Posted by
Shogrensus on Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:20:12 PM
The women seem to think that the Court's decision chips away at Roe:
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BW: The worry about this is not the partial birth abortion, well yes it is but the worry one of the dissenters Ruth Bader Ginsberg said and I am going to read it: “The majority opinion can not be understood in anything other than an effort than to chip away at a right declared again and again by the Court and that is Roe V. Wade.” They are afraid that this begins to chip away
Rosie: It does
Joy: But this is what the NRA says too though about gun control they also say that if you ban certain guns then you are chipping away at the Second Amendment. Everybody has the same argument
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There is no chipping in this decision. Roe v. Wade prohibited the government from intervening in a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy before the fetus was viable- meaning it could survive outside the womb. This viability was determined to occur at the quickening or at approximately 20 weeks.
The very nature of partial birth abortions require they occur after this point in time. Partial birth abortions are performed because a woman has learned her baby has a disability. These determinations are generally made following a triple screen or an ultrasound. These tests are generally performed at between 15 and 18 weeks of gestation.
If a woman has an abnormal blood test or ultrasound, she will almost always be referred for further testing, which will often take one to two weeks to schedule. Once a prenatal diagnosis of a disability is confirmed, the woman, and her partner if there is one, will be counseled about their options.
I know from my personal experiences working with families who have children with disabilities that many doctors encourage women to abort children who will have disabilities. This is true even if the disability may be relatively easy to manage. For example, most children born today with Down Syndrome have few medical problems that can't be easily managed. Most children with Down Syndrome can be effectively integrated into school programs and enjoy activities n the community. There are hundreds of thousands of adults living with Down Syndrome today. Many sources now indicate that over 80% of babies testing positive prenatally for Down Syndrome are aborted.
Prenatal Partners for Life is a non-profit that can help women and their partners who have received a prenatal diagnosis get information about their diagnosis.