Australia Practitioner Defends Decision to Do Abortion at 32 Weeks (baby diagnosed with dwarfism)

Life News ^ | 12.12.07 | Steven Ertelt

[Coleus]

Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- The man who did a late-term abortion at 32 weeks into a woman's pregnancy on an unborn baby diagnosed with dwarfism is defending his decision. Lachlan de Crespigny has been prevented by the courts from talking about the case until now, and he told Australian media he has no regrets about doing the controversial abortion.  Five doctors at Royal Women's Hospital were involved in the February 2000 abortion and the Australia Medical Practitioners Board ultimately decided against subjecting them to formal disciplinary hearings.

The abortion has drawn strong opposition form the pro-life community and Liberal senator Julian McGauran, who complained the condition was no reason to allow a woman to have an abortion so late into the pregnancy. In his interview with The Age newspaper, de Crespigny claims the woman was so distressed about the news that her baby had dwarfism that she became suicidal and pleaded for an abortion.

The hospital physicians injected potassium chloride into the baby's heart in what de Crespigny calls a "lifesaving" medical procedure. "If we didn't do it and the woman died we would have potentially been charged with manslaughter and gone to jail," he told the newspaper. "So in a legal sense, you could argue that we were compelled to offer it." He told The Age he has not seen or spoken to the woman in question since the abortion and hasn't been able to talk about the case since a court allowed him to do so last week. The names of the other doctors involved and the woman who had the abortion remain under court seal, but de Crespigny asked the courts to let him out of the confidentiality clause so he could tell his story.

"I feel enormous compassion for her position," he says. "I don't know whether she would support me or not support me in doing this." He admits he is still haunted by the abortion. "It's better now in that I don't think about it all day every day, but I think about it a lot every day," de Crespigny said. "I still wake up at night and I still lie awake thinking about it every night. It used to be for hours every night. But now I switch off and go back to sleep far more quickly."

[narses]

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[Grizzled Bear]

Ping.

[Grimmy]

How’s this different from the racial purity slaughterfests of the Nazis?

[HerrBlucher]

How’s this different from the racial purity slaughterfests of the Nazis?

Its not.

[originalbuckeye]

I suspect, if polled, that most dwarfs would tell you that they would prefer life to the alternative. I sure would hope so, at least.

[tajgirvan]

This breaks my heart!!!! My oldest daughter is a Dwarf and is the finest and most wonderful person in the world! She is 30 years old and has a great job with a terrific company in Atlanta, GA. She is very active in her church and has traveled to South America and Mexico on Mission Outreaches with our church.Nothing is too hard for her, she gives 110 % to everything she does including raising German Shepherd dogs! What a blessing this woman has missed! There are many “little people” that adopt and give children loving and stable homes. My husband and I are proud to death of our "Gifts from God", all four of them!

[Dustbunny]

He should have had her watch a few episodes of ‘Little People Big World’ before carrying out a murder, she may have changed her mind.

[CalvaryJohn]

I apologize for my profanity. I just couldn’t think of any other way to put it.

[vladimir998]

You said it well.

[The KG9 Kid]

Just because the child was going to be born a dwarf?

What in the hell?

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Abortion is the planned murder of the most
helpless and anybody that condones it are
aiding and abetting the murder.

[Bluebird Singing]

I didn’t even notice the profanity because it was so appropriate.

[LilAngel]

You said what I was thinking. Sometimes we all have thoughts that don’t belong on JR’s forum.

[alexander_busek]

>>”If we didn’t do it and the woman died we would have potentially been charged with manslaughter and gone to jail,” he told the newspaper. “So in a legal sense, you could argue that we were compelled to offer it.”<<

“If the woman died??!!” Is carrying a child suffering from Dwarfism to term lethal? I suspect that they are implying that the woman would have killed herself. If that was the case (i.e. if the woman was able to credibly argue that she intended to commit suicide if forced to carry her baby to term), then the attending physician should have asked her to wait until AFTER the birth to commit suicide.

[mware]

." He admits he is still haunted by the abortion. "It's better now in that I don't think about it all day every day, but I think about it a lot every day," de Crespigny said. "I still wake up at night and I still lie awake thinking about it every night. It used to be for hours every night. But now I switch off and go back to sleep far more quickly."

You think it is hard now, I suspect you might have all eternity to think what you have done....and I dont suspect it will have anything to do with getting a good nights sleep.

[Clara Lou]

Is carrying a child suffering from Dwarfism to term lethal?
That's my question. I'm trying to figure out how the woman might die without the abortion. The Little People of Australia (and the world) need to make their voices heard.

[alexander_busek]

My wife - who is in the 37th week of her pregnancy right now - instantly asked: “What about adoption?”

Interesting that the word “adoption” appears no where in the article.

[Salman]

Dwarfism.

I kind of get it about the dying in horrible pain kind of birth defect, but [i]dwarfism[/i]?

Dwarfs can lead nearly normal lives, and even be parents themselves.