Obama's stance mischaracterized by letter

I'm sure it must have been shocking to read Andrew V. Kayes' Oct. 31 letter to the editor, "Choose carefully Nov. 4," and learn that Sen. Barack Obama is completely OK with the idea of allowing babies who have been born alive to die. I know I was surprised, especially since it's not really true.

Yes, Obama is pro-choice and in favor of women's reproductive rights. If you are pro-life, this may be a deal-breaker to begin with. But if the Born Alive Infant Protection Act is your only reason for opposing Obama's stance on reproductive rights, here are some facts that are worth knowing. BAIPA refers to a very, very small minority of abortion cases in the United States. Ninety percent of abortions-and virtually all terminations of unwanted pregnancies-are performed using a procedure called aspiration during the first four months of pregnancy. In the rare case that abortions are performed after 16 weeks, it is almost always because the woman's health or life is at risk. This uses a different type of procedure, called dilation and evacuation. Both of these procedures would make it impossible to have a "born alive" infant that survives an abortion.

The only case in which BAIPA would even be applicable is if the incredibly rare "dilation and extraction" procedure were to be used (sometimes referred to as a "partial-birth abortion," which is a misnomer that merits an entire discussion of its own). This procedure is rarely performed-it accounts for only one-fifth of one percent of all abortions, and most hospitals go entire years without seeing one. Furthermore, it is used most often in cases when parents learn that the fetus would not be viable outside the womb-the baby may be "born alive," but it would suffer serious health issues and most likely pass away within days no matter what. It is rarely, if ever, used in situations where the pregnancy was unwanted. The procedure was only designed so these parents could gain closure to a difficult and heart-wrenching time by having the chance to hold the fetus before it is taken away. Does this sound evil to you? Do these suffering parents really deserve to be condemned?

Babies being "born alive" during an abortion is not at all common, and certainly not as probable a. Kayes and BAIPA proponents may like for you to think. The act was mainly designed as propaganda designed to make pro-choice advocates appear even more heartless than we are already made out to be. I agree that it is important to know the facts before voting for a candidate, and I do respect that Kaye has his own political views towards abortion (although they do starkly differ from mine). I simply wish that he had provided all of the pertinent information before making a sweeping generalization of a candidate's attitude towards the sanctity of life.

Melanie Tannenbaum

Trinity '09