Fitzgerald, James A.

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 37 | Number 3 Article 8August 1970Abortion on DemandJames A. FitzgeraldFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationFitzgerald, James A. (1970) "Abortion on Demand," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 37 : No. 3 , Article 8.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol37/iss3/8lead to the conclusion that there few nonpsychiatric reason s for II'OOIUCUlg · fetal death. The medical ••:,OJtOgists from Colorado lamely ll~xpllained that a number of abortions fitting into any classification aeceptable to state supervisory authorities were lumped into the "psychiatric group." Abortion on Demand* The various classifications, trum-peted in the past by advocates of abortion reform as sound and sub-stantial reasons for permissible feti-cide, no longer serve as the basis for their argument. The abortion enthusi-asts have become less vocal about maternal health indications. The James A. Fitzgerald, M.D. Anyone attending the abortion hearings at the various state capitals or reviewing the lay and medical press on this subject cannot help but be impressed by the new direction and tactics of the proabortion groups. Gone, to a great extent, are the so-called medical indica~ions; any medical problems seeming to warrant an abortion are so rare that they JAMES A. FITZGERALD practices Obste tries and Gynecology in Watertown, New York; is Associate in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse; and Clinical Instructor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Syracuse University Medical School *Reprinted with permzsszon from Medical Opinion and Review, January, 1970. 184 represent no significant ~ tatistical frequency. The victims t , rape and incestuous conception a of less concern; they may have ir status legally altered by hormom 1erapy or dilatation and curettage. nd little emphasis is placed on p , iatric or emotional disorders as inc ations for abortion - at least in t ry; it is universally acknowledget1 that the duration and long-term attern of any psychosis are not mificantly altered by termination o! 1regnancy. R. Bruce Sloane of Te1 )le Univer· sity, writing in the auth ative New England Journal of M f .cine (28: 1206, May 29, 1969), .ys: .there are no unequivoca sychiatric . indications for therapeuti abortion ." He further points out 1at if the d "the pregnancy is not inte rr te , risk of exacerbation or 'ecipitation of a psychosis is small al l unpredic· table, and suicide is rar ' ' In prac· tice however the the r ~~~utic abor· ' ' J d tionists of California an ' Colora 0• operating under their ne , . Jiberal!ze~ policies, have listed psy( liatric mdl~ catio~s for over. 80 ~e r ._e~t of t~0 abortions done m Cahfo-- ma and percent of those in Col rado. !hese are appalling figures. SyllogisticallY, Linac1 e QuarterlY reason is simple: there are few that are of sound basis. They do make considerable reference to fetal indi-· cations. Their contention is that the somatype and karyotype of the in-tmuterine dweller may demand his or her death .:... just as the fingerprints of tbe killer on the murder weapon may serve to obtain his conviction ·and death. In our society, capital punish-lllent may be on the decline - but not for the disordered in utero. How remarkable is the legal in-COnsistency in a system that has established a whole body of laws concerning inheritance , trust funds, and guardianship to protect the prop-erty rights of the newborn , yet can-BOt guarantee the fetus the right to life itself. Of what use are such safe-&Uards, when fetal existence itself is llOt safe from assault? Professor Andre Hellegers, of Johns Hopkins University , pointed out (MO ~ ~· May 1967) that the term "fetal Indications" for abortion is inac-ate. He states that it is obviously r that no abortion can be justified a fetal indication - no fetus sur-s the abortion. It is equally ob-us that abortion in such circum-ces is performed for the sake of '1970 the parents. There is no evidence tha t a fetus does not want life , and it . cannot be consulted in the matter. There is no evidence that those who have congenital anomalies would rather not have been born . Such evi-dence might exist if suicide were more common among them, but it is not. So , while it is easier to feel that the abortion is being performed for the· sake of the fetus , honesty re-quires us to recognize that we per-form it for adults. LAWS AND LIFE At this time , it is intrinsic to the medical procedures for accomplishing abortion that the fetus will always die and that the mother will oc-casionally die . Frequently , there will be unavoidable pelvic disabilities and poorly enumerated psychologic sequelae in the aborted female. The state simply cannot legislate safe , uncomplicated abortions. It can legis-late the death of the child , but not necessarily the concomitant physical health and mental welfare of the mother. Scientific advances have reduced the medical indications for thera-peutic abortion. In terms of fre-quency of occurence , the unsalutary United States figures on cerebral palsy and mental deficiency associ-ated with premature births are much more pressing than the rare congeni-tal anomaly. The proabortionists appreciate that we do not need sweeping and all-encompassing laws for situations that are rare and that may in the future become rarer. Anti-Rh gamma globu-lin will make the problem of erythro-blastosis transitory; and a va ccine of proved efficacy, already developed and in production, places German measles in a similar category. Trapped in the shifting sands of their own 185 ... . : .. ·. . .. · . .. •,\ \ .. . . . a, • .' • . .... •,· .,. •.. .. . . . . . ·· .. . · .... : . arguments, they arrive at a new position - abortion on demand. The demand may be made for social or economic reasons. There may be no reason at all except that the child is unwanted. This is regarded as a more-than -sufficient consideration. AH other reasons may ~e faulted for this one alone. The unborn baby is appraised as a tumorous excrescence, an intolerable burden, an economic disaster, a monumental inconvenience, a threat to health. Its normalcy or abnormal-cy is of no consequence. I have heard some of the effete in the clergy and some feminine activists argue that the -child is the ex<;lusive property of the woman who bears it - and that she alone may decide, at will , whether it lives or perishes. This is abortion on demand; this is one individual de-ciding the fate of another. It is not a matter of wisdom or justice, simply a personal decision made for personal reasons. The true corollary of abortion on demand is life on demand. Why should not an all-wise government decide who shall Jive, what number shall be born? Could we not rid our cities and countries of the glut of humanity with a discerning program? In Orwellian terms, the committee might be entitled "The Life Group." OBVIATED ISSUE · There are and will be alternatives to solving mental-health and medical problems by destruction of an infant in utero. The parents with a signifi-cant transmissible genetic defect can elect not to conceive by iudicious use of contraceptives or by. sterilization. Even this approach has a negative element: the rapidly expanding know-ledge of genetics may make the ab-normal allele or gene subject to modi-fication. This is not only likely but 186 also feasible. Another me d gener-ation may look back in ho )r at us, at a so-called culture and ilization that sought solution for , ,e of its problems in feticide. The progress that I a1. · ipa te in these matters does not , course, offer solutions to · presen t roblems. But surely before we so 1 nissively accept and establish a praL e that is basically abhorrent , we . 'l id give priority to any and every .ernative methodology. The state . legislators 1 o con-tribute to the liberal tion of abortion policies show a narkable ignorance of the medic· problems associated with the tee' 1ques of performing an abortion . e Royal College of Obstetrician s d Gyne-cologists stated in the. Bri1 ! Medical Journal (April 2, 196(- "Those without specialists' kno Jge, and these include members of -' medical profession, are influenced adopting what they regard as a h. 1anitarian attitude to the induction abortion by a failure to appreci<-' what is involved. They tend to re rd induc-tion of abortion as a trivia :peration, free from risk. In fact , l n , to the expert working in the :.; t condi· tions , the removal of an 1rly preg· nancy after dilating the Cl ix can be difficult, and is not infre Je ntly ac· companied by serious co plicabons. This is particularly true i he case of the woman pregnant fo the first time. For women who ha -~ a serious medical indication for ter .. ination of pregnancy, induction of bortion is extremely hazardous, an · its risks need to be weighed care !'tilly ·against those involved in leavinr the preg-nancy undisturbed. Ew !, for the relatively healthy woman . however, the dangers are considerab:c ." . The American College of Obstetr~-cians and Gynecologists t ates: . "It 1 ~ emphasized that the inherent nsks 0 Linacrc QuarterlY rapeutic abortion are serious and be life-threatening; this fact be fully appreciated by both medical profession and the In nations where. abortion be obtained on demand , a con-morbidity and mortality has reported." The American College of Obstetri-cians and Gynecologists has firmly stated its policy. Abortion will not be considered or performed for purely unwanted pregnancy or as a means of population control. ADMINISTRATIVE PRESSURE The encroachment of federal and state government on medical policies Should be strongly re sisted . ls there an obstretician with welfare patients in his practice who has not been covertly advised by some clerk in the Welfare Department that a certain family should not be allowed to pro-create? The public image of the medical profession may or may not be high. It will certainly be suspect when the government places us in the role of lord High Executioners. The sole and exclusive function of the medical profession is the reasonable mainten-ance of life. Our theme should not be a de-structive one. Let us treat the disease that may be exacerbated by the con-CUrrent gestation and, in so doing , accomplish as much for the mother as for the child in utero. Our goal should be the health and welfare of both of them, not the well-being of one at the expense of the other. Let ~ increase our knowledge of viral \nfections and genetic problems to the point where our only purpose is obtain a physiologically and lly normal newborn . Let us what we know and have been , 1970 taught: that neuroses may be tempor-ary and psychotic states may be permanent and that destruction of an infant is not even the beginning of a solution to these disease states. We may not be able to abolish poverty , but certainly the economic position of the childbearing woman should be such that want should not preclude bearing and rearing off-spring. Is it not better to offer a loaf, and all that goes with it , rather than an abortion? Even in the field of population control , we have seen the nonwhite call our offers of contra-ceptive advice , made in good faith, attempted genocide. FULL TURN We are all conceived in some degree of concupiscence and , we hope , also in love , but never , really , in convenience. What is not conveni-ent is not wanted , and when our society becomes entirely permissive and totally egocentric , the rare and infrequent birth may become a medical phenomenon . At this point, we may have completed the circle and the state may demand that a select couple procreate. Statistics indicate that the number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies in the United States in 1940 totaled 90,000. The total was almost 300,000 in 1965. These figures are a comment on our society, particularly when further studies show that early dating and lack of proper sex education and parental supervision are significant causal factors. As parents, we cannot control the degree of emotional involvement of a young couple , but we can establish when dating begins. We can have an interest and concern in our children's dating partners. An we can see that our children are as knowledgeable abou t the physiology an d psychology 1 ' 7 ., .. ... '. ~ . · ..... \ t, .: • .. .. . .. · .. ·· .. .. . · ... f~· , ... • ,. ·!·· .. ' . ' ' . .. ... . ,. . . ·· ' ., · .. ·. . , . --· ' . of sex as they are about the new mathematics. FATAL SOLUTION The out-of-wedlock pregnancy easily fits into the pattern for "abor-tion on demand." For certain age groups in this category·, abortion on demand may already be permitted in some states. We are at a point where we have to choose between super-vising and educating our children iry. this regard or facing the awesome logistics of aborting a large percent-age of 300,000 unwed mothers a year. The concepts of mega tonnage and overkill decline. If the trend continues and if abortion on demand is permitted and accepted by this group alone, the medical profession may kill more Americans in utero than all our wars have killed. The · curette will be mightier than the sword. Leaving conjecture for fact, let . us consider the effects of the liberalized abortion laws in England. England may be "merrie" but the medical profession is not entirely "happie." The New England Journal of Medi-cine (280:1240, May 29, 1969) points out that in England "in one year, over 32,000 abortions have been performed (nearly 30,000 more than in 1964), and 40 percent of these procedures have been . carried out in private London clinics. These clinics, moreover, are crowded by foreigners. In March of this year, 125 of the patients came from Germany, 96 from America, 50 from Canada, and 62 from other countries. 'Doctors who concentrate on abor-tion lead a busy life.' One is said to use two clinics and in a record day performed 41 abortions. The medical profession is understandably con-cerned that its reputation will not be enhanced by 'newspaper headlines 188 [that] read "Dial for a £ L tion." ' " One wonders if perfumes of Arabia would ' for the hands of these abc than they did for Lady Mac\ it were mandatory in Engl< abortions be performed wit! do you seriously · think tl frequency would be so high? GREATER GOOD The staid editor of the ,' land Journal of Medicine c his remarks by sta t i " ... perhaps more might r by a concerted moral and fort to revitalize - at least young unmarried- the co· chastity." He reflects , "Likf mankind's abstract ideals , i a most utilitarian practice. ' ' comment that utilitarian i ~ for the boy, for the girl, fm not conceived, for the abor not visited, for the pa anguished , for the demogr annotating. What in essence is implie basic, simple morality mi. order, that it might be 1 good, and that for the wa are experiencing a uniqu ... structive form of decaden an alternative to abortion it is simple morality. abor-t! ! the more ionists h's. If d that Jt fee , their ·V Eng· tcluded that gained vial ef· or the .~ pt of 1any of · ~ ally is further rrect-le child n clinic 1ts not her not ·s thata t be in ·ful and of it we and de-There is demand; A certain teacher once ·: 1d , "Live so that you may have life : 1d, living, have it more abundant ." This should be our doctrine 1d philo· sophy and practice. 0 all the members of society, th ·medical profession should have the ~ ast need of a voice in Lambarene rying out for "reverence of life - all life." our alabaster cities do not glea undirn· ·u rued by human tears and neither ~1 their "lustre" be enhance by beJng studded with abortoria. Linacre QuarterlY Abortion on demand is arrived at the majority of arguments abortion lack validity . It is arrived at by a callous and inhumane attitude to the unwanted or altered intrauter-ine dweller. It is arrived at by a permissive and frightened society t~at may prefer eliminating its problems to solving them. It is arrived at by a culture that , as yet , has not de-veloped the expertise to control population, civil disorders, . crime, poverty, etc., yet can mount an un-conscionable, destructive attack on the very beginnings of life. It is ar-rived at on a note of failure , in a cloud of despair. Historians may record that, in our attitude toward both bombs and babies, we were the most dangerous barbarians of all. In Memoriam Dr. Daniel Mulvihill With sadness we report the death of Dr. Daniel Mulvihill on July 12, 1970 while on a speaking engagement on the west coast. Dr. Mulvihill, an honorary president of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians' Guilds, practiced fpr many years in New York before moving recently to Chicago. While in New York he spearheaded a tremendous growth in guild membership and activities. May he rest in peace. 189 ... "t , . ~ ·.:-·· · ... ·:·' ., . . . t, ·;· . ,. .· . .... .. # • •• ·· .... ... .,· 

Abortion on Demand

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Abortion on Demand

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