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President Clinton vetoed the late-term abortion bill. A similar bill is before the state Legislature.
In late-term
abortions, the fetus' ability to survive outside of the womb complicates the situation. In my opinion, late-term abortions
should only be conducted under the following guidelines:
1. If a woman waits until after the second trimester, her
right to have an abortion on demand is lost.
2. If a late-term abortion is medically necessary, then the womans's
constitutional rights to protect her life and health must not be compromised.
3. A pediatrician would be assigned
to protect the fetus' right to life without subordinating the woman's rights.
4. The doctor would be required to
wait until the optimum time consistent with saving the mother's life and giving the fetus the best chance of survival outside
of the womb.
5. Doctors, who follow the guidelines, would be subject to peer review through the hospital board.
If he/she consistently disregards the fetus' right to life, then the state could censure him/her and restrict his/her right
to practice.
6. If the doctor failed to follow these guidelines, he/she would be subject to prosecution.
Sheila
L Richardson
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