Cover TOP 10 MYTHS ABOUT ABORTION By Ingrid Skop, M.D. family research council Washington, D.C. A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope the points I have raised in this paper will cause those who consider themselves to be “pro-choice” to question some of the assumptions they have made about abortion. Abortion is a difficult topic to talk or even think about. It has invaded deeply into the fiber of our society precisely because most of us do not want to address it until it confronts us directly. While most Americans have ignored it and while our health departments and medical societies have turned a blind eye to it, abortion has adversely affected far too many women, injured many physically and emotionally, destroyed families, and damaged the psyche of our country. Pro-abortion rhetoric sounds so benign (“women’s rights”; “reproductive freedom”; “women’s health care”) that many times we fail to think about what these terms represent. You don’t have to believe like I do—that abortion is harmful to women, families, and society. But please have the courage to look into it yourself. Follow the leads I have provided in the citations to study this subject more deeply. Begin to have difficult conversations with friends and family so you can help others to really confront this issue too. It is time that our country sees abortion for what it really is—for the sake of women and children yet unborn. Ingrid Skop, M.D. April 23, 2018 Ingrid Skop, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. has been a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist in San Antonio, Texas for 22 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in physiology from Oklahoma State University and her medical doctorate from Washington University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Skop is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a Board Member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). She is the Board Chairman of Any Woman Can Pregnancy Resource Center in San Antonio and is a Charlotte Lozier Institute Associate Scholar. Dr. Skop is married to a physician and is the proud mother of two sons and a daughter. CONTENTS 1. “Abortion does not destroy a human life.” ............................................................. 1 2. “Abortion is a constitutional right.” ...................................................................... 6 3. “Abortion is a religious issue.” .............................................................................. 11 4. “Most abortions are done for compelling reasons.” ................................................. 14 5. “A fetus does not feel pain during an abortion.” .................................................... 21 6. “Abortion is safer than childbirth.” ....................................................................... 28 7. “Abortion is an important part of women’s health care.” ........................................ 37 8. “Most Americans support abortion on demand.” ................................................... 42 9. “Government has no right to be involved in the legislation of abortion.” ...............46 10. “Abortion on demand has made women’s lives better.” ........................................... 49 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. MYTH 01 “ABORTION DOES NOT DESTROY A HUMAN LIFE.” 1 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. MYTH #1: “ABORTION DOES NOT DESTROY A HUMAN LIFE.” In the ongoing abortion debate, pro-life advocates frequently cite the “Right to Life,” while pro-abortion advocates invoke the “Right to the Pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”1 The first question that must be addressed, it seems, is “Is the fetus a human life?” From a scientific perspective, this is not a controversial question. The term “fetus” (from a Latin word meaning “offspring”) is a medical term that refers to a human being in the prenatal stage of development in the womb. Life is commonly defined as organisms that “maintain homeostasis, are composed of cells, have a life cycle, undergo metabolism, can grow, adapt to their environment, respond to stimuli, reproduce and evolve.”2 These are ANY BASIC PHYSIOLOGY TEXTBOOK WILL incontrovertible properties of a fetus. This definition, however, does CONFIRM THAT WITH FERTILIZATION, A not cover organs, which although COMPLETE COMPLEMENT OF 46 HUMAN they are a part of a living organism, CHROMOSOMES COMES INTO EXISTENCE cannot reproduce; or egg and THAT IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT FROM sperm, which are single living cells THAT OF EITHER PARENT. that do not have the ability to fulfill these functions unless they combine to form an embryo. The next question is, “When does the fetus become alive?” Again, scientifically, there is not much controversy here. Any basic physiology textbook will confirm that with fertilization, a complete chromosomal complement of 46 human chromosomes results (uniquely different from that of either parent), and the one-celled embryo begins dividing rapidly.3 Even before 2 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. implantation, local secretions provide nutrition for the zygote. Basic obstetrics textbooks tell us that “a biomolecular communication system is established between the zygote/blastocyst/embryo/ fetus and mother that is operative from before the time of nidation (implantation) and persists through the time of parturition (birth).”4 So, at first glance, it seems straightforward. From conception/implantation, the fetus is a living human; the Declaration of Independence states that all humans in our country have a right to life; and common morality agrees that it is wrong to kill an innocent living human being; so it seems the fetus should be allowed to live. To summarize, let’s briefly outline the stages of fetal development: Conception occurs within 24-48 hours after intercourse, when the egg and sperm unite to form a zygote, a one-celled embryo. This organism has a unique genetic makeup formed by the combination of the mother’s and father’s chromosomal material. He has the genetic blueprint that will determine the characteristics of the person he will become. This highly complex information will guide the development of this unique human from now until death. The only thing necessary for his growth and development is oxygen, food, water, and a healthy interaction with his natural environment.5 Implantation occurs after the embryo travels through the fallopian tubes and implants into the uterine wall about 5-7 days after fertilization. Biochemically, the pregnancy hormones can be detected in the blood at this point. The embryo rapidly grows and differentiates. The precursor to the nervous system appears between days 12 and 17. By 21 days after conception, the heart starts beating and pumping blood; by 30 days, arms, legs, and brain begin to form; and by 35 days, mouth, nose, and ears begin to develop.6 Within 40 days, measurable brain waves begin, and by 42 days (6 weeks), the skeleton and internal organs are present, and the brain controls limb movement. By 8 weeks, the hands have formed and fingerprints are forming; by 9 weeks, fingernails are forming and he can be seen on the sonogram sucking his thumb; by 10 weeks, he squints, swallows, and frowns; by 12 weeks, he smiles and has intricate hand and feet movements. At this point, all his organs are present.7 Viability occurs when the baby has the ability to survive separately from his mother. Currently, this occurs around 22 weeks based on “last menstrual period,” only 20 weeks after conception (ovulation—and thus conception—usually occurs about two weeks after the menstrual period). At the time of Roe v. Wade in 1973, viability occurred around 28 weeks. Viability is a subjective measurement dependent on the availability of technology that can assist the baby’s breathing and eating, and it is a standard that is continuing to develop to accommodate younger and younger babies. New technology, including the development of an artificial womb, causes the point of viability to become even more uncertain.9 This discussion should make it clear that a fetus is a living human being. To “terminate a pregnancy” of a living fetus is killing a human being. It is frustrating to hear a fetus being described as a “mass of tissue” or “tumor” or “parasite” by pro-abortion activists. There are many 3 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. of these activists who feel that this killing is justified due to the demands the fetus places on his mother, but this argument ignores the fact that a newborn baby places demands on the mother as well through nursing, changing diapers, etc. Some pro-abortion activists apply the principles of “just war.” But none can deny that the fetus is alive.10 In order to have an honest discussion on this issue, we need to come to terms with what we are talking about. Thus, we have seen that “fetus” and “infant” are names for sequential stages in the development of a single human being. Yet, the law serves to protect the life of one, while neglecting to protect the life of the other. Philosophically, we should be willing to ask ourselves, what is the difference between a fetus and an infant? What makes one’s life worth protecting, while the other’s is not? Is it a question of size? Surely not. We don’t value tall people over short people. Is it a question of the level of development? As previously mentioned, many young children don’t exhibit complex mental functions. We usually don’t advocate killing children or mentally disabled adults because they don’t measure up to a certain mental or developmental standard. Why should we apply this standard to the fetus, who is certainly less developed, but with time will reach this standard? Is it a question of environment? How does a passage from one location to another confer a greater value to a human being? How can we assign a different worth to a baby in his mother’s arms versus a baby in her uterus? Is it a question of the length of life thus far? Why does a 24-week undesired intrauterine fetus have no right to life, whereas a 24-week prematurely born neonate unquestionably does? One 600-gram baby is dismembered and ripped from the mother’s uterus, while another 600-gram baby is valiantly cared for with the latest technology. What is the difference between these two babies? There is only one difference (other than location): one is desired, and the other is not. It is a chilling thought to realize that our society has narrowed the criteria of who has a right to life to one thing only—whether a person is wanted. Is it a question of dependency? Dependency does not end with birth. A newborn infant is dependent. A diabetic or renal failure patient is dependent. A comatose patient is dependent. We certainly don’t want to travel down the slippery slope of saying these types of dependent people do not have a right to continue life! Our society prides itself on how we care for the most vulnerable in our midst. That is at the heart of the social justice movement. Why have we removed our protection from the most vulnerable group of humans?11 4 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. NOTES 1 “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription,” National Archives, accessed November 14, 2018, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. 2 “Life,” Wikipedia, accessed November 14, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life. 3 Arthur C. Guyton, The Textbook of Medical Physiology (Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co., 1986), 984. 4 F. Gary Cunningham, Williams Obstetrics (Norwalk: Appleton & Lange, 1993), 16. 5 Keith L. Moore, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co., 1998), 350. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Matthew A. Rysavy, et al., “Between-Hospital Variation in Treatment and Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants,” The New England Journal of Medicine 372 (2015): 1801-1811, accessed March 1, 2018, http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1410689. 9 Meera Senthilingam, “‘Plastic bag’ womb could help keep premature babies alive,” CNN, April, 26, 2017, accessed November 26, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/26/health/ artificial-womb-premature-babies-lambs/index.html. 10 See Augustine’s The City of God. 11 Francis J. Beckwith, Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (Cambridge University Press, 2007). 5 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. MYTH 02 “ABORTION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT.” 6 Top 10 Myths About Abortion—Ingrid Skop, M.D. MYTH #2: “ABORTION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT.” The Supreme Court of 1973 was ideologically disposed to find a way to legalize abortion when they agreed to hear the cases of Roe v. Wade, and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton.12 They knew where they wanted to end up (legal abortion), but they had to find a way to justify this action.13 They needed to make a convincing argument that the Constitution allowed the destruction of human life that would occur with legal abortion.14 As mentioned previously, the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”15 Notice our Forefathers wrote “created,” not “born.” In addition, the 14th Amendment states “...nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty or property, without due process of the law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”16 Based on these two statements, it is hard to see how ending an unborn human’s life can be considered “constitutional.” Thus, the Justices were obligated to do two things. They had to make an argument for why unborn life did not deserve to be treated as a life covered by these statements, and they had to find other constitutional statements that gave a woman the power to end this life.17 Prior Supreme Court decisions had established a right to contraceptive use by married couples in Griswold v. Connecticut, and later by single people in Eisenstadt v. Bard, based on the “right of privacy,” a phrase that when previously documented in the Constitution was related to the right to own private property.18 It was then extrapolated that abortion, being a method of birth control (although it is not a method of contraception because it occurs after conception has occurred), should be covered by a woman’s right to privacy, or ownership of the fetus (even though, of course, the surgical procedure does not occur in the privacy of her own home).19 7