Thursday, June 08, 2006

A whole lot of people were looking for 13 week fetus photos

This is a popular search.

First, we can look developmentally. The Visible Embryo doesn't show a 13-weeker, but does show 12 weeks and 14 weeks.

At 12 weeks, "Sucking muscles of mouth fill out cheeks, tooth buds continue to develop and salivary glands begin to function. Scalp (hair) pattern is discernible." The fetus is breathing in and out the amniotic fluid, which helps the lungs to develop. The heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood every day. The external sex organs are well-enough developed for an observer to determine the sex. "Arms have almost reached final proportion and length, though legs are still quite short relative to fetus' body. Hands, particularly the thumbs, become more functional." Sweat glands have appeared, and the fetus starts growing body hair.

Twelve weeks marks the transition from embryo to fetus, in that now all the structures of the body are in place. They only need to mature.

Over at About.com is a collection of links to ultrasounds of 13-week fetuses. Here is an image of a sound, entact 13-week fetus. Here is a detail of the foot. Here is another entact 13-week fetus, with details labeled.

Now, for those with strong stomachs, we can look at what an abortion does to that fetus. I couldn't find any 13-week fetuses, but I did find this medical illustration of how an abortion is performed at 14 weeks. I'm having a terrible time trying to find clearly labeled 13-week aborted fetuses. For some reason, there's a gap in proper labeling between 11 weeks and about 18 weeks among people posting this sort of picture. You can see the results of an 11-week abortion (VERY GRAPHIC!) here.

Now let's look at the mothers. Here are women who suffered fatal abortions at 13 weeks:

Gail Roe, Brenda Banks, and Suzanne Logan.

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39 comments:

Anonymous said...

abortion is disgusting I know some people can't handle having a baby but... you can just let the hospital take care of he/she that way the baby will have a happy family instead of being dead. If someone kills a baby by abortion you will never know what kind of kid you could've had or what they could've done

Anonymous said...

If you have such a large opinion on this matter ....why be anonymous. You obviously don't have a clue as to what you are talking about and seem too young to understand what having a child or making the choice not to have a child is all about. I certainly hope you are never in a position to make such a choice....you might think differently.

Christina Dunigan said...

I certainly hope you are never in a position to make such a choice....you might think differently.

I doubt that you really hope anon is never in the situation in which an abortion seems necessary. I'd bet you really wish she was in that situation right now so she could "see the light" and embrace the "tragic necessity" of killing her baby and just shutting up and not expecting better from a society that thinks women are just ambulatory vaginas to be vacuumed out casually.

WOMEN DESERVE A LOT BETTER THAN ABORTION.

Those freaky few women who actually embrace the practice are a noisy, sickening minority who frankly deserve nothing better than abortion. Would to God that they alone were the ones that ended up on the abortion table, and left NORMAL women out of it.

Anonymous said...

sometimes you don't have much choice, and an abortion saves a child growing up to a mother whose has split with her boyfriend on bad terms, finacially can't afford,is too young, and or just can't handle it, surely us liberal women shouldn't deny women a choice and its not one lightly taken. i had an abortion, and am now in a much better situation with a man who loves me and we can afford it, and i still feel reallyb upset at the abortion i had 3 years ago!!!!!

Christina Dunigan said...

Anon, abortion doesn't save a child. Abortion KILLS a child.

Having sex in untenable situations is what creates children in untenable situations. Once you've done that you have a responsibility to do everything you can to correct the situation, or to put the child into a better situation.

You don't save people by killing them. How would you like it if somebody looked at YOUR life, decided that from their perspective, it really sucked, and hired a hit man to spare you having to live the rest of it?

Anonymous said...

GrannyGrump, since you are sooooo intent on preventing abortions, can we expect you to raise all these children you are trying to save? Can we expect you to love, care, nurture, and support both financially and emotionally alllllll these children?
NO? No smart ass response? Have you ever heard of an orphanage? Here's a tip for you: THEY STILL EXIST! WHICH MEANS PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE CARE OF EXTRA CHILDREN--HENCE, ABORTION. And not everyone can afford to adopt a child.......just step off that soap box for one minute and think about it........I know it's hard.

Christina Dunigan said...

So, anon, I guess that firefighters are evil because they pull people from their burning homes without giving a single thought to where all those people are going to live. Are those firefighters willing to take all those people into their own homes? Or provide shelter to them for the rest of their lives? If not, then by your logic the firefighters should just hose down the flames and leave the people to die, since they'd be left without a home, right?

Anonymous said...

oh my god your all pathetic busy bodys, get a life and mind your own.. people should do what suits them best wether it be right or wrong by others, i am not a lover of abortion but for goodness sakes no matter how much you protest and talk shit on here its not going to stop whats happening . why not channel your energies into lowering the legal limit, at leat then you are doing something useful rather than pointless bitching, and remember it could be your daughter in a situation where she is unable to receive safe treatment and goes back street. no one enjoys abortion, and before you bitch at me i am a mum of 3 and expecting my 4th at the age of 25 so yes i do know about pregnancy and birth.

Christina Dunigan said...

people should do what suits them best wether it be right or wrong by others

Do you believe this across the board or do you only apply it to abortion?

If somebody thinks picking up hitchhikers and murdering them is his cup of tea, are we supposed to just let him do what suits him whether it's right or wrong for the hitchhikers and their families?

If somebody wants to dump toxic chemicals in the water supply, are we supposed to just let them do what suits them whether or not it's right for the people who have to drink that water?

Why is it that people make allowances for abortion that they'd make for no other human evil? That when it comes to the smallest, most helpless and defenseless members of the human race, y'all are suddenly ready to saunter on by, saying it's not your problem? That's the kind of attitude people showed when Kitty Genovese was being stabbed to death and we (rightly) considered it deplorable. Why's it okay to take that attitude when it's a baby rather than a young woman being slain?

Anonymous said...

I have never had an abortion but I feel for those who have. I try not to judge others for their decisions as I am sure they will live with them forever. Abortion is a personal choice and no one else has the right to pass judgement on others who have chosen this path.! I am sure their decisions were NOT made in haste, but with much hurt in their hearts.
That will live with them forever. Try not to judge others for their decisions, I know it is hard, but we can only assume they had very good reasons for choosing to have abortions.! Blessings to all

Christina Dunigan said...

Anon, you're partly right. A lot of women are acting out of motives that aren't evil when they get on the abortion table. But that doesn't change the fact that the result of an abortion is a dead baby.

Andrea Yates thought she was rescuing her children from Satan when she drowned them. Her (delusionally) noble motive doesn't make her kids any less dead. We'd be sanctioning murder to hold her up as an example of somebody who killed with good intentions and struck laws against murder from the books to avoid being "judgmental"!

The fact that not everybody doing it has terrible motives doesn't mean that we don't try to stop an evil.

Megan said...

I recently found out i was pregnant, I'm 20 years old.
I used to sit with my school friends discussing what path I would take if ever I fell pregnant before I was married, and had enough money to give my baby anything he/she wished for, or before I felt 'ready' for a responsibility like a child.
My conclusion was always abortion. The baby wouldn't be appreciated that early in my life and as far as I was concerned ruining my own life was worse than the idea of having an abortion. My school (being an all girs school) regually held debates on this topic. I'd always argue that everyone should have the freedom of choice on this matter, and no-one should be able to stop another human being from making their own decisions. My argument (I now realise) was never based on understanding or fact. No-one knows quite what they are destroying unless they have seen a baby even at 12 weeks with all of its organs fully developed, a heart pumping blood to every small but fully formed limb. I immediately became attached to the tiny person on that computer screen. So abortion 'for me' I now know would not have been an option.
From that moment whatever fears I had of raising a child, at my age, or in my financial position went out of the window.
I WILL GIVE MY BABY ALL OF THE TIME, LOVE, and SUPPORT I can.
I STILL (even after my own epiphany) would not say abortion was not 'right'. I would now however argue that the maximum weeks should be lowered, 12 weeks to me is already too far to consider ending a pregnancy.

There is no point trying to rid the world of abortion altogether. Abortion is the 'RIGHT' decision for so many people in this world. You can argue that an abortion is the 'murder' of a baby until you're blue in the face, but so many people don't see it like that at all, which is why abortion will never be stopped.
What can and is likely to be changed is 'how far into pregnancy an abortion should be legal to be performed'.

Spend your time trying to save a large proportion of babies with your opinions, you'll have more sucess that way.

Christina Dunigan said...

Megan, I'm so glad that you're welcoming the blessing of your new baby. I know from experience that even a child born in difficult circumstances can brighten the family.

And I realize that we can never stop all abortion, any more than we can stop any other human evil. But we need to do everything we can to contain this evil.

One thing I want to put out, and make people more aware of, is that it's normal in early pregnancy to think that you can't cope, to feel totally overwhelmed, and to even reject the pregnancy. Such feelings are normal and self-limiting. But women aren't told this. They're told that these FEELINGS are a REALITY. That if they FEEL unable to cope, they ARE unable to cope. And under this false information, women are sold abortions, killing babies that they would have welcomed if only somebody had helped them to ride out the initial shock.

Anonymous said...

THOU SHALT NOT KILL. If you are God fearing, you live by the Ten Commandments. Stop being selfish, if God wills it, it is not your place to interfere. If you cannot take care of yourself with a baby, there are PLENTY of govt programs to help you.
WIC, free clothing, food, formula, etc. are available if you look and ask for help. If you cannot bring yourself to do that, give your child up for adoption. There are PLENTY of people who aren't blessed to have children and would LOVE to have a child. What is better, not being "inconvenienced" in this life but burn in hell later, or saving an innocent child and your soul at the same time?

Anonymous said...

By the way, when I was a teenager, I thought abortion should be legal, too. That was until I became a mother, and experienced a life growing inside me. Once you GROW UP and get a CONSCIENCE, views change. Children are a blessing, and killing an innocent child is murder, no matter how you try to justify it. I feel horrible for young mothers that are misinformed and don't realize what they have done until years later when they start to investigate what they did to their unborn child. Ask anyone that has had one, and they ALWAYS say the decision haunts them. God have mercy on their soul.

Christina Dunigan said...

shawna, I get prochoicers telling me, "You just don't understand the pressures women face!" Yes I do. That's why I'm against the abortion lobby and the prochoice movement. They almost killed my son. I was one of the fortunate ones who escaped with my child.

Jasmine said...

so I just finished reading all of the comments and everyone puts out really good points. I would NEVER want anyone to be in the position to determine my future. I am prochoice...every choice I make regarding my future is my choice and nobody else's business. I had an abortion 10 years ago. Never had lived to regret it! EVER. I'm pregnant with my first child and am insanely excited because I am prepared and ready now. I do have a concience contrary to what other people may say. I feel bad and guilty about things all the time, never becuase I had an abortion. I'm so thankful that I had the choice and I cannot imagine a world where someone tells me that I have to have a child and raise it because I am pregnant. Those who are pro abortion aren't the ones who have to carry the child and how do you expect us pro-choice people to see your side of things if you won't see ours. Have you ever found out you were pregnant and didn't want it, felt so totally in despair at the thought of having a child..it doens't matter that there are people out there wanting babies but can't have them( that is their story not mine)...it doesn't matter that there are people out there who you can talk to that can show" a better way"...I didn't want to end up on Gov't programs, nor did I want my paretns taking care of it. Please just have some compassion and stop only seeing your side of things..LEAVE GOD out of it cause it has nothing to do with him...he's not going to give you money when the baby is cold and hungry...it's between a woman and her fetus and NOBODY ELSE!!!

Christina Dunigan said...

Jasmine, what gave you the right to deny your child any choices whatsoever? Why does your one choice trump every other choice of another person's entire life?

That's not proCHOICE. It's plain selfish getting what you want at somebody else's expense.

Anonymous said...

I was 18 when i fell pregnant with my first child and my first thought was i wouldnt cope and my boyfriend thought i should have abortion but after many weeks i felt attched to my baby and knew no matter what i would love my baby i am not sayin it is wrong or right but i also think murder is a strong word and it doesnt make the women evil for doing what she thinks is right i dont think women go into having a abortion lightly give them a break oh and i am pregnant again with my 2nd child

Christina Dunigan said...

anon, there are two reasons not to just leave it alone.

The first is the woman who does have the capacity to love her baby. Are we to abandon her to despair so deep it leaves her feeling as if her only hope is to kill her baby?

The second is the woman who lacks the capacity to love her baby until she's actually pushed him out whole and breathing. Should her inability to bond before birth mean that her child is denied a life?

Anonymous said...

i had an abortion 2 and a half years ago, at 13weeks. i wasnt told how big the fetus was or anything like that, i was infact shown a picture of the scan and asked if i "REALLY" wanted to kill my baby, and this was by a nhs doctor. after the operatation i bled very badly and had to go back to hospital to find that they hadnt removed everything, so i had to sit and watched the rest of the fetus fall out my body. i was forced into this as i didnt want to have a termination and to this day, everyday it still breaks my heart

Christina Dunigan said...

(((anon)))

Anonymous said...

????? grannygrump ?????

Christina Dunigan said...

Enclosing somebody in parentheses is a cyber-hug.

Anonymous said...

WOW...I have just read everyone's comments. I am 22 years old and I am also 18 weeks pregnant. I am an intern; therefore my job is not permanent. My husband and I have only been married for 6 months and he is African American and I am white. I have a year left in college as does my husband and we have bills coming out of the walls. We bought things thinking we would have a child in about 5 years. That would give us time to pay everything off, complete college, and have a few years to ourselves. Well, that didn't happen. I had the choice to keep my child and I did. I know my life will not be the easiest. We don't have a lot of money, my baby will be mixed, and WE WILL LOVE HER/HIM FOREVER. I am not asking for pity or anyone to feel sorry for me. I put my BIG GIRL PANTIES on and took responsibility for my actions. I had sex; there is no 100% effective method of birth control. Anytime you have sex, you are putting yourself in the position to have a baby.

No one should be forced to raise a child, but NO child should have someone else choose their fate. I think it is funny how people say they can’t afford a child, but they can afford a new car, or a boat. There are group homes for children, and a number of families that would love to adopt. I personally know growing up in a group home isn't the best life, but the people that work there are wonderful. There are other children in the group home with you as well. You make great friends. You become a family. The children are given a full ride to college if they want to go, money for personal items, and housing allowances (just to name a view). For people to say you could not afford the child, we the tax payers take care of the children financially. I know that I am very thankful to be alive. I love my life.

I might not drive a BMW or own a Coach purse, but my child will know that I love him/her. When people say they are not financially ready for a child, you should really think about, “Who is ready to buy diapers and wipes and baby formula?” Unless you are a millionaire you won't be “ready”. Your child could be the person that cures cancer or develops a cure for AIDS. Just because you are too irresponsible for a child doesn't mean that child has to be the one to suffer. There are programs that give free medical check-ups to pregnant women, pay for your medication, and every company has to give you maternity leave. When you are faced with a tough decision in life don’t be selfish and only worry about yourself. It shows what type of character a person possesses when they run from situations. I have my opinions on abortion and I do believe it should be banned, but for everyone that has had an abortion, I don't judge you; it was your choice. I believe you should not judge others, you have no right. Judgment comes later from a higher source.

When you are faced with a hard decision ask yourself, what am I wearing today, your BIG GIRL PANTIES or your TRAINING BRA.

A Baby said...

I think that abortion is wrong. if you have enough balls to spread your legs you should have enough decency to take care of a person you brought into this world. I understand that people have times to were they cant handle, or are not ready. But think about this" Its not the Babys fault you made a mistake. Dont kill the babys, for anybody. If you cant handle a baby or they are to much let them live with a good home, with parents that will love them.

I also understand that if something happen to you and you didnt mean to have the baby, such as Rape to have an abortion, but just to kill them because YOU made a mistake thats Wrong.
Dont spread your legs and you will be good, or be overly protected

Emmitt said...

here man will all u people shut up lol. i aint a believer in abortion rite but i dont go pastin all these disrespectful comments on websites n tht. you do relise tht ppl hoo have abortions never get over it and things like this make them feel even worse. they cant take back what they did so bloody leave them alone yeah? is some of your missions of the day to make ppl feel stupid etc? i hope not get a life and discuss real dilemmas man. sheesh!!!

Emmitt said...

and to reply to "a babys" comment how the fuck is it the womans fault if she gets raped stop bin sucha bitter old lemon and remove tht massive pole thts stuck up ur arse u fukin div

Anonymous said...

I just want to say that I am a child whose mother tried to have an abortion and the abortion failed. My mother was given several medications to induce an abortion and though she had several complications for some reason it did not work. The doctors then told her I would not survive after birth and I would be severely handicapped unable to function on a basic human level.
Well here I am 26 yrs old with my forth child on the way. I served in the United States Airforce and have an IQ of 148. So all the doctors diagnosis was incorrect but I grew up with a mother who could not show me love or compassion.
I AM pro-choice though because I was raped by my step father at 14 and got pregnant but ended up having a still birth at 6 months. I know the feeling behind being raped and having to live with that feeling the entire time. It almost killed me. It is not an option for me but who am I to say that the unborn life is more precious than the life of the mother. I believe in certain situations it should be allowed and with that thought we have to allow the ugliness of abortion.
I believe we should be fighting for better education. I believe we should try to make the adoption process easier.
I am now pregnant with my 4th child and after being divorced for a year the man who fathered my child insisted I have an abortion. I look at my other kids and the thought alone breaks my heart. I recently lost my job while in the hospital and in turn lost my home, everyone thinks that an abortion would be best for the baby but I believe our children choose us to bring them into this world. I have had 8 miscarriages and I truly value the life of every unborn child.
But if you feel you can't support a child, especially emotionally consider adoption. I wish my own mother had been more informed and had chosen adoption.
I am sorry if I am rambling but if this helps a woman in any way.
Remember it is ultimately your choice, but it is a choice that you will have to live with for the rest of your life.
I couldn't imagine if I had an abortion with Mary Elizabeth (my baby from the rape) and then went on to have all the miscarriages I have had, there is no way I could not view that as my fault. You never know what your future holds.

Christina Dunigan said...

Crystal, I'm sorry you went through so many ordeals.

Just one point -- nobody's asserting that the unborn baby's life has MORE value than the mother's life. Just EQUAL value. What's so evil about that?

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Just wanted to say, I totally agree with granny. Anyone who believes in abortion, google abortion images. It is sick!!!! I am 30 yrs. old and pregnant with my 5th child. Not good, but how could I even think about killing my own child??? Maybe I should just have the baby and instead kill my 6 year old??? Does that sound right??? Yeah, I didn't think so. Then, what makes it right to kill my 4 month old unborn child??? IT DOESN'T!!!!! Quit making excuses to kill your babies. There is no excuse. If you had sex willingly, you don't have any excuse to kill your baby. It's called being selfish!! You all know that birth control is not 100% effective and you all know what happens when you have SEX. No, the stork does not bring babies. It's called being responsible for your actions, because your poor little baby can't be. What ever your excuse is to have an abortion, you should have thought of that before you spread your legs.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lydia said...

Wow. I love reading through this stuff, and seeing how people react to the topic. I am, personally, pro-life/christian, and for that can be labeled biased. I'm also 21 years old, 13 weeks pregnant, 7 weeks married. I don't condone pre-marital sex, however. It was a bad choice, and a dangerous one, but we were determined to share our lives together anyway so the "unplanned" baby wasn't an obstacle. I can't get my hubby to stop looking at the ultrasound pictures, and it's amazing to see him so excited. It's wonderful when you can find someone who will support you through the good times and bad and never give up on nor leave you. So, to you girls who've almost given up hope: they're still out there, just be patient...and try to keep your pants on.

To those who can still be pro-choice despite being personally unable to have an abortion of their own: How long will you be able to ride that fence? You choose to keep your babies for a reason, why not atleast SHARE that with others who have no clue what they're doing?? These poor girls who have no idea that at 12 weeks the "fetus" *cough* is fully developed with fingers and toes JUST LIKE THEM! This inconvenience to their sex life can breathe and yawn and move...JUST LIKE THEM! Tell them! Tell them WHY YOU CHOSE TO KEEP YOUR BABIES! And then let them decide whether or not they still want to abort.

To those who don't find this issue important and something to be discussed: It's a matter of life and death, plain and simple. That is not worth discussing? We are exercising our right to openly discuss our opinions on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...all of which are relevant to the cause of saving babies who will one day be YOU. Think about this: You would not be here if your mother had aborted you. You would not be around to tell us to stop talking about why we think it's important to discuss abortion if your mother had HAD an abortion. You think you have the right to tell the world "IT'S OKAY" to deny another little person their right to live? Sure, the mother was here before them. Yes, she was raped and this is the bastard result..the child will be a painful reminder of what was taken from her that day. What? You say it's deformed, and will grow up a monster? It's retarded, huh? Well, then, by all means, abortion would be the merciful thing to do, wouldn't it? Except one small detail:

WE ARE NOT GOD TO CHOOSE WHO WILL LIVE OR DIE.

To the author of this blog post:
Keep rocking the boat.

Unknown said...

okay well this is what i have to say to those who think abortion is okay. i think its horrible. im 20 year old and pregnant with my little boy. the father of my child who i was with for 3 years up n left me when i was 5 mos for another girl who also has a son by him... && im not going to get an abortion bc i think it will be to hard or because he isnt with me. haaa. yes i know it will be challaging at sometimes but if you really sit back n think, what isnt challaging these days?. for one youll always have a little boy or girl that looks up to you n loves you no matter what. and if you really feel like you cant be a mother right now then give it to other people who cant. theres soo many out there who would love you take care of your child. i see not point on killing your child because either way u look at it is killing them. so please dont try to sugar coat anything. it just makes me sick. if i can do it then i know anyone can....

Christina Dunigan said...

Do you have enough support from family and friends, danyella?

Unknown said...

I do not understand why so many people think abortion is an option. I wish instead that women would see it as their responsibility to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place rather than deal with them via abortion when they occur. It just shows how selfish people are. Don't have unprotected sex if you don't want a child. Be aware that birth control does not always work and think about other more responsible ways that you might deal with the situation if you do happen to fall pregnant. Too many people think abortion is the easier option rather than e.g. adoption. The fact is that abortion is a painful process for so many women and can haunt them for the rest of their lives (many are not told this). The other fact is that so many couples who would be fantastic parents but cannot have children find it very difficult to adopt because there are not enough babies out there who are given up for adoption - instead they have been aborted. What a heartbreaking world we live in! I do not condone abortion but I also understand that there are certain circumstances (rape or survival of the mother/baby) that may warrant it. All I want is for people to THINK before they end up in a situation they do not want to be in and to take some RESPONSIBILITY for THEIR actions. We are talking about little lives here, not just a bunch of cells (and I am a scientist by the way) and we have no right to decide who lives and who dies.

As for those who think I don't know what I'm talking about, I do. I have a close family member who has had 2 abortions and I see how much she regrets it. I also know it was a very hard decision for her and I do not judge her but I wish she had been more responsible. I have thought this even from the age of 10. And now I find myself at 30 years old, having gone through 5 years of utter heartbreak because my husband and I could not have children. After lots of treatment, we now have a little miracle growing at 13 weeks old. I've known about every intricate stage of this child's growth and seen that it's heart started beating at 7 weeks!! I wish all babies were wanted as much as this one. It's already a tiny but fully formed individual with potential to change lives and make history!

bibbs said...

Hey Grannygrump,

What if we are talking about a 12 year old girl who has been brutally raped by her father... Should she be refused an abortion? I am 3 months pregnant, and I couldn't imagine having an abortion myself, but I have NO RIGHT to judge others. Maybe you should look at the bigger picture instead of relying on your narrow minded ridiculous arguments.

Christina Dunigan said...

bibbs, if you are so opposed to judging oters, why are you okay with judging somebody unworthy of life just because of something his or her father did?

You are also making the bizarre assumption that offering love and support to a rape victim is "judging" her. Isn't love and support better than scraping her out and returning her to her rapist, like abortion clinics do?

Or is it the rapist that you are asking us not to judge?