This November, voters in 10 states will encounter a ballot measure that could enshrine abortion as a constitutional “right.” Though the amendment language varies from state-to-state, all the ballot measures have one thing in common: they use deceptive language to mask the fact that if they pass, they could — based on the use of broad or undefined language — allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
The language
Nearly all the amendments that will be put before voters have language that allows abortion up until fetal “viability,” and past that time to protect the life or health (which could include mental health) of the mother.
For example, Florida’s amendment says, “[N]o law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health (emphasis added), as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” Similarly, Nebraska’s amendment reads, “All persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient…” (emphasis added).
Abortion advocates claim that this language limits abortion, but in the past, abortion advocates have successfully used this language to allow abortion for any reason under the guise that it was needed for the mother’s very broadly-defined “health.”
What is ‘viability?’
The term “viability” is used to describe an arbitrary cut-off, typically defined as the age at which a child can survive outside the womb. This is often considered to be around 24 weeks gestation, although children have survived outside the womb as young as 21 weeks when given proper medical care.
As these amendments are written, this arbitrary guideline could be determined by the abortionist — whose primary interest is to commit and profit from the abortion. This sets up a conflict of interest.
Abortion for ‘health reasons’
Abortion advocates will champion abortion at any stage to save the mother’s ‘health’ — but there is no an instance where it is necessary to deliberately kill the preborn child in order to protect the life or health of the mother. Abortion is the direct and intentional killing of a preborn child.
In cases where a mother’s life is in peril, the child may need to be delivered prematurely. Even if the child dies as a result of this premature birth, this is not the same as actively and intentionally killing the preborn. In fact, a third-trimester abortion is a days-long procedure in which the child is poisoned and then labor is induced so that the mother delivers her dead baby. If the mother’s life is in danger, an emergency c-section would take minutes — not days.
This distinction has previously been explained by OBGYN Dr. Ingrid Skop, the vice president and director of medical affairs for the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
READ: Shouldn’t doctors know the difference between natural death and intentional killing?
“As a practicing OB-GYN, I care for both a mother and her unborn child, and in my 30 years of practice, I have never had to resort to an abortion to save a woman’s life. In fact, about 90% of my obstetric peers refuse to perform elective abortions,” she has said, adding, “Abortion advocates have one goal: to spread confusion through lies. They want to increase abortions on demand at any time in pregnancy, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. It’s crucial that Americans, especially women, start questioning the abortion advocates weaponizing that confusion for their own benefit, rather than the pro-life protections that very clearly protect pregnant women facing heartbreaking situations.”
Mental health exceptions
Even in situations where a mother’s physical health is not at risk, some abortion advocates argue that abortion is necessary for the mother’s mental health.
Recently, Planned Parenthood used this idea of “mental health” to argue why a current abortion law in Indiana should be expanded, claiming that state law should allow the killing of preborn children due to the mother’s mental health. Though the judge disagreed with the abortion business, the tactic of promoting abortion for mental health is not new.
As Live Action News has previously reported, the abortionist himself who stands to profit from the abortion procedure can determine whether or not the abortion is necessary for the mother’s “mental health.” Planned Parenthood has also stated that it believes every abortion is “medically necessary.”
One group campaigning against an abortion amendment in Arizona is trying to underscore the danger of allowing abortion for a mental health exception, noting that while it is important to recognize that mental health crises are real, killing another human being is not the solution to that crisis.
“We can all have compassion for a situation where the woman’s mental health is at risk, but that’s not what we’re talking about here,” said Cindy Dahlgren, a spokesperson for the It Goes Too Far campaign, adding, “It pretty much opens the door and allows post fetal viability abortion for virtually any reason.”
What a late abortion really looks like
Warning: Graphic images
The most commonly used abortion procedure during the second trimester is dilation and evacuation (D&E), in which the child is dismembered while still alive, and removed from his mother’s womb.
During the third trimester, the abortionist utilizes the induction procedure. In this method, a drug called digoxin is injected into either the mother’s uterus or the child himself. This kills the baby, and labor is then induced so the mother gives birth to her dead child.
If these state ballot initiatives pass, they would result in a constitutional “right” for children to die. Here’s what their deaths would look like:
Baby Christopher was killed late in pregnancy at a D.C. abortion facility. Photo courtesy of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Baby Harriet was found in a medical waste bin outside a DC abortion facility. Photo courtesy of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
via https://molecularcytogenetics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13039-022-00584-3
Do the research on your state’s ballot initiatives here.
