While I was out knocking on doors this evening to finish up the collection of petition signatures for our campaign, I met a woman in Warren who asked me what my stance was on abortion. I told her that I was pro-life, and she hesitated to continue signing her name. Looking at me, with anger rising in her voice, she said, “So you must hate me for having an abortion.”
Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting that kind of response. I paused briefly before explaining that I didn’t hate her, but wanted to prevent more babies being aborted in our country. She didn’t seem convinced of my sincerity. I told her the story of how I was deployed to Iraq when my first son, Noah, was born. I didn’t have the chance to witness his birth, and didn’t even get to meet him in person until he was nearly two-months old. And then I explained to her how my son, Brady, was born on April 26, and I was in the delivery room and was able to see my new son arrive into the world. I explained to her what a miracle life is, and how blessed we each are to have experienced it. And then I said these words to her:
“I don’t hate you. I hate abortion.”
If we forget, for just one minute, the religious, social, and even moral implications of abortion, and look only at the medical aspect of abortion, I can’t fathom how anyone can consider abortion anything but the literal killing of a human being. I have pulled some quotes from a handbook published by National Right to Life that only looks at the medical aspects of abortion. You can read the full document by clicking here.
Suction Aspiration
Suction aspiration, or “vacuum curettage,” is the abortion technique used in most first trimester abortions. A powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge is inserted into the womb through the dilated cervix. The suction dismembers the body of the developing baby and tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus, sucking blood, amniotic fluid, placental tissue, and fetal parts into a collection bottle.
Great care must be taken to prevent the uterus from being punctured during this procedure, which may cause hemorrhage and necessitate further surgery. Also, infection can easily develop if any fetal or placental tissue is left behind in the uterus. This is the most frequent post-abortion complication.
Dilatation (Dilation) and Curettage (D&C)
In this technique, the cervix is dilated or stretched to permit the insertion of a loop shaped steel knife. The body of the baby is cut into pieces and removed and the placenta is scraped off the uterine wall. Blood loss from D & C, or “mechanical” curettage is greater than for suction aspiration, as is the likelihood of uterine perforation and infection.
Dilatation (Dilation) and Evacuation (D&E)
Used to abort unborn children as old as 24 weeks, this method is similar to the D&C. The difference is that forceps with sharp metal jaws are used to grasp parts of the developing baby, which are then twisted and torn away. This continues until the child’s entire body is removed from the womb. Because the baby’s skull has often hardened to bone by this time, the skull must sometimes be compressed or crushed to facilitate removal. If not carefully removed, sharp edges of the bones may cause cervical laceration. Bleeding from the procedure may be profuse.
Partial-Birth Abortion
This procedure is used to abort women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant — or even later into pregnancy. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby’s leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is deliberately kept just inside the womb. (At this point in a partial-birth abortion, the baby is alive.) Then the abortionist jams scissors into the back of the baby’s skull and spreads the tips of the scissors apart to enlarge the wound. After removing the scissors, a suction catheter is inserted into the skull and the baby’s brains are sucked out. The collapsed head is then removed from the uterus.
I want to repeat what I said to that woman I met today who confessed to me that she had an abortion. I don’t hate people who have abortions. I hate abortion. Reading these medical terms, it reminded me about how frail life really is. And more importantly, how precious a gift like life should be treated.
A picture of my son and I are posted on my campaign website. It is hard to believe that my son could have been killed, if we wanted to do so. The miracle of life is amazing, and we have an obligation in our country to protect life. Here is what I wrote on the issues page of the campaign website concerning my position on abortion:
Sanctity of Life
I am pro-life.
So what exactly does that mean? To put it bluntly, I believe that life is precious and we have an obligation to support life, to do all we can to reduce and eliminate abortions, and to respect life to the point that we do not create human forms of life for the sake of destroying it.Since 1973, more than 48 million Americans have been killed via abortion. This isn’t about having a choice. This is about giving unborn children the right to experience life and to make a difference in the world. If a woman or couple desires to not have a child, they have a choice to have the baby and raise it, or to give that baby up for adoption.
On the same issue, there are millions of women and men who suffer the consequences of having an abortion, knowing that after the procedure, they have killed a baby and will suffer emotional distress for the rest of their lives. We must provide them with care and support options to move them in the direction of healing.
We have an obligation to make the alternative to abortion - life - the only choice that makes sense.
The woman stood behind her screen door, signing my petition. When she handed it back to me, she smiled and said, “I may not vote for you, but thanks for not judging me.”
Morals matter. Character counts.
My name is Bert Copple, and I’m ready to be your next congressman. But I need your help. Please, make a contribution at our campaign website and follow the contribute link.
HOPE. FAITH. CHANGE in 2008!
Posted in 2008 Election, Bert Copple, GOP, Michigan, Politics, Sander Levin, U.S. Congress | Tags: abortion, Bert Copple, Politics, pro-choice, pro-life, right to life, roe vs. wade, Sander Levin
