FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS AND ABORTION Revised.

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

AND ABORTION

By

Fay E.A. Reid

There has been so much talk lately about abortion and should a woman have a choice. Some people feel women aren’t smart enough or caring enough to be entrusted with the decision to abort a fetus. Apparently they feel men (who are incapable of gestation or parturition) should make such decisions. To enforce this thinking they then think it is up to the government to determine if, whether, or when an abortion should occur or not.

And no, governors or legislators of any State aren’t murdering babies after they are born. Nor can you abort a baby after it’s born - you can’t even insert it back in the uterus. Only in emergencies are abortions performed in the last trimester. As Kamala Harris stated during the debate most abortions are performed in the first 20 weeks. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant before the fifth week at the earliest.

The anti-abortionists don’t even care about the baby. If they did, they’d make damned sure that baby had all its needs at birth, a loving parent, sufficient food, clothing and shelter and the possibility of a responsible education.

NO. Their main purpose is to punish the woman (or girl) for getting pregnant, as though a 10 year old raped by her step father had a choice.

Consequently, from a medical or scientific point of view we are reverting not to the start of civilization some 10,000 years ago - but rather all the way back to when we were merely another species of mammals teetering on the edges of life. Sorry guys, modern women have evolved way too far to ever go back. Since my Master’s Degree thesis was on gestation and parturition in dairy goats, I feel qualified to write this article.

This drawing of female reproductive organs would not copy to Substack . So, all you’ll get is description: Fallopian tubes, one on each side of the body have fringy looking things at the bottom of the fallopian tubes that are called fimbrae these are the things that grab the egg (ovum) or eggs (ova - somewhat rare in Homo sapiens - but common in cats, dogs and other species).

Since we’re discussing Homo sapiens primarily, this discussion will be only about us. The ovum is developed in one of the two the ovaries, again one on each side of the body, by undergoing several divisions and reforming the normal 23 chromosomes. The genes in each of these chromosomes are randomly selected.  The only constant in the female being the X chromosome which is female. Women can only give an X chromosome to their children because that’s all we have. The father determines the gender of the offspring because men have both an X chromosome (from their mother) and a Y chromosone (from their father). So some of their sperm cells are male and some are female. A female has two X Chromosomes - one from Mom and one from Dad. A male has one X chromosome from Mom and a Y chromosome from Dad. Y chromosomes are dominant, X chromosomes are regressive. 

Back to the female reproduction when an ovum (egg)  is released into the Fallopian tube it may meet a sperm, if the female has experienced recent coitus. If that sperm penetrates the ovum a new little Homo sapiens may result. Under ordinary circumstances that, now, zygote (the fertilized ovum) will continue to travel down the fallopian tube and attach it self to the uterine wall where it will under go rapid division and formation of the next stage the blastocyst which is a multi celled blob. 

But at this point something very dangerous can occur. Instead of this zygote traveling to the uterus it can begin dividing in the fallopian tube. This is called a tubal pregnancy. Now the uterus is a great baby protecting organ in which the blastocyst can continue its rapid division into an embryo and gradually into a fetus. As the fetus continues to grow the uterus expands to accommodate the size and weight of that fetus.  But the Fallopian tubes have no such capability. The fallopian tube is incapable of expanding. So, if the blastocyst becomes an embryo either the embryo dies or it grows large enough to rupture the fallopian tube effectively rendering the mother sterile or killing her.  In order to protect the mother’s life and possibly saving her fertility it is essential to remove that embryo. Sometimes the mother’s body will expel that embryo by itself - a spontaneous abortion (commonly referred to as a miscarriage) 

But there is an additional problem. Once that embryo dies it will begin decomposing as all corpses do. The decomposition results in highly toxic chemicals which can then circulate and kill the mother too.

From both a medical and scientific point of view, better for a medical doctor to abort that embryo surgically so the mother can live another day and hopefully have a healthy baby in the future.

Going back to the “normal” blastocyst which has now developed into the embryo after traveling to the uterus. The outer layer of that growing embryo  becomes the placenta and at this stage  you can see (via ultrasound) the umbilical cord attached from the embryos middle (which later becomes the abdomen) to the placenta - that mass of gunk that serves as both the anchor and nutrient provider for the next 279 or so days.(Gestation in a ‘normal Homo sapiens female ranges from 259 days to 294 days from the beginning of her last menstrual period. With the average being 280 days)

Okay, we now have a growing embryo, but there are other things that can happen. Something could go wrong with the nutritional uptake to the embryo causing it to die. The mother could contract a serious illness from which she recovers but the embryo could die.  In any case the dead embryo generally causes a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) This is not like a menstrual period. The female may experience a lot of cramping. There may be excessive bleeding. This leads to the situation to which Kamala Harris mentioned during the debate where a young woman suffering a miscarriage bled out in her car in the parking lot after being refused treatment. As I recall that woman died unnecessarily.

Back to ‘normal’ pregnancy. Somewhere around the 8th week this blob of embryonic tissue starts forming into the fetus and recognizable features begin to appear like a head, nose arms legs.  It is still incapable of living outside the uterus. But other disastrous  things can occur. Hydrocephalus where the ducts in the infants brain are too narrow or clogged and the fluid accumulates in the brain causing the head to swell so large that vaginal birth is impossible. Sometimes the baby will die in utero causing the toxins to kill the mother too.

During the late fifties and into the sixties thalidomide which was prescribed to pregnant women suffering anxiety or depression. This drug had terrible effects on the growing embryo/fetus. These children were born with deformed arms and legs.  Ultrasound revealed this condition prior to birth and some women aborted the pregnancy. Thalidomide was not available in the United States so some American women had traveled to foreign countries for treatment. So these were not poverty stricken women.  There are other genetic defects which would cause one or both parents to reject a defective fetus. Some defects can’t be detected until the third trimester of pregnancy.

Another reason for seeking an abortion is the age of the mother. Females as young as ten are capable of becoming impregnated.  Do you know any ten year old who wants to be pregnant? I don’t. And even girls as old as 16 aren’t really capable of making such a choice. Nor is a child of that age capable of raising a child to maturity by herself with no support.

Another reason is the physical or mental health of the mother. A female whose  mental capacity is that of a 6 year old or younger is incapable of raising a child. As is a woman so crippled by disease or disfigurement she is confined to bed or a wheelchair

Another group have been raped whether by a stranger, close relative, or close friend. That female, regardless of age, should not be forced to bear that child who will always be remembered as the result of a painful experience.

I listened to a video clip this afternoon from the Jimmy Kimmel Show where his reporter was questioning a half dozen or so men, in Texas, about women’s reproductive organs which few of them could identify. But one man’s response about abortion made me sit up and take notice. “She should have thought of that before she climbed into bed.” How crude and how cruel a statement. Does a female of any age who is raped either by a close relative, a religious leader, a teacher, or a stranger have a choice? And what the hell difference does it make? With the exception of IVF (in vitro fertilization) it takes two to tango and papa is just as responsible for the conception of that child as mama. Enough with this crap of “she asked for it”. Maybe a prostitute sells coital favors, but damned few prostitutes get pregnant, they know how to prevent it.

The majority of abortions are sought within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Most abortions are also performed on married women pregnant by their spouse and in most cases both parents want the abortion.

If you’ve read this article thus far you can see why I keep insisting abortion is a medical procedure beyond of the purview of government, lawyers, religious prejudices, or “macho” men.  Even if the abortion is just because the woman doesn’t want the baby, do you really want an unwanted child brought into the world?

But more than any other reason ALL medical procedures of any kind for any purpose MUST be left to the hands of a licensed, registered physician and their patient or guardian.  

Under no circumstances does a businessman, lawyer, teacher, religious leader, or professional, other than medical, have the training, knowledge or capability of rendering a diagnosis or decision on a medical procedure. We have malpractice laws in every State that protect patients from faulty medical practice. That’s enough protection