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Mmmm except they can now be done to include health, which is broad enough to cover possible depression. Abortions can also be done in the third trimester for fetal defects as minor as cleft pallet. It's supposed to be only for the life of the mother...and in that case, I have no objection. If it's going to disable or kill a woman, that's one thing. Oh yeah, and if you didn't know you were pregnant until the third trimester, you can have an abortion too, I think.

Partial birth abortion isn't always about saving the mother's life though. I mean, logically, D&E abortions don't involve the cervix dialating as much as D&X does, it can be dangerous because it involves turning the baby the wrong way, there's a chance the physician can miss because it's a blind incision, unless the head is too big to come through the cervix and that is why it's required, there's no benefit to doing it over D&E...well, the baby comes out whole instead of in pieces, there's that, but that's not exactly a life-saving thing. Luckily, it's rare, but it's still not always about saving a woman's life. There are few cases where it's needed to save a woman's life, and even then it's only because a C-section would be dangerous. That's not far-fetched since a C-section is risky in and of itself. With a hydrocephalus baby, it's gotta be a bigger cut than normal, too. But in most cases, you could save the woman's life with a D&E.

I just wanted to respond to your statement that it is cowardly to abort when your life is at risk. I feel that valuing your life more than your unborn child's isn't cowardly in that, in many cases, the unborn would die along with you. I feel that it is better to lose one life and save one than to lose two.

I do, however, fully support anyone who chooses to try to save their unborn child's life in cases where their own health might be at risk. Such a person is far braver than I.

In some cases an abortion is done to remove a dead fetus. I would assume that just about no one has a problem with abortion in those cases, but would love to hear from anyone who does.

That's a good point. I suppose because it is the same procedure, medically?

that was my point, but i said it in a more roundabout way- i can understand why people would choose to abort were there life in danger, and i can respect that decision either way. however, one who actually risks her life for her unborn child deserves all our praise and is truly honorable and noble.

The word abortion refers to abortion the pregnancy. Technically, the pregnancy still continues even when the fetus is dead. So the pregnancy is still being aborted, and it's the same medical procedure.
I agree that it's confusing though.
I wonder if they include abortions of fetuses that died naturally in abortion statistics? That would really inflate the numbers of late term abortions.

aye, but for the life of another. to the child she saved (if she saved one) was it not a valuable sacrafice? could, should this child exist today, you tell this child that they do not deserve life now that her mother has given hers for it? could yu, were it possible, sacrafice that child to bring back the mother? we are not dealing with a "clump of cells" here, as the fetus is so commoly called. it is now a human life that came of the sacrafice. do not demean her efforts to save a life.

What do you mean? I understand the stupid part bt what do you mean about a utilitarin standpoint.

Where did suicide come in? Suicide is tacking your own life. Sacrafice is giving your life for another. Knowing you're going to die through opregnancy and you still continue the pregnancy isn't suicide (if thats what you mean) Its a selfless sacrifice.