Donald Trump has sad a lot of wild, inaccurate and irresponsible things during his time as president but last weekend's comments on abortion were some of the most shocking and harmful
During his speech in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday, Trump claimed the certain doctors in the United States are practising 'infantcide,' the literal execution of babies before they are born.
The president said:
The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby.
They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.
This contentious and inflammatory statement from Trump has drawn widespread criticism on Twitter, with many denouncing the president for spreading 'lies' and potentially provoking attacks against staff and patients in clinics.
Trump appears to be supporting the controversial Republican bill called 'Born-Alive Abortion Survivors' which reportedly forces doctors to care for babies that are born after a failed abortion or face a lifetime jail sentence.
Wisconsin governor, Tony Evers, had already stated that he plans to veto this bill, something which Trump clearly feels aggrieved about, hence his attack on the Democrat.
In addition, there is a law in Wisconsin that means that babies that are unlikely to survive long after their birth are still delivered as it may be necessary to save the mothers life. If a case like this occurs, the family can opt for something called 'comfort care' which allows the parents to spend time with the baby and allowing it to die naturally.
In an attempt to shed further light on Trump's egregious lie and explain the trauma that a family can go through during an event like this, Julia Pulver, a NICU nurse on a bereavement team and a former Democratic Senator nominee for Michigan, explained in a comprehensive Twitter thread just how damaging the president's words are.
Thread: As a NICU nurse, I served on the “Bereavement Team.” We were a special team of Nurses tough enough to help… https://t.co/PhV3k7c2wi— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418085
And parents of babies who, after they were born, and wouldn’t have their moms body keeping them alive, would die ra… https://t.co/JT3DaWUBLT— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418225
Memories of their precious babies that could help easy their impending and overwhelming grief. When heroic measures… https://t.co/lxJIRiA1gq— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418393
We placed the babies skin to skin with mom and placed a blanket over them both. We lowered the lights and quieted t… https://t.co/bSMZBg9Pnl— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418515
I cried until my throat burned for this family who has just had to endure the unthinkable. We were in the moment wi… https://t.co/h3W9ZDGpNQ— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418639
We put a lock of hair into a ribbon. We measured the babies length and marked it on a tape measure. We made special… https://t.co/EWqRngNV34— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418743
So yes, there are those in hospitals who are around infants who pass: they are the Bereavement Teams & they provide… https://t.co/fbIdMSM5lA— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556418905
NO ONE ever, in any hospital, nor any mother who has just given birth, is conspiring with a doctor on whether or no… https://t.co/kQAUKnitJ1— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@Julia Anderson Pulver, RN) 1556419117
HT IFL Science
More: Trump aide Kellyanne Conway threatens to perform 'abortion with a gun' in resurfaced 2007 speech