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Partial-Birth Abortion Partial Birth Abortion (PBA) is a common term to refer to medical procedure of Intact Dilation and Extraction (IDX) as a method of interrupting pregnancy at its late terms. PBA is a special procedure of abortion, which includes extermination and intact removal of the fetus from mothers body. It can be successfully performed in the late second or third trimester of pregnancy, or in 20 - 26 weeks of it. As a rule, the surgical procedure consists of the following stages: (1) the abortionist turns the unborn baby into the position feet first; (2) abortionist pulls the baby from the mothers body until all but the head is exposed; (3) abortionist with the help of special scissors with the catheter enters into the base of the babys skull and to removes the babys brain out; (4) after effective collapse of babys skull easy removal of dead babys body from the mother is allowed. All the procedure must be made under local anesthesia and in properly equipped hospital operation room. First theoretical and practical researches of using technology of IDX for abortion were carried out in early 1990 th by Doctor W.
Martin Haskell from Dayton, Ohio, who is supposed to be the main inventor of PBA. He wrote principle instructional documents for IDX abortionists. In 1992 he started applying method of Dilation and Extraction as an alternative way to regularly used method of fetus dismemberment in late pregnancy stages, and he carried out more than thousand IDX operations. Dr. Haskell used to underline the main advantages of this method as quickness and relatively low risks; also he named the main disadvantages of it: the necessity of involvement of only experienced skilled surgeon to perform this operation and its possible danger for some women with poor health.
The other medical specialist, who conducted pioneer researches and widely practiced PBA, was Doctor James McMahon. Till summer 1995 he performed more than 2, 000 acts of PBA, and in his reports he classified the most frequent reasons of these abortions as the following: about 56 % of PBA cases became the results of diagnosed fetal flaws or sicknesses, like Down syndrome or cystic hydro; about 22 % of cases were caused by extreme psychological pressure and depression of future mothers; about 16 % of cases became the solution of physical problems and conditions conflicting with giving normal birth (too small pelvis or prolapsed uterus, etc. ) Dr. McMahon was frequently speaking about moral backgrounds of performing PBA, saying that if a mother wants to kill a child even at such late stages, it is better not to prohibit it, because what kind of mother she would be? One more specialist on early development and popularization of PBA was an Australian Doctor David Grundman, director of Planned Parenthood Center.
He used to make speeches and addresses to public, promoting PBA and supporting his mission with a variety of social reasons. He used to broaden the list of the main benefits of using this type of abortion for pregnant women in late terms, and his main arguments were opportunity to use less dangerous local anesthesia, relatively low risks of complications for a woman, low costs of the procedure and quite short time period, required for performing PBA. Besides, Dr. Grundmann classified all pregnant women, who are offered PBA into five categories: (1) women, whose babies are diagnosed to be with different abnormalities, (2) women, who suffer any type of crisis: social, psychological, mental, etc. , (3) women, who were not aware of their pregnancy before due to some physical abnormalities, like amenorrhea, (4) extremely young women, who did not reach maternal maturity, and (5) intellectually defected women, who did not know the basics of biology. Therefore, the main reasons of launching PBA operations were attempts to avoid risks for a mother and to stop development of diagnosed hard fetal abnormalities.
One of PBA supporters, Kate Michelman, the President of NARAL Pro-Choice America organization, wrote in a Scripps Howard News published June 16, 1996: "Late-term abortions are only used under the most compelling of circumstances -- to protect a woman's health or life or because of grave fetal abnormality... nearly all abortions are performed in the first trimester. " In the other press release of Planned Parenthood Federation of America it is stated that the procedure of PBA is "done only in cases when the woman's life is in danger or in cases of extreme fetal abnormality. " (Johnson) In December 1995 American Senate passed with 54 - 44 margin the Act, banning PBA in the United States. But in April 1996 President Bill Clinton vetoed this act, grounding his decision with support of health and life of American women and with reported popularity of IDX method for interrupting pregnancy. Six years later, in January 2003, government of George Bush adapted Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, which officially makes performing PBA illegal in the USA.
But, of course, in practice it did not result in total prohibition and termination of this method of abortion, and still there are more than 2, 000 PBA operations are being performed every year in our country. The issue of PBA is one of the most arguable and controversial in public understanding. The main subject of discussions between supporters and opponents of PBA is based on special cases of both mothers and babys health, which can make the procedure of PBA preferable to lower the risks. But, first of all, many critics of PBA find this act morally and ethically wrong, as any sort of abortion is, according to their opinion. Such people claim right to live for unborn babies, as they are already Gods creatures, but too very weak and small to protect themselves.
Besides, it is obvious from practice, that during the procedure unborn babies feel pain: this fact makes guilt and responsibility of all the participants of such a crime grow hundredfold, and PBA becomes a terrible deliberate physical assault. PBA opponents may say that if a baby was diagnosed to be seriously sick or somehow abnormal, it does not mean that he must be killed by abortion. First of all, there is always a probability of wrong diagnosis and prognosis, especially when a fetus is not born yet. Second, if a child will happen to have some physical or even mental abnormality, it does not mean that he will be invalid and failing in his life. Moreover, the majority of geniuses of our times had one or another sort of abnormality, so we must thank their mothers for not refusing to deliver these people to our world. Also, the opponents underline that PBA procedure is exceptionally risky for a pregnant womans health.
As PBA Ban Act states, such risks include: an increase in a woman's risk of suffering from cervical incompetence, a result of cervical dilation making it difficult or impossible for a woman to successfully carry a subsequent pregnancy to term; an increased risk of uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, and trauma to the uterus as a result of converting the child to a footling breech position and a risk of lacerations and secondary hemorrhaging due to the doctor blindly forcing a sharp instrument into the base of the unborn child's skull while he or she is lodged in the birth canal, an act which could result in severe bleeding, brings with it the threat of shock, and could ultimately result in maternal death. (PBA Ban Act). Frequently foes of PBA and abortion in general say that even if a child is unwanted, he must not be killed by abortion, because there are other ways for him, like adoption. They say that abortion, especially performed by such brutal procedure, can be much more harmful for a woman, than unwanted pregnancy, because feeling of guilt will stay with her during all the life. The main argument of supporters of PBA is reported popularity and relative safety of this method of abortion, despite of the statements in PBA Ban Act. Moreover, mostly, PBA are acts of necessity: in some cases women may not be aware of pregnancy or be not psychologically ready for it. There can be many reasons, why a woman was forced to carry a child till late terms of pregnancy, and legislation must not forfeit her right to use abortion and to interrupt the pregnancy, as she would do in early stages.
A pregnant woman must not become a baby-carrying devise, which is supposed to deliver a child in stipulated time, no matter what conditions are dominant in the situation. The other argument is the uniqueness of the opportunity of making abortion at late stages of pregnancy in special cases of fetus abnormalities. Unfortunately, modern medicine can diagnose and investigate any sort of diseases and pathologies of a baby only in second-third trimester of pregnancy. That is why PBA is exceptionally important, because it saves a woman from terrible suffering during labor, which will result in delivering of sick, abnormal or invalid child. Also, there are special cases, when a pregnant womans health is in danger and she physically can not continue carrying a child.
In other situation, some deformations and damages can be developing in pregnant womans body during the period of carrying a baby, so labor and delivery may result in her death. PBA becomes vital in such cases, and banning it can look as a murder: this time, of a woman. Furthermore, even if a woman is physically healthy, but still remains psychologically and mentally not ready for delivering and bringing up a child, PBA proponents may say that late term pregnancy abortion can be a good solution for such situation. The reason is: frequently, mothers mental and psychological instability results in child abuse, which can be much more terrible crime than abortion, and which can bring to some really hard negative consequences of different levels, from personal to global. In addition, PBA supporters frequently apply to some medical advantages of PBA as a method of abortion. They stay that intact removal of the baby also considerably decreases the risk of puncturing the uterus of a woman, or risk of damaging her cervix.
In addition, during the procedure abortionist removes the fetus largely intact, which advantages better evaluation and investigation of the fetus which was diagnosed before with any abnormalities. There are a lot of opponents and proponents of prohibition of PBA. President George W. Bush belongs to a group of strong opponents of this type of abortion, and the quotation from his campaign speech indicates his determination in banning it: "Partial birth abortion is an abhorrent procedure that must be ended once and for all. " (Katz, 2) At the same time ex-President Bill Clinton and former candidate for Presidency John Kerry are among the supporters of performing PBA, expressing concern about health and safety of millions pregnant women. There are different opinions among leading medical specialists. Members of American Medical Association strictly follow the policy of ban support, when medical specialists of National Abortion Association, the American Medical Women's Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Nurses Association criticize PBA Ban Act.
The address of NAA members to public states: "There are many reasons why women have late abortions: life endangerment, fetal indications, lack of money or health insurance, social-psychological crises, lack of knowledge about human reproduction, etc. " (EWTN) Of course, there is a large amount of opponents and proponents of PBA Ban Act among usual citizens of the United States. Recently different statistic opinion polls have demonstrated steady increase in group of ban supporters: in May 2000, approximately 66 % of Americans favored to Ban Act, when 29 % were against. (Hamilton) And the majority of respondent consider that point of abortion must not be a subject of public and legislative involvement, and nobody must be forced to do PBA. I personally think that this type of abortion is direct murder, because killing a baby in such a sadistic way can not be called in other word but homicide. If in normal conditions a pregnant woman is so very unwilling to have a child, there is an opportunity to make abortion during two first months of her pregnancy. But in the second trimester the baby is not an embryo anymore, it is already more or less formed human life, not very different from a baby in a cradle or at a playground. That is why, to my mind, PBA is obvious infanticide.
However, at the same time, I am against of total and categorical prohibition of this type of abortion in our country. There are some special medical cases, like, for example, heavy sickness or developing pathology of a baby in mothers body, or some other ones, when a woman must be allowed to choose PBA as the method to prevent physical and psychological suffering for her and for her child in the future. In such tragic cases it must be a private individual choice and civil right of every particular woman to end the pregnancy, so the government must not strictly ban PBA. Besides, to my mind, it is important that in such situations it must be only and exceptionally a medical specialist, who can recommend and approve the necessity of performing PBA. All the risks and danger, including health conditions of a pregnant woman and also the probability of wrong diagnosis of a baby, must be taken into consideration, and the decision about making PBA must be made by the doctor and pregnant woman in a private order only after proper medical tests and investigation. In anyway, along with the problems of abortion in general and the controversy of receiving the right to die in dignity, the issue of PBA remains very arguable and debatable.
I think, no matter how it will be regulated by the authorities, it will still remain the reason of discussions and misunderstandings in our community. It is not easy to find a compromise in limits of to ban or not to ban abortions, because every case is special and individual, every pregnant woman requires personal approach, care and understanding, and in many situations it is really difficult to decide, is the abortion really necessary, or it is just the price for some minutes of satisfaction in somebody's life. Bibliography: Hamilton, Tom. "Abortion, Partial Birth. " IDEA. 2 Dec. 2002. Database: International Debate Education Association. 14 May 2005 < web >. Johnson, Douglas. "Partial-Birth Abortion: A Closer Look. " National Rights to Life. 11 Sept. 1996. 14 May 2005 < web >. Katz, Nikki. "Partial Birth Abortion Abortion Ban Issue. " About. 2005.
About Inc. 14 May 2005 < web >. "Partial-birth Abortion. " Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 12 May 2005. Wiki Media. 14 May 2005 < web >. "Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. " The Orator. The Orator Network Inc. 14 May 2005 < web >. "What is a Partial-Birth Abortion?" Eternal World Television Network. 14 May 2005 < web >.
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Research essay sample on Partial Birth Abortion President Bill Clinton
