My thoughts on Abortion/Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy

 

 

I'll start with science and terminology, since working in a facility that provided voluntary interruption of pregnancy is where my pre-programmed religious misinformation first fell apart. Abortion is the medical term for miscarriage (spontaneous abortion, incomplete abortion, missed abortion) in the medical record. And the elective procedure that everyone calls abo
rtion is voluntary interruption of pregnancy (usually VIP in the record). As part of my job, I reviewed pathology reports of all normal tissue removal and presented/discussed with surgeons and pathologists in monthly meetings. So, I saw the reports and was SHOCKED (at the time) to discover that there were no arms and legs, or screams and crying as the Catholics who had misled me had claimed. The products of conception were seldom bigger than or different from a heavy period clot - IF that big. About 10% of all potential pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion (miscarriage). Learning this changed my perception drastically.

·         ICD-10-CM Code for Complete or unspecified spontaneous abortion without complication O03. 9.

·         An incomplete abortion is the partial loss of the products of conception within the first 20 weeks. Incomplete abortion usually presents with moderate to severe vaginal bleeding, which may be associated with lower abdominal and/or pelvic pain.

·         A missed abortion is a nonviable intrauterine pregnancy that has been retained within the uterus without spontaneous abortion. Typically, no symptoms exist besides amenorrhea, and the patient finds out that the pregnancy stopped developing earlier when a fetal heartbeat is not observed or heard at the appropriate time.

·         What is elective termination of pregnancy? The term elective abortion or voluntary abortion describes the interruption of pregnancy before viability at the request of the woman, but not for medical reasons. Most abortions done today are elective, and thus, it is one of the most frequently performed medical procedures.

·         Early pregnancy loss is common. It happens in about 10 of 100 known pregnancies.

·         Bleeding during miscarriage can appear brown and resemble coffee grounds. Or it can be pink to bright red. It can alternate between light and heavy or even stop temporarily before starting up again. If you miscarry before you're eight weeks pregnant, it might look the same as a heavy period.

AMA Journal of Ethics - Why We Should Stop Using the Term “Elective Abortion”

From a religious perspective:

·         The word "abortion" does not appear in any translation of the bible.

·         It shouldn't matter what the Bible says about abortion. The United States is not a theocracy.

·         You cannot claim an unborn pregnancy as a dependent on tax forms, so it is not a person by law.

In my opinion, anyone who believes they are judging this procedure based on religious tenet must either think their god is a heartless jerk or not believe there is a spirit/soul that simply takes up residence in a human body for a time, which defies the commonly espoused ideas of heaven and hell. To qualify further discussion of this topic with me, a person must tell me their personal belief of when the soul enters the body. If it is at conception, I want to know what in their study negated an argument that jumping from one host body to another isn’t a version of heaven or being forced to stay unwelcomed in a host that will only mistreat that spirt isn’t hell. If, at this point, a person literally visualizes hell as eternal flames and heaven as gold-lined streets and can’t continue this discussion, I don’t think this person’s intelligence provides what is necessary to continue this discussion.

In alliance with my personal principles: the decision to continue or terminate an unwanted pregnancy for any reason should be the choice of the mother whose body will be obligated to carry the pregnancy. If she is in a relationship with the father, I believe he should be included in the decision making but, ultimately, if they disagree, the final decision belongs only to her. I believe this decision should be made as soon as possible in the case of voluntary interruption of pregnancy. In the case of life and death for the mother or baby, it should be as soon as possible after life-and-death is determined by the physician. Contrary to often repeated lies, there are very few late-term terminations, and physicians only perform them in life-and-death situations.

My thoughts on trying to preserve products of conception that have not fully developed to exist without life-support and a guarantee of a thriving human in the end are not solid. I believe there are many variables that must be considered. The length of time that the mother has to safely make that decision and the advice of qualified pediatricians, as well as available social services to provide medical care, housing, proper nutrition, and a life worth living should all be considered. THIS is the discussion that an intelligent, caring society would be having instead of the one we’ve been having.

Outlawing voluntary interruption of pregnancy, blurring the lines between science and religion, taking rights away from women, destroying a democracy to bring in a theocracy – none of this will make this a better world. And no god worth the *idea* that desperate believers have created of him/it would waste another second without smiting the people who are trying to make women their livestock.

Smite is the key word. It’s all about smite – who gets to smite, who gets smote, do we smite real live women or potential pregnancies.