Third-term abortions a travesty

February 8, 2019

In the five-plus years I have been blogging, I don't think I've ever written a controversial post. But I feel I need to respond to the recent state of New York legislation on abortion. That, together with recent comments by the governor of Virginia, have compelled me to say something about the wretched lack of regard for life here in our country.

Originally, I was only going to simply respond to some pro-choice Facebook posts, but I've never liked getting into online arguments, and they never seem to go very well anyway . . . So here are my thoughts.

Although I believe that life begins at conception and that all abortion is the taking of a life, I am completely horrified by the expansion of abortion through the full term of pregnancy and the idea of taking the life of a baby who can survive outside the womb, as is now law in the state of New York.

This legislation allows abortion up to the baby's due date if necessary "to protect the mother's life or health." The now-tabled state of Virginia bill allowed abortion if the mother's physical or mental health would be "impaired." 

There is no medical reason to abort a baby to save the life of a mother in the third trimester. None. Early delivery may be indicated in order to save a mother's life, such as in the case of a mother with preeclampsia, but delivering early can save both the mother and the baby's life. 

And if a mother's mental health might be "impaired?" We certainly can provide the psychological care needed to help her through a month or two until the baby is born, and after. Adoption is a life-giving option. There are so, so many couples unable to have children who are longing to adopt.

I'm sorry, ladies. It is not your body. Fair or unfair, the moment you became pregnant, it was your body and another person's body. Google "sovereign zone argument" and "right to refuse" argument for interesting and compelling arguments supporting the pro-life position in this regard. 

And, in what could be another whole post, I believe, at its core, that abortion is anti-woman, a violation of the essential nature of us as life-bearers.

In addition, almost all third-trimester babies can survive outside the womb. The age of "viability" is recognized as 24 weeks. A baby born at the start of the third trimester, that is, at 27 weeks, has a 90% survival rate, and those born at 32 weeks and beyond have a 95% and greater chance of survival.

 *** My own sweet grand baby was recently born at 34 1/2 weeks. He is healthy and well. ***

You have two premature babies in the hospital. One is getting life-saving treatment in the NICU. He will go home soon. The other, down the hall, has just been aborted. The difference? One was wanted and the other one wasn't. Is this our criteria for life?!

I have heard pro-choice people say that we pro-life people are only pro-baby and not pro-children. In other words, we only care about outlawing abortions; we don't care anything about the lives of those babies after they are born. We don't care if they are born into poverty and we don't support, for example, social service programs that help poor women and children.

There are two problems with this argument, as I see it.

First of all, even if this were true, and it is unequivocally not, it has nothing to do with whether the murder of babies is right or wrong. And I'm sorry, we pro-life people are generally polite, and don't use the word "murder," but hey, it is what it is.

Do we say, let's get rid of our veterans because we don't have the social services and support network to take care of them? Do we get rid of our elderly because they don't have the health care and quality of life that they should have? Is there any other population group that we agree to dispose of because their lives are difficult, or because we sometimes as a society allow them to fall through the cracks?

Whether or not a person has or is going to have a good quality of life has nothing to do with whether or not they deserve to have life. God help us if this is our standard. I think the early eugenics programs attempted something like this. Iceland now boasts it has no Down Syndrome in its country at all (because those babies have all been aborted); ask a family with a Down Syndrome child if his or her life is not valuable.

Of course, we must always do what we can to help the most vulnerable in our society. Children, low-income families, the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans who have fought our wars and need medical and psychological help . . . we need to provide safety nets. But no human alive is guaranteed a life without struggle. Accidents, disabilities, loss of jobs, deaths of loved ones, aging . . . it happens to all of us at some point. We don't have the right to take away life because it might be hard.

Secondly, pro-life people do care about babies and children. I have pro-life friends who have adopted, who foster children, who work at social service agencies to help the poor and marginalized. Pro-life friends who tutor inner-city children after school, run programs for disadvantaged rural youth, conduct job training and parenting classes for women who have chosen to keep their babies. The list goes on.

I said this would be a controversial post. But really, why it should be controversial is beyond me. It's appalling to think that any sane person would agree that it should be legal to take life, and especially in the third trimester.

I have always prayed that one day -- soon -- we will look back on the era of Roe v. Wade with the more than 60 million aborted babies in its wake, and cry out in anguish and in repentance for what we have done. It has been a holocaust.

37 comments

  1. Oh I say a hearty Amen Deborah! Thank you very much!

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  2. Well written, Deborah, and I heartily concur.

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  3. Totally agree. Thank you for standing up for unborn children. Even abortionists agree third trimester abortions are for the “convenience” of the mother and NOT for her “health” or “wellbeing “, as are all abortions.
    Wake up America, abortion is killing a human being, separate from the mother with awful, terrible lasting effects for the mother.

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  4. Oh Dear Deborah I agree wholeheartedly.

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  5. I totally agree. Thank you for speaking up.
    Let's all pray God will put an end to this horrendous thing.
    We must pray, and believe our prayers will be answered!

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  6. Children should not be viewed as an inconvenience. Deborah, this is a well-written and powerful post. Amen!

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  7. Thank you, Deborah, for this truth. I couldn't agree more.

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  8. from a reader:

    Hi Deborah,
    I'm one of your avid readers but unable to respond because I don't have a Google account.

    I'm a 100% behind you on your latest post, cogent and written from a heart that truly loves. I cannot understand why there are laws to prosecute murderers but somehow abortion is not seen as murder. Where is the unborn's right to life?

    I struggled for 3 years trying to have children. And then, suddenly, they came, one after the other. So I know it's none of my doing in the sense that you could do all the right things and still not conceive; every life comes from God and God alone.

    But for each one who does not see this, it makes no sense, I guess. And the unborn must pay for this hardness of heart and blindness of eye.

    One of my children's godmothers, a Catholic and an orphan, had an abortion when she was very young. She is now in her 50s and finds strength in her Catholic faith. She has confessed her sin and has done what she can to welcome life as reparation. Yet, as a friend, I can still see in her the shadow of grief abortion leaves behind. It's a Cross I suspect she might carry to her grave.

    How I wish stories like hers were louder.

    We spend so much on scientific research to advance and prolong life, to increase quality of life, and yet, we kill when it doesn't suit us, when there is a chance it might impair the mind of a mother. It seems to me that the pro-choice stand ''infantifies" women.

    But hardness of heart and blindness of eye prevents many from understanding this.

    Caitlynne

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  9. I completely agree with what you have said. And where I have more to say, I'll say it behind the scenes or on my own blog. I think you are brave in this climate to discuss a controversial issue for I have had many "tiffs" with indignant bloggers who disagreed with me. Some things are too important to be quiet about.

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  10. Oh Deborah, I agree with you 100%. Thank you for writing this most meaningful post on the value of human life. It is a truly holocaust of all these beautiful lives that should've been.

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  11. Dearest Deborah,
    EXCELLENT post and you did sum it all up very well.
    Abortion is murder and especially during the 3rd Trimester...
    I've always grieved for having been born too soon in order to have a baby on my own.
    We've tried everything but things were not as advanced yet at my time.
    My youngest brother's wife is lucky for having an in-vitro baby! Two was not possible but they have one.
    We both have raised somebody else's child and supported a foster-daughter.
    The most striking image I've ever seen is on my Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/375980268889865197#
    Yes, it is MURDER!
    Just like The Murder Curtain, where Veterans get injected and murdered.
    The same people doing this, are against capital punishment by lethal injection.
    Murdering a pregnant woman is by law accounting to two murders...
    It is all so wrong!
    We have dear friends with a Down Syndrome child and he is so much love and quite successful at the Special Olympics. The love they give and receive is incredible.
    ALL human beings will once have to face their final judge and they will be judged accordingly.
    WHY is nobody ever pointing out that instead of late term MURDER two bodies that get together, should use birth control?! It is so coward and also so selfish that it makes one sick for being alive in a society where the moral compass seems to be totally lost. Worse even that some politicians promote this in states like New York...
    Thanks again for speaking up for those that have NO voice!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  12. If a woman has an unwanted pregnancy WHY WHY WHY would it be necessary to wait until the 3rd trimester, OR BIRTH ? This is insane in and of itself. And, a state in our country which condones this kind of murder will soon take the next steps toward endling "life" in many other stages, as you said. Adoption of a full-term baby is the only acceptable answer here. Thank God I live in Texas where this insane maniacal practice can never happen. And, for God's sake, where are the mother's of these girls who would choose to do such a thing. And, further, WHAT DOCTOR would do this ? A doctor? Nope, a murderer. And, please, if a woman kills her newborn isn't that considered murder? We, all of us who are still conscious, need to pray. Pray for our country. Pray for the USA. Pray for our President and all those in power who are so against this. Oh, and by the way, WHERE ARE THE MINISTERS AND PRIESTS ? I am just disgusted, and MAD as hell!

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    1. I so agree with you...this is murder...I am Catholic and am appalled that the Pope hasn't come out and said something about this..The Cardinals and Bishops are cowards in my book.. I pray for our President and Country everyday.

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  13. Amen! I have been wanting to say these very same things on my blog. I've said it on Facebook and was not met with back lash believe it or not. The difference between an aborted baby and a live birth is 100% based on whether the child is wanted or not. The child, most certainly, is wanted, by someone else if not by the mother. I am afraid that mothers will be declared psychologically impaired simply because they want a late term abortion. Thank you also for saying that all abortion is wrong. I've been accused of being one of those Prolife people but not pro-child. That is absurd. I don't talk about what my husband and I have done to help the poor, the undervalued and the marginalized. That is not generally what Prolife people are about. Well said.

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  14. Very well said, Deborah. Thank you for sharing your heart. I agree with you 100%.

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  15. AMEN! AND AMEN! Thank you for sharing your convictions and we all need to do it more. I mean, the leftist share theirs with no issue and not sure why we Christians do not do the same. They sure don't seem to care about backlash or anything else. It is so, so sad and I cannot imagine how it grieves the heart of our Lord and Savior. Again, good job!

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  16. What a powerful message. You stated this so "to the point". Let us pray, and I do pray, that our world is not coming to the murdering of our most precious gifts, babies, because a woman "changed" her mind, and decided against their life?? I am a mother of 3 sons, and I can not began to imagine what any woman is thinking, to abort a child. God save us all, and I hope many many women will read this post, and take it to heart...

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  17. Amen, Lets face it, we are in love with ourselves as a culture that does not believe we should have to do anything that robs us of what we want. It is murder and one day it all will be judged.
    Congratulations on your new grandbaby!
    Hugs, Roxy

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  18. Deborah, I found your blog through Coffee Tea and Me...so happy I did. I agree with you 100%..Life begins at conception, that's my opinion. I thin abortion is wrong,and late term at the moment of birth...I can't hardly believe what I read..disgusting..murder..I am Catholic and I can't believe that the Pope hasn't come out against this and the Cardinals and Bishops in my opinion are cowards. What are they afraid of to condemn this?? Life is a gift from God. If you don't want your baby, there are so many who would adopt the child. My mind is still spinning over this. I pray for our President and our Country everyday.

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  19. Dear Deborah,

    I admire your courage in even daring to discuss this topic. The abortion issue drove me away from the Democrat Party. I quickly learned that there was no place for those of us who believed in the sanctity of life. The modern day Democrat Party is a religion and Abortion is their Holy Sacrament; but this latest display of worshiping at the altar was the most disgusting yet. It reminded me of the blood-thirsty ancient Romans in the Coliseum cheering and applauding the early Christians being torn apart by the lions. To this we’ve come.

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  20. Dear Deborah,
    This is reads much like a letter I wrote to our local newspaper years ago. I feel very strongly that abortion is wrong and our bodies are not our own.
    Close friends of ours had tried for years to have a baby and never could. Then one day a little unwed teenage girl gave birth to a baby and was giving it up for adoption, here on the island. Needless to say, our community rejoiced over it because our friends were able to adopt that baby and now their family is complete.
    I am finding it difficult to watch the diaper commercials on TV these days because it reminds me of all those dear little souls who will never have a life here on earth. I can't help but weep over them.
    God help us!
    Thank you for posting this and yes, I too am 100% in agreement with you. God bless you, my friend, for sharing!

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  21. Thank you for taking the leap and publishing these thoughts....I totally agree! Abortion is not the answer...so many people are waiting to adopt. How can we ever be blessed as a country when we kill babies !

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  22. I have never commented before, but thank you for what you have written. I agree with everything you said. I'm tired of hearing people say "God Bless America". How can He when we are murdering our babies??
    Caroline

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  23. Hear hear! I whole-heartedly agree. Thank you for speaking up, Deborah.

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  24. Your post is so well written and from the comments I hope you can see you are well supported. I too have been absolutely horrified by this latest legislation. Unlike you, I don't even know if I could put into words my feelings about it all; so thank you for being able to do so! I know God must be broken-hearted when He looks down on our society and sees that people could do this to His beautiful creations. And to think of the many people who struggle to have a child of their own and would gladly take these sweet babies! Well, I won't belabor my thoughts here since so many others have stated my feelings so well. Again, thank you for your courage and your thoughtfulness in writing this. Let's just all pray that no other states follow suit!

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  25. Thank you for sharing truth, from the heart. I've shared your post...and even though you're in the US and I am in Australia the same thing is being allowed. Babies are being murdered. And heaven weeps.

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  26. Well done on taking a stand. I heard Phil Robertson's say "There will be hell to pay!" and I agree. I just cant see how we can stand by or that God will. These are distressing times.

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  27. Deborah, your eloquent and deeply powerful post should be read to every mother who is contemplating abortion as her option. I do believe your well-written argument needs to be presented to the minds of those who think that abortion is anything other than murder. The horrific nature of these murders sickens me and I weep before the Lord about it. Praying that in His mercy that He will put an end to this horrific tragedy. Thank you for bravely sharing this message!

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  28. Thank you for speaking up for the unborn.

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  29. I was a single mother of one -who aborted her second child because I was afraid of our future. This was 45 years ago when scandal and no support was the norm for single mums. I did have the privilege of becoming a Christian and being forgiven by God for my sin.
    I did meet the "respectable" Christian husband, had 3 more children and then he dumped me for a girl the same age as our eldest. Talk about avoiding scandal and abandonment.

    Never have I forgotten the child I abandoned to avoid scandal. Always I have regretted my decision. Goodness knows how life would have panned out but one thing that I did prove - we have NO control over others decisions - but we should not regret loving ALL life and embracing that love. God knows why he creates a life. It is to teach us to love.
    I agree with all you wrote in your post and congratulate you for being brave in speaking your truth.
    Love from one who has been on both sides of the fence.

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  30. Wow - my dear friend, you have stated it beautifully. I am seriously in a state of shock, horror and outrage that this could EVER pass as legal.

    Between your words and the comments above - all I can say is let's get on our knees, folks and pray hard for this wicked, broken, horrible thing that has become law.

    What's next? God save us.

    You are so brave. I have always admired you and now ten times more - sorry I have been MIA. Hugs and prayers. ♥

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  31. Deborah, I am so sorry I missed this post earlier. Thank you so much for the courage to talk about this here because we have gotten so afraid of doing so except when with others who believe as we do. When I heard of this new NY law I was encouraged that some are now speaking up. I hoped that even supporters of abortion would draw the line at this and say it was going to far. Sadly, I've mostly only heard attempts to rationalize it due to the health of the mother. Thank you for clearly stating how unnecessary that is. I've read the heartfelt comments above so won't go on and on here. It's just so sad for America that this latest appalling step was not met with an outcry of opposition from people of all beliefs.

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