A Little-Noticed Pro-Life Victory

Townhall.com | August 13, 2002 | Marvin Olasky

[syriacus]

A nice small victory.

Thank heavens Bush is president. Does anyone have any idea if Gore would have vetoed the bill, if he had been president?

By George Will, NEWSWEEK
George Will: A Question For Gore Next Week

Does a Woman Having an Abortion Have a Right to a Dead Baby, Even if it is Born Alive? :
Newsweek - October 2, 2000 edition
MSNBC.com

[Outlaw76]

The bill would not have made it out of committee if Gore was president.

[Cool Guy]

Pro-Life BUMP!

[Steve0113]

The articles and discussions on FR have truly helped me on the abortion issue.

Glad to be of service.

I have seen and learned more than I really had ever wanted.

I sometimes wish I didn't know so much about it. It tends to make one feel very old. I see why God wanted men to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

[Ms. AntiFeminazi]

Thanks for the post and the ping!

"The creature protected by that newly signed Born Alive Infants Protection Act could not possibly be a fetus. The abortion procedure has expelled him from the womb. He is born. He's a person. What else could he be?"

Indeed, what else could he be? :-)

[geaux]

No problem. I read an article when I was about 11 years old discussing both sides of the abortion issue (in Seventeen magazine, no less). I remember thinking pro-life was the only logical issue. No matter what angle I looked at it, the pro-choice side just didn't make any sense. The older I get, and the more I learn about what goes on in many abortion clinics, the more pro-life I become. Not just because it's the correct moral response, but because the abortion workers often lie or misrepresent information to the women, the women are not fully informed; they are not making a truly informed decision. Therefore, pro-choice does not really mean "pro-choice." If these people were really pro-choice, they would be advocating giving as much information as possible to women; instead, they do everything they can to hide details of the "procedure" as much as possible.

[Boxsford]

Ohmygosh, do you smell that stench of hypocrisy?
It would be alright to kill the infant as long as the abortionist had been paid and it was done in a sterile atmosphere (and oftentimes it is not), but when a teenager does it herself in the bathtub then it's murder.
Thanks so much for posting that link to the article. I sure would love to know how Gore would have answered that question. I think I know already.

[syriacus]

If these people were really pro-choice, they would be advocating giving as much information as possible to women; instead, they do everything they can to hide details of the "procedure" as much as possible.

You're absolutely right.

Pro-aborts are no longer doing the killing in dark "back alleys," but they still want to hide what they are really doing. They don't like pictures of the abortion procedures to be shown. They aren't even able to present a case for their goal of "abortion on demand" without resorting to twisted logic.

They say there is a certain age (or stage of life) someone must reach in order to be a person, but they don't want to provide the details that define that constantly shifting age.

They sure do like to keep things murky.

[syriacus]

Thank you for posting this article. I didn't know the signing took place until I read about it here. I hadn't read about Arkes before, either.

[Boxsford]

Your welcome!

[CounterCounterCulture]

Pro-Life volley BUMP!

[Gophack]

The next legislative step, of course, is for Congress to extend protection from the fully born to the three-fourths-born by passing a partial-birth abortion bill that will withstand judicial challenge. That should happen soon, and President Bush will sign it into law. Steps to help young women make better-informed choices between life and abortion also are needed. The president referred to the power of sonograms, and the administration and Congress should work together to help pregnancy centers purchase the equipment that will allow more women to see pictures of the babies they are carrying.

The gun grabbers have restricted our gun rights using incremental means. While I think abortion is a serious evil and mortal sin, I understand the political reality that we're not going to be able to ban abortion outright.

After we ban partial-birth abortion, I think that we should push for informed consent. Many women who have abortions really don't think that they are carrying a baby, especially in the first trimester when they aren't even showing. Informed consent should include the following:

* Viewing of the ultrasound
* Warning that abortion may cause breast cancer and potential mental health problems
* Scientific facts on the development of human life (when the heart starts beating, when the "fetus" feels pain, etc).
*A detailed explanation of the abortion procedure and possible physical side-effects, including death, infertility, etc.

Considering that the human heart starts beating 25 days after conception, I can't imagine that any but the most cold-hearted woman could kill their child when they see that heart beat. I had an early ultra-sound on my first pregnancy because the doctor couldn't hear the heart-beat, and when I saw at 10 weeks a little tiny minature baby, with arms and legs, but more powerful was the beating heart. My husband and I just started crying. It was an incredible experience.

Finally, we need to do more to offer women assistance who find themselves pregnant and feel they can't afford the baby. I know of several organizations who help poor, pregnant women who choose life, with baby items, food and clothing, and finding a job after the baby is born, or help with adoption. Some also help mend fences with families. While out-of-wedlock births are not ideal, we can't condemn these women because they made one mistake. They more than made up for the mistake by making the right decision to allow their baby to live.

Anyway, I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think it's important to repeat.

[Boxsford]

I think you make some really good points in your post. Some pro-lifers see this issue as an 'all or nothing' deal and I agree with your view. Incrementally, we can make a difference. I believe its a heart issue too.