In the case of severe infant abnormalities such anencephaly or hydrocephalus, the infant usually only survives outside the womb for a relatively short period of time on it's own. Primarily the whole hullabaloo about this bill is focused on the small changes made in the language of the bill that's already in place in Virginia. Currently, late-term abortions are legal in Virginia only under strict circumstances. The measure introduced would remove language requiring that a pregnancy’s risk to the mother be “substantial and irremediable.” The proposal would also change the number of doctors required to sign off on a late-term abortion, from three to one, provided that it is performed in a licensed hospital and that not doing so would “impair the mental or physical health” of the mother or result in her death. This is an important part of that bill to take into consideration.
Governor Northam is a pediatric neurologist who stressed that late-term abortions were done with the consent of the women and their doctors and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s nonviable, and cannot survive outside the womb. The bill clearly states that life support “shall be available and utilized if there is any clearly visible evidence of viability.”
Going back to my own personal experiences as a medical professional, I've seen infants born without any real hope of surviving due to extreme physical deformities. I recall a young mother that had recently given birth, she was sitting in a rocking chair in the pediatric ICU rocking with her motionless newborn on her lap. He was born without a skull, he died 2 days later. If he had died at birth, she would have mourned, grieved appropriately and healed. Her healing was only delayed because his death was inevitable from the start. But some of these children, thanks to modern medicine, survive. Unfortunately, they never live to have a normal life. They battle illnesses after illness, they undergo many hospitalizations, the expense of their care will no doubt bankrupt the parents if they have anything at all, and they end up with nothing. If they have other children, those children will always take a back seat because this little one with severe physical and mental challenges will certainly be the focus of those parents until that child dies or they die. Their life is instantly changed. It's a lifetime sentence of being a care-giver to a child that nature never meant to survive.
It's a really difficult choice for any parent to make that will commit them to a lifetime of caring for this child for life. It's not only an emotional commitment, it's a monetary commitment and a lifetime commitment. It's a heavy decision for anyone to make. But, to call Ralph Northam a 'murderer' and 'killer of babies' is just not using all the facts in this case and it's blown way out of proportion.
It's political propaganda.
