Many of us read in horror of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Pennsylvania abortionist who was recently indicted on multiple counts of murder for using scissors to kill living babies born in his clinic in Philadelphia. To say this is disturbing is to vastly understate my reaction to this story. But there are other disturbing facts revealed by this New York Times article.
According to the Times, the state of Pennsylvania hadn't inspected the clinic for more than 17 years, although the physician who ran the clinic had been sued for malpractice at least 15 times. Two women had died during abortions he performed. Conditions in the clinic were reported to be "squalid". The Times said, "The grand jury report said the clinic had blood on the floor, a stench of urine in the air and cat feces on the stairs when agents raided it." The article goes on to relate additional information that I refuse to allow my fingers to type. Read it for yourself if you'd like; even the most rabid pro-choice reader will be appalled.
As I read about this article, I'm struck again by the way our society trivializes abortion. Here are some examples:
- We describe those who wish to preserve laws allowing abortion as "pro-choice". "Choice" is a euphemism for "abortion".
- We try to disguise what is happening by using the term "terminate the pregnancy" rather than "abort".
- We use the terms "embryo" or "fetus" to describe an unborn child.
- We refer to women who undergo abortion as "mothers" although they allow their baby to be killed.
- We allow minors to undergo abortions without requiring parental consent, although we require it for any other medical procedure.
- States require nail salons and tattoo parlors to undergo regular inspection for sanitation, yet the state of Pennsylvania neglected to inspect a clinic where abortions are performed.
- We call the procedure depicted here a "partial birth abortion", rather than calling what it is: last-minute murder.
I submit to you that as long as we trivialize abortion in these and other ways, we allow the line between abortion and murder to be blurred. When scissors are used to kill a baby whose head has not yet emerged from the vaginal canal, we call it a late term or partial birth abortion; when they are used after the baby fully emerges, we call it murder.It's time to take abortion seriously.
You're absolutely right. It is disgusting. Not only are these women allowing their babies to be murdered, they are seeking it. And it is what it is - cold blooded murder. Whether the child has been born or not.
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through MckMama's Blog Frog. Having had an abortion myself my interest was definitely piqued by thread you started. I appreciate your passion on this topic. For what I think would be obvious reasons, I have to disagree with you on your first point. A choice is exactly that. While you would choose not to have an abortion, I did and that was my choice.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! As someone who was engouraged to have an abortion after our son was diagnosed with a series of congenital birth defects that were incompatible with life and chose instead to carry my son to term in order to give him every chance at life, I am so disheartened by how easily our society turns to abortion as an answer. I am so thankful that we carried our son Isaac to term, and that we had the most precious 16 minutes with him before he went to be with Jesus. And yet, my heart also breaks for the mothers who, for whatever reason did choose to abort, and who never had the chance to meet their son/daughter.
ReplyDeleteI found this through MckMama's blogfrog..I agree 100% with the things you have said here. I commend you for making a bold statement! My husband and I are very anti-abortion too. :)
ReplyDeleteEducating our children to become Women and Men is the one of the most important tasks today. In todays society people actually believe that their are NO consequences for their actions. Having sex produces babies. People need to know this. When someone has sex with someone they 'give themselves' to the other. Not many would just go out on the street and just give MONEY out to a stranger very easily BUT MANY will give them themselves sexually very easily. What does this say about our society? Children are a blessing from God. A Gift. Who, on Christmas, would be handed a gift and before even opening the gift hand it to someone else to destroy?
ReplyDeleteGreat post..It might be time to re-think prolife strategy. Prochoice changes their terms so fast, it's kind of hard to keep up.
ReplyDeleteThe link at "the procedure depicted here" is not working, btw
I agree, NCSue. I've blogged about abortion a lot and I have called it murder many times. So does the American Life League. All murder is killing, not all killing is murder. Murdering is horrible, awful, terrible, sinful. Murdering a baby, of a human, at the early stage of his or her life, is more than horrific. It is the sin of Moloch. Murdering one's child (calling abortion what it is) is indeed a choice. Murderers choose to murder every day. Some know they are murderers. Some pretend that they do not. But they know. God knows too. May murderers repent of the evil they have done and may God have mercy on their souls. Amen.
ReplyDeleteGood to meet you, btw. Peace be with you. Thank you for standing up for life. God bless you!
Disciple
Abortion must be stopped. However, politics and politicians need to be kept out of it. All they are doing is making matters worse by confusing and tainting the message of Christ. As a Church, we the people of God have prayer, evangelization and ministry as the tools given to us by Christ to fight eveil in this world. So rather than appointing politicians to be the front line against abortion, we need to make good use of the financial resources God has given us, to fight the right way.
ReplyDeleteSaw your post in MckMama's community. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you posted. I am against abortion whether it is late term or just weeks into the pregnancy. It is just so heartbreaking. I'm glad there are others who feel the same way. Together, we can bring an end to this hateful crime! Thanks for posting. God bless!
ReplyDelete-from A in Ohio
I totally agree. It's time to call it what it is -- murdering babies, and it's time to stop it, NOW.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very disburbing to say the least. I wanted to cry thinking of these precious lives being brutally destroyed. Now I wish we could get this information out to the public, maybe it would change the way some people think about what an abortion is really about!
ReplyDelete*distubing*
ReplyDelete*disturbing*
ReplyDeleteTeens have abortions without parental consent because their parent may be a contributor to the teen's pregnancy. 90% of teens talk to a trusted adult about any/all matters. This includes abortion. Just because a parent is not required involved does not mean a trustworthy adult is not involved.
ReplyDeleteAbortion is a personal, spiritual, emotional and viable choice. While you disagree with it on every level, practically you must know that when you block access you block safe abortions for a woman. Women die from illegal abortions. Women become infertile or hospitalized from illegal abortions.
When you attempt to politically restrict access, you make the decision for someone else. This is illegal.
Spiritually, talk to your god.
Physically, hand out condoms. But do not condemn. Do not judge. You don't know what path others walk.
Talk to me about how you are ending warfare of children by U.S. soldiers.
ReplyDelete"Teens have abortions without parental consent because their parent may be a contributor to the teen's pregnancy. 90% of teens talk to a trusted adult about any/all matters. This includes abortion."
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, "anonymous", but I do not believe you can support those statements with factual evidence.
"Abortion is a personal, spiritual, emotional and viable choice. While you disagree with it on every level, practically you must know that when you block access you block safe abortions for a woman. Women die from illegal abortions. Women become infertile or hospitalized from illegal abortions."
While I agree that abortion is a personal choice charged with emotion, please review the Philadelphia case in point - legal abortions also carry with them tremendous risk, particularly when the state doesn't provide proper oversight for such procedures.
"When you attempt to politically restrict access, you make the decision for someone else. This is illegal."
We have a host of examples of laws which restrict an individual's choices with regard to a particular act... from speeding to running a red light to smoking in certain locations and on down the line. Murder is illegal. A life is taken whenever an abortion is performed. Prior to Roe v. Wade, our legal system recognized this fact. I recognize that there is popular support for abortion. I don't think matters of morality and ethics should be subject to popular vote.
"Spiritually, talk to your god."
I do talk to my God. Thank you for the suggestion.
"...do not condemn. Do not judge. You don't know what path others walk."
At no point in my post did I condemn an individual. But I do - and shall - condemn the act of abortion and call it what it is: taking of an innocent life.
OOPS - I accidentally deleted a comment from Deb when I attempted to approve it. Here it is, with my apologies:
ReplyDeleteIt's all part of that "slippery" slope our society is sliding down, NCSue ~ swearing, pornography, divorce, gay "marriage", friends with "benefits", abortions/euthanasia, drug use, etc.
Personally, I don't know how God can hold back His wrath and judgement of a nation that kills 4,000 innocent babies per day!
There is no neutral territory in God's kingdom ~ you are either God's friend or God's enemy; you are either for life or for murder.
God is pro-life = )
Unfortunately, many women have also suffered because of their "choice" to have an abortion. And they will continue to suffer the consequences of their choice whether abortion is legal or not.
I agree with all that you have written, NCSUE. I would add the term "products of conception" to the terms used to refer to the baby being aborted, though. Definitely a misleading euphemism if I ever heard one!
ReplyDeleteSomeone 'anonymous' mentioned the children killed by US soldiers. I am not sure as to what this person is referring, perhaps they could be more specific.
As to the other anonymous comments that were in error, you have ably countered them. I would just add that slavery used to be legal. It didn't make it right.
cj
At the very least, I am glad that I am not one of the "de-pregnated" women(I cannot bring myself to call them mothers). In your wildest imagination think about when they die and are confronted by the child they murdered? W*O*W! That is very heavy and very sad.
ReplyDeleteI started crying when I read the post that talked about getting a gift and destroying it before you opened it???...
You are either FOR murder or AGAINST murder,, there is no grey area... prisoner or baby... death penalty is death penalty..
Killing any human outside of self-defense is murder. You are telling God that you now have HIS job, that YOU and YOU alone, will judge whether this human created by HIM,should live or die.
That, too, is extremely heavy. HE is with you now as you type your words of agreement or words of self-appointed Creator...
again, heavy duty stuff when you die too..
What every human needs to keep in mind is one thing: There was one job opening for God, and YOU did not get it!!!!!AMEN.