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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (38191)	11/23/2001 10:24:35 AM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

It is a critical philosophical and social concern--especially for those who have ruptured uteruses... Congratulations, Solon. You gain automatic admittance to the SI Hall of Fame, and become a contender for the most laughable comment ever made in this venue. Let us pause to savor your word picture of a pregnant woman suffering a life-threatening medical emergency, in pain, likely hemorrhaging, blood pressure falling, oxygen cut-off to the fetus, on an operating table, fighting for her very life ... while all the while pondering the "critical philosophical and social implications" of her travail. God bless her. And let's not forget the operating team, doubtless discussing, debating, struggling through the same soul-searching ordeal, while Mom looks on. Perhaps all concerned are thinking about what they will say in the next article (of those thousands) that they will write on the subject. Concerning your reference to "the conflict between foetal and maternal life," you might be interested in this passage by Dr. J. C. Wilkes, a fervent Pro-Life advocate, on the subject of ectopic pregnancy (frequently associated with a ruptured uterus): Is surgery on an ectopic pregnancy an abortion? Some do define this as an abortion, and this is one reason why Right to Life people usually accept a "life of the mother" exception to laws that would forbid abortion. By the time most ectopic surgery is done, the developing baby is dead and often destroyed by the hemorrhage. In any case, such surgery is done primarily to prevent the death of the mother. This is good medical practice because there is no chance for the baby to survive. Even if a yet-alive, tiny baby were removed from the tube, the Right to Life movement would allow this, for without the procedure, both would die. The baby has a zero chance of survival. The surgery will save the mother’s life. If medical technology were advanced enough to allow transplanting the baby from its pathological location, and placing it into the uterus, then most ethicists would say this should be done. Since this is not possible with present technology, the tiny new baby’s life today is lost. Doesn't sound to me like there is exactly a raging conflict going on here. But, you are right, I'm not in the medical profession.