New York’s Abortion Proposal Deadly for Women

Feb 25, 2013 | 0 comments

By Dan Bartkowiak

I have yet to find a good piece of recent news coming from the state of New York. In a recent visit to my hometown of Fredonia, NY the local newspaper shared these discouraging headlines: Developer of new townhomes stops production. Schools districts combining to stay afloat. County prepares for two facility closings, loss of jobs.

But one headline was a true shocker – the latest proposal by Governor Cuomo to expand abortion law to include virtually an anything-goes policy.

Was there any outcry for late-term abortion rights in the state? Commonly known is that New York is far from conservative – especially on abortion policy. Americans United for Life ranks New York #48 in all states for having pro-life laws: no informed consent, no parental involvement, public funding for abortion encouraged. New York’s abortion rate is almost double the national average.

Killing a pre-born baby past 24 weeks is considered a homicide currently in New York (as it is in PA). Why 24 weeks? One of the reasons is that the medical risks from abortion surgery increase exponentially as a pregnancy develops. For instance, using pro-choice minded Guttmacher Institute statistics, 1 death occurs for every 1 million abortion before week 8 compared to 1 death per 11,000 past 21 weeks.

This all in the wake of the recent death of a NY school teacher due to complications from her abortion at 33 weeks gestation. With all this evidence in mind, the Governor should stop promoting this late-term procedure. Yet Gov. Cuomo has failed to even address the recent death and stands with his proposal; putting more women at risk of injury and death.

Gov. Cuomo needs to watch the new documentary 3801 Lancaster and learn from a page of Pennsylvania’s horrific history. Instead of pushing for non-physicians to be allowed to perform abortions and allow late-term abortion to be performed for any reason, he should truly be concerned about the health and safety of women and not push his radical abortion-minded positions at their expense.

I had the privilege of seeing my first child born recently and witnessing the stages of the pregnancy. Hearing the heart beat at 8 weeks. Seeing my little guy on an ultrasound monitor at 21 weeks. I kept repeating to the nurses that I was in awe of the technology they used to check-up on my son. I was given the joy of looking through this window to see my child’s hands and feet and nose and watch and listen to his heart.

The survival rates of babies born at 24 weeks are growing significantly higher. We are kidding ourselves to say a baby at 24 weeks and beyond – a beating heart, feels pain, looks like a baby and has a good chance of living on its own – is just a blob of tissue that can be discarded.

Whatever Gov. Cuomo’s motivation is, it is certainly not about the health and safety of women having abortion procedures in his state.