Abortion in Israel – testimony from a pathologist

I have worked in the field of anatomic pathology for 35 years, both in the U.S. and in Israel. During that time I have performed hundreds of fetal autopsies as well as examination of thousands of samples of “products of conception” (i.e., fetal parts along with placental tissue, blood and scrapings from the uterine lining).

The purpose of the autopsy is to determine the cause of the fetal demise and offer genetic counseling for the prospective parents. Examination of the Products of Conception is for the purpose of finding fetal and/or placental samples and submitting them for microscopic evaluation or possible chromosomal studies.  

We received samples in the laboratory from spontaneous abortions (miscarriages) as well as Therapeutic (generally elective) abortions, the vast majority being from the latter category (75-80%). The samples came in plastic containers, gauze bags or the suction devices used for the abortion.  Clotted blood, and scrapings from the uterine lining were almost universally present, and usually included fetal and placental fragments.

When placental tissue was identified we would search for the rare “hydropic villi” suggesting the risk of a Molar Pregnancy, which might endanger the life of the mother. Other disease entities and infections could be diagnosed through microscopic examination and chromosomal studies of the tissue samples.

If fetal structures or an embryo was found we would check for any grossly apparent anatomic anomalies, such as polydactyly or Spina Bifida, and customarily include it in the sample. The foot length, if available, would be measured, as an indication of gestational age. Occasionally, no fetal or placental tissue was identified, in which case multiple samples would be taken.

In almost every case no complete, or intact fetus was found. A hand, foot, arm or leg might be present. If there was a head it was generally crushed and devoid of brain tissue. I have no knowledge of where the remaining body parts wound up. It was extremely rare to find any fetal parts which were grossly abnormal. Intact fetuses generally appeared normal for gestational age.

I have been perplexed by the apparent deceptive practices of the abortion industry. When reading through the literature from Planned Parenthood in the States, or some abortion clinics in Israel, the term “baby” or “fetus” is conspicuously absent. Instead, what is “terminated” is not a life but a “pregnancy”. To my mind pregnancy, like obesity, is a condition. What, in fact, is terminated is a human life.  In their literature Planned Parenthood defines abortion as “a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy”. The truth is that abortion is actually a medical procedure which kills and removes a human being in its fetal stage.

The potential client is assured that: there is “guaranteed discretion”: which means that their parents or others that would present an embarrassment to the client should they know, would not be informed. Every effort is made to keep this secret from becoming a concern to the patient. Furthermore, counseling is available to the client who might have feelings of remorse or guilt about their decision to abort. Then every phase of the pregnancy (3 trimesters, each 3 months long) is translated in terms of the convenience or inconvenience to the client. In the first trimester (generally 6-14 weeks) they will take two pills. Then “a small plastic tube is inserted into the uterus and gentle suction applied to remove the pregnancy - sometimes other medical devices may be needed”.

It strikes me as incongruous that the same fetus, if wanted by its parents will be portrayed as a human baby, but otherwise as a piece of tissue, or a condition (“PREGNANCY”) if the parent decides to abort. The role and attitude of the medical staff will be to perform even heroic efforts to safeguard the life of the favored baby while callously ripping apart the disfavored fetus and casting it into a biohazard bag. An example of the first perspective is copied from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust guidelines for a “miscarriage”:

On the other hand, Jill Stanek, a nurse at Christ Hospital in illinois, where abortions were artificially induced, gave testimony of 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions in which the baby was born alive, viable, and left to die. Instructions were given that “If the baby is born alive it received no medical assessment or care, only ‘comfort care’” like a blanket. A spokesman for the hospital admitted that 10-20% of aborted babies “survive for short periods of time.”

During that first trimester, when the “pregnancy” is being “terminated” by “gentle suction” the baby, as we know it, is fully formed. By week 9-12 all limbs and all digits are formed. The baby is starting to explore, closing its fists or mouth. During the 2nd trimester the heart is beating, the baby exhibits thumb sucking, stretching, smiling, clapping and making faces. The Nervous System is fully functional when that needle punctures the sac and the baby’s heart, or when the scissors cut into the base of the baby’s skull.

Throughout the course of history the Jewish people have been the object of genocidal efforts on the part of our enemies, and our cry of “Never again” in the aftermath of the Holocaust is just and righteous. But Israel has also been castigated by the prophets of old for sacrificing our babies to Molech and other pagan gods for prosperity or advantage in life. Today we are guilty of the same thing. The Nazis murdered 1.5 million Jewish children. Israel has aborted 2 million since 1978. If we look at the statistics, we discover that, although an abortion cannot be performed in Israel unless approved by a national Termination Committee, almost every request is approved.

The statistics show that of the four categories of legal criteria for abortions 42% are on the grounds of being unmarried, 20% for “health risks,” which may include psychological distress, 17% for fetal birth defects, and 11% for maternal age (too young or too old). In the IDF, pregnant soldiers are allotted up to 3 abortions, paid by the military. If she refuses to undergo abortion the soldier is discharged. Where is the incentive to live a chaste life until married? Among those who do not fall into these categories we find that lying is rampant among those who wish to abort their children, in order to qualify before the committee.

It is interesting that almost every sample from an Arab patient which I received was the result of a miscarriage, whereas usually Jewish cases were therapeutic, i.e., elective, abortions. What this speaks to me is that there is simply a premium in the Arab community on having children, while among Jewish people the regard for life is much less of a priority. When arguing before the courts for abortion rights the case has often been posed in terms of protecting the rights of a victim of rape, incest, health risk or a woman carrying an inviable, defective fetus.

However, once legalized, abortion becomes the termination of human lives largely for the sake of expediency – largely as an inconvenience.

The body naturally eliminates fetuses with defects through the process of miscarriage. Ten to 20% cent of pregnancies end this way, usually before the 20th week of life. In the June 15, 2019 issue of the newspaper Ha’aretz it reports that Israeli parents who suspect the baby could be born deaf, sterile, or with a congenital anomaly, “choose to terminate such pregnancies much more frequently than other Western countries.”

I believe that our callous, infanticide culture breeds barbarism. As we view the unborn human life, so we will value the elderly who pose an imposition on the family, or the child with disabilities and handicaps, or the race which is considered inferior.

The founder of Planned Parenthood was herself a eugenicist who believed in purging the human race of the unacceptable. In the U.S. the aborted baby has even become a commodity, harvesting body parts and selling them for profit, as Planned Parenthood has been caught doing. Fetal cells have even been used to manufacture vaccines, and for various research projects.

There have been 60 million babies aborted in the U.S. since it was made legal, and 2 million in Israel (1/3 of the current Jewish population). According to WHO, every year there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions performed in the world. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day. Every one of us was once that fetus in their mother’s womb. Would you have wanted your life to be viewed as disposable, inconvenient, terminated?

To the parent: If you have chosen not to use contraceptives, then you have made a choice – a choice which is designed to lead to the creation of another human being, just like you, who, if given the opportunity for birth, will have all the rights and potential to enjoy life and contribute to the lives of others as you or any other human being has. You have the privilege of bringing that life into the world. Please reconsider what freedom of choice really means when you are carrying the life of another autonomous human being in your womb. Remember that “womb” and “compassion” have the same Hebrew root.

Bibliography:

“Abortion in Israel”, Wikipedia

“What happens during an in-clinic abortion?”, Planned Parenthood, Jill Stanek Testimony, Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Hearing U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Feb. 11, 2020

“Planned Parenthood Testimony on Selling Baby Parts Unsealed”, May 26, 2020

“Science is Giving the Pro-Life Movement a Boost”, The Atlantic, Jan. 18, 2018

Southern Health and Social Care Trust guidelines (N. Ireland)