Abortion Centers Misuse Heart Drug Digoxin to Do "Partial-Birth" Abortions

Life News ^ | 7/30/07 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Detroit, MI (LifeNews.com) -- After the Supreme Court upheld the national ban on partial-birth abortions, some abortion businesses are so desperate to continue doing legal second-trimester abortions that they are willing to put women's health at risk by misusing a drug for heart conditions to do the abortions.

The partial-birth abortion ban made it clear that abortion practitioners can't mostly deliver an unborn child before doing the abortion and killing her.

To get around the ban, they are using the drug digoxin to kill the baby inside the mother's womb and then cause the mother to miscarry the dead baby's body.

Digoxin is widely used in the treatment of various heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and congestive heart failure.

But abortion practitioners admitted to the Detroit News in various interviews that they are misusing the drug in off-label use to do the second-trimester abortions.

Renee Chelian, executive director of Northland Family Planning Centers, said the three Michigan abortion centers under that name use digoxin.

The drug is administered with a long needle inserted into the abdomen and it has normal side effects such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. However, the drug can also cause premature delivery and there is a risk of infection.

Researchers at Yale University also studied the use of the drug and were surprised to see that women in the study who took digoxin died more frequently (33%) than women who took a dummy pill (29%).

They calculated that digoxin increased the risk of death in women by 23%.

Despite these health concerns, not only do abortion practitioners at Northland Family Planning Centers use digoxin but Chelian blamed the ban and pro-life advocates for them doing so.

"The woman's health has taken a back seat [because of the partial-birth abortion ban]," Chelian claimed in comments to the Detroit News. "The fetus is given an equal status as the woman. It's a horrible precedent that the woman's health and safety is not paramount."

"We have to cause fetal death," Chelian added. It is not necessary, but it is the Supreme Court telling doctors, 'This is how you do surgery.' It's really scary that the fetus has as much weight as the woman."

The Northland abortion centers have been giving women digoxin for years for abortions done at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy. Now women will get the heart drug as much as six weeks earlier so legal second-trimester abortions can be done.

Meanwhile, women at the six abortion centers run by WomanCare also are forced to misuse the drug. Its medical director, Alberto Hodari, confirmed to the newspaper that all women having abortions between 18 weeks and 24 weeks of pregnancy will get digoxin.

Janet Crepps, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, a prominent pro-abortion law firm in New York, confirmed to the News the reasons for misusing the drug.

"Because certain aspects of abortion procedures are variable in ways that physicians cannot control, physicians may feel compelled to cause fetal demise in order to avoid any appearance or suggestion that they have violated the law," Crepps said.

"One fail-safe way to protect against prosecution under the law is to ensure that fetal demise has occurred," she added.

The FDA approved digoxin in 1982 but abortion practitioners have been using it since the to kill the baby in second-trimester abortions.

[wagglebee]

"We have to cause fetal death," Chelian added. It is not necessary, but it is the Supreme Court telling doctors, 'This is how you do surgery.' It's really scary that the fetus has as much weight as the woman."

No, what's REALLY SCARY is how bloodthirsty you and your ilk are.

[wagglebee]

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[wagglebee]

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[Neoliberalnot]

One more testament to a higher form of civilization according to sensitive, progressive liberals.

[Petronski]

Did they run out of Zyklon-B?

[wagglebee]

They’re saving that for euthanasia.

[Jaded]

That is so sick.

[zencat]

"We have to cause fetal death"

Good heavens, I can't imagine what it's like to live with that mindset.

[Lucky9teen]

"We have to cause fetal death," Chelian added. It is not necessary, but it is the Supreme Court telling doctors, 'This is how you do surgery.' It's really scary that the fetus has as much weight as the woman."

What an @ss!!! If I said what I truly feel for this kind of thinking, I'd get banned.

[CholeraJoe]

The FDA approved digoxin in 1982 but abortion practitioners have been using it since

Digoxin and similar drugs have been around for centuries. I personally have prescribed it since 1974. I'm calling BS!

[wagglebee]

Well, I’m totally confused now, because the FDA says it was approved in 2004.

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.DrugDetails

[darkangel82]

What do you expect from these psychos?

[CholeraJoe]

Every time a new generic preparation is formulated, the FDA issues a new approval. The Glaxo Smith Kline website indicates that Lanoxin (Digoxin) was first patented in 1930. Similar cardiac drugs derived from foxglove have been used to treat heart failure (dropsy) for centuries.

[Rumplemeyer]

Google this monster, it will make your blood run cold.

I cannot begin to think of her being called to account before God.

[bjs1779]

Digoxin --- A sonogram machine is used to guide the needle into the unborn baby's heart.

[long hard slogger]

Lots of “facts” to question here ...
1) Digoxin has, indeed, been used for a long time. The salient point is that abortionists have made a habit of subverting medications that are designed for the purpose of saving lives into terminating them.
2) Most doctors in practice use drugs that have not been approved by the FDA for the specific indication they need. It is called, after all, the “practice” of medicine. Good doctors will use the medications that work for their patients, based on current research and their own professional judgment, and not wait on the FDA.
It is disingenuous of these people to imply that the Supreme Court’s decision on Partial Birth Abortion has had anything to do with the health of the mothers they decry here. This ban was approved only because it was very specific about the procedure being banned. It does NOT ban other 2nd or 3rd trimester abortion procedures. (Read the ruling!) File this under “Crocodile tears.”
And finally: “Researchers at Yale University also studied the use of the drug and were surprised to see that women in the study who took digoxin died more frequently (33%) than women who took a dummy pill (29%).” 29%?! Maybe we should demand a recall of that “dummy pill”! The truth is that late term abortions are HIGH RISK to begin with. In an ideal world, the Department of Health and Human Services would respond to this by demanding that all abortion facilities disclose what percent of the women they “treat” actually survive, and what percent suffer significant complications. That type of full disclosure could affect their bottom line.

[Chode]

what a miserable wretch... she'll burn for her sins.

[huldah1776]

Not only will they have to stand before a wrathful God who absolutely draws the line at child sacrifice, they will also have to stand before the innocent people they murdered, along with everyone else. (one long day it will be.)

[1035rep]

Very sickening.....

[Coleus]

.