What Is Abortion?

Matt A. who is a practicing Obstetrician/Gynecologist from Minnesota has written an article on his blog about the killing of late-term abortionist, George Tiller. In his article Matt first unequivocally condemns his killing and then continues to discuss the nature of Tiller's occupation. The whole article is well worth reading, however I was particularly affected by Matt's first-hand description of what exactly occurs during an abortion.

The typical woman seeking an abortion is young and has never had a baby, so the exam itself is not comfortable, not to mention injecting the novacaine, dilating the cervix and suctioning out the baby. Once done, the canister containing the baby and placenta may be emptied into a container to count arms and legs and identify head, thorax and placenta as confirmation all the parts are out. Many places don’t even do that. The woman may be watched for a short time–very short time–and hustled out the door with a prescription for pain meds and instructions to go to the ER if problems develop.

And those are the easy ones.

abortion at 9 weeks (1st trimester)

An abortion done after 14 weeks entails more risk and more time, but the encouragement to proceed, the tight organization to make maximum money with minimal effort, the quick discharge and use of ER for complications is the same.

Abortionists prefer D&E (dilatation and evacuation) from 14 to 18 weeks. The procedure is like a suction, except 1) the baby is more developed and doesn’t collapse into the suction tube easily 2) the cervix has to be open to a bigger diameter to get it out 3) the blood loss is greater 4) the risk of perforating the uterus with an instrument is greater and 5) the pain is more severe. After opening the cervix overnight with laminaria or cervical ripening medicines, the abortionist dilates the cervix even more, then inserts a large grasping forceps with tissue-crushing teeth into the uterus, crushes the baby and removes it in pieces. Then the abortionist suctions out the remaining pieces and the placenta.

Past 18 weeks, the abortionist may inject a strong salt solution into the uterus through the abdomen which kills the baby. The patient then labors over the next 1-2 days and delivers a dead baby. (Not always, of course, but that’s the plan.)

abortion at 24 weeks (2nd trimester)

Also, past 18 weeks, the abortionist may choose D&X (partial birth abortion). I would imagine this technique would have been the one done most by Mr. Tiller, as he specialized in late term abortions. With a D&X, he would open the cervix as in a D&E abortion. Then an assistant would scan the baby with the ultasound while Mr. Tiller would insert grasping tools through the cervix into the uterus to grab the baby’s feet or legs and deliver the baby up to the head. The head stops in the cervix because it is too firm and too big to get through. Mr. Tiller would then take a long, sharply-pointed scissors and poke it into the skull, spread it apart to make a hole and insert the suction tube into the skull. Then he would apply suction to empty out the brains which collapses the skull. The now-dead baby then comes all the way out.

Picture this if you can without vomiting. The baby is 3/4 of the way out, wiggling and squirming in the abortionists hand when he sticks the scissors into the skull. The baby stiffens to the trauma. When the abortionist applies the suction, the baby goes completely limp, dead, is removed and then discarded into the trash.

If you find the images offensive, I can offer no apology. These images of broken and bloodied bodies are the result of legal abortions which are defended by the action or inaction of our members of Parliament, and also by such groups of dubious repute as the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand.