There are many readers here at BlogHer who will applaud this decision

yep, that would be me.

I am pro-life. I think abortion is bad. I understand that others feel differently. What I fail to understand is how the pro-choice movement can so wholeheartedly support abortions in the third trimester without even flinching.

The old argument about abortion centered around the viability of the fetus. If a baby couldn't survive on its own, then it was considered part of the woman's body. In the case of third trimester abortions, many of these babies could survive outside of their mother's womb. The way they are aborted is very disturbing and tragic.

Can you really say to me that you don't ever think twice about a healthy woman, who is 7 months pregnant, choosing to have an abortion? That is just unfathomable to me. I mean I really don't get it. Does the abortion movement never question itself or re-examine things? Is there ever a limit? Is there ever any time that it is inappropriate?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—which represents 90 percent of the OB GYNs in this country — says the ban is harmful to women's health and interferes with medical decision making.

This quote is very misleading. It implies(or infers?) that 90% of OB GYNs are against the ban. What it really means is that 90% of OB GYNs belong to this group, which is merely a professional association. This association's position is against the ban, but I hardly think that they held a vote to see how many agreed with the position.

Wheat Among Tares

I'm horrified at this ruling, not in the least because the "logic" and "reasoning" and "facts" behind it are completely flawed, if not outright false.

If you want to make a law, make a law. But don't completely misrepresent the facts in order to do so. What on earth does that say about the people who voted for this ruling? Are they naive, do they not fact check for themselves, or do they simply choose the facts that fit their political agenda?

Wait, this is the same government who swore there were WMDs in Iraq. Never mind, I answered my own question.

ThreeSeven... not just a number anymore

Suzanne,

I never said that these abortions represent the majority of abortions performed on women.

My understanding is that this applies to third-trimester pregnancies. 21 weeks is not in the third trimester. Seven months is the beginning of the third trimester which is why I use it as an example.

Pro-choice people are always throwing out the hypothetical questions to pro-life people: What if it's rape? what if it's incest? What if the mother's life is in danger?

Why is it so horrible to ask a question in that same vein. What if a healthy seven-months-pregnant woman wants an abortion? IS it always OK? Is there ever a time to say NO?!

Is there ever a method of abortion that is wrong?

Wheat Among Tares

Well put, Suzanne. I like the way you're cutting through a lot of the histrionics and hyperbole that surround an issue like this.

But if you're going to keep making posts like this, you're going to need this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/Scorpi084/FETUS.gif

One can only imagine where we go from here. Ginsburg became my hero today...

First, this NPR article.

For all those who think this ruling is a good thing, abortion cannot be stopped by prohibition. What it does is marginalise and criminalise, forcing women into more dangerous situations.

Not all, but certainly some that I encounter also are for abstinence only teaching, and to me... that is contradictory. So too being against universal health care.

Yes, I know this is banning d & x and not abortion... but is there any doubt this was done to clear the path for increasingly restrictive steps?

Margaret Atwood, I curse you for writing A Handmaid's Tale (and having a copy land in front of my nose.)

nelle

This is not a step down, finally it is a step up. Partial birth abortion is cruel and violent.

The Supreme Court describes the act perfectly:

The Act does not regulate the most common abortion procedures used in the first trimester of pregnancy, when the vast majority of abortions take place. In the usual second-trimester procedure, "dilation and evacuation" (D&E), the doctor dilates the cervix and then inserts surgical instruments into the uterus and maneuvers them to grab the fetus and pull it back through the cervix and vagina. The fetus is usually ripped apart as it is removed, and the doctor may take 10 to 15 passes to remove it in its entirety."

While you've referenced the right of those of us who are religious to believe what we wish, one would hope that even those who are atheists would believe this to be a terrible and inhumane way to die. This is not destroying the separation of church and state. We're not talking about the left's excuse that "it's just a bunch of cells". This is an actual fetus being destroyed and killed.

I'm happy to see that the court has upheld this ban.

Dana from The Dana Files.