It's time to start a serious campaign to impeach George W. Bush.

Doctors Are Warned on Fetus Care
Guidelines Are Issued on Born-Alive Infants Protection Act

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2005; Page A07

The Bush administration issued guidelines yesterday advising physicians and hospitals that under a 2002 law they are obligated to care for fetuses "born alive" naturally or in the process of an abortion, and medical providers could face penalties for withholding treatment.

The law, signed by President Bush nearly three years ago, conferred legal rights on fetuses "at any stage of development." It specifies that a fetus that is breathing, has a beating heart, a pulsating umbilical cord or muscle movement should be considered alive and entitled to protection under federal emergency medical laws and child abuse statutes.

Keep in mind three facts about fetal development.

• An embryonic heart starts beating on the 22nd day (3 weeks)
• An embryo becomes a fetus at 9 weeks.
• At 9 weeks, the average fetus weighs .07 ounce (2 grams).

Thus, the Bush administration has just ordered incubators for all 9-week (.07 ounce) fetuses "born alive" through spontaneous or induced abortion.

Of course, fetuses don't have the slightest possibility of survival in an incubator before the 23rd week, so a rational doctor might choose to ignore Bush's order when presented with a 9-week (or a 22-week) fetus.

David Grimes, a licensed obstetrician/gynecologist who previously worked for the abortion surveillance division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the act and yesterday's instructions were medically unnecessary.

"I don't see this as a big issue; physicians are going to do what's appropriate," said Grimes, who now practices in North Carolina. "It's all rhetoric from persons with political views they want to advance."

He said the act's definition of alive is "silly," given that it implies a fetus miscarried at 14 or 16 weeks "with no chance of survival" would be legally identified as a living person.

Hey doc - just because it's "silly" doesn't mean it isn't legal! If the law says the fetus is alive - and protected by law - then that's the law, until a court declares otherwise! Read again:

The law, signed by President Bush nearly three years ago, conferred legal rights on fetuses "at any stage of development." It specifies that a fetus that is breathing, has a beating heart, a pulsating umbilical cord or muscle movement should be considered alive and entitled to protection under federal emergency medical laws and child abuse statutes.

Notice that this law does not conflict with Roe v. Wade, because it does not prevent a woman from having an abortion. Instead, it orders doctors to keep the aborted fetus alive!

Since an embryonic heart starts beating on day 22, all fetuses aborted alive at 9 weeks are covered by this law - and any doctor who fails to put such a fetus in an incubator could be punished.

If you think the Bush administration would exclude care that has no chance of medical success, I have two words for you: Terri Schiavo.

And if you think a federal court would tell the Bush administration to keep its hands off 9-week fetuses, I have two other words for you: Tom DeLay.