XVDHMAK@VCUVM1 (Michael Kline) (02/09/90)
This note was originally sent to BIOMED, but was from the John Ankerburg Show. It is a little graphic, but you may delete if you wish. I've shared it with several friends, and they think it is quite good. John is calling for the public to be aware and calling for a halting of late term abortions. In His Love, Michael A. Kline, Sr. SSE VDH, Technical Support (804)786-1559 XVDHMAK at VCUVM1 Richmond, Virginia ==========================================================================> This is about abortion, and was from the John Ankerburg show. While there is no "dirty language", it is descriptive about what goes on during an abortion, and for the "weak at heart", you may want to delete. since this is the list it is and several have stated it concerns itself with what's going on with medicine, I have included it. Once again, while some were trying to say, most say this, the people John had on their show were more than qualified to speak. Between 2 of the speakers alone, they accounted for over 85,000 abortions. They should know what they are talking about. This is one of the things I like about John, he usually has people on his show with enough qualifications that they should know what they speak about. John Ankerburg had a good opening show on abortion. Those interested can see it Sunday nights on the Family channel at 10:30. It started out with WW I claimed 126,000. WW II claimed 292,131, Korea claimed 54,000, Viet Nam 57,685, Abortion claims 125,000 each month, or 1.5 million a year, and 25,000,000 since 1973. The series is titled "The American Holocaust: Abortion in the 90's". The first thing they show is a fetascope, and we are shown a baby in the womb which is 4.5 months pregnant. We are shown the hands, the mouth, the eyes, the lips, the ears. It is a boy, and we are shown the genitals. We are told several facts about the child. "Science tells us it's the product of human parents. It is alive. It has it's own brain from which brain waves can be detected, recorded, and read. It's organ systems, the internal organs, lungs, spinal cord, and nervous system are all in place. The entire body is sensitive to touch. The digestive system is complete. The heart beats regularly and is pumping up to 25 quarts per day. It has it's own blood type which may be completely different from it's mother. it can suck it's thumb. It moves and feels pain. It's 18 weeks old. If you would ask any child what this is, they would tell you, "It's a baby.". Then John's crew asked several people from the streets how long abortion was legal. Most of those interviewed, they guessed from 3 to 6 months, with most of them saying 3-4 months. We know this, but I think it bears repeating, one can abort right up to birth. Dr. Bernard N. Nathanson, MD spoke to some extent on this show. He was Co-Founder of National Abortion Right Action League, and was the director of the nation's largest abortion clinic for 2 years. He bears ultimate responsibility for 75,000 abortions. "But over the past 10 years, I've changed my mind on the acceptability of abortions, owing to the immense technological advances which have been made in the field of obstetrics and fetology, Advances such as ultra sound imaging, fetal heart monitoring, and fetoscophy which have allowed us now to perceive, without question, the unmistakable humanity of the unborn child." We were then given a brief run down of abortion terms, talking about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester abortions. We were then given data. In the United States, there are 1.5 million abortions done, of which 8% are late abortions. Canada = 65,000 per year with 11% or 7,000 late abortions. In the UK, 170,000 per year of which 30,000 are late abortions. In the United States, there are 120,000 late abortions per year or 400 per day. If everyone says it is wrong to kill a child 24 hours after birth, it not also wrong to kill a child 24 hours before birth? If a child is viable back to 20 weeks, and can be preserved through modern technology, shouldn't it be protected up to this point. John addresses the "Pro-Choice". "In fact, those of you who are Pro-Choice, you usually argue that a human life in the womb must have certain characteristics before you will assign to it, the rights of full personhood. Usually you argue those characteristics must be viability, that is the child must have the ability to live and survive outside of the womb, brain waves, heart beat, movement, and feeling of pain. Since science tells us all of those characteristics are there by 20 weeks, then the child fulfills your definition of personhood. The point I'd like to make here is that if the unborn child fulfills all the definitions of both sides at 20 weeks, then shouldn't we be protecting these innocent children from at least that time on? If you agree that we should, you need to know that we're not." John Ankerburg is now offering a book, "When Does Life Begin and 39 Other Tough Questions to Abortion". This book talks about "Doesn't a woman have the right to control her own body". It points to Biblical passages to all the scriptures that tell us pre birth life is precious. Abortion procedures are described, the pain an aborted child goes through. The tricks of words that pro abortionists use, and what they really mean. This book is supposed to attack all the current arguments being put out by the pro choice movement. The offer is A-2, for $15, and is available from John Ankerberg; PO Box 8977; Chattanooga, TN 378411. We are then once again shown the beautiful baby shown earlier in the program. We are then shown THIS BABY TORN APART BY ABORTION. This was a gross and disgusting portion of film, taken from "Eclipse of Reason". Even so, I thought it was LONG PAST DUE. Dr. Bernard N. Nathanson, MD went on to talk about this particular abortion and what was going to take place. The opening of the cervix, the breaking of the bag of waters, and the "grasping instrument" with which the abortionist CRUSHES and pulls apart the living child within the womb. What was seen through the fetascope didn't last too long because of the blood. You could see some thrashing, and then it was all over for the child. We are shown the forearm with the blood vessels, the hand, fingers, the umbilical cord, and the genitals, and told plainly, "This WAS a little boy". We saw the ear, the nose, the mouth, and we watch the child take a swallow of water. We are told, "These are the tools of the abortionist trade. In a few moments this little boy's life with be semerially extinguished with these instruments." The umbilical cord was severed, the life line cut and collapsed, and wrenched from the child's body. The grasping instrument was then used to dismember the child. Piece by piece, the extremities are pulled away, then the back and the torso. We saw the ribs coming out. Can anyone doubt what the child must have experienced? The pieces are stacked on the table in order to reassemble and make sure they "got it all". The head is located, crushed, and removed in pieces. We see this and the white matter of the brain spilling out of the body. Even when it is done, we can see a leg, clearly definable, with the foot still attached. They then interviewed, Dr. Jay Kelinson who performed the abortion we observed. He HAD DONE about 10,000 or more. He doesn't do them any more. He now will not do abortions for even medical reasons. Dr. Joseph Randall was doing 50 to 60 abortions a day. He was beginning to get suicidal. He stated, "I would be more willing to give my life, than to perform an abortion". Then Dr. Arnold Halpern, former director of a Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic. He never thought of the fetus being a real baby until the heart beat could be heard, etc. From 1982 to 1986 and beyond, we realize that the fetus is really a child. "There is no difference between a first trimester, a second trimester, a third trimester abortion or infanticide. It's all the same human being in different stages of development. I finally got to the point I couldn't look at those little bodies anymore. Today, Babies born at 6 months have a 65% chance of survival and 80% chance of being healthy. The next program will examine. Personhood and How important that society defines the child by what it is, not what it does. "You know if you don't define the beginning of human life from the moment of conception, you will necessarily define it functionally at some other junction. It will be defined in terms of what the kid or the adult is able to do. It won't be in terms of what the person is, but what the person's able to produce. For example, once his brainwaves start operating then he's a person, once his heart beats he's a person, once he can accomplish this, that, or the other thing, he is a valuable member of society. The necessary consequence is that the minute that the society no longer values what you do, or I do, then that same society may want to get rid of us." It was a moving program, and I think fits right in with what all was being talked about here.