Late term abortion in Canada

From here (my emphasis):

The lack of detailed reporting by hospitals and clinics means that the Statistics Canada numbers for second and third trimester abortions represent a fraction of the total. In the report to Canadian Physicians for Life, Statistics Canada has information on gestational age for 36,874 abortions, only about one third of the total. If that one-third paints an accurate reflection of all the abortions performed, we have a fairly high number of abortions that occur after the first trimester, information that most people in Canada have never heard.

Here’s what the report shows: There were 31,994 first trimester abortions, or 87% of the 36,874 that included gestational age in their report. There were 4,479 abortions performed between 13 and 20 weeks gestation. The Canadian Medical Association considers 20 weeks to be the point of viability, that is, the point at which babies can survive outside the womb. After the 20 week period, there were 401 abortions, 366 between 21 and 24 weeks, 18 between 25 and 28 weeks, 12 between 29 and 32 weeks and 5 abortions reported at 33+ weeks.

Keep in mind, if this pattern applies to the over 60,000 abortions for which there is no gestational information, it means there were about 1,200 post-viability abortions in Canada in 2004, with more than 100 in the third trimester and 15 in the final six weeks of pregnancy.

It is true that every abortion, no matter at what stage it occurs, destroys a tiny human being. Each one also coarsens our society’s view of human life and increases our tolerance for the brutality of abortion. Two decades ago, about 98% of abortions occurred in the first trimester, when women and men could be convinced the embryo was a “clump of cells.” Now a growing number of women are choosing abortion when they can feel their baby move and they know with certainty that this is a tiny human being. Just as disturbing, there are doctors willing to take these lives.

Where is the outcry against this from protestant mainline churches?

40 thoughts on “Late term abortion in Canada

  1. The reason why women murder their unborn babies is
    1. They don’t want the inconvience of being pregnant
    2. They don’t want the inconvience of being a parent

    So how about we change the law so that it says after the 20 week point of a pregnancy it is no longer an “abortion” but instead an “early delivery” and that the child is immediately put up for adoption? This would satisfiy both reasons for the “abortion” that I stated above.
    If the “pro-choices” object to this, than all I can conclude is that they are a bunch of heartless, selfish, murdering slime. May God have mercy on them come Judgement Day.

    • Your so dumb! Some woman’s babies would live! Cousin had an abortion at 32 weeks and the doctors are suggesting I should do the same. My child will have a short life and will suffer the whole time…. it’s not fair to any baby born with issues

  2. It is very disturbing. However, I don’t think 1,200 constitutes a “growing number of women”. It amounts to .01% of all abortions performed in the country.

  3. Does it say somewhere that all of these abortions are by choice? Not all abortions are done because someone doesn’t want to be a parent or someone doesn’t want to be pregnant. Its sometimes done because a woman is told that her body cannot handle a pregnancy and she could possible die if she tries to follow through with the carrying and birth of her child. Sometimes a woman has an abortion because they have been forced to have non-consentual sex and have become pregnant and don’t have the means to carry a baby through birth let alone raise a child. There are many more reasons for abortions other than “I just dont want it” and I wonder if that is taken into consent when this report was taken.

  4. Bee,

    Let’s dissect your comments.

    “Does it say somewhere that all of these abortions are by choice? Not all abortions are done because someone doesn’t want to be a parent or someone doesn’t want to be pregnant. Its sometimes done because a woman is told that her body cannot handle a pregnancy and she could possible die if she tries to follow through with the carrying and birth of her child.”

    This is true. But everything I have read indicates that this is a very small percentage of the total. Many more, for example are terminated because of a physical adnormality or gender.

    “Sometimes a woman has an abortion because they have been forced to have non-consentual sex and have become pregnant and don’t have the means to carry a baby through birth let alone raise a child.”

    Here you mean rape or incest – I presume. Again this is a small percentage of the total. Of course the pregnancy is not the fault of the child conceived.

    “There are many more reasons for abortions other than “I just dont want it” and I wonder if that is taken into consent when this report was taken.”

    There are lots of reasons for abortion:

    – inconvenience
    – ego
    – selfishness
    – finances
    – lost a job
    – my figure will go to pot
    – I have to give up drinking and smoking for 9 months
    – etc.

    I could go on an on. By and large abortion is a selfish choice. There are plenty of couples who would delight in adopting a child that a mother and/or father cannot for whatever reason raise themselves.

    Abortion is the byproduct of an inward-looking and inherently selfish culture.

  5. Eph 3:20

    Subscribe.

    Reasons Women Choose Abortion (U.S.)

    Wants to postpone childbearing: 25.5%
    Wants no (more) children: 7.9%
    Cannot afford a baby: 21.3%
    Having a child will disrupt education or job: 10.8%
    Has relationship problem or partner does not want pregnancy: 14.1%
    Too young; parent(s) or other(s) object to pregnancy: 12.2%
    Risk to maternal health: 2.8%
    Risk to fetal health: 3.3%
    Other: 2.1%

    Source:Bankole, Akinrinola; Singh, Susheela; Haas, Taylor. Reasons Why Women Have Induced Abortions: Evidence from 27 Countries. International Family Planning Perspectives, 1998, 24(3):117–127 & 152 As reported by:The Alan Guttmacher Institute Online:

    In the US, the classic rape abortion arguement accounted for less than 1/10th of 1%.

    Peace,
    Jim

  6. How could risk to fetal health be a reason for abortion? Is this what “Aborted because I don’t want to raise a Downs child” falls in?

    • I have to abort at 32 weeks my baby which we made with the help of IVF. We spent just over 30000 and our child will have no quality of life… if that my fault? No so I think u people shouldn’t comment when u have no idea

  7. I’m not trying to argue that rape is a large portion and I’m definately not trying to argue that all abortions are for good reasons. We all know that that is just never going to be true. I am pro-choice, but I also admit that some people do take advantage of it. I just dont believe that all abortions happen purely out of selfish reasons.

  8. Isn’t a live baby better than a dead one? In all circumstances? Isn’t it better to give life than to take it away? The only difference between a six week gestation baby, a 38 week gestation baby and a newborn is time. Why is it wrong to kill a newborn, and not a six week gestation baby?

  9. I’m sorry Kate, I dont agree with that. Not in all circumstances. I think that if we had the resources to take care of every child born, then yes, maybe I would agree. However, I feel that there are too many children born and given up, only to be tossed around a system. I dont believe there are enough families out there to give a proper life to each child born. There are too many cases where children are being neglected, in many different ways. I would not want to subject a child to that.

  10. Bee said:

    “There are too many cases where children are being neglected, in many different ways. I would not want to subject a child to that.”

    But you’d subject them to murder?

    Aren’t you awesome.

    You subject a child to your value system and assumptions and your simple solution is to the callously have them killed off. Sound like genocide to me.

  11. I dont believe all abortion is murder. Thats why our opinions are different. I can admit that I’m a little hazy on where the line lays though. I can’t give you an exact date/time/week in which I believe something goes from abortion to murder. But I just dont believe all abortions are murders. Thats why I don’t agree with you.

  12. I’ll be a bit more precise. When does ensoulment take place? That is to say, when is the human body infused with a soul? The other point might be… doesn’t abortion radically interrupt God’s handiwork? This question has no bearing on whether a fetus is human. Rather it asks, is not life the work of the Creator?

  13. The only difference between a three weeks gestation fetus and a newborn is time. Why do you think it is ok to kill a three weeks gestation fetus and not a newborn? How can you logically defend your position?

  14. How can you logically defend that the only difference between a three week gestation fetus and a newborn is time. Theres so much more than time. Physical growth of a human, ensoulment(thanks eph), bonding between fetus and mother, I’m sure I could go on.

    As for messing with gods handiwork. I dont believe that god has anything to do with it. I can’t converse with you(or anyone) when we have such different beliefs.

  15. I hope that “I can’t converse with you when we have such different beliefs” didn’t come across how I’m thinking it may have. I didn’t mean to refuse to, I just mean I think its pointless to try and change something so concrete.

  16. Bee,

    You may no be a Christian, though forgive me for taking it for granted. But Christians believe that God has a lot to do with procreation.

    Although the Bible does not use the terms “abortion” or “pro-life,” does that mean God doesn’t care about abortion? Not at all. There are countless wrong things that are not mentioned by name in the Bible. But rather than list everything that would be against God’s will, the Bible gives us guidelines and principles that we can apply to the issues that come up in our lives.

    As the following Scriptures show, Christians (or members of other religions) do not need to wonder what God thinks about unborn children or whether he considers a fetus a child.

    Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? (Job 31:15).

    Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God (Psalm 22:9-10).

    For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

    This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you…(Isaiah 44:2).

    Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:3-4).

    And now the LORD says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength (Isaiah 49:5).

    The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

    When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:41-42, 44).

  17. Because, given time, the fetus will become the baby, if he or she isn’t interfered with. Now would you please answer my question?

  18. Physical growth of a human

    Exactly. The fetus is just as human as the baby. So why is it ok to kill the fetus, but not ok to kill the baby?

  19. The fetus is not just as human as a baby. A fetus starts as a layer of cells. It becomes a human over a period of time and a period of growth.

    For me, this whole debate isn’t about whether or not to abort. Its about giving each person the right to decide what is best for them. Its about not berating people into making choices. Each abortion is a tragedy, however I would never try to deny it of someone.

  20. I’m sorry eph. I didn’t mean that I dont believe god has anything to do with abortion or child bearing. I meant I dont believe that god had anything do with with life. If you’re wondering my beliefs, I suppose you could peg me for more of an agnostic. I can’t argue with what your bible says because you believe it, whereas I don’t.

  21. Why is she having the abortion?
    For the most part my answer is no. But like I said before, I can willingly admit that even I am a little unclear as to where I believe the line exsists to make it wrong. I’m unsure as to when exactly an abortion is an option as oposed to when exactly it is wrong.
    I can’t give a general answer of “yes its murder” or “no, abortion is right” because it isn’t that black and white. It depends on each case, each mother, each father, each surrounding, each situation.

  22. The fetus is not just as human as a baby. A fetus starts as a layer of cells. It becomes a human over a period of time and a period of growth.

    This really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I used to be a layer of cells in my mother’s womb, and I am certainly a human being. The difference between that layer of cells and a newborn is the same as the difference between a newborn and the five year old child he or she will one day become. Why is it murder to end the life of the five year old or the newborn, but not murder to end his or her life eight months previously?

  23. Kate,

    You know why pro-aborts say it ain’t murder? Because they can’t see it. That’s why university campuses are doing everything they can to avoid graphic images of abortions being displayed. Out of sight, out of mind. If you can’t see it, it isn’t a problem.

  24. Here are photos of a “layer of cells” at seven weeks:

    Kate, I embedded the images and deleted the other comments – David

  25. I suppose. I have a problem with those graphic image protests, though. I drove past one with small children in the car, and it was difficult to explain. I understand the purpose behind them, but surely the same effect could be achieved by photos of live in utero babies, without displaying so much gore.

  26. Pictures absolutely won’t make me change how I feel about any of this (although I must admit, those pictures are quite interesting and intriguing). And yes, they probably should have pictures like that in clinics, hospitals, and universities because people should be absolutely 100% aware of what they are doing. However, who are we to tell people they cannot have abortions. Whether or not you like, or whether or not its legal, it’s going to happen. Wouldn’t you rather it be done in a safe, controlled way?

  27. So, should anything that is “going to happen anyway” be permissible? Why wouldn’t pictures like that change your mind? At seven weeks, your “clump of cells” has fingers and toes. It’s the same clump of cells that six weeks previoiusly didn’t look like much. It’s the same clump of cells that nine months later will be a newborn. Why is it ok to kill the “clump of cells” and not the newborn?

  28. However, who are we to tell people they cannot have abortions.

    Who are we to tell people they shouldn’t murder? Abortion is murder, and it should be illegal.

    That having been said, I think political activism to prevent abortions is pretty darn close to useless. The political will to do anything about it is nill in Canada, at least today.

  29. Some woman can carry a baby and the baby has to be aborted.. I’m 32 weeks and the doctors suggest an abortion because of genetic problems and my baby will have a short and painful life.

    So to you but holes saying “the only reason a woman would murder a baby” you people are dumb and uneducated

  30. Abortions should be totally illegal except in exceptional circumstances where serious medical situations exist concerning the lives of the mother and/or the child. Tragically our politicians have absolutely no moral standards and will approve anything that they believe will ensure their re-election. Our current prime minister is a prime example.

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