I am a die hard Adlai Stevenson Democrat and believer in Obama, but there aren't any tears in evidence over here for the terrible fate befallen a purveyor of late term abortions, an abomination by any standard. I'm sorry for his family but I can't even look at his face. If anybody reading this doesn't know what late term abortions actually are I would advise looking it up. They should not be legal.

No, I think you're the one who needs to look up what they are. You can start here: <link>

Late-term abortions are illegal under most circumstances. They are performed only when continuing to term would cause severe harm to the mother, the fetus is already dead or will be stillborn, or birthing would condemn the baby to a very short life of nothing but suffering.

No one would complain "aborting" an already dead fetus, but I can't see the humanity involved in aborting a viable fetus. If the fetus is deliverable couldn't a mother in jeopardy be saved by some form of delivery? If it appears that a fetus will be still born but it is still viable then at least give it a chance. What is the essence of the stories on the website you linked?

And this is why the electorate should stay out of other people's medical decisions. "Is there any other way?" Well, no, apparently not! You think women are so dumb they don't ask this question to their doctors after carrying a wanted fetus to the third trimester?

OK, I read a few of the stories on your linked site and I see that I did jump too quickly to condemn and these people are dealing with terrible situations. I didn't know that ultrasound routinely revealed horrible defects for which there really is no medical solution. It's not as cut and dried as I thought nor is the definition of "viable". I had it in mind that the doctor was just accommodating people who were late deciders.

Lilitu, that is NOT TRUE. Kansas law, for example, also allows late term due to "mental health" of the mother, a dodge that Tiller frequently used to disguise an elective abortion.

mstrchld, this is the absolute first time I have ever seen anyone follow a line of reasoning and rethink a position on a web site. You are my new hero.

Can any of the 'late term' supporters speak to BlueEyesAustin's point about abortions of healthy late term fetuses being performed in order to accommodate the mother's "mental health" issues?

Kansas law once allowed for devastating mental health reasons for late-term abortions, providing that the mental health reasons were "irreversible and permanent" (as certified by an independent doctor with no financial connections to the doctor performing the abortion; all late-term abortions require this), but no longer does so. You can find the current statutes regarding abortion here: <link> The statutes begin at number 65-6701, or you can search by keyword if you prefer.

At any rate, the idea that women hang about until the pregnancy has already begun to take a serious toll on their bodies and then up and decide one day 7 months in to get an abortion, as BlueEyesAustin is suggesting, is a complete fabrication.

And may I just say that your earlier post about rethinking your position is a rarity in these sorts of discussions, and even if you ultimately return to your previous stance on the issue, I greatly appreciate that you have taken the time to learn more about it and give it serious consideration. Thank you.

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It is not a fabrication--it is the truth. Go look at the statistics on the Kansas Dept. of Health website.

BEA-- I looked at the stats. There are no women who either didn't have a nonviable baby or would have suffered irreversible health issues. It doesn't say anything about mental health. Find another outlet for your anguished conscience. Surely you are just as angry that this country has executed innocent men. Surely you want to adopt unwanted babies abandoned by drug-addicted parents. Surely you aren't a women, but for some reason think you know how a woman would feel about a baby she's carried for 7 months.

BlueEyesAustin:

It is not a fabrication--it is the truth. Go look at the statistics on the Kansas Dept. of Health website.

I suggest you look a little more closely at your own statistics. They don't say what you claim they do.

These are what women who have late term abortions face:

<link>

<link>

And this is the horror that women who have a pregnancy go awry in the second trimester or later will have to face because the number of clinics willing to do late term abortions is down to two:

<link>

To me, the fact that this woman couldn't get them to remove a dead fetus from her is simply horribly. Can you imagine having to lug around the dead body of your child for a week? Because that it essentially what was done to her.

Understand that the "health issues" determination was MADE BY TILLER. In 1999, in the more detailed records that came out at his trial, all of the "health issues" were mental.

Tiller was the guy who would kill any baby at any time. Some women wanted that service and he provided it for a substantial fee.

Physics girl, those are the cases cherry picked by the pro-choice crowd.

Did you know that one of Tillers aborted babies survived and lived to be five? Would have had a normal life except for Tiller poisoning her brain in the botched abortion.