Intact Dilation And Extraction Circumstances In Which The

Intact D&X procedures are extremely rare, carried out in roughly 0.2% (two-tenths of one percent) of all abortions in the USA. They are performed during the third trimester of pregnancy for various reasons, such as:

Some of the fetuses which fall into this category have developed hydrocephalus. Approximately 1 in 2,000 fetuses develop hydrocephalus while in the womb; this is about 5,000 a year in the United States. The defect is not usually discovered until late in the second trimester of pregnancy. If a fetus develops hydrocephalus, the head may expand to a size of up to 250% of the radius of a normal newborn skull, making it impossible for it to pass through the cervix. In such a case, the physician may elect to perform an intact D&X procedure by draining off the fluid from the brain area, collapsing the fetal skull and withdrawing the dead fetus. A caesarian section delivery would allow the safe delivery of a hydrocephalic fetus, but with increased risks to the mother, in comparison to an intact D&X procedure.

In the 2 to 3 day procedure, the cervix is dilated. The fetus is delivered feet-first. The surgeon inserts a sharp object into the back of the fetus' head, and inserts a vacuum tube through which the brains and its fluids are extracted. The head of the fetus contracts at this point and allows the fetus to be more easily removed from the uterusThe uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. One end called the cervix, opens into the vagina, and the wider end, called the body of uterus, is connected on both sides with the Fallopian tubes. It comes in a. The fetus can then be removed with less damage to the woman. The technique was pioneered by Dr. Martin Haskell in 1992.

Intact D&X procedures are not performed during the first trimester, because there are better ways to perform abortions. There is no need to follow such a procedure because the fetus' head is quite small at this stage of gestation and can be quite easily removed from the woman's uterus.

2 Legal and political situation in the United States

2.1 About the terminology

This procedure is referred to as " partial-birth abortionThe term partial-birth abortion is a controversial term used primarily by abortion opponents in the United States to refer to abortions in which the fetus or fetuses enter the vaginal (birth) canal (called a "delivery") in the course of the procedure." in the media and among pro-life groups. In the medical field intact dilation and extraction is sometimes referred to as a D&X procedure (not to be confused with D&E procedure ( dilation and evacuation .)

2.2 Efforts to ban the procedure

Since 19951995 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). It has a Golden number of 1, and was the first year of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995- 2005): http://www. org/culture/indigenous . Events January events Ja, led by Congressional Republicans, the United States House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the United States Congress, the other being the United States Senate. Members Members of the House are elected for a term of two years. Elections alternately coincide with the president and U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the United States Congress, smaller than the U. House of Representatives. Together, they compose the legislative branch of the United States government. Seal of the Senate Each state elects two senators throu have moved several times to pass measures banning the procedure. After several long and emotional debates on the issue, such measures passed twice by wide margins, but President Bill Clinton vetoed those bills in April 1996 and October 1997 on the grounds that they did not include health exceptions. Subsequent Congressional attempts at overriding the veto were unsuccessful.

On October 2, 2003, with a vote of 281-142, the House again approved a measure banning the procedure. Through this legislation, a doctor could face up to two years in prison and face civil lawsuits for performing such an abortion. A woman who undergoes the procedure cannot be prosecuted under the measure. On October 21, 2003, the United States Senate passed the same bill by a vote of 64-34. The measure does not contain health exemptions but does contain an exemption to save a woman's life. On November 5, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (HR 760, S 3), which defined partial-birth abortions as:

. . . [A]n abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery.

Note that this definition of "partial-birth abortion" is not equivalent to "intact dilation & extraction," and covers a different range of procedures.

On November 6, through efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Abortion Federation , three United States district court judges issued temporary restraining orders against enforcement of the ban.

3 Legal and political situation in the United Kingdom

Questioned about UK government policy on the issue in Parliament, Baroness Andrews stated that "We are not aware of the procedure referred to as 'partial-birth abortion' being used in Great Britain. It is the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist 's (RCOG) belief that this method of abortion is never used as a primary or pro-active technique and is only ever likely to be performed in unforeseen circumstances in order to reduce maternal mortality or severe morbidity."

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