She didn’t want the fetus to die inside her. She didn’t want the fetus to die at all. It’s why she went through the very dangerous-to-her surgical procedure to try to prevent that. I seem to recall from other articles covering their full interview that they were (understandably) glad that the baby was born alive so they could spend even a small amount of time together before his death. She understood (totally accurately) that whether he died inside or outside her body, he was going to die. She just didn’t want to take steps to terminate the pregnancy herself. I think that undertaking the risks to herself that were inherent in that choice was wholly irrational, but that was her choice and her body, “her body, her choice” being a concept of which I am a fan whether or not I agree with said choice or personally like the owner of said body. She admits that had it truly been necessary, she would have done more. That warrants discussion, considering she and her husband’s political opinions on that issue. A factually inaccurate twisting of a woman’s traumatic obstetric experience, however, does not.

Just so we’re clear, the writing in this post is a pull quote from the original article I linked to. If you had read this post closely, and then Lousy Canuck’s post closely, you would see that you are reacting to Lousy Canuck’s words, not my own.

You’ll also want to re-read the account: http://oursilverribbon.org/blog/?p=188

What Mrs. Santorum did to avoid the situation being called an abortion is horrifying. Basically, she wanted the infected and dying fetus to die inside of her first – the outcome of the fetus was already known either way. What’s most bizarre is that when you read it, you realize that childbirth itself – the act of labor, induced or otherwise – is being defined here as “abortion” (by the Santorums).

BUT – she did say she would have done it anyway:

“Karen, a soft-spoken red-haired 37-year-old, said that “ultimately” she would have agreed to intervention for the sake of her other children.

“If the physician came to me and said if we don’t deliver your baby in one hour you will be dead, yeah, I would have to do it,” she said. “

BUT both that article by Lousy Canuck and the article that it links to (“Our Abortion was Different,” which gives all the harrowing details of the delivery) both misleadingly call it an abortion, as do you, Violet, in your roundup, which is simply not correct.

Where they’re total fucking hypocrites is that they both acknowledged that if they’d had to “induce,” which would likely have amounted to abortion, in order to save her life, they would have, but both still believe that the option of life saving pregnancy termination should be unavailable to other women. As it stands, though, Karen gave premature birth to a living infant on her own before the threat to her life made intervention necessary.