No more surgical abortions?

National Right to Life reports in its May magazine that the term “surgical abortion” is being replaced with “procedural abortion.” Newspeak is an especially fierce battlefront of the culture war.

The NRLC story refers to a Rewire.News article, published last month, stating:

Rewire.News has updated its style guide to more accurately describe abortion care. Instead of referring to “medication and surgical” abortion to distinguish between abortions induced by pills and abortions performed as an in-clinic procedure, Rewire.News will use “medication and procedural” abortion.

The article explains that for pregnancies in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks) the procedure is a five to 10 minute process “involving gentle suction to remove the products of conception,” and it does not typically require cutting or suturing of any kind. To see an abortion of a 12-week old pre-born baby, see Dr. Bernard Nathanson’s video, The Silent Scream. There are surgical aspects.

Numerous metal instruments are inserted into the woman to achieve the abortion. Tissue must be cut— the amniotic sac in which the baby lives has to be torn open so that the suction tube can vacuum out his or her body parts (— at 12 weeks we know whether it’s a boy or girl). A polyp forceps must be inserted to crush the head before the skull bones and brains can be sucked out. So, by definition, even early stage abortion is surgery. (See the AMA definition of surgery.)

The article quotes healthcare providers who are irked when they are accused of using “a whole bunch of critical medical supplies and take PPE [personal protective equipment] away from the hospital” during the pandemic.

After all, they say, a first-trimester abortion only requires “2 pairs of gloves (1 for the ultrasound and 1 for the procedure) and a reusable face shield. A gown and mask are not usually required… If a person is forced to carry their pregnancy to term, their cesarean section would require significantly more PPE…” (We have inserted pictures of face shields in case readers may be wondering how they differ from masks.)

Now you know. Clinic personnel will not be wearing face masks for surgical abortions. We wonder— Do they require the patients do so?

Sincere thanks to the sidewalk counselors who have consistently stood nearby the women entering the EMW clinic despite the pandemic. A wonderful description of what is going on there, written by Ed Harpring, the Pro-Life Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Louisville, can be read on Facebook.