Abortionists sometimes refer to these or similar types of abortions using obscure, clinical-sounding euphemisms such as , or "intact D&E" (IDE) which mask the realities of how the abortions are actually performed.
This procedure is used to abort women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant -- or even later into pregnancy.* Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby’s leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is deliberately kept just inside the womb. (At this point in a partial-birth abortion, the baby is alive.) Then the abortionist jams scissors into the back of the baby’s skull and spreads the tips of the scissors apart to enlarge the wound. After removing the scissors, a suction catheter is inserted into the skull and the baby’s brains are sucked out. The collapsed head is then removed from the uterus.
President Clinton has twice vetoed legislation to ban the practice of partial-birth abortion. Following is the letter sent to him by the Cardinals of the United States subsequent to the first veto in April of 1996.
* Babies born at 23 weeks or more often survive. This procedure eliminates that possibility.[70]
Step by step
Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps.
The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.
Artwork by Tanja Butler, used courtesy of Heathers Place, 505-521-0105, pla@zianet.com.