The "Medical Necessity" of Abortion

The Facts.

Last week, as I painfully observed the rich, entitled, narcissistic Women and Dudes in Kamala’s circle time, my head exploded in pain and my heart wrenched as person after person professed the Absolute Need or Medical Necessity for ABORTION. Abortion was the alpha and omega. Abortion is what every women needs and demands. Abortion saves the lives of women. Abortion must be the law of the land and permitted without restriction because if you don’t support abortion, you don’t support women, and women will die! Further, we must support abortion because as Pete Buttigieg eloquently professed, “Abortion is freeing for men.” Men can rape and abuse women and coerce a woman into an abortion. The evidence is removed: no child, no child support, no rape charges. It was all a misinterpretation. Abortion and forced sterilization are the holy grail for those who engaged in human trafficking. The stark reality is abortion enslaves both men and women in a lie that destroys the life of a child and the hearts and souls of women and men across this nation.

Below, I am going to outline with clear language what many in the pro-life movement fail to do: state clearly and unequivocally that abortion is NEVER MEDICALLY NECESSARY. Stop buying the lies and distortions and arm yourself with the TRUTH. I am writing this so that each of you can tackle this issue head on for the next 90 days and spread the news to each of your contacts and to all the your affiliated organizations. In particular, I am asking you to reach out to your daughters, granddaughters, sisters, aunts, the women in your life, and fathers of daughters, and engage in a discussion with the FACTS. I am writing this so that every priest, pastor, and rabbi will stop with the group hugs and speak the truth. Abortion is never medically necessary. I further assert that the relative absence of regular statements or active teaching about abortion in our churches, synagogues and other religious or non-religious institutions who profess to be pro-life creates a vacuum that is rapidly filled by voices of deceit that sow destruction.

WE MUST STAND TOGETHER AND FIGHT THE DESTRUCTION OF UNBORN CHILDREN.

Definitions:

Spontaneous Abortion: This is a MISCARRIAGE, and is in no way equivalent to an elective abortion. The baby inside its mother’s womb/uterus dies, due to some condition, but the baby’s death is not caused by a direct action of the mother or the doctor. The baby is less than 20 weeks old. The first half of the pregnancy. This is as define by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Stillbirth: The death of a baby in the womb/uterus of a woman after 20 weeks gestation or development. The baby can die for multiple reasons, but nothing is done to purposefully or intentionally cause the death of the unborn baby.

ELECTIVE Abortion: A child in the womb is killed by chemical poisoning or surgically removal. This is is a choice, not a necessity.

Elective Chemical Abortion: The mother is prescribed a “medication” to stop the hormones necessary for the pregnancy to continue. Without these hormones, the placenta separates from the uterine wall, the growing baby dies. The baby and placenta pass through the vagina. Please note this “medication” should not be given beyond 10 weeks, however, many women take these pills without proof of the stage of development and without proof that the pregnancy is in the uterus.

Please note in some instances a chemical abortion can be reversed. This needs to be done as soon as possible after the first dose of “medication” is taken. This must be a part of informed consent if this “medication” is prescribed. Patients are rarely if ever given this information.

Elective abortions, chemical and surgical, occur approximately 800,000-1,000,000 times a year. This is not rare. It is not safe.

Safety concerns post elective abortion include but are not limited to: post surgical complications, hemorrhage, perforation of the uterine wall by a surgical instrument, infection related to products of conceptions remaining within the uterus, damage to the cervix by forced dilation, infection related to sexual transmitted disease in vagina introduced into the uterus, anemia from post surgical bleeding, increased risk of miscarriage in future pregnancies, scarring of the uterine wall, increased risk of breast cancer, increased risk of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and substance abuse.

Ectopic Pregnancy: The developing child implants outside of the uterus, typically in the fallopian tube. This can be an emergency and treatment is permitted in all 50 states. We do not need elective abortion on demand to treat a ectopic pregnancy.

D and C or Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is a surgical procedure that removes tissue from the inside of the uterus.

• A D&C can be preformed on a woman who is not pregnant to remove tissue from the inside of the uterus.

• A D&C can be preformed on a woman who has miscarried. The baby in her uterus has died. The doctor removes the placenta and the dead baby from the uterus. THIS IS NOT AN ABORTION, BECAUSE THE BABY HAS ALREADY DIED. THIS IS LEGAL IN EVERY STATE. THIS IS NOT AN ELECTIVE ABORTION.

• A D&C IS ALSO ONE OF THE PROCEDURES USED TO REMOVE A LIVING BABY FROM THE UTERUS. THIS IS AN ELECTIVE ABORTION, BECAUSE IT IS PERFORMED WITH THE INTENT TO KILL THE BABY. IT IS A CHOICE. THIS IS A PROCEDURE THAT HAS OCCURRED MILLIONS OF TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE A PERSON DECIDED IT WAS INCONVENIENT OR PROBLEMATIC TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE CHILD. KEEP READING FOR MORE ON THE ETHICS OF THIS.

• The instruments and mechanics of a D&C for a miscarriage may be similar to an elective abortion, however, the major difference is that in an elective abortion, the child in the uterus/womb is alive. In an elective abortion, the purposeful intention is to take the life of the child, to remove a living viable child from the woman’s uterus/womb.

• After a D&C, in an elective abortion or miscarriage, it is critical that the surgeon or staff identify the products of conception, POC, translated, the arms, legs, torso and head. It is necessary that all the parts are removed in order to reduce the chances of post surgical infection or other complications.

Age of Viability: The age in which a baby can survive outside the womb. This does not mean the child will not need medical support. The age of viability is currently 21-22 weeks gestation. This means the child has the potential to live outside the mother. This does not mean the baby will survive these challenging circumstances outside the mother. Gestational age, fetal weight, sex, and medical interventions are critical factors determining whether or not the baby will survive. The baby is delivered either through a vaginal delivery or a Cesarean section (surgical incision in abdomen and then the uterus to remove the baby.)

Late-Term Elective Abortion: This occurs in the last trimester of a pregnancy. The uterus can be injected with toxic saline to kill the baby. The baby’s heart can be stopped via a toxic injection/poison or a needle piercing the heart in order to damage the heart resulting in death or the baby can be surgical dismembered leading to death. The baby is removed via a vaginal delivery or via dismemberment (cutting the baby in parts and removing the individual parts through the vagina.)

Children with birth defects, Down Syndrome, or other chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomal testing is highly suspect. I am not alone in treating women who have been told that their unborn child had a chromosomal defect following an amniocentesis, the withdrawal of the fluid around the baby in the uterus. This procedure evaluates the cells from the fluid and draws conclusions about possible birth defects in the child. This procedure has a false positive rate. There are mothers who were told their child had a birth defect or chromosomal abnormality. They were offered an elective abortion to end the life of the baby because it was assumed the mother/family did not want the expense or burden of caring for a "damaged” child. These women courageously continued their pregnancies and delivered healthy children with no evidence of a chromosomal abnormality.

Further, there are children who suffer from severe genetic or other developmental abnormalities and are unlikely to survive for a sustained length of time outside the womb. Neonatal hospice is available for these families. They have the opportunity to love the child in the womb and love the child for the brief period of time outside the womb. This is a life affirming choice. The child is not a broken toy that can simply be thrown in the garbage. The child should not be killed simply because it has a shortened life expectancy or a malformation. How many us would be killed because of our handicaps? Are lives less valuable because of handicaps? Is our power and conceit so great that we must use it to crush those who simply need to be loved for a brief period of time?

The above definitions and comments are necessary to evaluate the quagmire around abortion.

The Drama

Act 1: A Texas woman speaking for the Kamala Harris machine stated she had a miscarriage and was unable to obtain a D&C following the miscarriage. She reportedly was informed by physicians that they would lose their license to practice medicine if they preformed a D&C to remove the fetal remains. She was told this was Texas law. FALSE. Texas law clearly states that a miscarriage is not an elective abortion. It is a spontaneous abortion, and it is in no way, shape, or form outlawed in Texas or any of the 50 states. In a miscarriage, by definition, the baby has already died. For most women, this is a profoundly sad and painful event. Many hospitals provide mothers and fathers with spiritual support and memorial services.

Further, for those NPR listeners, who state that the D&C performed in a miscarriage and an elective abortion are the mechanistically and morally equivalent, you are mistaken. In a miscarriage, the woman generally has signs that the baby has died. Her hormone levels are dropping and she has begun to bleed as if beginning a period. An ultrasound will reveal lack of a heartbeat or other signs of a fetal death. A woman can elect to pass the fetal remains naturally. She will experience what appears to be a heavy menstrual cycle with larger than normal clots or tissue depending on the size of the baby. She may also elect to have a medical procedure to remove the contents of the uterus, placenta and deceased child, either by a suction instrument or a tool that scrapes the inside of the uterine wall. The clear and moral difference is the baby has already died. In an elective abortion, the woman’s hormone levels have not fallen and the baby is alive. Thus, the procedure kills the baby growing in the mother’s womb. The placenta is not detached from the uterine wall. The placenta was designed to be the mesh network between the mother and baby bringing a blood supply of food and oxygen to this growing human life. It is strong. It is does not detach easily. Women can run, walk, horseback ride and engage in countless physical activities throughout much of their pregnancies.

Texas Law permits ALL procedures to remove the contents of the uterus after a fetal demise or unborn baby’s death. Further, Texas Law does not prohibit any abortion preformed to avert the woman’s death or a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

The above section of law is a source of much confusion on both sides of the isle, because it assumes that circumstances exist in which an elective abortion is medical necessary. This is FALSE. This is where our legislators get it wrong. This is where doctors are are lackeys to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry and medical industrial complex.

During a pregnancy, there are two patients: the mother and her unborn child. If at some point during the pregnancy, either the mother or the baby’s life is endanger or if both are in danger, the lifesaving intervention is clear: DELIVER THE BABY. Deliver the baby to save the baby. Deliver the baby to save the mother. An emergency c-section can be preformed rapidly. If the mother’s life is in distress and the pregnancy is causing a risk to her life, the baby can rapidly be delivered and all measures can be performed to save her life. If the baby’s life is endanger and it can no longer be maintained in the uterus, ie., premature rupture of membranes or the sac containing amniotic fluid, placing the baby at risk, the baby can be delivered. This is a regular practice in hospitals. The baby is provided with intensive care life support and there is an understanding that the baby may die, but the intention was not to take the life of the baby or the mother.

If in this same scenario an elective abortion is done, it may take multiple days to dilate the cervix in order to introduce the instruments to dismember the child and remove it from the womb. If the mother or baby’s life is truly endanger, this is a long time.

Removal of Ectopic Pregnancy is NOT an abortion. In the emergency of an ectopic pregnancy, typically the fallopian tube or other area of implantation is surgically removed. The intention is to save the mother’s life and remove the damaged or diseased fallopian tube or ovary in order to prevent the tube or ovary from rupturing and causing a hemorrhage. The removal of the tube/ovary will save the life of the mother. When the tube/ovary is removed, the blood supply to the very small baby will be stopped and the growing child will die. This was not the explicit purpose of the procedure, it is a secondary result.

The same concept can apply if a woman has a cancerous uterus. The cancerous uterus can be removed in order to save the mother’s life. Again, the intent is to remove the uterus that is filled with disease. The baby is not the disease.

Further, if a woman is diagnosed with cancer during her pregnancy, this does not require the mother to delay chemotherapy. The mother can continue with chemotherapy. The mother is aware that a consequence of that therapy may damage her growing child. Again, the intention of the treatment is to save the life of the mother. For a moving story of a mother and her unborn daughter and their journey to survive breast cancer during pregnancy, please read, Threads of Grace.

Act 2: A second woman on Kamala’s Zoom call, presented the scenario of a mother’s life in danger with the presumed single option to save her life being abortion. The young women described presenting to the ER in her second trimester of pregnancy with a premature rupture of membranes. She was told she needed an abortion. She was sent home under the premise that nothing could be done because state law prohibited the abortion. WRONG. There is nothing in law in any state in this country that would prevent the baby from being delivered or an abortion being preformed, even in TEXAS. The question is why would you elect to kill the baby when you can elect to save the baby’s life?

Let’s stop and think about this case. The baby may be in distress because of low levels of amniotic fluid. The mother may be at risk for multiple reasons. The women is in her second trimester. The baby may be viable outside the womb. In cases similar to the above, if the baby can be stabilized in the womb, the mother is given medication to help mature the lungs to increase its ability to survive post delivery. The baby is carefully monitored and a c-section is planned. Alternatively, if the baby or mother was in distress that cannot be stabilized, an emergency c-section can be preformed. The emergency c-section promotes life for mother and child.

Further, if the mother chose to have an elective abortion in this situation, it would be legal even in TEXAS. However, if well informed, I believe most mothers would chose delivery of the baby rather than the deliberate act to end the child’s life.

Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and other states have increased limits on elective abortion. None of these states prohibit abortion if the mother’s life is in danger.

If in fact the doctors in this case did send this pregnant mother home without appropriate follow up other than to deny an elective abortion, that action or lack of action is consistent with malpractice. I do not have the records, thus, this is a hypothetically description of options. However, the take home message is this mother could have delivered her child via emergency c-sec and that baby may be alive today.

Lawyers: I am struggling to comprehend how the doctors involved in the above incidents were so ignorant of the law. Hospitals pay their legal staff millions of dollars. Was the legal and advisory team to the physicians so negligent that it failed to inform, discuss and debate, the medical repercussions of the law and its application in Labor and Delivery as well as in the Emergency Room? Are the doctors so ill informed that they could not simply read the law to understand how to document decisions made during the emergency? Did the doctors just assume the propaganda from Planned Parenthood was correct?

Rape. Rape is a painful trauma. I am not denying the pain and suffering linked to rape. Women may experience many painful events linked to sex. These painful events can be addressed and women can move on with the strength gained from working through the pain and suffering. When anyone experiences a trauma, we should not tell them their life is over. The event in the course of a lifetime is simply a painful event. This too is not to minimize the pain. However, the goal of treatment for the trauma is not to let the trauma define one’s life.

Pregnancy occurs in rape in less than 1% of the cases. Again, I am not minimizing this. This young woman is now facing an additional burden. However, this is an opportunity for those around her to provide her with a network of strength and protection in the midst of her fear and uncertainty. Many woman have carried their unborn children to term under these difficult circumstances. The children are grateful. The baby is not the enemy. The killing of the baby will not erase the scars of the rape. However, recognizing the human life and the dignity of that human life within her can bring healing. Bad things happen but do we direct our anger and range at the defenseless child within the womb?

Women are strong. I am tired of hearing that if you become pregnant in high school or college or while on a career path that your life is over. Kiss it all goodbye. This is demeaning to the strength of women. I have treated countless women over the years who became pregnant under countless challenges. The challenges did not end when the baby was born, but each of these women, found strength, learned and made decisions focused on providing for and empowering their families. It is also a fallacy that women who plan each pregnancy and event in their lives are happy and fulfilled. The reality is that as much as we think we are in charge of our lives, each of will face obstacles. Those obstacles come in many forms: the death of child because of an accident, the child diagnosed with a rare disease, the death of a parent. Life happens. However, each of us has the power to make life affirming decisions that recognize the dignity of each human being from conception to natural death. When we fail to recognize the humanity and sacredness of the most innocent, then how can we expect others to recognize and treat us with dignity and respect when we are weak and suffering? When children in the womb are labeled disposable property, we have just made ourselves disposable.

The medical necessity of abortion is a lie, a distortion of medical science and ethics. It destroys the doctor-patient relationship and is violation of the Hippocratic Oath. It reduces the sacredness of human life to property, disposable. Do you want others to see your life as disposable? The government certainly does.

Take this information and spread the TRUTH. THERE IS NEVER A MEDICAL NECESSITY FOR ABORTION, the direct intention to kill an unborn child. Sadly, despite this fact, the law of the land, in all 50 states, allows a woman to take the life of her unborn child in a “medical emergency” when she could choose a life affirming option.

Sheila M. Furey, MD