SD doctor rebuked for half-truths and misleading public

I recently received a mailing from the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families. It featured Dr. Marv Buehner. Buehner correctly lists a number of fetal conditions that are incompatible with life. He claims that because these conditions exist, South Dakotans should vote against Initiated Measure 11. This is misleading.

These lethal anomalies do not present a threat to the mother's health. Recommending abortion in these situations only serves to reinforce the notion that the families involved should be ashamed and should get rid of the fetus as soon as possible. This ultimately leads to abnormal grief.

Medical studies show that patients who carried their babies to term had normal grief and had fewer complications compared to those who aborted their babies. Families that carry their babies to term know that their time to bond and love their babies largely is limited to the in utero period. Furthermore, many couples choose tissue and organ donation, adding value to their child's short life.

Remember, the purpose of Initiated Measure 11 is to stop the use of elective abortions as birth control. Let's not let Buehner confuse the issue with half-truths and untold truths. Vote "yes" on 11.