Motherhood is bliss. World over, women yearn to give birth and rear the little one. Seeing the tiny offspring’s little steps turn into big leaps is nothing less than ecstasy.
There are some difficult circumstances that a woman sometimes faces because of which she is compelled to go in for an abortion.
Going in for an early termination of pregnancy has always been recommended because of safety and emotional reasons.
Aborting third-trimester pregnancies is therefore obviously a rare situation, a situation one would not want to confront.
Tough Decision
Opting for termination during the final term of the pregnancy is a tough decision for a mother to take. However sometimes, it may be the Hobson’s choice. Little wonder then merely 1 percent of the abortions in the United States fall in this category.
“It’s agonizing what they go through. Every week they tell us their stories because we have the time to listen. We have to respect women and trust they are capable of making these difficult decisions,” avers Dr Shelley Sella, a doctor in the United States who performs such late terminations in case need be.
Dr Sella’s job is not easy. While she has the technical expertise and experience to abort the more than 6 month old fetus, her own life is under threat. Certain sections of the society consider her performing these abortions as unethical and inhuman.
The anti-abortionists, who are invariably seen protesting outside the clinic where she works, create a “climate of fear”. Imagine what would go through a doctor’s mind working in such an environment, especially after the murder of an abortion advocate Dr George Tiller, in 2009.
Not very many people do this job. Only 4 doctors in the United States reportedly work on third-trimester terminations.
Pick and Choose Cases
Sella is clear in her mind and performs such abortions in two types of case; one where there is a fetal abnormality and two, where the circumstances of the mom-to-be are such that she will not be able to cope with the baby.
Parents opt for such late terminations because they do not want to see their child lead a life of misery post birth. The abortion procedure in such cases is intricate and lasts four days.
The emotional bond refuses to snap even thereafter for mothers still want to see and hold the stillborn.
