About 97 percent of mothers deliver their dead babies within 72 hours. The "Dilation and Extraction" (D and X) or "intact D and E" (IDE) is sometimes referred to as Partial Birth Abortion. This procedure is used to abort women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant or even later into pregnancy. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby's leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is deliberately kept just inside the womb. (At this point in a partial-birth abortion, the baby is alive.) Then the abortionist jams scissors into the back of the baby's skull and spreads the tips of the scissors apart to enlarge the wound. After removing the scissors, a suction catheter is inserted into the skull and the baby's brains are sucked out. The collapsed head is then removed from the uterus. Animals in veterinarian offices and in research labs are not allowed to suffer like this. Why do we let members of our own race suffer in this fashion 1.5 million times a year? Let's make it a law that these victims receive anesthesia. Thank you. Thomas V. Messe, M.D. Groton, CT 06340
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