Harris/Walz Campaign Lies Dispelled
By Ellen McIntosh RN BSN
I am a registered nurse who has worked in a setting with pregnant women for over 16 years. It disturbs me to see and hear statements made by the Harris/Walz campaign, certain media presentations, and articles all claiming that state abortion bans prevent women from receiving other types of medical care outside of abortion. I am writing to provide accurate information about what is legal versus illegal and to encourage medical and lay people alike to know the laws in their states regarding the difference between providing an elective abortion and providing gynecological care in other situations.
What the above-mentioned claims are referring to are D&C procedures (Dilation and Curettage) and misoprostol (the second pill in the medication abortion procedure that evacuates the fetus from the uterus). The inferences or direct conclusions they are making are that abortion should not be banned so that women can receive the medical care they need. These claims have all failed to mention some important information.
First of all, abortion restrictions in certain states make it illegal to have an elective or induced abortion. This is the intentional removal of a living fetus (pre-born baby with a confirmed heartbeat) from a woman’s pregnant uterus by either a D&C procedure or by the medications mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in the “abortion pill” procedure. It is not, however, illegal to have these same procedures or medications in other types of medical situations where they are needed.
A D&C procedure is a surgery in which certain medical instruments are inserted into the uterus in order to remove the contents. D&C procedures and misoprostol are used in many other instances that have nothing to do with an elective abortion and are not illegal in states with abortion restrictions. They are listed below:
- Miscarriage (also called “spontaneous abortion”): when a baby’s heartbeat has stopped due to natural causes; the fetus is in the womb, but is not alive and will either pass naturally or with the assistance of a medication (misoprostol) or a D&C procedure.
- Ectopic pregnancy: when the pregnancy has formed outside the uterus and needs to be removed either with medication or a D&C or other type of surgery.
- Retained placenta after delivery of a baby: this condition causes heavy bleeding or hemorrhaging and it is often medically necessary to do a D&C to remove the placental parts causing the bleeding after the baby is born.
- Other conditions such as tumors, polyps, or fibroids that need to be removed from the uterus.
The claims I am referring to state that women cannot receive D&C procedures and/or misoprostol for these other conditions in states with abortion restrictions. This is absolutely false! In all of the other situations there is not a living fetus being electively removed from the womb.
There is nothing in the abortion laws that says a woman cannot receive these other gynecological treatments. In fact, many of them specifically list these exceptions. Those claims are a huge and gross misrepresentation of what the law says and tries to accomplish. They scare women and may even confuse medical personnel if they have not acquainted themselves with the wording in the abortion laws of their states. These faulty claims are not medically or legally accurate and do a disservice to women and couples facing these medical situations outside of elective abortions. They also do a disservice to the OB/GYN medical personnel who, listening to the claims, may become fearful of providing necessary treatments. Their claims may also influence voters to vote pro-abortion or pro-choice based on information that is inaccurate. This would be very unfortunate if someone’s conscience or faith would otherwise tell them to vote pro-life.
Please do what you can to refute the incorrect and faulty information, and to provide information that is educated and accurate.
This report may be republished with inclusion of the following acknowledgement: “This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
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