Inventing Medical Procedures

I know this is a particularly difficult subject, even here on the backporch, but this is a sad but powerful story from a woman who had an abortion that would fall into the specifics of the overly-broad, ignorantly-non-medical Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.

“I’m pleased that all of you have joined us as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 becomes the law of the land,” Bush said. After singling out 11 political supporters of the bill — all of them men — the president whipped the 400-strong, antiabortion crowd into a frenzy. … The signing ceremony staged by the White House was part evangelical tent revival, part good ol’ boy pep rally, ending with the audience muttering “Amen.” …

At the heart of the debate is a term that legislators concocted. They created a nonexistent procedure — partial-birth abortion — and then banned it. … But in the bill, there is no mention of fetal viability (the point at which a fetus could live independently of its mother for a sustained period of time).

Posted by etrigan at January 26, 2004 4:50 PM