To understand the Georgia Right to Life position, it is necessary to first define what an abortion is. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention an induced abortion is an “intervention performed by a licensed clinician (e.g., a physician, nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) that is intended to terminate a suspected or known ongoing intrauterine pregnancy and that does not result in a live birth.”

The suggestion that abortion is sometimes necessary to save the life of the mother is a myth perpetuated by the abortion industry. More than 1,000 medical providers have signed the Dublin Declaration, which states that abortion is not “medically necessary to save the life of a woman.”

Likewise, the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) with more than 2,500 members affirms that abortion is never “medically necessary to save the life of the mother.”

Georgia Right to Life acknowledges that the woman and the child in the womb are both unique, living, human beings with innate worth and value and should be treated accordingly. Ethical medical practice would dictate that every effort be made to save both lives. In those cases, the accidental or unintentional death of the pre-born child is not an abortion, because abortion by definition is the intentional killing of an innocent child in the womb.

When in extreme medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother arise (chorioamnionitis or HELLP syndrome could be examples), Georgia Right to Life believes in treatment to save the mother’s life, including premature delivery and C-section if that is indicated. Medical treatment that is risky for one life is not the same as intentionally killing a human being, as in the case of abortion.

 

Resource Material

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists affirms the Dublin Declaration which states:

  • As experienced practitioners and researchers in Obstetrics and Gynecology, we affirm that direct abortion is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.
  • We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatments results in the loss of life of her unborn child.
  • We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women.

https://aaplog.org/premature-delivery-is-not-induced-abortion/

There is a night and day difference between induced abortion and separating a mother and her unborn child for the purposes of saving a mother’s life (preterm parturition). There are times when separating the mother and her unborn child is necessary to save the life of the mother, even if the unborn child is too premature to live.

In those tragic cases, if possible, the life of the baby will be attempted to be preserved, and if not possible, the body of the unborn child is treated with respect, recognizing the humanity of the life which is lost in the separation.

In contrast, the purpose of an induced abortion is to produce a dead baby. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined legal induced abortion as an “intervention performed by a licensed clinician (e.g., a physician, nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) that is intended to terminate a suspected or known ongoing intrauterine pregnancy and that does not result in a live birth.”

That is what an abortionist is paid to do: to kill the unborn child before delivering it, or to kill the child during the delivery process, as is done with partial-birth abortion. So the focus of the abortion procedure is on killing the unborn child, and the purpose of the abortion is to produce a dead baby. Induced abortion, that is the deliberate killing of an unborn child prior to separating that child from the mother, is never necessary to save the life or preserve the health of any woman.

There are other ways to end a dangerous pregnancy such as premature delivery and C-section. Medical treatment that is risky for one life is not the same as intentionally killing a human being, as in the case of abortion. The child in the womb is a unique, living, human being with innate worth and value and should be treated accordingly. Ethical medical practice would dictate that every effort be made to save both lives. In those cases, the accidental or unintentional death of the pre-born child is not an abortion, because abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent child in the womb.

However, the physician shall make reasonable medical efforts under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the mother and the life of the preborn human being in a manner consistent with accepted medical standards. Under such circumstances, the accidental or unintentional injury or death to the preborn human being is not a violation of this article. The threat of the death of a pregnant woman must not be based on a diagnosis or claim of a mental or emotional condition of the pregnant woman or a diagnosis or claim that the pregnant woman will purposefully engage in conduct that she intends to result in her death. The provisions of this section must not be construed to authorize the intentional killing of a preborn human being. (From 2018 SC Personhood legislation)

http://aaplog.org/save-the-life-of-the-mother/  October 19, 2012

http://aaplog.org/what-is-aaplogs-position-on-abortion-to-save-the-life-of-the-mother-2/  June 9, 2009

The American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) with over 2500 members, published a statement in 2009 to address their position on “Abortion to Save the Life of the Mother.” AAPLOG acknowledges that the woman and child are unique persons, and thus, two patients.

Abortion is the purposeful killing of the unborn in the termination of pregnancy. AAPLOG opposes abortion. When in extreme medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother arise (chorioamnioitis or HELLP syndrome could be examples), AAPLOG believes in “treatment to save the mother’s life,” including premature delivery if that is indicated – obviously with the patient’s informed consent.  This is NOT “abortion to save the mother’s life.”

We are treating two patients, the mother and the baby, and every reasonable attempt to save the baby’s life would also be a part of our medical intervention. We acknowledge that, in some such instances, the baby would be too premature to survive.

https://aaplog.org/save-the-life-of-the-mother/  Points made by Dr. Donna Harrison in CNN interview:

We do not believe the purposeful killing of the unborn child is ever necessary to save the life of the mother. But it is , rarely, necessary to end the pregnancy in the course of treatment to save the mother’s life. In this kind of case, we would be trying to save the life of both our patients—the mother and the premature child. And we acknowledge that in some cases, the child would be too premature to have any chance for survival. Both doctors and families sometimes face such painful choices and decisions.

For the AAPLOG statement, go to: https://www.aaplog.org/position-and-papers/abortion-to-save-the-life-of-the-mother/  In our letter of Oct 8, we reported on the Dublin Declaration on Maternal Mortality. https://www.aaplog.org/get-involved/letters-to-members/dublin-declaration/

This Declaration deals with the pressure on Ireland to adopt more permissive abortion standards in that country. The Dublin Declaration is identical to the AAPLOG statement, albeit using slightly different language to describe their stance. The Dublin Declaration says: “As experienced practitioners and researchers in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, we affirm that direct abortion – the purposeful destruction of the unborn in the termination of pregnancy – is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman. We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatments results in the loss of life of her unborn child. We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to a pregnant woman”

The Dublin Declaration on Maternal Health was written and signed by a select panel of the Committee on Excellence in Maternal Healthcare, in September 2012. In addition, over 1000 medical providers have signed the Dublin Declaration, which affirms that abortion is never “medically necessary to save the life of a woman”.

“As experienced practitioners and researchers in obstetrics and gynaecology, we affirm that direct abortion – the purposeful destruction of the unborn child – is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.

We uphold that there is a fundamental difference between abortion, and necessary medical treatments that are carried out to save the life of the mother, even if such treatment results in the loss of life of her unborn child.

We confirm that the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women.”