Making dismemberment abortion sound better

Making dismemberment abortion sound better April 10, 2015

Kansas has banned late-term abortions that dismember the child.  Other states are considering passing the same law.  You have got to read the news story in the Washington Post, excerpted after the jump.  You might notice some bias in the story.  But notice to what extent the journalist has to twist her language–to the point of outlandish euphemism–to make this barbaric procedure palatable.

From Ana Swanson, Kansas opens a new front in the state battle over abortion – The Washington Post:

Kansas became the first state to sharply restrict second-trimester abortions on Tuesday, opening another front in the battle between anti-abortion and pro-choice activists at the state level. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, a strong opponent of abortion, signed the law on Tuesday surrounded by anti-abortion activists and poster-sized images of fetuses.

The law, which takes effect July 1, will ban a type of abortion called dilation and evacuation. Doctors commonly use the procedure after 16 weeks, when medical abortions and other surgical procedures are no longer viable. Various estimates say roughly 8-9 percent of abortions in Kansas use dilation and evacuation.

The wording of the Kansas law does not include medical terminology, instead referring to the procedure as “dismemberment abortion,” language often used by anti-abortion activists. In the procedure, doctors dilate the cervix and remote the fetus with forceps, clamps or other instruments, often in parts.

“Remote the fetus. . .often in parts”!

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