Letter: ‘Pro-life’ needs also to apply to mother’s life
Letter-writer Michael Lee’s statement that “abortion is baby killing” was undoubtedly sincere, but it also shows that “pro-life” ought to reflect not only concern for the life of a fetus, but also concern for the life of its mother (“Dobbs takes U.S. in right direction,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 2)
Too many “pro-life” individuals and groups are uninformed about high-risk pregnancies (including ectopic pregnancies, which are fatal for a fetus and potentially fatal for its mother), and about the rare but extremely severe abnormalities (such as cyclopia) which cannot be cured and can make a fetus incapable of surviving to a full-term birth.
In 2019, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Physicians for Reproductive Health pointed out, in a joint statement, that “there are situations where pregnancy termination in the form of an abortion is the only medical intervention that can preserve a patient’s health or save [her] life … Without question, abortion can be medically necessary.”
Kent Hirata
Punchbowl
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