In a paper on the D&E abortion method, which at the time was new, an abortionist wrote:
“The fetus was extracted in small pieces to minimize cervical trauma. The fetal head was often the most difficult object to crush and remove, because of its size and contour. The operator kept track of each portion of the fetal skeleton….”
Sadja Goldsmith “Second Trimester Abortion by Dilation and Extraction (Evacuation) [D&E]: Surgical Techniques and Psychological Reactions” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Planned Parenthood Physicians in Atlanta, Georgia Oct 13-14 1977
