I read an interesting article the other day, one of many linking abortion to other human rights issues in our past. And I found myself wondering, why are people falling for this again? The same arguments, the same deception, the same evil is present every time! We treat abortion as if it is different. We like to think that we have come a long way, that we would never allow those things to happen now. Not in America. Maybe things like genocide and slavery would happen somewhere else in the world, but not here! And yet all this time I get the feeling that a dark presence is laughing, because it didn’t take creativity to fool us. Allow me to suggest a possible reason for the acceptance and promotion of abortion in our society:
If we were to turn against abortion, name it murder, admit that we’ve been wrong, and protect the unborn children just as we do the born, it would cost all of us very, very dearly because:
1. We’ve killed over 50 million people legally in the last 40 years. If we admit that abortion is murder, we will be admitting to the most horrific crime in history, one that puts the most notorious genocides to shame. This fact is especially costly to us personally because
2. We don’t have a Hitler. We have no one to pin this on. Instead of having a scapegoat to blame, we would be forced to look around at friends, family, even ourselves, and say, “we did this.” It is true that the Germans voted for Hitler, supported him, and hailed him, but in the end they could claim at least some ignorance of his actions. We, on the other hand, have the information to know exactly what is happening here, and based on the statistics, I would guess that nearly every one of us (whether or not we are aware of the fact) knows someone who has had an abortion.
2. This is the United States. What happens if the most powerful nation in the world, the nation that is supposed to protect, provide for, and keep peace among other nations admits to mass feticide? What if the term, feticide, grows the same connotations as genocide? What does the world do with a country like that? Think about it for a moment.
3. This is the 21st century. We tend to underestimate the intelligence, courage, and goodness of past generations. In practice, we scoff at George Santayana’s wise words, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And because we believe ourselves superior to those who have gone before us, we think we are immune to mistakes like the ones they made. After all, we are enlightened, informed, tolerant, progressive! Well, what if we say out loud that we did something worse than the slave owners or Hitler or Stalin or Mao? Something more gruesome than the Rwandan genocide or the child armies in Uganda?
I believe we have come to a point where it is a clear and proven fact that abortion is no different than murder. More information is available to the public than ever before, and there is no evidence to support the idea that abortion is neutral or tolerable or good. But truth can be painful, and in this case, very loaded. We need to be aware that this is no longer a discussion surrounded by reason, but one of emotion and pain and pride. Those who dare jump across the chasm onto the side marked by life and true tolerance are courageous and deserve our respect. And those who don’t have the strength need our encouragement and patience and love. Lets choose to be in this thing together.
Last week, we saw how testimonies from nearly 2,000 post-abortive women revealed just how deep and far-reaching the effects of abortion truly are. These testimonies before legislative committees in South Dakota led to the creation of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion.
Once again, the scope of the study is as follows:
the practice of abortion since its legalization
the body of knowledge concerning the development and behavior of the unborn child which has developed because of technological advances and medical experience since the legalization of abortion
the societal, economic, and ethical impact and effects of legalized abortion
the degree to which decisions to undergo abortions are voluntary and informed
the effect and health risks that undergoing abortions has on the women, including the effects on the women’s physical and mental health, including the delayed onset of cancer, and her subsequent life and socioeconomic experiences
the nature of the relationship between a pregnant woman and her unborn child
whether abortion is a workable method for the pregnant woman to waive her rights to a relationship with the child
whether the unborn child is capable of experiencing physical pain
whether the need exists for additional protections of the rights of pregnant women contemplating abortion, and
whether there is any interest of the state or the mother or the child which would justify changing the laws relative to abortion.
In part 1, we looked at excerpts from sections 1-4. In part 2, we will look at some excerpts from the remaining six sections.
Excerpts from “The Effect And Health Risks That Undergoing Abortions Has On The Women, Including The Effects On The Women’s Physical And Mental Health, Including The Delayed Onset Of Cancer, And Her Subsequent Life And Socioeconomic Experiences”
“Perhaps worse, the pregnant mother is not told prior to her abortion that the procedure will terminate the life of a human being. The psychological consequences can be devastating when that woman learns, subsequent to the abortion, that this information was withheld – information that would have resulted in her declining to submit to an abortion. Her anger at being deceived and being prevented from making an informed decision for herself is exacerbated by her realization that she was implicated in the killing of her own child in utero. Aside from the injustice of her being deprived of making her own informed decision (see Section II-D), the psychological harm of knowing she killed her child is often devastating.” (pg 47)
“The record reflects that abortion places women at increased risk of physical injury including the risk of: infection, fever, abdominal pain and cramping, bleeding, hemorrhage, blood transfusion with its subsequent risks, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary or amniotic fluid embolism, injury to the cervix, vagina, uterus, Fallopian tubes and ovaries, bowel, bladder, and other internal organs, anesthesia complications (which are higher with general anesthesia), failure to remove all the contents of the uterus (leaving behind parts of the fetus/baby or placenta), need to repeat the surgery, possible hospitalization, risk of more surgery such as laparoscopy or exploratory laparotomy, possible hysterectomy (loss of the uterus and subsequent infertility), allergic reactions to medicines, mis-diagnosis of an intrauterine pregnancy with a tubal or abdominal pregnancy being present (which necessitates different treatment with medicines or more extensive surgery), possible molar pregnancy with the need for further treatment), emotional reactions (including but not limited to depression, guilt, relief, anxiety, etc.) death of the woman, and risk of a living, injured baby.” (pg 48)
“One memorable moment in the hearings before the Task Force occurred on September 21, 2005, the first day of public hearings. Dr. Henshaw displayed a chart entitled “Healthier Children.” It stated that because of abortion there are “fewer abandoned infants.” This was advanced as a reason to support legal abortion. The Task Force concludes that this logic is emblematic of some of the reasoning advanced by the pro-abortion advocates that testified before the Task Force, even some of those who testified as experts.
Likewise, Dr. Henshaw’s chart listed as an improvement to the health of children that it is suspected that there are “fewer infant homicide victims.” Thus, Dr. Henshaw argues that it is better for the health of children that the lives of 1.3 million children be terminated each year because he suspects that a very small number of them may have died from other means. Rather than belabor the illogical nature of this abortion advocacy reasoning, we include Dr. Henshaw’s “Healthier Children” chart as Exhibit C to this report.
Dr. Henshaw’s charts merit one last comment from the Task Force. He argues that because of abortion, there are “fewer children with the handicaps of being unwanted by their parents.” The Task Force record is replete with evidence that in the overwhelming majority of cases when women are given an informed and voluntary choice, they raise the children themselves. The mere fact that a pregnancy was unplanned does not mean that the child will be unwanted after birth.
Although we received compelling evidence that large percentages of women wished they did not have their abortion, we found no evidence that women who decided to keep the children ever regretted it. There is simply no evidence that the parenting of children who are “unwanted” is any way affected by the availability of legal abortion.” (pg 51, 52)
“…the attachment between mother and child begins almost immediately after conception and the basis of maternal attachment is both psychological and physical, and this process, and the natural protective urges of maternal attachment, often form irrespective of whether the pregnancy was intended or wanted.” (pg 54)
“Most noteworthy are the conclusions of many researchers, as discussed in Section II-E of this Report, that the traumatic disruption of this attachment bond is capable of causing enduring psychological damage. Specifically, breaking this bond by abortion is detrimental to the health of the mother…even when the termination of pregnancy is the presumptive desired result.” (pg 54)
Excerpts from “Whether Abortion Is A Workable Method For The Pregnant Woman To Waive Her Rights To A Relationship With The Child”
“The Task Force finds, based upon all of the evidence presented, that an abortion is a completely unworkable method for a pregnant mother to waive her fundamental right to her relationship with her child.” (pg 55)
“Third, it is unworkable that a matter of such importance is entirely entrusted to abortion providers whose interests and philosophies are in direct conflict with the interests of the mother in her relationship with her child. As Dr. Willke testified, the abortion providers are in the business of terminating the mother’s relationship. Even when the pregnant mother has the entire nine months of pregnancy to investigate her options and reach a reasoned decision about whether to parent her child, the law does not entrust the termination of the mother’s rights to an adoption agency. Only a court of law, after a hearing, can terminate the mother’s rights.” (pg 56)
Excerpts from “Whether The Unborn Child Is Capable Of Experiencing Physical Pain”
“Since the time of Roe v. Wade, a number of generally accepted assumptions about human neurological development and our ability to feel pain have been refuted. The first assumption was that neonates were incapable of feeling pain.17 The second assumption was that myelinated nerve fibers were necessary for pain perception, and since they did not form completely until after birth, pain perception was a late developmental event. The third assumption was that pain experience required pain-detecting nerves connected to the thalamus and then to the brain cortex; furthermore, there was presumed to be a period of cortical maturation necessary before pain could be experienced. All of these assumptions were based upon gross histological observations.
It was only in the last 20 years that the traditional concept accepted at the time of Roe, that even normal neonates cannot feel pain, was first challenged.18 It had been assumed by the medical community that a fully developed and mature cortical brain region was necessary for pain perception. This assumption, it became clear, was inconsistent with the observations of caregivers for premature infants.” (pg 57)
“In order to provide guidance to the Legislature, we examined the evidence and literature and we find that:
a. It is almost universally accepted that the unborn child can experience pain by 24 weeks after conception.
b. The evidence supports the conclusion that the unborn child experiences pain by 20 weeks post-conception, at the latest.
c. That there is a considerable body of evidence, increasing in recent years, that the unborn child may experience pain as early as 11 weeks post-conception.
d. It is possible that the unborn child experiences pain as early as 7 weeks post-conception.” (pg 58)
“Thus, it is clear that the neurological structure necessary for pain detection is in place very early (between 6 to 11 weeks post-conception) and neuropeptides, which both transmit and suppress pain, are present as early as five or six weeks post-conception. The question is essentially reduced to whether it is necessary to have a functioning cerebral cortex in order to “experience” or be aware of the pain transmission.” (pg 62)
“We are struck by the fact that doctors and scientists draw a distinction between “feeling” painful stimuli and “conscious” awareness of it. It is the “consciousness” of pain that some experts, like Dr. Rosen, hypothesize requires upper brain and cortex functioning. For policy considerations, the Legislature may not be willing to draw such a distinction…” (pg 63)
“We find it more persuasive that the unequivocal reactions to painful stimuli and the learning capabilities of the hydranencephalic and anencephalic babies indicate that lower brain centers – in the absence of a functioning cortex – have a capacity to function in a more complex fashion, and that these children possess the capacity for awareness and experiencing pain.” (pg 64)
“Based upon the comprehensive analysis contained in the report by the Commission of Inquiry into Fetal Sentience, our review of the literature, the testimony before the Task Force, and other evidence received, we conclude:
1. Concerning physical neurological development:
a. Beginning at 5 weeks post-conception the unborn child responds to touch and the development of the brain is well under way;
b. Brain activity can be detected at 7 weeks post-conception;
c. The lower brain begins activity around 10 weeks post-conception; and
d. The higher areas of the brain are active at 23 weeks post-conception, and at 24 weeks the neurological signals can be processed from the thalamus to the cortex.
2. Concerning the child’s ability to experience pain:
a. It is virtually universally accepted by science and medicine that the unborn child can experience pain by 24 weeks post-conception;
b. It is probable that the unborn child can experience pain at least by 20 weeks post-conception;
c. It is more likely than not that the unborn child can experience pain without a functioning cortex, as long as the lower brain is developed to the same extent as that of hydranencephalic babies, which is around eleven weeks post-conception. There is a significant and growing body of evidence that the unborn child experiences pain as early as 11 weeks post-conception;
d. Some scientists contend, although it has not been proven, that the unborn
child may be able to experience pain as early as 7 weeks post-conception;
and
e. The fact the unborn child can “feel” painful stimuli before the ability to be conscious of that pain is relevant to matters of public policy.” (pg 64, 65)
Excerpts from “Whether The Need Exists For Additional Protections Of The Rights Of Pregnant Women Contemplating Abortion”
“Any policies implemented by this, or any other state, must begin with the recognition that human life has intrinsic value. We find it to be self-evident (and supported by the record) that a mother’s relationship with her child, at every moment of life, has intrinsic worth and beauty for the mother and child alike. It must be with these truths in mind, that our state, or any state, must act to guarantee that the pregnant mother’s fundamental right to her relationship with her child enjoys strong legal protections.” (pg 65)
“The current legal policy found in our country today, that protects the destruction of her relationship with her child (i.e., abortion) instead of her relationship with her child is a denigration of women. We find that we should, as state policy, promote motherhood and counter the claim that the exclusive “right” to abortion liberates women.” (pg 66)
Excerpts from “Whether There Is Any Interest Of The State Or The Mother Or The Child Which Would Justify Changing The Laws Relative To Abortion”
“We conclude that the most fundamental assertions made by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), upon which its decision was based, are now known to be false or inaccurate. Of these, none are more damning than the position that it could not be determined when life begins. This statement of Roe has caused confusion in the lives of women and has destroyed the lives of their children. Because of this statement, Planned Parenthood tells women that there is only “tissue” inside a pregnant mother and refuses to inform women of the biological fact that an abortion will terminate the life of a human being. (66, 67)
“The fact that the unborn child is a whole separate unique living human being is not without significance for our culture and our state. The right to live does not derive from government. If it is truly, as we know it to be, an intrinsic natural right, it is enjoyed by every single human being, no matter how poor or wealthy, strong or weak, age of maturity, or state of dependence. We find that the unborn child possesses intrinsic rights that are in perfect harmony with and equal to the intrinsic rights of that child’s mother.” (pg 67)
“If there are any self-evident and universal truths that can act for the human race as a guide or light in which social and human justice can be grounded, they are these: that life has intrinsic value; that each individual human being is unique and irreplaceable; that the cherished role of a mother and her relationship with her child, at every moment of life, has intrinsic worth and beauty; that the intrinsic beauty of womanhood is inseparable from the beauty of motherhood; and that this relationship, in its unselfish nature, and, in its role in the survival of the human race, is the touchstone and core of all civilized society. This relationship, its beauty, its survival, its benefits to the mother and child, and its benefits to the State of South Dakota, and society as a whole, all rest in the self-evident truth that a mother is not the owner of her child’s life, she is the trustee of it.” (pg 67)
Conclusion
The Task Report goes on to conclude “that to fully protect the rights, interests, and health of the mother and the life of her unborn child, a ban on abortions is required.” Based on all the facts and reports presented, I don’t know how one could come up with any other conclusion.
In the end, abortion is wrong because it is murder. It takes the life of an innocent baby. Even if all the other effects and consequences didn’t exist it would still be wrong and worth fighting to end. Even if it was proven to be beneficial for the pregnant woman (which some contend) abortion would still be wrong because it’s homicide! But they do exist, which means the stakes are higher and the urgency greater (if that’s possible). Let’s be the generation that ends abortion!
Over the past couple months, we have been highlighting some of our favorite pro-life organizations, partly to give you resources so that you will know at least as much as we do about abortion, but also to hopefully inspire you to get involved and do your part to end it. Today we will be looking at the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, one of the best organizations out there for raising public awareness about abortion. Founded by President Georgette Forney of Anglicans For Life and Executive Director Janet Morana of Priests For Life, Silent No More was created to spread information on abortion in the clearest and most effective way possible: through stories directly from those directly involved.
The Silent No More website has just over 2,000 testimonies from post-abortive women, men who have lost children to abortion, former abortion providers, and more. Many others have shared at schools and events or have anonymously registered their regret on the website. By spreading these personal stories of abortion, Silent No More hopes to both encourage those who have had abortions to seek support and healing through programs provided by pregnancy resource centers and to prevent future abortions by expressing the reality of their effects to the public. The testimonies represent a vast array of situations and experiences, and they really speak for themselves, so here are two examples:
Numb and Empty
Angela
Tennessee, United States
In 2001, I had a 2 year old and I was in an abusive relationship when I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified of him and knew I did not want another baby with him. A friend told me about having an abortion, after looking into it I made an appointment. I was 13 weeks.
In the clinic I was counseled, the counselor told me what I was doing was okay; she reminded me it’s not a baby yet, she did not tell me what they would be doing during the procedure or how it would be done. I did not meet the doctor or talk to him. On the table I looked towards the ultrasound screen, they turned the screen away so I could not see. During the procedure I heard this loud suction, still do today; I felt tugging, yanking, and pulling. Felt like my insides were being ripped apart. I was sick to my stomach.
After the abortion while in recovery, I felt numb and empty. There were around 20 other girls sitting on cots. They all had this blank, numb look on their face and no one spoke. When I left I did not receive instructions on how to take care of myself, and was rushed out the door.
I wanted to get pregnant immediately after my abortion, when I did, there were problems with my pregnancy, I was put on bed rest. Spent 10 years angry at myself, the doctors, my baby’s father. Anyone who mentioned abortion reminded me of mine own and brought all these feelings of anger and shame. I could not bond with my boys for years.
After years of so much pain and shame I went through a healing program and was able to receive God’s forgiveness and forgive myself. My eyes were opened to truth and God has restored me, He has filled that emptiness within me with His love and forgiveness and He has given me hope again. Now I am finally free from the shame and guilt and that Is why I am silent no more!
See more at http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/index.aspx.
Whether you’re for or against abortion, an objective look at the issue reveals that the effects are deep and far reaching. Abortion is not simply a women’s reproductive choice, nor is it as basic as protecting the life of the unborn. Like the tip of an iceberg, these “surface” effects are just the beginning of a much more massive body of ramifications. And if you’re like me and you want a in-depth study of as many aspects of abortion as possible, while weeding out the opinion columns from “uninformed Joe from know-it-all-ville,” then the South Dakota Task Force Report is for you.
During the legislative session in 2005, an overwhelming majority of the Legislature voted to create the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion. The report cites various reasons for the creation of the task force, all stemming from testimonies given by women who had undergone abortions and those who counsel women before and after abortions. During these testimonial hearings the committees that presented to the House and Senate found that:
A number of women who had undergone abortions testified that they became depressed and were haunted by suicidal ideation.
It was common for women to sign consents for abortion without being truly informed.
Many women reported that they were pressured into having an abortion, often by the father of their child, but by others as well.
They typically did not understand that the procedure would terminate the life of a human being, and this lack of understanding was further complicated by the fact that abortion providers had misled them at the time of the abortion.
The providers told them that there was “nothing but tissue” inside of them.
Many of the women testified or reported to post-abortion counselors that if they had been given accurate information, they would not have submitted to the abortion.
Their feeling that abortion providers had misled them compounded their sense of loss, adding to their depression, which often followed the mothers’ realizations that they were implicated in the deaths of their own children.
Here is a portion of one woman’s chilling testimony:
“…the policy underlying abortion is a lie. First and foremost, because it denies the essential benefit of motherhood. It tells us that we are not forfeiting anything of value for ourselves. We are told we lost nothing, nothing of value. The truth is that the loss is massive. Massive and life altering. Your House Bill 1166 provides an important and essential message that the pregnant mother does have a great benefit, that her child already exists and that she has this existing relationship with her child, and that she has a great fundamental and constitutional right to that relationship, all of which she is giving up, all of which is lost as a result of the abortion…If I had been given this information, I would never had had an abortion.”
In light of the magnitude of such testimonies, the Legislature found need to act to protect the rights, interests, and health of pregnant mothers in South Dakota, and created the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion.
When the task force set out to study abortion they truly sought a complete picture. The scope of the study is as follows:
the practice of abortion since its legalization
the body of knowledge concerning the development and behavior of the unborn child which has developed because of technological advances and medical experience since the legalization of abortion
the societal, economic, and ethical impact and effects of legalized abortion
the degree to which decisions to undergo abortions are voluntary and informed
the effect and health risks that undergoing abortions has on the women, including the effects on the women’s physical and mental health, including the delayed onset of cancer, and her subsequent life and socioeconomic experiences
the nature of the relationship between a pregnant woman and her unborn child
whether abortion is a workable method for the pregnant woman to waive her rights to a relationship with the child
whether the unborn child is capable of experiencing physical pain
whether the need exists for additional protections of the rights of pregnant women contemplating abortion, and
whether there is any interest of the state or the mother or the child which would justify changing the laws relative to abortion.
The Task Force heard live testimony of approximately fifty-five witnesses, including thirty-two experts, and considered the written reports and testimony from another fifteen experts. In order to achieve a balanced viewpoint and obtain as much information from diverse points of view as possible, live testimony was divided almost equally between witnesses who support the position that abortion is harmful to women and should be illegal and those who think it should be legal. They reviewed more 3,500 pages of scientific research and collected affidavits from 2,000 women who had undergone abortions. With regard to the 2,000 post abortive women, over 99% of them testified that abortion is destructive of the rights, interests, and health of women and that abortion should not be legal. In case you missed that, I’ll repeat, NINTY-NINE PERCENT testified that abortion is destructive of the rights, interests, and health of women and that abortion should not be legal.
As you can likely infer from the nature and scope of the Task Force, the report is quite thorough and detailed with the final count being 71 pages. This article is part one of a two part condensed overview of the report. In part one, I highlight the excerpts from the first four sections of the study. Part two will deal with the remaining six sections with some concluding thoughts.
Excerpts from “The Practice Of Abortion Since Its Legalization”
“The Task Force concludes the following:
1. That abortion terminates the life of a unique, whole, living human being;
2. That the physician performing an abortion terminates the life of one of the physician’s patients to whom the physician owes a professional and legal duty;
3. That the authority for the physician to terminate the life of his or her patient rests exclusively upon the written consent of the pregnant mother, which, at the time it is signed, terminates the doctor’s duty to the child; and
4. That the mother has an existing and important and beneficial relationship with her child that is irrevocably terminated by the abortion procedure.” (pg 13)
“The Task Force concludes that there is no traditional or healthy physician-patient relationship between an abortion doctor at Planned Parenthood in South Dakota and the pregnant mother. The only time the abortion doctor sees the patient is in the room where the procedure is to be performed, after the woman has already committed to submitting to the abortion by signing the consent form.” (pg 18)
“…once the women understand that the abortion procedure does not prevent a human being from coming into existence, but instead terminates a life that already exists, they begin to appreciate the benefit and joy the existing child could bring to their lives, and decide not to have an abortion. As a result of the counseling at the Slidell center, Ms. Collins testified that only 45 of the 1,860 pregnant mothers (2%) ultimately had an abortion.” (pg 20)
“In the 20 years that the Slidell Center, the Alpha Center, and the CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center have operated, not a single woman ever reported that they regretted their decision to have their child.” (pg 20)
“At the Slidell Center, Ms. Collins stated that in any given year, 70% to 85% of women seeking post-abortion counseling relate that they made their decision under some form of coercion. More than 80% of these women state that the abortion clinics did not counsel them properly, and that if they had been given accurate information, they would not have submitted to an abortion.” (pg 20)
“Ms. Unruh stated that among the post-abortive women seeking counseling at the Sioux Falls Alpha Center, 75% to 85% in any given year report that they felt they were misled by the the abortion clinics and that their decisions were uninformed and, in many ways, coerced. Among these women were women who had abortions at Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls.” (pg 20, 21)
“[Post abortive women] almost uniformly express anger toward the abortion providers, their baby’s father, or society in general, which promote abortion as a great right, the exercise of which is good for women. They almost invariably state that they were encouraged to have an abortion by the mere fact that it was legal.” (pg 21)
“The overwhelming majority of women testified that they would never have considered an abortion if it were not legal. Their testimony revealed that they feel that the legalization of abortion simply gave a license to others to pressure them into a decision they otherwise would not have made. Most of the women stated that abortion should not be legal.” (pg 21)
Excerpts from “The Body Of Knowledge Concerning The Development And Behavior Of The Unborn Child Which Has Developed Because Of Technological Advances And Medical Experience Since The Legalization Of Abortion”
“DNA fingerprinting and the refinement of it by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques developed in the mid-1990s have proven that each human being is totally unique immediately at fertilization.” (pg 22)
“A human being at an embryonic age and that human being at an adult age are naturally the same, the biological differences are due only to the differences in maturity. Changes in methylation of cytosine demonstrate that the human being is fully programmed for human growth and development for his or her entire life at the one cell age.” (pg 25)
“Modern molecular biology has discovered that by the third cell division (long before implantation) all control of growth and development are established by the child’s DNA. This means that immediately after conception, all programming for growth of the human being is self-contained.” (pg 25)
“The anatomical, biochemical, and physiological development of a human being also starts early in fetal life and continues long after birth. Although the fetus is wholly dependent on the mother in order to survive, the extremely premature infant is wholly dependent on its surroundings. Even a term baby is dependent on its surroundings in order to survive. The concept of viability is therefore not as interesting as it seemed only some years ago. It is the same human being whether it is an early embryo, a fetus around midterm (20 weeks) or pre-term born after 23-25 weeks of gestation. The human subject is completely helpless and dependent on its care givers for a long time – from conception until late childhood. The child is a whole separate human being from conception and throughout the full gestational period, whether entirely spent in utero or not.
Suggestions or implications that a woman considering an abortion should be told anything about whether or not the fetus is a human being based upon whether the child is or is not of “viable” age would be misleading. The child is a human being before viability just as well as after viability and, as I previously indicated, viability is irrelevant to that question. There is absolutely nothing that can be told to the woman that is different about a child that is a so called “post viable” age as opposed to one that is “pre viable” age with reference to the pure question of whether as a matter of biological fact, the fetus is a human being.
I have traveled all around the world and have lectured in many different countries. The laws of those countries vary widely in how those countries view human beings both born and unborn. Whether a particular adult person holds legal or moral beliefs that individual human beings should be treated with equal respect and dignity, or whether there are justifications for treating them differently or be accorded degrees of respect may reflect the culture, but those individual beliefs are totally irrelevant to whether or not it is a human being. Just because in one culture some adult human beings are not treated equally or not even given legal rights, does not mean they are not human beings. Science is oblivious to such concepts.
It defies all reason to suppose that the relative abilities of the adults or medical professionals at any one point in history or at any one place on earth – external to the child – determines if the child is a member of the human race. If adult care givers are inadequate, their failings do not render one child not human, but another, at the exact same age of gestation, human beings because he or she received proper care. At any one time, children in one part of the world will survive at younger gestational ages than children in other parts of the world because of the difference in the quality of medical services. Those services, administered differently, don’t define the humanity of the children. An unborn child in Africa, twenty-one weeks post-conception is just as much a human being as a twenty-one week post-conception child in the United States despite the fact that the African child may not be able to receive the kind of medical services the child in the United States may receive. The African child is not “viable”. The American child is. Both are human beings.” (pg 28, 29)
“The Task Force finds that the new recombinant DNA technologies indisputably prove that the unborn child is a whole human being from the moment of fertilization, that all abortions terminate the life of a living human being, and that the unborn child is a separate human patient under the care of modern medicine.” (pg 31)
Excerpts from “The Societal, Economic, And Ethical Impact And Effects Of Legalized Abortion”
“The substantial negative impact legalized abortion has had on our society and culture is almost incalculable. In many ways it has deformed our nation. It has created a unique and especially painful exploitation of women. It has subjected women to the unjust and selfish demands of male sexual partners. It has subjected women to unnecessary risks of psychological and physical injury. It has denigrated the role of a mother as a unique individual because of the unique person she carries. It isolates a woman in her painful loss of her child. It has deprived our country of millions of children.” (pg 31, 32)
“Dr. Willke noted that only approximately 0.1% of rapes result in a pregnancy” (pg 32)
“I was asked to share some genetic information with you regarding the issue of incest. As many of you are aware, the union of two closely related people may result in an infant with genetic deformities or retardation. That is why in the United States we have laws against close relatives marrying. What you may not be aware of is that deformities and/or retardation occur in the smallest minorities of these instances. Ninety-seven percent of the time, these children are normal.” (pg 32)
“What we do know, and what we can say, is that abortion is unethical and immoral and our support of it as a society wounds all of us. It exploits the mother, destroys her rights, destroys her interests, and damages her health, and does so by killing her child. It isolates her in her pain by placing all of the blame for the loss of her child upon her. It kills an innocent human being, and in the process creates the illusion that a mother and her child – who in reality have interests in harmony with each other – are somehow enemies. It portrays life, the greatest of gifts, as an intruder of no worth. It portrays the role of mother as valueless.” (pg 34)
Excerpts from “The Degree To Which Decisions To Undergo Abortions Are Voluntary And Informed”
“The total record reflects the following:
a. The abortion providers fail to disclose the essential nature of the procedure – that it terminates the life of the woman’s existing child;
b. When they do discuss the procedure, they provide misleading information in misleading terms, as previously discussed in this Report;
c. The abortion providers give misleading information about the psychological and physical risks to the mother, and do not disclose the direct injury to the child that leads to its death;
d. The abortion providers assume the women have made their decisions before they reach the facility;
e. The abortion providers place the burden upon the mothers to discover material facts on their own;
f. The abortion doctor’s only contact with the mother prior to the abortion surgery consists of a pre-recorded audio tape, and the first face-to-face meeting of the doctor and pregnant patient is after she has signed the consent forms, paid for the surgery, and is on the procedure table (See Section II-A);
g. The pregnant mothers are often pressured into having an abortion by outside forces;
h. The contact and procedures by the facility personnel prior to the abortion are inherently coercive and force a quick decision; and
i. The fatal and irrevocable nature of the decision is not made known to the mother and adequate time for reflection is not provided.” (pg 37, 38)
“The only information given to 814 out of 819 pregnant women who were subjected to an abortion at the Planned Parenthood facility in 2003 was the age of the pregnancy. Women are not told that the procedure kills their already existing child. In fact, Dr. Ball stated that at Planned Parenthood, even if a woman asks whether the child exists or not, she will not answer her.
This failure is critical to the women’s decision, because when information about the child is given to women at pregnancy help centers, it is reported that 85% to 98% of the women decide to not have an abortion.” (pg 38)
That concludes part one. Come back next week for part two!
eli joshua project 