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From: garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Disposition of Aborted Fetuses
Message-ID: <865@bunker.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Jun-85 09:11:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: bunker.865
Posted: Mon Jun 10 09:11:53 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Jun-85 08:52:06 EDT
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Among the pile of documentation on fetal experimentation was
a reply to one of the items, which I had intended to include
in my previous article, but I was in a hurry to get done so
I could get home.  The item in question is the following:

	Tissue cultures have also been obtained from fetuses aborted
	by hysterotomy.  The _New England Journal of Medicine_ reported
	(May 18, 1972) that "most of the babies delivered by the latter
	method were still alive when they were dropped into a tissue
	grinder to be homogenized."

The response, quoted in A.L.L. About Issues, Sep. 1984.
(A.L.L. is American Life Lobby, Inc.):

	Dr. Arnold S. Relman, editor of the prestigious _New England
	Journal of Medicine_, called us and read us the pertinent
	paragraph from the article, and requested we make a clarification.
	He read to us:
		"Pregnancy was terminated in 30 cases by hysterotomy.
	After repeated washings with balanced salt solution, these
	'surgical specimens' were homogenized in a tissue grinder."

	Dr. Relman pointed out that the article referred to fetuses
	of one to four months gestational age and noted there is no
	reference in the article itself as to how long the fetuses
	were separated from the placenta in the course of the
	experiment, from abortion, to walking the tissue to the lab,
	washing them, grinding them, and so on.

	Dr. Relman correctly state, "...It (the fetus) could hardly
	survive a few moments away from the mother's circulation...
	They talk of numerous washings... Any reasonable person would
	draw the reasonable conclusion that the fetuses were long
	dead (prior to being ground up).

	Dr. Relman also pointed out that it was highly unlikely that
	the entire fetus was ground up.  We agree that it was most
	likely that the baby was carved up, a small portion ground
	up for the purpose of the experiment, and the balance of
	the baby discarded.  Humanely, we trust.

	It was also pointed out to us that the entire experiment was
	done under the auspices and supervisors of the National
	Board of Health at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
	Dr. Relman emphasized that the women involved were already
	certified for legal abortions by the same National Board
	of Health and that they all volunteered to be a part of this
	scientific experiment after a full explanation.

	Further, Dr. Relman felt we should emphasize that this took
	place in Finland -- not in the United States.

---end of quote.

I am sure it will be no small comfort to readers of this group
to know that the fetuses *probably* died before being dismembered
and ground up.  And the fact that it took place in Finland means
we can close our eyes to the issue, for a few more years, perhaps.
Or can we?  The Journal article was printed in 1972.  Is it there-
fore, by reason of time, a dead issue?  Or has there been time for
fetal experimentation to become even more "acceptable"?  I wish that
I could believe the former, but I fear that the latter is more
likely to be true.  I also would like to believe that "it can't
happen here," but I can't believe that either.  Unless, of course,
I, and others, work at making sure that it can't.

Gary Samuelson
ittvax!bunker!garys