Dena-kay Martin's column, "Where Will Protesters Be After the Baby Is Born?" in the Nov. 17 issue, is very disturbing, and I quote: "' ... The surgeon inserts a sharp object into the back of the fetus' head and inserts a vacuum tube through which the brains and its fluids are extracted. The head of the fetus contracts at this point .... '"
Martin explains this is the description of a "partial birth" abortion found on the Internet. This act is beyond "barbaric." I guess we can all be grateful that this act was not performed on us or we wouldn't be in the land of the living. I believe there are about one million abortions performed in the United States per year. I am sure the percentage of abortions due to rape is small and smaller still is the percentage of abortions due to the mother's health. Abortion is legal, but it is not morally right.
We all make choices in this life and we have all made mistakes. A person can choose to abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage. A woman can also decide to parent her unplanned child - there is support and resources - or give the child to someone who wants to adopt. There is nothing more precious than human life.
Martin writes, "mother and child struggle to scratch out a meager existence." First, I would like to address this statement by saying that the backbone of the United States is held up by millions of people making less than $8 per hour and if they decided to go on strike for a week, we would all find out just how important these people who "scratch out a meager existence" are to the economy of this nation. There is no dishonor in poverty.
Second, wealth didn't keep Jon-Benet Ramsey safe or happy.
Third, whenever someone begins to compare bank account size with procreation rights, it reminds me of Adolph Hitler's desire to create a super race. The former wants to decide who will be born and the latter wants to decide who will live. I find both frightening.
I would like to end with a quote by Terence Cardinal Cooke about respecting life. "The Gift of Life, God's special gift, is no less beautiful when is accompanied by illness or weakness, hunger or poverty, mental or physical handicap, loneliness or old age. Indeed, at these times, human life gains extra splendor as it requires our special care, concern and reverence. It is in and through the weakest of human vessels that the Lord continues to reveal the power of his love."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
