Political Quotes

“This letter from Dr. Koop is dated May 13, 1997. It is a letter to me. It says the following: Dear Bill: It is never necessary to destroy a viable fetus in order to preserve the health of the mother. Although I can't think of an example, if it were deemed beneficial for the mother to be without the fetus, it could be delivered by induction or C section. Abortion is truly more traumatic than either and exposes the mother to future problems with an incompetent cervix, miscarriage, and infertility. Sincerely yours, C. Everett Koop. The first sentence: ``It is never necessary to destroy a viable fetus in order to preserve the health of the mother.'' That is from Dr. Koop. Steadman's Dictionary, the dictionary we use to define ``viable fetus'' denotes a fetus that is ``sufficiently developed to live outside the uterus.'' As a physician, I have tried to think of a circumstance where you can justify destroying that viable fetus. I cannot.”