It is unfortunate that the Pueblo City Council tabled a measure that would have maintained the status quo in Pueblo – no abortion clinics operating in the city. Instead, Pueblo will be home to one of the most notorious late-term abortionists in the country.

If “whole life” advocates like myself wanted to gain a political advantage, we would root for Leroy Carhart to begin performing abortions in Colorado. The fallout from his abortion clinic will bolster the whole life cause in Colorado. That is because his practice will inevitably and tragically lead to injured and dead women. But we are motivated by our care for BOTH the woman and her pre-born baby. The last thing we want to see in Colorado is another late-term abortionist.

Even under the best circumstances, second trimester abortions have a 10% overall complication rate and 1.7% risk of life-threatening complications. The risks from third trimester abortions are even greater. Since he is an octogenarian, Carhart’s ability to perform complex procedures that require a high level of hand-eye coordination is impaired, which will translate into even more complications than is reported in the literature. Furthermore, these highly morbid procedures will be conducted in a totally unregulated out-patient medical facility – since Colorado has refused to enforce any health and safety standards for abortion clinics.   

Carhart was the clinician who argued all the way to the Supreme Court that he needed access to the D&X procedure. This procedure is gruesome, even by abortion standards. The baby is partially delivered alive, then the skull is punctured, and the brains evacuated to facilitate delivery. When this procedure was publicized in conjunction with the Supreme Court hearings, the nation was shocked by the barbarity.

This is the man whom Pueblo will be welcoming into their community.   

But abortion advocates constantly remind us that Colorado is a “pro-choice” state. We shouldn’t even consider any regulations to restrict access to abortion.  They typically point to the fact that only 41% of Coloradans voted to restrict late-term abortion after 22 weeks during the Prop 115 campaign. What they fail to mention is that 41% is not a “small minority” and that the defeat of Prop 115 was fueled by an unanswered $9.7 million campaign that promoted a series of myths:

• Late-term abortions are rare in Colorado.
• Late-term abortions only are performed for tragic maternal health reasons or fetal anomalies.
• Women who are raped and become pregnant commonly seek abortion late in pregnancy.

The reality is that it is rare to find Coloradans who believe it is OK to kill viable pre-born babies for social and economic reasons late in pregnancy. Most Coloradans would endorse aggressive private/public programs to support these women, so they don’t feel compelled to pursue abortion. And they intuitively recognize that once you start labeling some human beings worthy of basic human rights and others not worthy, there is no end to the inhumanity that results.

Perhaps the Pueblo City Council, after further reflection, will recognize the importance of discouraging practitioners, like Leroy Carhart, from establishing practices in their city. I just hope it is not another tragic death that changes their perspective.

Thomas J. Perille, M.D., is president of Democrats for Life of Colorado.