I read this post over at Maami's blog. And I also read the TOI article on the issue. I have been thinking all morning about it and can't get it out of my mind.
There is a whole range of congenital heart diseases. From what I read online, it seems in this case the child has a severe case of it. I am not sure what the prognosis is for the child, considering it is India and the kind of care that the child may actually need may be beyond the means of the parents.
At 25 weeks, it is a child, not a fetus. Somehow addressing it as a fetus makes it a little impersonal and discussing abortion feels more comfortable. At 24 weeks, the child is a viable life. If delivered, the law in America is that all care should be provided for the survival of the child. And I think, there has to be a voice for the unborn child too. It is not the child's fault that it has congenital heart disease, nor is it the parent's. By 20 weeks, the child can respond to light, sound and even physical stimuli. There is still debate as to whether it can feel pain. But sometime between 23-26 weeks the child actually can feel the sensation of pain, but lacks the psychological wiring to experience pain. But all these debatable issues are not what qualifies a human being, it is the little viable life itself.
I do see the point in, when an abortion beyond 20 weeks is performed to save the mother, and extending that here, why not give the woman an option to terminate a pregnancy when the child has severe heart malfunction. But how conclusive is an in-utero diagnosis? There are a lot of 'what ifs' here. Once the child is born, what if it is diagnosed that,the condition is not actually that severe? I am sure there are plenty more. How does one live with the what ifs?
There are lot of instances when a child is born with congenital diseases, which are not treatable and parents choose palliative care and let nature take its course. They let the life be and make peace with that. I am not sure how grieving works. Is it more tolerable in an impersonal abortion of the fetus, than in the birth and loss of a child? What can one live with is a big question?
As I was mulling these question I decided to look up partial birth abortion, which is what is performed after 20 weeks. After looking at the procedure one wonders what Niketa Mehta is fighting for.
There is a whole range of congenital heart diseases. From what I read online, it seems in this case the child has a severe case of it. I am not sure what the prognosis is for the child, considering it is India and the kind of care that the child may actually need may be beyond the means of the parents.
At 25 weeks, it is a child, not a fetus. Somehow addressing it as a fetus makes it a little impersonal and discussing abortion feels more comfortable. At 24 weeks, the child is a viable life. If delivered, the law in America is that all care should be provided for the survival of the child. And I think, there has to be a voice for the unborn child too. It is not the child's fault that it has congenital heart disease, nor is it the parent's. By 20 weeks, the child can respond to light, sound and even physical stimuli. There is still debate as to whether it can feel pain. But sometime between 23-26 weeks the child actually can feel the sensation of pain, but lacks the psychological wiring to experience pain. But all these debatable issues are not what qualifies a human being, it is the little viable life itself.
I do see the point in, when an abortion beyond 20 weeks is performed to save the mother, and extending that here, why not give the woman an option to terminate a pregnancy when the child has severe heart malfunction. But how conclusive is an in-utero diagnosis? There are a lot of 'what ifs' here. Once the child is born, what if it is diagnosed that,the condition is not actually that severe? I am sure there are plenty more. How does one live with the what ifs?
There are lot of instances when a child is born with congenital diseases, which are not treatable and parents choose palliative care and let nature take its course. They let the life be and make peace with that. I am not sure how grieving works. Is it more tolerable in an impersonal abortion of the fetus, than in the birth and loss of a child? What can one live with is a big question?
As I was mulling these question I decided to look up partial birth abortion, which is what is performed after 20 weeks. After looking at the procedure one wonders what Niketa Mehta is fighting for.
6 comments:
good post.. and the last bit? - it gave me shivers....
yay!! one person commented. I think there is too much media hype. that is what this is.
My stomach turned on reading the details about the procedure..I am eff-ing horrified to say the least!!
Hey, I read your post too :) I was too disturbed and thinking too deeply about it to comment :)
The question is - would you let that happen to your child? There are moral issues and then there is the procedure itself. I personally will not be able to live with myself.
Came here through Mad Momma's post.
I am pro-choice too, but the partial birth abortion thingy is chilling... I am still at shock as to why there is no better way to abort the sick baby... It need not be this inhuman!!
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