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Is abortion the answer?Article II, Section 12 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states:
"The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception ...(emphasis ours)"
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The issue of the right to life or abortion covers many aspects: human rights, moral beliefs, medical basis, social implications.
Advocates of the right to life are concerned that abortion, regarded as destruction of the innocent, is becoming an accepted and institutionalized fact of life.
They are concerned that this will be sanctioned and inevitably legalized.
Advocates of abortion point to the primary of "freedom" of "personal privacy," the right to have or make a choice. In the Philippines, advocates also point to the pressures of poverty and ensuring that all children are "wanted" and can be assured of adequate care.
We will present facts about abortion and the issues it raises. We hope that this will help you take an informed stand-and committed action-on this issue.
1. What is abortion? Abortion is defined as "the willful killing of the fetus in the uterus, or the violent expulsion of the fetus from the maternal womb, which results in the death of the fetus (carrara).
Is it really appropriate to speak of abortion as "killing"?
To answer this question, you must understand the procedures used in surgical abortion.
Dilation and Curettage (D & C)
The cervix, or mouth of the womb, is first stretched open. A curette or sharp, loop-shaped knife is then inserted, cuts the fetus into small pieces. His head is crushed with the forceps in order to remove the baby. The womb is then scraped out completely.
Suction-Curretage Abortion
A tube is inserted into the uterus; the suction breaks and crushes the body parts of the fetus, drawing them out into a jar.
With both of these methods, the resulting tissue is clearly identifiable as small pieces of a baby. The actual cause of death is the physical dismemberment of the body.
Saline Injection
This method is used when the child is too large for D & C Suction-Curettage. A long needle is injected through the mother's abdomen to extract a certain amount of the amniotic fluid. This portion of the fluids is replaced with a toxic salt (strong salt poisoning solution), which burns the outer layers of the child's skin. An increase in movement is noted as the baby inhales and swallows the solution. The baby often convulses, goes into a coma, and dies an hour or two later. Labor begins 24 to 28 hours later.
In all these cases, the unborn child dies from mutilation or poisoning before it can be removed from the womb.
Hormone Drug Injection
Prostaglandin drug is injected into the amniotic sac. This hormone drug produces labor and premature birth. The baby, in most cases, is born alive with a heartbeat, then put aside to die.
Hysterectomy
It is generally used only when saline injection is impractical. The baby is delivered as it would be in a Caesarian Section. Almost all babies delivered by hysterectomy are born alive. Many cry and kick. Within a few minutes, however, most die of exposure or willful neglect.
In the Philippines, studies indicate that the methods most frequently used in hospitals include: dilation and curettage (D & C); prophylactic or oxytoxics and antibiotics; vacuum aspiration and hysterectomy.
Outside the hospitals, the most common method in inducing abortion is by insertion of a catheter, followed by deep abdominal massage, then by use of drugs, herbs and medicinal concoctions.
Whether you refer to this as "killing" or "induced death", the effect on the child is the same.
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