Saving the Babies: SCOTUS

Last year about 330 children were killed in Louisiana by a state-sanctioned procedure called "late term abortion."  I prefer the more accrurate "doctor-administered torture and dismemberment" procedure." 

I used to be decidedly neutral on the issue of abortion.  I didn't want to "go back to the days of the coat hanger." Then I found out that the people who said they didn't want to go back to the days of the coat hanger didn't mind doing something far worse, as long as it was a sterile procedure that was paid for by Medicare. 

"The Bush Supreme Court has gutted the protections for women's health previously protected by Roe v. Wade by allowing politicians to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship," Featheringill [president of Planned Parenthood, New Mexico] said. "We are appalled that partisan politics trumped women's health in this decision." 

I remember reading many years ago the tale of a woman who went to Kansas to have a late term abortion her baby killed.  Her OB had told her that her baby had  terminal birth defect, microcephaly I think.  According to the story, if the baby was allowed to go to term, he wouldn't survive very long.  She and her husband agonized and finally she opted to terminate the pregnancy baby prematurely, at 30 or 32 weeks.  One of her reasons was simply to end sooner what had become an agonizing prospect.  She described in detail running the gauntlet of protesters, the torture of the week-long stay.  For some reason, the induction took that long, I don't know why.  She repeatedly emphasized how horrible the experience was, but that the decision was "the right on for her."

As young and as stupid as I was, I found this story to be a transparent propaganda piece.  All of the sympathy and morality-neutralizing elements are in place, against all probability.  She is tragically carrying a terribly deformed child.  It wouldn't live anyway.  She and her husband (!) agonized.  The procedure itself was attenuated, adding to her distress.

What was missing from this idealized tale was any mention of her health, other than her presumed mental anguish.  That's because there is never any medical necessity to kill a baby deliberately during labor to benefit the mother's health.  As for emotional health,  I do wonder about anyone who thinks that killing one's own baby deliberately would be beneficial to one's state of mind.  "Gee, sitting around waiting for my baby to die- that sounds much worse than just sticking a needle in its brain and getting it over with!"  Or better still, "Gee, putting my baby up for adoption sounds messy.  I mean, he would be around and I'd, like, have to live with not knowing how he's doing or what he looks like.  At least this way, I know for sure."

It was the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the so-called "pro-choice" arguments that sent me to the pro-life side.  I am grateful to the legislature for passing this ban and deeply thankful for this Supreme Court for upholding it.