How is Partial Birth Abortion Performed

The justifiability of partial birth abortion is one of the most widely contested legal battles throughout the world. When a woman decides to terminate her pregnancy in the second or third trimester, she would be delivering a dead foetus. The process undertaken for the same is known as a partial birth abortion.

The Procedure of Partial Birth Abortion

Listed below are the essential steps which would help in understanding how partial birth abortion is performed.

1. The first step is to undertake an ultrasound procedure. It is mandatory for the abortionist to know the exact position of the foetus, before he can start off with the partial birth abortion.
2. Once the ultrasound procedure is underway, it acts as a suitable guide for the abortionist. Next, the foetus is pulled into the birth canal by catching hold of his legs with forceps. This type of delivery where the feet comes out first is known as a beech delivery.
3. Next, the abortionist delivers the entire foetus along with the arms, torso and legs, leaving only the head inside the birth canal.
4. After this comes the step of terminating the life of the foetus. For this, the abortionist jabs a scissor into the skull of the baby. He then opens the scissors for widening the hole and making it bigger.
5. Once a large hole has been created in the skull of the unborn foetus, the next step gets underway. In this, a suction catheter is used for sucking out the brains of the foetus through the hole created.
6. Once the brains have been successfully drained out, the skull collapses and the foetus is then confirmed lifeless. Now, the head of the dead foetus would also be delivered by the abortionist, to complete the procedure.

Now that you know how partial birth abortion is performed, it is easy to understand that the entire procedure could be a painful one. The idea is to have the foetus delivered at such a stage where it is incapable of living outside the womb. However, considering the pros and cons of the procedure, partial birth abortion should be best avoided.

You must consider the same only in case of impending emergencies and serious complications. Abortions, if they must be conducted, should be essentially restricted to the first trimester of pregnancy.

Read more articles on Abortion.