Partial Birth Abortion

6 Pages 1530 Words

Partial Birth Abortions: Recent Developments
Abortion is a topic that many people feel very strongly about, whether for or against it. Since the topic came to precedence in the early 70’s with the case of Roe v. Wade, many people have polarized to one side or another. Political parties are also among this polarization; their agendas for this topic are very different. Recent developments have brought new life to a topic that hasn’t much changed since the Supreme Courts landmark decision. The recent developments are in response to the process of the term ‘partial birth abortion’, which has become one of the great political deadlocks of our day.
The history of abortion is one that stretches back to the time of Egyptians. It is however not until the early 1970’s that the issue of abortion came to be in the hearts and minds of the average citizen. Roe v. Wade legalized abortions and brought the topic to the attention of everyone. In the 30 years since the legalization of abortions for the first two trimesters there have been over 40 million abortions, whether or not we are better off for these abortions will never be known.
The term partial birth abortion does not have its roots in medical terms, rather “Pro-choice lobbyists say the term "partial-birth abortion" has been coined by those opposed to it because it is more emotive” (Q&A: Partial-birth abortion law). The actual term used by doctors is called dilation and extraction; it refers to the process of aborting a baby that is more than 20 weeks old and usually not older than 27 weeks. There are cases that babies have been aborted in this fashion that are older than 27 weeks, but for the most part these cases aren’t common. The process of dilation and extraction is very simple, brutally efficient. The process starts by having the doctor remove the baby feet first from the womb, leaving the head still inside. Next, the doctor inserts a sharp object, usually...