From the link Mary--
In the fall, Santorum, the leading proponent of barring the procedure - termed ``partial-birth abortion'' by its foes - was within hours of having to decide whether to use an abortion to save the life of his wife, Karen Garver Santorum, who was in her fifth month of pregnancy.
The Santorums, according to an account written by the senator for today's Commentary Page in The Inquirer, struggled mightily to avoid the abortion option.
Ultimately, they did not have to make a decision; nature made it for them. Karen went into premature labor from an infection, delivering a boy who had a fatal abnormality. The child died two hours later.
In an interview, the Santorums said they would have authorized an abortion had there been no other choice.
``If that had to be the call, we would have induced labor if we had to,'' the senator said as he sat in his Washington office. ``I consider it a blessing that we didn't have to make that decision.''
An abortion under the circumstances described in this case would not have been a partial-birth abortion - known to physicians as ``intact dilation and extraction'' - nor would it have conflicted with the senator's position.
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You are seriously crazy. In addition--Santorum --who is far to the right on pro-life--does not list LIFE OF THE MOTHER as a reason Not to abort. He leaves that off his reasons to have an abortion. He wants babies adopted for those who are raped by foe or incest.
His wife was going to die if something wasn't done. What a horrible situation! The baby was 5 months along and could have survived--as there are cases of 5 month old fetuses living. They were going to induce labor to give birth--Geez!!
Partial birth abortion is tearing up the baby inside the womb or the canal. So long as the baby doesn't breathe--otherwise it's considered murder.
And yes on other procedures there is an abortion when the mother will DIE--like ectopic pregnancies. The mother will die if the little baby is not aborted. Google Dr. Laura on her experience with that situation.