Of all the ridiculous assertions Donald J. Trump has made during his time as the Republican presidential nominee, perhaps the most ghoulish came out of his mouth during his final debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He asserted that Clinton would favor allowing a woman to terminate a pregnancy literally on the eve of giving birth to her child.

Trump sought to label Clinton some who could support a doctor “ripping the baby out” of the womb two or three days before birth.

Clinton’s response was to challenge the manner in which Trump described what occurs when a woman decides to end a pregnancy, referring to it as a scare tactic.

Frankly, I also was horrified at how Trump described it.

I get that abortion is one of those topics no one likes talking about. It lies at the heart of the “most painful decision” a woman has to make, as Clinton answered.

She continued to hold to her view that government should not force a woman to do something that could jeopardize her own health, such as deliver a child.

However, I do not ever recall Clinton asserting anything of the sort that Trump described during his anti-abortion rant.

A discussion on this subject does require, it seems to me, an element of civility. Yes, I know that many people consider abortion to be among the most uncivilized acts that human beings commit.

For the purposes of a political discussion? Let’s dispense with the demagoguery.