“Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary”

LESSON 4

THE PRO-LIFE REPLY TO:

"Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary"

"Abortion can be medically necessary in the case of the life or health of the mother." Have you heard this argument before?

It seems rational and compassionate, but the truth is that abortion is never medically necessary, even in cases to save the mother’s life.

Neonatologist Dr. Kendra Kolb walks us through the different scenarios where abortion might be considered, but would never be an actual necessity.

Lesson Points

Even in the most high-risk pregnancies, there is no medical reason why the life of the child should be directly and intentionally killed through abortion
In cases of true medical necessity, preterm delivery must happen - which is not the same as abortion.
It’s profoundly disturbing that many abortions are performed at the same ages of babies who are born preterm and survive
Preterm delivery is much safer than a late-term abortion
In some cases, treatment is needed for the health of the mother, which may result in the death of the child. This is not abortion, though, because the purpose of the treatment is not to kill the child.
Removing an ectopic pregnancy is also not an abortion
Physicians have an ethical duty to provide expert care to both mother and child
Abortion is never medically necessary to protect the mother’s life or health

Ways to Take Action

Reach out to a local pregnancy resource center and see what kind of help they need, and see if our Abortion Procedures videos would be a good resource for them.