Many if not most babies aborted late-term in hospitals and abortion mills have birth defects. They are aborted because they have Down syndrome, spina bifida, anacephaly, etc. Abortionist George Tiller and others make this sort of abortion into a specialty.

The other side is clear on why most late-term babies are aborted, as LifeNews.com reported on February 12:

[US Sen. Rick] Santorum described an exchange he had with [US Sen. Hillary] Clinton on the Senate floor during the debate on the partial-birth abortion ban. Santorum was explaining to members of the Senate about some medical diagrams he had showing the partial-birth abortion procedure and how an unborn child is killed in the process. Clinton objected. She said the pictures were inaccurate and wanted to know where the photos were of babies with severe disabilities -- claiming the abortion procedure was used mostly in such circumstances.

Many know I became involved in the pro-life movement by my experience as a nurse at a hospital who discovered it was aborting late-term babies alive and letting them die. Most of those babies had birth defects. I noted then and afterward when speaking with mothers who aborted their handicapped babies that most counselors surrounding mothers in this type of crisis pregnancy are pro-abortion: high-risk doctors, social workers, geneticists, and even priests and pastors.

The majority opinion is that it is best to put the preborn baby out of his/her misery and shorten a mother's grieving time by aborting.

We know this is the wrong advice, but how well do we articulate the right advice? How well do we come alongside mothers in this type of crisis pregnancy? Is it fair to critique hospitals and medical personnel on the alternative they offer without offering our own alternative?

Perinatal hospice responds to all these questions. This ministry conceived by perinatalogist Dr. Byron Calhoun is growing.

The Haven Network is a new perinatal hospice program in Rockford, IL, with Dr. Calhoun as a founding member.

I have known Jean Heise, The Haven Network's president, for many years, which is one reason I'm particularly excited about it. Jean is a thorough, top-notch professional who has been laying the groundwork for The Haven Network for as long as I've known her.

That Jean and the organization are prepared to announce it publicly means it is ready to make a profound impact outside its immediate sphere. In fact, Jean reported to me in an email that she and Dr. Calhoun are working with other five states to launch similar ministries. Excellent! For more information, contact Jean at thehaven@insightbb.com.