“I applaud the members of the U.S. House for respecting the viewpoint of the vast majority of women, who do not support such gruesome abortion procedures performed against fully formed infants,”
said AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (06-18-13) – Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest commended the U.S. House for voting to limit abortion after a child reaches 20 weeks – or about 6 months – of pregnancy. “Even though the bill did not contain explicit findings regarding the adverse effects of late term abortion on maternal health, there is no dispute that the health risks of abortion to women greatly increases with late-term procedures and the pain endured by the child in the womb is clearly horrific,” said Dr. Yoest. “I applaud the members of the U.S. House for respecting the viewpoint of the vast majority of women, who do not support such gruesome abortion procedures performed against fully formed infants.”
Recent polls reveal that 63% of all Americans—including 70% of women—support a 20-week limitation on abortion. The House voted 228 to 196 in favor of H.R. 1797, which would limit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“This bill both safeguards unborn children and takes an important and necessary step toward protecting the health and safety of women from the dangers inherent in abortion,” said Dr. Yoest, who noted that a woman seeking an abortion at 20 weeks is 35 times more likely to die from abortion than she was in the first trimester. At 21 weeks or more, she is 91 times more likely to die from abortion than she was in the first trimester.
The realities of the health risk of abortion to women is even acknowledged by the pro-abortion research organization, The Guttmacher Institute, which notes: “The risk of death associated with abortion increases with the length of pregnancy, from one death for every one million abortions at or before eight weeks to one per 29,000 at 16–20 weeks—and one per 11,000 at 21 or more weeks.”
“Now the members of the U.S. Senate should stand with the women of America protect women and unborn, infant children, from dangerous, later-term procedures,” said Dr. Yoest.
For more on the health risks of abortion to women, click here.
