Quote:
Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Have any of the doctors identified as performing these procedures been asked to explain why they didn't use a less horrifying alternative? And what were the responses?
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Yes, the DOJ is trying to ask just that and needs the medical charts of those patients to prepare for the upcoming depositions.
But until the depositions are done, you can read this statement by the AMA on late-term pregnancy termination techniques:
http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/pf_new/...&st_p=0&nth=2&
Quote:
(1) The term 'partial birth abortion' is not a medical term. The AMA will use the term "intact dilatation and extraction"(or intact D&X) to refer to a specific procedure comprised of the following elements: deliberate dilatation of the cervix, usually over a sequence of days; instrumental or manual conversion of the fetus to a footling breech; breech extraction of the body excepting the head; and partial evacuation of the intracranial contents of the fetus to effect vaginal delivery of a dead but otherwise intact fetus. This procedure is distinct from dilatation and evacuation (D&E) procedures more commonly used to induce abortion after the first trimester. Because 'partial birth abortion' is not a medical term it will not be used by the AMA.
(2) According to the scientific literature, there does not appear to be any identified situation in which intact D&X is the only appropriate procedure to induce abortion, and ethical concerns have been raised about intact D&X. The AMA recommends that the procedure not be used unless alternative procedures pose materially greater risk to the woman. The physician must, however, retain the discretion to make that judgment, acting within standards of good medical practice and in the best interest of the patient.
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