Tom Coburn: “I think anytime a woman chooses to abort a baby, it is a difficult decision. And it is a tragedy regardless of the…”

“I think anytime a woman chooses to abort a baby, it is a difficult decision. And it is a tragedy regardless of the reason for it. What we just heard is not an accurate representation of partial-birth abortion. All you have to do is look at the facts from Kansas this year. So far this year, there have been 180 partial-birth abortions performed in Kansas. Seven of them were from women from Kansas. The rest of them were from out of State. Not one of those babies had a lethal defect. There was nothing that was going to keep them from living an adequate and acceptable life. We can say that partial-birth abortion is about terminating pregnancies on babies that are not viable. But the facts do not bear that out. Does it occasionally happen? Yes. When it happens for a nonviable baby, it is being done only for the convenience of the abortionist. It is not being done for the safety and health of the woman. Because in fact if it was for the safety and health of the woman, they would terminate the pregnancy in a very much different way. They would not put at risk her reproductive future. They would not put her at risk for a pulmonary embolism from amniotic fluid, they would not put at risk the ability for her cervix to maintain its muscular strength by dilating it against its will. The facts about partial-birth abortion are that it is done for the abortionist, not for the woman. I know that because I have helped thousands of women deliver children. I have done D&Xs.…”