Adoption Abortion Stem Cell Debate

I am adopted, and I am pro-choice. So please hear me when I say this: adoption and abortion are not interchangeable. Adoption is not the solution to abortion.  KEEP READING

 

BLOG EDITOR THOUGHTS:

For thousands of years, ending a pregnancy could be accomplished by taking certain herbs, but in Indian Country that occasion was rare.  What is disturbing to me is the aborted fetus is not given to the mother, and she never sees it, or is the fetus given a proper burial.  It also disturbs me that her fetus might be used for nefarious purposes, with her baby's tissues being harvested by drug companies (without her knowledge and consent).  

 

I do not object to ending a pregnancy via abortion because it is a women's choice, but the fetus is hers, and should not be taken by the clinics and labs and drug companies without her full consent.  This harvesting of embryo tissue is rarely discussed or considered by women ending their pregnancy. TLH

 

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Their medical bias is this: (There was no date on this article)

American Medical Association: Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 7.3.5

Research with human fetal tissue research has led to the development of a number of important research and medical advances, such as the development of polio vaccine. Fetal tissue has also been used to study the mechanism of viral infections and to diagnose viral infections and inherited diseases, as well as to develop transplant therapies for a variety of conditions, for example, parkinsonism.

However, the use of fetal tissue for research purposes also raises a number of ethical considerations, including the degree to which a woman’s decision to have an abortion might be influenced by the opportunity to donate fetal tissue. Concerns have also been raised about potential conflict of interest when there is possible financial benefit to those who are involved in the retrieval, storage, testing, preparation, and delivery of fetal tissues.

To protect the interests of pregnant women as well as the integrity of science, physicians who are involved in research that uses human fetal tissues should:

1. Abstain from offering money in exchange for fetal tissue.
2. In all instances, obtain the woman’s voluntary, informed consent in keeping with ethics guidance, including when using fetal tissue from a spontaneous abortion for purposes of research or transplantation. Informed consent includes a disclosure of the nature of the research including the purpose of using fetal tissue, as well as informing the woman of a right to refuse to participate.
3. Ensure that when fetal tissue from an induced abortion is used for research purposes:
   1. The woman’s decision to terminate the pregnancy is made prior to and independent of any discussion of using the fetal tissue for research purposes.
   2. Decisions regarding the technique used to induce abortion and the timing of the abortion in relation to the gestational age of the fetus are based on concern for the safety of the pregnant woman.
4. Ensure that when fetal tissue is to be used for transplantation in research or clinical care:
   1. The donor does not designate the recipient of the tissue.
   2. Both the donor and the recipient of the tissue give voluntary, informed consent.
5. Ensure that health care personnel involved in the termination of a pregnancy do not benefit from their participation in the termination, or from use of the fetal tissue for transplantation.

   

   
   

   Fetal Tissue Research: A Weapon and a Casualty in the War Against Abortion

   The debate over using human fetal tissue in medical research came roaring back on the national policy agenda (in 2015) when a group of antiabortion activists began releasing videos about Planned Parenthood’s handling of fetal tissue donations for this purpose. Fetal tissue research dates back to the 1930s, and has led to major advances in human health, including the virtual elimination of such childhood scourges as polio, measles and rubella in the United States.^1,2 Today, fetal tissue is being used in the development of vaccines against Ebola and HIV, the study of human development, and efforts to treat and cure conditions and diseases that afflict millions of Americans. LINK