Category Archives: Embryology

Embryology

Artist airs the taboo topic of infertility – Canadian Jewish News

Its not immediately evident how showcases of donated syringes, medication schedules and infant-sized sheepskin slippers tie-in with a living room setting, but the message soon hits home.

The domestic space makes real the humanity of women who have used the mostly clinical contents of the cases during their failed attempts to have a baby.

The set-up of seating and showcases in Galerie de lUQAM at the Universit du Qubec Montral until March 21 is Heidi Barkuns master of fine arts exhibition. Inspired by her battle with infertility, it also takes in the struggles of 27 other women.

The title of the installation is the embittered and falsely cheerful, uppercase exhortation LETS GET YOU PREGNANT!

The idea to put out a call for participation came from strength in numbers. It also came from the fact that I was looking for community that I couldnt find at the time I was going through IVF (in vitro fertilization), Barkun says.

The criteria for participants were that they had to have experienced IVF failure and that they had not become a mother at the time of the interview with the artist.

Barkun herself underwent five rounds of IVF and two inseminations, over a period of four years, with no results. She and her husband went into debt after exhausting the available government funding.

Barkun says she stressed her body with mega doses of hormones, injections, pills, painful procedures and the emotional ups and downs that came with every failure to conceive.

We just couldnt do it anymore. We needed our lives back, she says. Its a very common experience and yet few women talk about it. Its a taboo subject yet the global success rate of IVF is estimated at only 27 per cent, according to ESHRE (the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology).

The objects in the cases are the only witnesses to treatments that, in the end, had no tangible results.

In her artistic practice, Barkun has always focussed on her personal experiences, whether as a sufferer of Crohns disease or as a woman unable to conceive a child.

In 2015, for her Unnamed series, she sewed fragments of baby clothes into a textile piece. In 2016, for her Artefacts of a Contemporary Fertility Ritual installation, she assembled her own meds left over from unsuccessful treatments.

LETS GET YOU PREGNANT! is probably the most communicative of her works on this theme.

It started with the recorded conversations I had with each woman, Barkun says. I then created a virtual conversation between the women by editing them together. This is playing over three sets of speakers in the gallery. Then, hopefully, we can have a larger conversation with visitors.

Also vital to these conversations is that viewers come to challenge a society that diminishes the value of childless women, a society that demeans what it means to be a woman if youre not a mother and the role of such women in society.

READ: POTTER ALREADY PREPARING FOR SUMMER SEASON

Barkun will host a discussion tea on March 21 in the living room section of her installation modelled on a consciousness-raising group. Visitors will make themselves comfortable on armchairs belonging to her late grandmother.

The living room niche is made even more intimate by flowered drapery provided by her supportive parents, Ted and Sheila Barkun, and her brother Stan, who tailored them at their family home furnishings business.

The homey seating area throws into even sharper contrast the sterility of the showcase displays of dehumanizing treatments.

Farther afield, Barkun has shown her art at conferences and congresses in Vienna and New York, where she discussed the roots of its angst. But its not all gloom.

Yes, the artwork talks about failure and mourning but it also talks about resilience and liberation, and about new ways of happiness, Barkun says. A lot of the women are saying theyve found themselves again.

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Artist airs the taboo topic of infertility - Canadian Jewish News

Embryology

‘Child whisperer’: Mary Mello’s teaching legacy revered | Local News – Barre Montpelier Times Argus

MONTPELIER Mary Mello will say farewell to Union Elementary School after 50 years of teaching at the end of the school year.

Its very, very good work (in kindergarten) at the beginning, when they come in, theyre so full of enthusiasm, they think they know it all and they cant wait to learn more, and thats a wonderful setting for a teacher, Mello said. Your big job is to keep that going. You dont want them to lose that incredible curiosity about the world and the thrill for them when they learn something.

Born in 1946, Mello grew up in Boston and received a bachelors degree in English from Northeastern University in 1969 and a masters in education from Johnson State College in 1980.

Mello first started teaching in the 1969-1970 school year at a private school in Boston before moving to Vermont in 1972, when she started at UES, teaching first and second grades, and then in kindergarten from 1983 onward, where Mello said she found her calling.

Mello said when dealing with children with attention deficits or lack of focus, she would adopt a more individualistic approach to teaching and learning.

With young children, youre going to do less work with large groups and more work with small groups, so individualizing is a very natural part of what youre doing in kindergarten, Mello said. You would have to know your children pretty well to group them.

Even in math, were doing more small-group work, and we have set up for them to work independently when working with small groups, so you can take every child when they come in as far as they can go, she added.

Mello said she focused on teaching children to read to help them develop other academic skills later on.

If they can become excited and engaged about reading, I make sure that I keep that going, Mello said.

Milestones in education for Mello include a 1975 law that said special-education students should not be isolated from mainstream learning.

Ive seen things evolve over time ... with special education, which required that all students receive an education in the least-restrictive environment, Mello said. That meant that all children could be included in a public-school education.

Now, we find ways to support children so they can feel included and at home here, no matter what cognitive, physical difficulties, challenges they had. Vermont was a good pioneer in that, the idea that all children belong here and its our job to make sure we understand any challenges theyre dealing with, she added.

Mello also noted changes, over the years, in racial and ethnic diversity in the school system.

National Life is bringing in a lot of families from overseas, so our children are getting to know people they wouldnt have known until they were adults, Mello said. Weve had a lot of families from India, but Ive also taught children from Russia, Nicaragua, and two years ago, there were seven different languages spoken in my classroom such as Japanese, Russian, Hispanic, Indian (and) American Indian. It really does add a lot to the richness of the education of these children.

Mello said the school systems English language-learner teachers encourage children and families to preserve their lingual and cultural origins, and UES encourages children of different nationalities to participate in presentations about their family backgrounds, bring in flags of their home countries, and bring national dishes to potluck dinners with families to share with others.

You want to make every child know that theyre welcome and that they belong here, but you also dont want them to lose the things they have from having that special background, too, Mello said.

Another milestone for Mello was teaching the grandchild of a child she once taught.

It was only once, but that was a milestone when I had the grandson of one of the children I first taught, Mello said. I taught his grand aunt, and then a couple of years later, I had his grandfather and then I had his mother, and then two years ago, I had him, she said.

It seems like Im participating in something that teachers must have done a lot when you had the old one-roomed schoolhouses, that the school was the center of the community, and Miss whoever, she had your mother, she had your father, Mello added.

Fellow teacher Dena Cody has worked for 11 years with Mello on the kindergarten team at UES.

Mary has inspired me her dedication to the children and families in Montpelier is unwavering, Cody said. I always think of her as the child whisperer. She just has a way of working with children that helps them to grow and learn.

I always meet people and tell them I work at Union and Im a kindergarten teacher, and they always say, Is my teacher still there, Mrs. Mello? Just the other day, I was at the orthodontist and the dental hygienist said, Mary was my teacher, and this woman is so successful and happy and had such great things to say about her.

Cody recalled how Mello would teach an embryology class in kindergarten.

Ive only known her 11 years, and every year, shes hatched in every single class, Cody said. In the spring, shes always hatching chicks.

Cody also noted Mello has always maintained a rigorous professional development regimen through her years as a teacher.

She never stopped learning, she kept up with her studies ... best practices in math, best practices in literacy, best practices in science, Cody said. She always wanted to do what was best for kids, so if (that) meant a course, she took it. Thats an inspiration in itself. She herself is always learning.

Cody said Mello would also care for other students in the school.

She goes above and beyond for every kid in her class, and even in my class she looks after all of them, Cody said. Its not just her class. Shell peek out and see someone who needs help and is always there to help. Im really going to miss her, and its hard for me to even say. I wish she would stay. I dont want her to leave.

Mello taught Montpelier parent Emma Bay-Hansen and her brother, and her daughter.

Mary Mello was my kindergarten teacher 37 years ago in 1983, Bay-Hansen said. I was thrilled to learn that she would become my daughters kindergarten teacher a few years ago.

Mrs. Mello is the type of teacher that children fall in love with. My daughter goes back to visit her all the time. She is an incredible educator. Her patience, calming energy and depth of experience give her this magical quality a surreal, perfect version of what you dream a kindergarten teacher to be. We will all remember Mrs. Mello as one of the greatest teachers Montpelier has ever known, she added.

Mello said shes retiring to allow a younger generation to succeed her.

I think people tend to leave teaching sooner because they know they have to be very active, Mello said. I didnt want to get to the point where someone said, You cant do this anymore. I wanted to leave before then.

Mello plans to continue writing for The Bridge, and will volunteer to teach early literacy in a pre-school class at The Family Center in Montpelier. She also plans to spend more time with her grandchildren.

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'Child whisperer': Mary Mello's teaching legacy revered | Local News - Barre Montpelier Times Argus

Embryology

Learning lessons from the farm – Gaston Gazette

Second grade students at Township Three Elementary School were able to witness the life cycle of a chick beginning when the babies began developing in the eggs up until they made their big debut.

The kids helped turn the eggs to ensure they developed properly and monitored them in the classroom for three weeks as they stayed warm in a special incubator provided as part of the 4-H Embryology Program.

A celebration was held once the chicks hatched and the children did a chicken dance, made a clucking cup and had a chick birthday party.

Charlie Godfrey, 4-H Youth Development Agent for Cleveland County, said the goal of the embryology in the classroom project is to teach students the stages of development and growth in chickens from fertilized egg through full development and hatching.

He said the program has been in place for many years and is one of the staple school programs completed every year.

Its one of our flagship or main projects, he said. It's well established.

Godfrey said it gives the students direct, hands-on experience with living things and their life cycles.

The classrooms are provided with a curriculum notebook, incubator, brooder box and other necessary supplies and are given assistance throughout the project.

Godfrey said the program focuses on second grade because it aligns with the grades life cycles curriculum.

Case Farms provides the eggs, and they are then distributed around to the local elementary schools. The program was recently completed at Township Three, Washington, Bethware and Pinnacle Classical Academy.

Godfrey said they bring the equipment back to the extension office, get it cleaned up and ready for the next round of schools.

He said they are preparing to kick off the chick program at Springmore, Boiling Springs, Casar and Union elementary schools.

It takes approximately 21 days for the eggs to incubate and hatch.

Once the chicks emerge from their eggs, the kids usually have a couple of days to observe and hold them. The chicks are kept in a special box with a heat lamp and food. Then the students get to celebrate the end of the project with a birthday party, and Godfrey and one of the members from Greene Family Farms answers questions.

Typically teachers hold a birthday party for the babies in their classroom as a end of project celebration.

Godfrey and Sherri Greene from Green Family Farms were available at Township Three to answer any questions the kids might have, and then Greene took the chicks back to the farm to raise.

The kids have all kinds of questions, Godrey said. We want the kids to know where they go from here. She takes them and raises them all.

Kids asked how to tell the difference between boy and girl chicks, their lifespan and what kind of chickens they were.

Godfrey said they get the whole trajectory of the life of a chick from egg to farm.

For most of the kids, and even many of the teachers, it is the first time they get to witness a chick hatching.

If other teachers are interested in offering this project at their schools, they can contact Charlie Godfrey with Cleveland County 4-H at charlie_godfrey@ncsu.edu or call 704-482-4365.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at 704-669-3339 or rsitzes@shelbystar.com

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Learning lessons from the farm - Gaston Gazette

Embryology

Transgendered Man Fights To Not Be "Mother" On Baby’s Birth Certificate – BabyGaga

When someone decides to come out as a transgendered person, with the rare exception, there is fear and anxiety as to how friends and family are going to treat them once the truth has come to light. Every person's journey is different and some may have a very supportive core group of people surrounding them or perhaps have to take the journey on their own.

Regardless of the reaction received, many people who have come out report a weight being lifted off of their shoulders and a sense of relief, as they are going to be able to start their authentic life without any sort of incorrect label defining who they are. For some, this includes everything from surgery and taking hormones to make the outer shell match what the inside feels like. For others, they simply want to do nothing more than change their appearance and name.

RELATED: Transgender Man Loses Legal Fight To Be Recognized As Father Of Baby He Birthed

For Freddy McConnell, who gave birth to his child earlier this year, the fight has been uphill ever since hospital staff designated McConnell as the "mother" of the baby.

McConnell is fighting a September 2019 decision made by the High Court in which it was decided by the president of the court's Family Division that because McConnell physically birthed a baby, something that only a mother can do, McConnell has to be listed as the mother on the baby's birth certificate.

McConnell started the process of matching how he felt on the inside to reflect how he looked on the outside back in 2013. At that time, between hormones and an augmentation to the chest, McConnell began to feel more masculine and gain confidence in who he was. During that time, however, McConnell decided that he wanted to have a child and put any further surgeries on hold. He also stopped hormones so that intrauterine insemination could be performed, as McConnell wanted to carry his child himself.

RELATED: Former Soldier & Actor Face Hurdles As Transgender Parents

The procedure that McConnell underwent is governed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 2008, which by definition is used to assist "women to carry children," according toThe Guardian.As a result of this definition as well as the fact that the deciding judge claimed that "mother" is not a gendered term, the Court made the ultimate decision that McConnell being listed as his baby's mother on the birth certificate was the correct parental designation.

McConnell is not alone with what he feels is the incorrect label on a child's birth certificate in the UK. If he is successful in his quest to be identified as his baby's father on the birth certificate, it could open doors for many who are dealing with a situation similar to his.

RELATED: Documentary Recounts Challenges A Trans Man Faces In Having A Baby

McConnell's journey from transitioning to a man to giving birth to his child is the subject of the documentarySeahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth.

There currently is not a date as to when a decision on the appeal is expected.

Source:The Guardian, LGBTQ Nation, WebMD

NEXT: Utah Passes A Bill That Requires Women To Get Ultrasound Before Abortion

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Transgendered Man Fights To Not Be "Mother" On Baby's Birth Certificate - BabyGaga

Embryology

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Job in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri – Department of the Army – LemonWire

The United States government is a massive employer, and is always looking for qualified candidates to fill a wide variety of open employment positions in locations across the country. Below youll find a Qualification Summary for an active, open job listing from the Department of the Army. The opening is for a Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Feel free to browse this and any other job listings and reach out to us with any questions!

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Fort Leonard Wood, MissouriU.S. Army Medical Command, Department of the ArmyJob ID: 222868Start Date: 03/03/2020End Date: 03/16/2020

Qualification SummaryWho May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist: A. A Bachelors or graduate/higher level degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, chemistry and mathematics, AND successful completion of a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. OR B. At least a full 4-year course of study that included 12 months in a college or hospital-based medical technology program or medical technology school approved by a recognized accrediting organization. The professional medical technology curriculum may have consisted of a 1-year post- bachelors certificate program or the last 1 or 2 years of a 4-year program of study culminating in a bachelors in medical technology. OR C. A bachelors or graduate/higher level degree from an accredited college/university that included 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester (one quarter) of mathematics, AND five years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids. This combination of education and experience must have provided knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices of medical technology equivalent to that provided by the full 4-year course of study described in A or B above. All science and mathematics courses must have been acceptable for credit toward meeting the requirements for a science major at an accredited college or university. Acceptable experience is responsible professional or technician experience in a hospital laboratory, health agency, industrial medical laboratory, or pharmaceutical house; or teaching, test development, or medical research program experience that provided an understanding of the methods and techniques applied in performing professional clinical laboratory work. Certification/licensure as a medical technologist (generalist) obtained through written examination by a nationally recognized credentialing agency or State licensing body is a good indication that the quality of experience is acceptable. Evaluation of Education and Experience: The four major areas of clinical laboratory science are microbiology, clinical chemistry, hematology, and immunohematology (blood banking). Qualifying course work in these areas includes bacteriology, mycology, mycobacteriology, tissue culture, virology, parasitology, endocrinology, enzymology, toxicology, urinalysis, coagulation, hemostasis, cell morphology, immunology, serology, immunoserology, immuno-deficiency, hemolysis, histocompatibility, cyto-genetics, and similar disciplines or areas of laboratory practice. Related fields include physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, cell biology, embryology, pathology, genetics, pharmacology, histology, cytology, nuclear medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, infection control, physics, statistics, and similar areas of science where the work is directly related to the position to be filled. Exemption: You are exempt from the basic requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0644 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before. Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe one year of specialized experience which includes providing various verification duties in a laboratory. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: I have at least two and a half years (45 semester hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading towards a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university that is directly related to the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Experience or graduate education must have been in (1) the general field of medical technology; (2) one of the disciplines or specialized areas of medical technology; or (3) a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled. AND Certification: Certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Medical Technologist (AMT) or other board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) or their designee as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical Lab Scientist (MLS) is required.

If youd like to submit a resume or apply for this position, please contact Premier Veterans at abjobs@premierveterans.com. All are free to apply!

Apply

Post a job on LemonWire. Email jobs@lemonwire.com.Want to advertise on listings like this? Email ads@lemonwire.com.

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Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist Job in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri - Department of the Army - LemonWire

Embryology

Breakthrough technologies in infertility – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Over the years, due to several reasons, infertility has grown at an alarming pace. To help people overcome these problems and get a better pregnancy rate, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre has introduced high-end technologies to alter the condition and to give phenomenal pregnancy rates.The Embryoscope, a piece of hi-tech equipment available in only 1,200 centres across the globe, provides digital images of the embryos every 20 minutes.

This provides unprecedented detail of early embryonic development and creates an environment like that of a human body, resulting in good embryos and also helping in the selection of the best ones. This provides an increased chance of pregnancy by about five to 10 per cent and a decrease in miscarriage rate for the average patient. Embryo Glue is the latest transfer medium which is a substance used to coat embryos before transfer into the uterus. It increases the stickiness of embryos to be transferred into the uterus and therefore helps the embryos to implant with ease and fix onto the lining of the uterus.

Cytoplasmic Transfer is most beneficial for older patients whose eggs have lost the ability to function normally, as well as younger patients with unexplained infertility and recurrent implantation failure. This is the donation of healthy cytoplasm from fertile donors. Elderly women who previously had poor pregnancy outcomes with their own eggs have delivered healthy babies through this technique. It is emotionally satisfying as it is genetically their own baby.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) is used for endometrial rejuvenation in women with poor/thin endometrium and rejuvenating ovaries. This improves egg quality, allowing them to use their own eggs. It also helps as a rejuvenation therapy for testes, allowing them to make their own good quality sperms. The window for implantation in some patients in very narrow and lasts only for a few hours. Identifying the window of implantation is done by the genetic study of a sample from the endometrium. This personalised embryo transfer has achieved excellent pregnancy rates.

Recurrent IVF failures and miscarriages may be caused by genetic problems in the embryo. This can be identified by doing laser-assisted embryo biopsy removing one cell from a five-day embryo and sending the same for genetic analysis. Only the selected normal embryos are transferred, thus improving pregnancy rates.

Super microsurgeryPrashanth Fertility Research Centre has introduced a breakthrough technology for super microsurgery with 40X magnification under which seminiferous tubules are examined and identified. These are then sent to the embryology lab for evaluation and if they contain sperms, they are frozen. This stored sperm can be used for IVF procedures. Around 70 per cent of men who have been proved to have no sperms with earlier testicular biopsy have succeeded in becoming a father with this new technique.

For details, visit: http://www.pfrcivf.com The writer is a renowned obstetrician, gynaecologist and specialist in reproductive medicine and laparoscopic surgery at Prashanth Fertility Research Centre. She is currently the chairperson, Prashanth Multispeciality Hospital, and medical director, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre, Chennai

Worlds secondDr Geetha Haripriya delivered the worlds second intracytoplasmic sperm injectionquadruplets in2003

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Breakthrough technologies in infertility - The New Indian Express

Embryology

Trans man is fighting to not be called mother on his child’s birth certificate – LGBTQ Nation

Freddy McConnellPhoto: Manuel Vazquez for "Seahorse"/Promotional image

Transgender journalist Freddy McConnell is fighting the U.K. government to be listed as the father on his childs birth certificate.

McConnell whose experience with pregnancy as a transgender man was the subject of the documentary Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth is now appealing a September 2019 High Court decision by the president of the courts Family Division stating that McConnell has to be listed as the mother because hes the one who gave birth to the child.

Related:NBA player Dwyane Wades transgender daughter knew she was a girl when she was 3 years old

Though McConnell began testosterone treatments in April 2013 and had a chest reshaping surgery in 2016, he stopped hormones in order to get pregnant using a sperm donor.

According to The Guardian, the laws around McConnells pregnancy created some of his current legal dilemma. The intrauterine insemination fertility treatment McConnell used to get pregnant is governed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act 2008, a law that defines treatments as assisting women to carry children.

Hannah Markham, the lawyer representing McConnell, said that the deciding judge incorrectly declared that mother was not a gendered term and that McConnells giving birth was the determining issue in declaring him as the childs mother. Markham said current U.K. law fails to respect the right of transgender people to be legally recognized by their gender identity.

Being misgendered on his childs birth certificate is discrimination and exacerbates his gender dysphoria, McConnell said. Furthermore, it violates both his human rights and right to privacy since a birth certificate listing him as a mother could potentially out him as transgender, inviting intrusive questions about his personal life.

McConnells case could potentially affect an untold number of other transgender parents in the U.K. who have children under similar circumstances.

Heres the trailer for Seahorse, a title thats a reference to how male seahorses carry their species young:

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Trans man is fighting to not be called mother on his child's birth certificate - LGBTQ Nation

Embryology

Fertility clinic is named the best performing across south east – Clacton and Frinton Gazette

A FERTILITY clinic has been recognised as the best performing practice in the south east of England.

Simply Fertility, which has clinics in Colchester, Chelmsford and Romford, achieved a 40 per cent live birth success rate - putting it top in the region and within the top three in the UK.

The figures come through fertility watchdog The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which gave the Simply Fertility a five-star rating six months ago.

Sarah Walt, embryologist and centre manager, said: "The wait to independently confirm our success rates was tense - but the results have been worth it.

Were thrilled to hear that our results rank us so highly.

"There is no greater joy or privilege for us than helping people to fulfil their dreams.

Visit hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic/clinic-search/results/9121.

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Fertility clinic is named the best performing across south east - Clacton and Frinton Gazette

Embryology

It’s time for Colorado voters to heed science and rein in late-term abortion – coloradopolitics.com

Initiative 120 would prohibit abortion after 22 weeks gestation except to save the life of the mother. After an ambitious, six-month grass roots effort to obtain the necessary signatures, it now appears headed for the ballot in November.

Abortion politics is always contentious. As Coloradans weigh the pros/cons of passing Initiative 120 in the coming months, the best way to debate such a controversial topic is to rely on science. We should vociferously avoid the manipulation of language to distort the facts and established science.

Abortion-rights activists would have you believe that science cant answer the question, When does human life begin? Human embryology long ago established the fact that human life begins at fertilization and that human development is a seamless process that continues for years after birth. This is standard teaching in every embryology textbook in medical schools across the country. It should be no surprise that in a recent survey of over 5,300 biology scientists (85% self-identifying as pro-choice), 96% affirmed the view that human life begins at fertilization.

Abortion-rights supporters and abortion clinics go to great lengths to obfuscate the fact that abortion is a violent procedure that kills a human life. They dont even like to use the term abortion and prefer termination of pregnancy as if the termination did not entail the destruction of a human being. The New York Times has referred to the fetus as a cluster of cells. When Planned Parenthood of the Rockies describes a second trimester dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure on their website, it reports that they gently take the pregnancy tissue out of your uterus." A more medically accurate description would reflect the fact that the cervix is dilated so that instruments to grasp the fetal limbs can be introduced. After the systematic disarticulation and dismemberment of the human fetus, they crush the head so that it can be easily extracted. They then reassemble the products of conception (fetal parts) to be sure they have not left an appendage in the uterus.

Abortion proponents cling to the fantasy that the abortion procedure is really a humane form of killing. They cite an outdated 2005 review by abortion-rights proponents that a fetus cant feel pain until the third trimester, when the human cortex is sufficiently developed to perceive pain. However, there is a growing international consensus using anatomical studies, observations of arousability, hormonal stress/pain responses, studies of fetal behavior, near-infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalography, and functional MRI, that a human fetus can not only react to, but also appreciate, pain by the 22nd to 24th week. It probably can feel pain more intensely than an infant or adult. This is because the pain neuroinhibitory pathways develop later in fetal life so there is nothing to damp down the pain experience. Even when the fetus is killed prior to the abortion procedure (which is more common the later the gestational age), the injection of the poison (potassium chloride or digoxin) can be anticipated to produce profound suffering before the fetus dies over a period of minutes to hours.

For Initiative 120, 22 weeks was selected because national polling would suggest that there is broad consensus that late abortion should be restricted. There is no meaningful biologic difference between a baby born at 22 weeks gestation and a 22-week fetus other than location. Our Constitution never predicated the fundamental right to life on location.

A 22-week fetus is a vital human being. Many people are unaware that a fetus as young as 21 weeks can survive with good neurodevelopmental outcomes. In some centers, 70% of fetuses born at 22 weeks survive. A mother can feel her 22-week fetus kick. The fetus can hear her mothers voice and respond to her touch. A 22-week fetus can undergo curative surgeries as an independent patient for anatomic congenital abnormalities.

Another fact that you wont hear from abortion providers is that late abortions are not safe. Although first trimester abortions pose minimal risks to women, late abortions are associated with substantial risk. For each additional week of gestational age past 20 weeks, the risk of death increases 38% 8.9/100,000. To put this in perspective, there is a much higher risk of death from late abortion than virtually every other out-patient surgical procedure.

As Coloradans assess Initiative 120, it is time we avoid spin and embrace science in the abortion debate. We believe that Coloradans of every age, sex, religion (or no religion), and party affiliation, can agree that late abortion should be restricted. We also think that we can find common ground in Colorado pursuing both private and governmental programs that decrease the demand for abortion making abortion unnecessary, if not unthinkable.

Thomas J. Perille, M.D., is president of the Colorado Chapter of Democrats for Life of America.

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It's time for Colorado voters to heed science and rein in late-term abortion - coloradopolitics.com