Should South Dakota Pass the Abortion Ban?

For many expecting mothers, news of their pregnancy is both a joy and a blessing. Too often, that joy turns to sadness when a woman realizes that her pregnancy involves a fatal birth defect and has no chance of surviving after delivery. In this situation, a woman is faced with many medical decisions – none of which warrant Government interference.

However, South Dakota's Measure 11 would force a woman to carry any pregnancy to term, even in cases of fatal fetal anomalies.

The following are some examples of fatal fetal anomalies, also known as lethal congenital birth defects. It is important to note that the following list, though extensive, is not comprehensive.

·         Anencephaly – a condition where portions of the brain are missing or reduced to small matter attached to the base of the skull. [ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

·         Inencephaly – a severe abnormality of the spine and vertebrae, with the brain and much of the spinal cord occupying a single cavity. [ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

·         Hydraanencephaly – complete or near complete absence of the hemispheres of the brain. [ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

·         Infantile Polycystic Kidney Disease with anhydramnios –a lack of amniotic fluid during development. [ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

·         Triploidy – the presence of three full sets of chromosomes. [ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

·         Limb-Body Wall Complex-“ Limb-body wall complex refers to a rare combination of disruptive and lethal abnormalities which start early in the gestational process. Abnormalities commonly associated with this disorder include cranio-facial abnormalities, scoliosis, ventral body wall defect (thoraco-abdominoschisis), limb deformations, short umbilical cord, and others. Other terms used to describe similar findings include short umbilical cord syndrome, body-stalk anomaly, and amniotic band syndrome.” [http://www.obgyn.net/us/cotm/9802/cotm9802.htm, accessed 9/9/08 ]

·         Bilateral Renal Ageneisi- “ Bilateral Renal Agenesis is the absence of both kidneys at birth. It is a genetic disorder characterized by a failure of the kidneys to develop in a fetus. This absence of kidneys causes a deficiency of amniotic fluid (Oligohydramnios) in a pregnant woman. Normally, the amniotic fluid acts as a cushion for the developing fetus. When there is an insufficient amount of this fluid, compression of the fetus may occur resulting in further malformations of the baby.” [ http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/renal-agenesis-bilateral , accessed 9/9/08 ]

·         Achondrogenesis- “ Achondrogenesis is a group of severe disorders that affect cartilage and bone development. These conditions are characterized by a small body, short limbs, and other skeletal abnormalities. As a result of serious health problems, infants with achondrogenesis usually die before birth, are stillborn, or die soon after birth from respiratory failure.”[http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=achondrogenesis, accessed 9/9/08 ]

·         Thanatophoric Dysplasia-“ Thanatophoric dysplasia is a severe skeletal disorder characterized by extremely short limbs and folds of extra (redundant) skin on the arms and legs. Other features of this condition include a narrow chest, short ribs, underdeveloped lungs, and an enlarged head with a large forehead and prominent, wide-spaced eyes…The term thanatophoric is Greek for "death bearing." Infants with thanatophoric dysplasia are usually stillborn or die shortly after birth from respiratory failure.” [ http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=thanatophoricdysplasia , accessed 9/9/08 ]

·         Meckel-Gruber Syndrome- “ Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MGS) is an inherited condition that causes skull abnormality, enlarged cystic kidneys, liver damage, and extra fingers and toes.   Infants with MGS are usually stillborn or die shortly after birth.” [http://www.enotes.com/genetic-disorders-encyclopedia/meckel-gruber-syndrome, accessed 9/9/08 ]

[ American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Position Statement on 2006 Abortion Ban, 9/26/06 ]

Some women and families, understandably, decide not to carry to term a pregnancy with lethal fetal birth defects. However, some do decide to carry such pregnancies to term. That decision should always stay with a woman and her family – Initiated Measure 11 would put the decision in Government’s hands and force every woman to carry her pregnancy to term, even when the fetus has no chance of survival after delivery.

Tiffany and Chris’ Story

Why did we decide to have an abortion?

Two years ago in the midst of an intense battle to ban abortion in our home state of South Dakota we learned that we were pregnant with identical twins.  

Our sons were suffering from a severe case of Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a condition where identical twins unequally share blood circulation.

One boy was receiving too much blood resulting in a strained heart and acute risk of heart failure. Conversely, his brother was clinging to life as his blood supply was insufficient to sustain normal development. Because of the blood vessel connections across the placenta, if one twin dies, the co-twin faces significant risk for death.

We were faced with an impossible decision that forced us to examine or moral and spiritual fibers as never before. Initially we resisted the prognosis and clung to the sliver of hope that our boys would win the fight. However, their conditions continued to deteriorate and we were faced with the most difficult decision of our lives.

We could let nature run its course and pray that by the grace of God our boys would survive, or we could abort the sicker of the two boys giving his brother a legitimate shot at life.  

We decided to abort our son. Our decision was predicated on consultation with experts in the field of fetal medicine, our personal beliefs, prayer, and a mother’s intuition.   

Today we have a healthy two-year old boy who is the treasure of his older brother and sister.   He is quick to flash a smile, has a contagious giggle, and loves life.   It’s as if he made a pact with his brother to live passionately and proudly carry the spirit of his fallen brother.  

Throughout our state and across America , people struggle with agonizing decisions such as ours. The only thing more excruciating than making this decision ourselves is a Government mandate depriving us of our right to decide for ourselves.  

Since our abortion was not an attempt to protect the mother’s life, Initiated Measure 11 would have stripped us of our decision.    

Under Measure 11, we would be faced with weekly ultrasounds capturing the progressive withering of one twin’s body and deterioration of the other twin’s heart.

Measure 11 would impose activists’ beliefs on families during our most challenging hours. Everyday our youngest son’s contagious giggle reminds us that we made the right decision for our family. Let God be our judge.  

Please vote NO on Initiated Measure 11.

 

Tiffany & Chris Campbell

Sioux Falls , SD