“Abortion Essentials.” By James D. Agresti. Just Facts, September 24, 2008. http://justfacts.com/abortion.essentials.asp

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One of the major battlegrounds for this issue concerns terminology. In keeping with our Standards of Credibility, the language used here is explanatory and precise. Hence, expressions such as “pro-life” and “pro-choice” are replaced by words that articulate specific positions.

Perhaps the largest point of contention involving terminology is the label applied to what or who is being aborted. Those who think abortion should be generally illegal often use the terms “unborn child” and “unborn baby.” According to Webster’s College Dictionary and Black’s Medical Dictionary, the word “child” can apply prior to birth,[1] [2] but both of these sources employ the word “baby” only from the point of birth onwards.[3] [4]

Those who think abortion should be generally legal often use the word “fetus,” a clinical term derived from a Latin word meaning “offspring” or “newly delivered.” [5] As explained in Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary and other medical texts, the words “fetus” and “fetal” are only applicable from nine weeks after fertilization until birth.[6] [7] [8] [9] Yet, numerous major news organizations have misapplied these terms to both before and after this period.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Furthermore, journalism guidelines disparage the use of medical jargon,[16] [17] [18] but journalists selectively employ it in their coverage of this issue. Despite widespread usage of “fetus,” the media regularly employs the common word “mother” to refer to a pregnant woman and rarely, if ever, the clinical term “gravida.” [19] [20]

In accord with the common journalism standard to “never use … a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent,” [21] the term utilized by Just Facts to describe the object of an abortion is “preborn human.” This conveys reality in everyday language and is consistent with medical literature. For example, the embryology textbook, Before We Are Born - Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects, states:

Similarly, another embryology textbook bears the title Human Life Before Birth and phrases such as “human in utero” and “human females... in utero” appear in creditable medical texts.[23] [24] [25] Moreover, it would be scientifically inconsistent to assert that a child born at 24 weeks after fertilization is a human, while one in womb at 37 weeks is not.

Note that unless otherwise stated, the word “abortion” is used here in the sense of an induced abortion; not a spontaneous one, which is also called a miscarriage.[26]

* Following are facts about human development.

Fertilization

Fertilization normally takes place within one day of intercourse, but can occur up to six days later.[27] [28] At fertilization, the genetic composition of a preborn human is formed.[29] This genetic information determines gender, eye color, hair color, facial features, and influences characteristics such as intelligence and personality.[30]

3 Weeks after Fertilization

The eyes and spinal cord are visible and the developing brain has two lobes.[31] [32]

4 Weeks after Fertilization

The heart is beating and a circulatory system is in place.[33] The portion of the brain associated with consciousness and internal organs such as the lungs are beginning to develop and can be identified.[34]

7 Weeks after Fertilization

Muscles and nerves begin working together. When the upper lip is tickled, the arms move backwards.[35] The portion of the brain associated with consciousness has divided into hemispheres.[36]

[37]

9 Weeks after Fertilization

More than 90% of the body structures found in a full-grown human are present. The medical classification changes from an embryo to a fetus. This dividing line was chosen by embryologists because from this point forward, most development involves growth in existing body structures instead of the formation of new ones.[38] [39] The preborn human moves body parts without any outside stimulation.[40]

10 Weeks after Fertilization

All parts of the brain and spinal cord are formed. The heart pumps blood to every part of the body.[41] The whole body is sensitive to touch except for portions of the head. The preborn human makes facial expressions.[42]

11 Weeks after Fertilization

[43]

12 Weeks after Fertilization

Electrical signals from the nervous system are measurable. After an abortion, efforts to suckle will sometimes be observed.[44] [45]

13 Weeks after Fertilization

Ultrasound Video [46]     Windows Media Player  Real Player

14 Weeks after Fertilization

The preborn human makes coordinated movements of the arms and legs.[47]

16 Weeks after Fertilization

The preborn human makes eye movements.[48]

[49]

18 Weeks after Fertilization

The portion of the brain responsible for functions such as reasoning and memory has the same number of nerve cells as a full-grown adult.[50] [51]

Ultrasound Video [52]      Windows Media Player  Real Player

20 Weeks after Fertilization

The preborn human sleeps, awakes and can hear sounds.[53]

[54]

Ultrasound Video (Heart) [55]  Windows Media Player  Real Player

Up through approximately this point in time, according to the Supreme Court’s rulings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a pregnant woman can abort at will. (More details in the section on Constitution and Law.)

24 Weeks after Fertilization

The blink-startle reflex and taste buds are functional. The preborn human will swallow more amniotic fluid if a sweetener is added to it.[56] [57] The grip is strong enough to hold onto an object that is moving up and down.[58] If born and given specialized care, the survival rate is more than 80%.[59]

28 Weeks after Fertilization

Premature infants born at this time are more sensitive to pain than infants who are born at 38 weeks, and infants who are born at 38 weeks are more sensitive to pain than infants at 3-12 months after birth.[60] [61]

If born and given specialized care, the survival rate is more than 95%.[62]

32 Weeks after Fertilization

(Premature infant – 3 days after birth)

38 Weeks after Fertilization

Average point in time when humans are born.[63]

At any point prior to birth, according to the Supreme Court’s rulings in Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a pregnant woman can abort to preserve her “health.” One example from Roe v. Wade of what may be considered harmful to a mother’s health is the work of caring for a child. (More details in the section on Constitution and Law.)

* The 2008 Democratic Party Platform states that abortion should be generally legal, supports the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, and supports the use of taxpayer funding to perform abortions.[64]

* The Republican Party Platform states that abortion should be generally illegal and supports a Constitutional Amendment that would assure preborn humans the right to life. It opposes “using public revenues to promote or perform abortion.” [65]

* Since 1989, several Democrats including Jim Oberstar of Minnesota have sponsored at least 11 resolutions proposing a Constitutional Amendment that would guarantee preborn humans the right to life, all of them containing an exception to protect the life of the mother.[66]

* Since 1989, several Republicans including Ann Emerson of Missouri have sponsored at least 23 resolutions proposing a Constitutional Amendment that would guarantee preborn humans the right to life, all of them containing an exception to protect the life of the mother. Six of these resolutions also include exceptions for cases of rape and incest.[67]

* The National Right to Life Political Action Committee has endorsed John McCain for president and stated that it “strongly opposes Barack Obama.” [68]

* The National Right to Life Committee has praised Sarah Palin, described her candidacy as thrill[ing], and disapproved of Joe Biden.[69] Sarah Palin is a member of Feminists for Life,[70] an organization “dedicated to systemically eliminating the root causes that drive women to abortion…” [71]

* The Political Action Committee of NARAL Pro-Choice America (formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League) has endorsed Barack Obama for President and given his voting record a 100% rating for the years 2005-2007.[72] It has given John McCain’s voting record a 0% rating for the years 2002-2007.[73]

* NARAL has stated that they have “have a longstanding relationship” with Joe Biden “that is open, positive, and constructive…” [74] For the past five years, NARAL has scored Biden’s voting record as follows: 75%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 36%.[75] NARAL has described Sarah Palin’s candidacy as “especially troublesome.” [76]

* In interviews conducted in August 2008, John McCain and Barack Obama were asked, “At what point does a baby get human rights?”

Barack Obama responded in part:

John McCain responded in part:

* In January 2008, the following message from John McCain was read at a “March for Life” in Washington, D.C.:

* Seven months later, McCain stated that he would not necessarily rule out selecting a running mate who generally supports legalized abortion.[81]

* In April 2007, John McCain told ABC News that “he still wants to change the GOP’s abortion platform to explicitly recognize exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.” [82]

* In response to a 1998 questionnaire that asked if he supported the “complete reversal of Roe vs. Wade,” John McCain answered “Yes.” [83] [84]

* One year afterwards John McCain stated:

* A few days later he issued a clarifying statement:

* John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign web site states:

* Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have voiced support for Roe v. Wade and stated that this would be reflected in their appointments to the Supreme Court.[88] [89] [90] They have also stated that they support a ban on late term abortions, but only with an exception for the “health” of the mother.[91] [92]

* In a July 2008 interview, Obama was asked to clarify his position on late-term abortions and stated:

* A few days later, a reporter asked for clarification of these remarks and Obama responded that late-term abortion bans must have an exception for “serious clinical mental health diseases,” but this does not mean that “if a woman just doesn’t feel good then that is an exception. That’s never been the case.” He also stated:

* The Roe v. Wade verdict provides several examples of what may constitute a risk the health of the mother. These include the “stigma of unwed motherhood” and the “distress”  “associated with the unwanted child.” Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which were issued by the Supreme Court on the same day with the order that they “are to be read together,” mandate that abortion be legal up until the point of birth if any one physician willing to perform an abortion decides it is necessary to preserve a mother’s health.[95] [96] (More details in the section on Constitution and Law.)

* Speaking before a Planned Parenthood national conference in July 2007, Barack Obama stated: “I put Roe at the center of my lesson plan on reproductive freedom when I taught Constitutional Law. … On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield.” [97] [98] When asked what he do to “ensure access to abortion” and make certain his judicial nominees are “true to the core tenets of Roe v. Wade,” he stated:

* The Freedom of Choice Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate in April 2007 by 13 Democrats including Barbara Boxer (California), Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey) and Max Baucus (Montana).[100] One month later, Barack Obama signed on as a cosponsor.[101] Its stated objective is to “protect, consistent with Roe v. Wade, a woman’s freedom to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy…” It would invalidate “every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice” that interferes with the termination of any “pregnancy prior to viability” and any pregnancy “after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.” [102]

* In May 2005, Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic Party stated:

* According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, an organization whose “Guiding Principles” includes support for legalized abortion,[104] the total number of abortions, the number of abortions per women of reproductive age, and the number of abortions per pregnancy each declined every year between 2001 (when Bush took office) and 2005 (the last year for which numbers are available). The total declines of this period are as follows:

- Reported Abortions: 6%

- Abortions per Women of Reproductive Age: 7%

- Abortions per Pregnancy: 8% [105]

* In June 2008, Howard Dean stated that the Democratic Party “believes that we ought to significantly reduce the number of abortions in this country.” A reporter asked Dean how he could reconcile this assertion with the party’s support for taxpayer funding of abortions. Dean replied it is “total nonsense” that public funding of abortions increases the abortion rate.[106]

* According to study published by the Guttmacher Institute:

* Barack Obama’s presidential campaign web site states that “Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans.” [108] This plan includes taxpayer funding of abortions.[109]

* The President of the United States appoints judges to the Supreme Court. These appointments must be approved by a majority of the Senate.[110] Senate rules allow for a “filibuster,” in which a vote to approve a judge can be blocked unless 60 of the Senate’s 100 members agree to let it take place.[111] [112]

* Once seated, federal judges serve for life unless they voluntarily resign or are removed through impeachment, which requires a majority vote of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate.[113]

* For implications relating to the appointment and approval of judges, see the section on Constitution and Law.

* The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) supports the use of taxpayer funding to perform abortions. In making its case for this position, the ACLU website poses the following rhetorical question:

And answers:

* The ACLU is opposed to taxpayer funded school choice programs. One of their arguments for this stance is:

* The website of Planned Parenthood states:

* No sources are cited for the statements above. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, whose death statistics from legal abortions have been accepted and used by Planned Parenthood,[117] [118] [119]  in the year before Roe v. Wade (1972), there were 39 deaths from illegal abortions. In the year after Roe v. Wade (1974), there were 26 deaths from legal abortions.[120]

* The following three graphs were constructed to discern an effect of Roe v. Wade on the collective rate of legal and illegal abortion-related deaths:

[121]

* In 1988, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the coding system used to classify pregnancy-related deaths “precludes a determination of the real causes of maternal death.” [122] Hence, the graph below was constructed to show the incidence of all pregnancy-related deaths.

[123]

* In 1988, the CDC reported that the coding system used to classify deaths in general is inadequate because only a single code is assigned to each death, but “several factors may contribute to a death.” [124] Hence, the graph below was constructed to show the death rate from all causes for women of reproductive age.

[125]

* A Fact Sheet published by Planned Parenthood states that

* “Christiansen & Collins, 2006” contains no information about the risk of death associated with abortion or childbirth. It contains figures for the risk of death “once a woman has become pregnant” as compared to the number of live childbirths in the U.S. These figures are not broken down to show abortion or childbirth-related deaths.[127]

* Citing data from the CDC, a previous version of the same Planned Parenthood Fact Sheet states that the “risk of death associated with childbirth is about 10 times as high as that associated with abortion.” [128] [129] [130]

* From 1989 through 1992, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported zero abortion-related deaths in the state of Maryland.[131] [132] [133] [134]

* During 1989 in the state of Maryland:

- Erica Kae Richardson (16 years-old) was admitted to an emergency room on March 1^st with a punctured uterus from an abortion carried out earlier that day at a clinic in Laurel, Maryland. She died shortly after midnight on March 2^nd.[135] [136] [137] [138]

- Paramedics arrived at an abortion clinic in Suitland, Maryland on July 12^th to find Debra M. Gray (34 years-old) in cardiac arrest after being administered anesthesia without the presence of an anesthesiologist. She was taken to a hospital and died three days later.[139]

- Paramedics arrived at an abortion clinic in Suitland, Maryland on September 10^th to find Susanne Renee Logan (32 years-old) in cardiac arrest with an oxygen mask placed upside down on her face. It was found that she had been given anesthesia without the presence of an anesthesiologist, and when she reacted to it, was given another drug not indicated to mitigate the effects of the anesthesia. The paramedics resuscitated Ms. Logan, she stayed in a coma for four months, and was generally paralyzed until her death in 1992.[140] [141] [142]

- Gladys Estanislao, a 28-year-old college student, was found lifeless on a bathroom floor 17 days after undergoing an abortion procedure at a clinic in Bethesda, Maryland. Her autopsy revealed that the pregnancy was not in her womb, but in her fallopian tube, which caused it to rupture and resulted in her death.[143] [144] [145] This condition, called an ectopic pregnancy, is screened by a blood test or ultrasound, has a mortality rate of 1 in 2,000, and is typically diagnosed on the first visit to a gynecologist.[146] [147] [148]

* In 1987, the New York City Commissioner of Health wrote a letter to abortion clinics warning them to be careful about using too much anesthesia. The letter stated:

* For the same time period, the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health reported a total of 42 legal abortion-related deaths in the United States.[150]

* If both of these numbers are accurate, it would mean that 71% of the legal abortion-related deaths in the United States occurred in one city where about 3% of the population lived.[151]

* An “Abortion Services” page on Planned Parenthood’s website states:

* A 2007 paper in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine cites 59 studies that exhibit a statistically significant association between abortion and the risk of premature births in subsequent pregnancies. In five of the largest and more recent of these studies, all found increases in premature births before 32 weeks gestation in women who had an abortion. All of these studies also found that this risk escalated when more than one abortion was performed.[153] Children born before 32 weeks gestation are at increased risks for early death, cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness and other health complications.[154]

* The website of Planned Parenthood states:

* A different page on the website of Planned Parenthood states:

* Another page on the website of Planned Parenthood states:

* The country of Finland has socialized medicine and keeps detailed health records of its citizens.[159] A search of these records over the years 1987-1994 found that 1,347 women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) committed suicide. A 1996 study of this data found that women who had an abortion were about 5.9 times more likely to commit suicide in the year following this event than women who delivered a child.[160]

* The State of California pays the costs of childbirths and abortions for low income women. A study of 173,279 California women who had a state funded childbirth or abortion in 1989 found that 53 of them committed suicide within eight years of their childbirth or abortion. A 2002 study of this data found that women who had an abortion were about 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide in the eight years following this event than women who delivered a child.[161]

* In 2008, the Los Angles Times reported:

* The California study cited above controlled for mental disorders by eliminating those women who had been treated for a psychiatric problem in the year prior to their childbirth or abortion. When this was done, it was found that women who had an abortion were about 3.3 times more likely to commit suicide in the eight years following this event than women who delivered a child.[163]

* In October 2001, The Society of Professional Journalists, “the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization,” [164] adopted “Diversity Guidelines” reaffirming “their commitment” to use “language that is informative and not inflammatory.” These guidelines state that it is “misleading” to use “word combinations” such as “Islamic terrorist” or “Muslim extremist” “because they link whole religions to criminal activity.” The same document states:

* In April of 2007 at a Republican “Unity Dinner” in Iowa, John McCain stated:

* At the same event, Mike Huckabee stated:

* In an article about this event in the New York Times written by Adam Nagourney, it is stated that John McCain and Mike Huckabee “presented themselves as lifelong opponents of abortion rights.” Four times in this article, candidates are characterized as opponents of abortion rights and never as supporters of rights for the unborn.[168]

* Media phraseology:

[169]

* On the television show “NOW with Bill Moyers,” PBS journalist Brenda Breslauer stated:

* The book, English for Journalists, states that medical literature is a “common source” of jargon and:

* A 2005 house editorial in the Chicago Tribune uses the medical term “intact dilation and extraction” to identify “certain late-term abortions.” It does not contain the term “partial birth” and provides no description of the procedure.[172]

* The New York Public Library Writer’s Guide to Style and Usage states: