Abortion/damage to fetus question

vip_editing · Dec 8, 2010

I'm writing a YA novel and have two questions.

1. At how many weeks is the latest to have an abortion? Like at what point is it illegal to do an abortion because it's considered a baby.

2. Later in the book, the girl is going to get shot in the stomach at around 8 month's pregnant. Is the baby still able to live and what problems could it cause to the baby?

I want the baby to live but have a birth defect or something because of the shooting. Want to make sure my facts are right before I get started. Thanks so much you all for your answers.

Storyteller5 · Dec 8, 2010

Late term abortion is an abortion after 20 weeks gestation although some sources call 18 weeks late and some call 24 weeks late. It really depends where your story takes place as to whether it's legal or not.

8 months is a viable baby. That 31 to 35 weeks. Consider 36 weeks is full term. A premature baby can have problems with lungs maturity/apnea, slow weight gain/feeding issues and size in general. If a woman is shot and goes into premature labour, you could be looking at issues with bleeding or stress on the baby/blood pressure.

leahzero · Dec 8, 2010

vip_editing said:
1. At how many weeks is the latest to have an abortion? Like at what point is it illegal to do an abortion because it's considered a baby.

It depends what part of the world you're talking about. The laws are drastically different by country/state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late-term_abortion

Drachen Jager · Dec 8, 2010

There is never a date when it's "too late" to have an abortion, however late term abortions are normally only done if the mother's life is in jeopardy or the child is not viable.

Being shot in the stomach could go anywhere from killing the baby instantly to forcing an early birth at the hospital. Unless the wound was very minor I doubt it would go to full term.

shaldna · Dec 9, 2010

We don't have abortion here, but in the UK it's legal until 24 weeks.

Not sure about getting shot in the stomach, it all depends where exactly the bullet went in, what it hit on the way. It's concievable that a bullet could miss the baby if the mother is hit in the right place.

lbender · Dec 9, 2010

As everyone else has said, damage depends on where the bullet goes. As far as any 'birth defect' goes, by that stage, there would be no actual defects. The baby is fully developed already. However, if the bullet somehow causes an interruption in blood flow to the fetus, you could end up with a decreased oxygen flow to the kid's brain, causing a variety of mental disorders...always assuming that they get the kid out in time and it survives.

Williebee · Dec 9, 2010

Hmm. If you're just looking for some kind of physical sign that the child would carry on later...

A bullet entering the abdomen might strike a hand or foot. At an infant's size, it could do permanent damage to either one. You might very well be leaving the kid with a permanent limp, for example. But you'd be talking about an emergency delivery to save the child and/or mother.

Perks · Dec 9, 2010

vip_editing said:
2. Later in the book, the girl is going to get shot in the stomach at around 8 month's pregnant. Is the baby still able to live and what problems could it cause to the baby?

I want the baby to live but have a birth defect or something because of the shooting. Want to make sure my facts are right before I get started. Thanks so much you all for your answers.

Is the mother shot in the stomach or shot in the uterus? Late in a pregnancy, it would be unlikely to miss shooting the baby if a bullet hits the belly region. (At that point, the mother's stomach has been crowded up high and almost behind the expanded uterus. Hence, heartburn.) Birth defects are developmental issues, so it's too late for that in your story, but certainly, the baby could sustain a disfiguring wound from being shot.

Perks · Dec 9, 2010

And here is a news story that may give you some ideas:

http://www.wlwt.com/r/20772550/detail.html (that woman seems to get shot more often than most people)

Abortion/damage to fetus question

vip_editing

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leahzero

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