Lungs make life possible, and yet the lungs are the very last organ to develop. 26 weeks after gestation the lungs begin to develop. 8 – 10 weeks later surfactant production begins. Without surfactant, the lung lobes stick together and will not let air into the lungs. By week 37, there is a good chance of survival. However, 40 weeks offers the best chance of survival for one very, very BIG reason.
Newborns must be able to breathe air, in and out, of their lungs. The initial shock of entering the earth’s atmosphere causes newborns to suck air into their lungs. The famous slap on the fanny has been replaced by machines that suck fluid out of the airways, so air can get inside the lungs. And if necessary, other machines force air in and out of the lungs.
Physically, newborns, children and adults are not the same. In children and adults, permanent brain damage occurs after only 3-4 minutes without oxygen, and death follows 4 to 6 minutes later. In newborns, permanent brain damage occurs after 8 -10 minutes without oxygen, followed by death within 25 minutes of delivery. Sustaining life, by artificial means any longer than 8 to 10 minutes of oxygen deprivation results in long-term disabilities, including: Cerebral Palsy, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Seizures, Epilepsy, Blindness/impaired sight, and Learning and Behavioral disorders, including speech delay, lower IQ, decreased processing speeds and poor memory.
To understand this better, consider what must happen in the last 4 weeks of gestation.
• The right lung will develop into three lobes.
• The left lung will divide into two lobes and is also smaller, allowing room for the heart. If the heart is too large, the lung, or lungs, will be smaller (too small and lungs cannot support life outside the womb).
• Lungs cannot breathe amniotic fluid, water, blood, or anything but air. To prepare muscles to support lungs, the lungs must begin sucking amniotic fluid in and out inside the womb.
• Baby’s bodies are so small, their lungs have no room for reserves. After birth babies must breathe twice as fast as adults (57,600 times a day – every day.
• At birth, the lungs weigh about 1.4 ounces. In the normal adult, the lungs weigh approximately 2.2 pounds.
• Newborns have only 20-50 million air sacs. Mature lungs have 300 to 500-Million air sacs (approximately 15,000 miles of airways). The circumference of the earth is 24,901 miles.
• If stretched out, the total surface area of mature lungs would be about the same size as a 1,400 square foot home.
A fetus with missing and deformed limbs, organs, brains and skeletal deformities can survive outside the womb. But it cannot survive without fully functioning lungs. To live, a fetus must be able to breathe air and the only place a fetus can get air, is outside the womb.
A newborn’s body is way too small, and the muscles too weak to support life very long.
After delivery, babies breathe mostly through their nose. Unlike adults, a newborn’s body cavity is too small for air reserve in their lungs. If a newborn’s nose is clogged by allergic reactions to mold, mildew, smog, toxins, dust, etc. the baby will die. If the diaphragm muscles are too weak to support 57,600 breaths a day, the baby will die. In such tiny bodies, gas, bloating or constipation can reduce lung space in the body cavity and the baby cannot get enough air – and dies.
Sometime near adolescence, the body cavity is large enough for the 15,000 miles of airways, 300-500 million air sacs and 1,400 square feet of surface area the lungs require to support an adult life.
When a woman dies, every part of her body, and every living organism that feeds off her body dies with her, including eggs, sperm, embryos, fetuses, cancers, and about 3.5 pounds of bacteria, parasites, fungi, archaea, and viruses.
Humans develop on earth, not inside a womb. Until Americans are ready, willing and able to be the incubator for human life, abortion will remain an act of mercy.
With more than 400,000 children already in foster care, Americans should be ashamed of themselves.
