Pregnancy is perhaps the most personal and private human bodily function imaginable.  Conception occurs after ovulation when a sperm and an egg fuse in the fallopian tube forming a zygote, which divides into16 cells, becoming a morula.  About four days after fertilization, a central cavity develops in the growing mass of cells, forming a blastocyst.  Five or six days after ovulation, the blastocyst implants in the wall of the uterus becoming an embryo.  Incorrect implantation in a woman’s fallopian tube, cervix or abdomen (ectopic pregnancy) usually induces life-threatening hemorrhage.  Only emergency abortion can save her life. 

     After implantation, amazing microscopic, genetic, biochemical and biophysical events occur as the embryo undergoes gastrulation, forming three tissue layers called endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm.  The endoderm eventually forms digestive tract and the linings of the lungs, tonsils and bladder.  The mesoderm gives rise to muscles, bones, lymphatic and excretory tissues.  The ectoderm yields the skin, hair, nails and nervous system. 

     About 21 days after ovulation, two tubes of mesoderm form and later fuse into an S shape that contracts rhythmically.  By day 29, the brain differentiates into three parts, the heart has valves and limb buds are forming.  For the next two months, every part of the embryo undergoes rapid genetic and location-directed cell division.  By week 7, the heart has four chambers, intestines begin development and brain waves begin.   Heart development ends at about 9 weeks, and the brain can move muscles.  The embryonic phase of development (and the first trimester) ends at 12 weeks.  The embryo becomes a fetus. 

     At 16 weeks, the circulatory system is complete and the 24^th week marks the end of the second trimester.  At 30 weeks, rapid brain growth begins, and the rate of formation of interconnections between individual nerve cells increases.   At 40 weeks, the fetus is “full term” and the development of the nervous system (and the third trimester) is complete.  At birth, fetal passage through the birth canal interrupts blood flow from the umbilical cord and initiates the newborn’s heart and circulatory system function.  Soon, the newborn becomes an infant, baby, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager and eventually, an adult. 

     While amazing, complex and beautiful, pregnancy can be deadly.  Accidents, diabetes, hypertension, gunshot wounds, malnutrition, vehicle crashes and numerous medical conditions of pregnancy often make abortion a life-saving necessity for pregnant women. If medical emergencies happen late in pregnancy, viable fetuses (~5 months) can survive – even if the mother dies - although the earlier the premature birth the more severe the related medical and developmental problems.  Before viability, maternal death due to injury, illness, pregnancy or any other reason kills the embryo or fetus too. 

     Whether legal or illegal, abortion always exists and some women choose abortion as a means of birth control, especially in cases of rape, incest and extreme familial, financial, medical, social or psychological duress.  Unless physicians commit crimes, when abortion is illegal women facing pre-viability medical or obstetric emergencies will lose their lives – ostensibly to save the life of an embryo or fetus unable to survive without the mother.  Prohibition leads to “black market” and self-induced abortions, both historically deadly to women.  Ironically, more than 50% of abortions are spontaneous (miscarriage). 

     Science suggests the most effective way to prevent abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancies by improving access to birth control information, devices and pharmaceuticals.  Once pregnancy occurs, parents (especially pregnant women) and their physicians must have the freedom to address the complexities of each case individually, including the ability to terminate pregnancies as a means of protecting the life and health of the mother.  Although current law appears to meet these goals by allowing wide access to medical and first trimester abortions and limiting those in the third trimester, significant opposition remains to not only all abortions, but also the birth control so successful in preventing them.

     Apparently indifferent to personal and religious freedoms, numerous life-saving aspects of abortion, the epidemic of hunger[1] among America’s “born” children and unable to overcome America’s Solomon-like abortion laws and strong Constitutional, practical, medical, legal and societal support for privacy and reproductive freedom; it seems at least some abortion opponents turned to political violence.  Sadly, it appears that terrorism including arson (175), attempted murders (17), assassinations (3), bombings (41), clinic blockades (763), harassment (>100), murders (5), stalking (525) and vandalism (~1400)[2] has already achieved almost everything America’s “non-violent” “Pro-Life” movement seeks since “87% of US counties lack an abortion provider.”[3]  Paradoxically, this decreases access to birth control, increasing the number of unintended pregnancies and thus abortions.  How convenient. 

     Everyone wants to decrease the number of abortions – except perhaps those benefiting from abortion or using abortion to divide America against herself.  A powerful church dominated by “celibate” males and plagued by child sex abuse scandals appears to lead this attack upon religious and reproductive freedom, repeatedly and forcibly introducing themselves into other people’s sex lives and demanding that everyone obey their sexual mandates.  Although unable to limit access to birth control and abortion through ethical and legal means, their leaders cite “great strides” toward their goals – and appear to downplay (not condemn) the role that terrorist acts such as arson, bombings, intimidation and most recently assassination, so obviously play in their achievement. 

     It appears that Dick Cheney is not alone in his discovery of the power of the “dark side,” where “plausible deniability” and immoral means lead to the realization of unlawful goals. 

[3] Fausset, Richard, A history of violence on the antiabortion fringe, June 1, 2009, Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-abortion-violence1-2009jun01,0,1335069.story, referenced June 9, 2009. 

Groff Schroeder holds a Master of Science in Basic Science degree and worked in emergency medical services in ambulances, emergency departments, fire rescue squads and intensive care units for seventeen years.