Dear Governor Kasich:

I understand you are considering the “heartbeat bill” which would ban abortions in the State of Ohio after 6-8 weeks, or when an embryo’s heartbeat can be detected.

I have learned that an embryo’s heartbeat can be heard only with ultrasound equipment or a fetal Doppler, both available from an obstetrician. A pregnant woman can use a stethoscope, but only much later (18-20 weeks) in a pregnancy.

“Abortion stops a beating heart.” The sentence rings with truth because most of us at one time or another have listened to the miracle of a heartbeat pumping life through the body of someone we love—spouse, parent, child, even a pet.

It’s interesting that the phrase “heart-stopping” has synonyms that include “thrilling” or “exciting” or “breathtaking” We know also that fear increases the rate of the heartbeat which can, in turn, stop the heart.

Pregnancy also provokes fear. I am a mother of two and grandmother of three, all of whom are about to celebrate the holidays with us; we have strong, happy hearts.

My daughter and I have both had to terminate pregnancies, and while there were sad moments, years later we have no regrets. A person in the midst of an education or a new career—or dealing with a serious illness—does not have the resources to care for a child alone; she needs the help of a spouse, a parent, a close friend, or all three. Most women who terminate their pregnancies these days already are raising children. They are afraid of what they know it will be like to have yet another.

I care about the precise use of language, so I’ve used the word “embryo” rather than “baby” – because that is the name for a mammal developing in its mother’s uterus for the first eight weeks. Then it becomes a fetus—and shortly before birth, an infant.

In the process of looking up these terms I learned that a 6-8-week old embryo grows from the size of a pomegranate seed to the size of a kidney bean. I learned that to listen to the heartbeat of her embryo, a woman must visit an obstetrician who can use a fetal Doppler or an ultra sound (average cost for the latter procedure: $265).

Most obstetricians wait to schedule the initial appointment till the ninth or tenth week after conception. And it is often impossible to know exactly when conception occurred.

I care deeply that children are wanted and that their parents can meet their needs.

An unwanted child carries through life a sense of having failed just by existing. I respect my friends who would never terminate a pregnancy, in spite of the hardships incurred. I admire people who can raise large families of children who know they are loved.

The “Heartbeat Bill” offers no support to parents of large families or to parents coping with pregnancies. It simply creates a new crime and perhaps a new reason to separate families while the “perpetrator” is incarcerated. I don’t see that it does anyone good.

A copy of this letter will be sent to interested friends as well as to you.

Sincerely,
Susan S. Carpenter