Dr. Patrick Johnston, of Personhood Ohio, writes an outstanding piece on “life exception” abortion. He writes:
The chemotherapy necessary to save the life of the leukemia patient… would be just as effective whether the patient were pregnant or not. Killing the baby is not necessary to save the life of the mother at all. Many oncologists do recommend an abortion before they will prescribe chemotherapy, but it is not to save the mother’s life, but to protect themselves from litigation.
That last sentence is worth emphasizing. Doctors sometimes recommend abortion “not to save the mother’s life, but to protect themselves from litigation.” Kill the baby to remove the possibility of a lawsuit. Horrible.
Dr. Johnston explains that unborn babies can withstand chemotherapy:
As reported in The Lancet medical journal in August 2012, the German Breast Group followed 413 pregnant cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, and found little to no evidence of negative health effects on their infants.
Dr. Johnston properly distinguishes between abortion (the intentionally killing of an unborn baby) and life-saving medical treatment that involves prematurely delivering the baby.
The medical literature says in [some conditions], “facilitating delivery” may be necessary to save the life of the mother. Can you facilitate delivery and not dismember the baby? Of course.
Prematurely delivering a baby and trying to save the life of the mother and the baby does not intend to kill and does not violate God’s law. One is violent and cruel, the other heroic and compassionate.
See Prenatal Personhood, can mothers get life-saving medical treatment?
