What are we doing?

Jessica at Making Home,

 a blog I love to read, posted this article this morning.  Have you heard about this yet?  You see, the sad thing is, this happens all the time.  You just don't hear about it.  Even the pro choicers are upset about this and rightfully so.  But guess what??  Every other baby they kill is the exact same, it's just a little younger.....

Monday, February 16, 2009

Botched Abortions: Why They Matter & What They Tell Us

Just last week, Americans were horrified to learn that a baby born alive in an abortion clinic was promptly put into a trash bag and left to die in a dumpster. And rightly so. It's a horrible tragedy... but really, it's no more horrific than what is done to the other 3,500+ babies aborted every single day in our nation, or tens of thousands every day around the world. This baby just happened to breathebefore being murdered for money.

Please don't mistake my bluntness for being glib about it. It absolutely sickens me... it's numbing and I find myself almost unable to process when I really stop to think about how many children have died at the hands of abortionists.

After reading the horrible details (and they were ghastly), I did a simple google search for "botched abortions"... and pulled up a dozen or so stories, with varying results, for you to consider:

• Apr. 1985: Botched abortion leads to amputation
• Feb. 2000: During abortion procedure, woman goes into cardiac arrest and is permanently brain damaged.
• Apr. 2004: After "abortion" performed, baby still grows and is born months later.
• Jan. 2005: Abortion kills both mother and baby.
  
• May 2005: Abortion meds cause woman to go into labor, baby is born alive and clinic refuses to call 911. The baby subsequently died.
  
• Feb. 2006: After botched abortion, she was awake and screaming as they loaded her into the ambulance.
• Jun. 2006: Aborted baby was born with heart injuries as a result of an "unsuccessful"(depends on your definition of "success") abortion.
• Sept. 2006: After botched abortion, baby born with physical and mental disabilities.
• Jun. 2008: Mother delighted that her baby survived abortion.
  
• Cemetery of Choice: a record of dozens of women who died from abortions.
  
• Still alive today: A botched abortion survivor speaks out.
  

These stories stretch across these last three decades, when abortions are supposed to be "safe, legal, and rare". In truth, they are none of those three things. They are obviously unsafe for the baby... but they also pose serious risks to the mother. And in addition to all of these examples, there is the possibility of permanent infertility, along with other very serious complications. And after having an abortion, there is often lifelong guilt, questions to face, and depression.

Every day in our nation, children are being put to death at similar ages to the baby who was murdered in Florida last week. So why would journalists and newspapers be eager to report about this one? What makes it different? And why would it bother someone who is pro-choice? Really. It's a question worth asking. The only difference between the poor baby that died then and any other aborted baby that day was location. He made it outside the womb before being killed at the hands of an adult in an abortion clinic.

But it's the same action.

Both actions end the life of a human being. Botched abortions show us the potential for life, and they show us the truth.They hold up a mirror to the action of abortion itself and reveal the horror therein. From the stories above, several things are clear:

• It really is a baby-- a real, unique human being.
  
• It really is murder-- intention to kill a living thing.
• It really is horrific-- it's easier to see when we actually have a visible, breathing baby involved rather than something nebulous that we can write off as "tissue" or "inviable". (As others have noted.)
• Mothers really do have an instinct to protect their babies. Bird mothers will run down animals 50 times their size for trying to loot their nest... and abortion-minded human mothers (sadly) often only realize how much they want to protect their baby once the abortion has been botched or completed-- many times, even years later.

If you are contemplating abortion or know someone who is, you may find it helpful to browse the following links:

• Pregnant? Alone? Need someone to talk to?
• Alternatives to abortion
• Scriptures that are relevant to the issue of abortion
• What's it like to have an abortion?

Father, help us to do what is right. To act. To pray. To celebrate life. To give life. God, help us.