This documentfrom the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners gives doctors information on their role in situations where there is a pre-natal diagnosis of fetal anomaly, as well on perinatal grief. The report was published in April of this year.
There are many interesting aspects to this document. First, is the use of the term "bébé" to describe the fetus. This underscores my thesis that we do treat the unborn child as a person, even if we do not acknowledge it under the law.
It also acknowledges that abortion ends the life of a child. So many people are in denial about this point. They want to believe ANYTHING but that our society sanctions the widespread killing of actual babies.
Another point of note is that they say couples sometimes make decisions to abort in haste, in order to protect themselves from suffering, and that they may regret their decision. The report cites an example of one woman who wanted the abortion done the very day of the diagnosis. But once she was given time to think about her decision, she realized that she was talking about her baby, not some thing.
Women who have 2nd trimester abortions often have feelings of guilt, low self-esteem and shame. One study that is cited said that seven years after a 2nd trimester abortion, 17% of the population sample had symptoms that resemble post-traumatic stress disorder.
The authors also addressed the issue of the siblings of the aborted baby, which I had never really thought about. In pro-life terms, they can become "post-abortive". They may become afraid of dying, or that their parents will die. They feel guilt if they were ambivalent about the arrival of the baby, thinking that they are responsible for his death.
What blows me away about this document is how the unborn child is depicted as a baby that is of equal value to the unborn child, but they do not bat an eyelash at the notion that this unborn child is an innocent human who is going to have his life taken away. Side by side with the notion of causing death is the idea that the parents love the baby and must grieve.
This situation should create a cognitive dissonance, but there is no sense that there is a contradiction.
If there is a silver lining, it's that as the unborn child is humanized and treated as a human worthy of love, they will realize that they can't just snuff out his life because he has a handicap. As it is, the use of potassium chloride injection seems to be discouraged by the document so that if the child is born, he can be "accompanied" through palliative care. That really should be the law, if you ask me. All too often, the baby is left to die in a corner.
I also note that they make this out to be a "second trimester" thing, when in fact, third trimester abortions do happen. They are so in denial.
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