Death Of A Nation

When deciding to approach this topic, I honestly did not know where to start. I had more words than I have room to share and at the same time, felt speechless. The topic of abortion stirs the passions of Americans like no other topic. First let me say I am pro-life without apology. With that said, I desire to be a part of rational dialogue concerning abortion.

In this discussion, here are some indisputable medical facts concerning the unborn child:

*18 DAYS: A baby's heart beats

*42 DAYS: Brain waves detected

*52 DAYS: A baby hiccups and yawns

*8 WEEKS: All organs function

*9 WEEKS: Has fingerprints

*10 WEEKS: Can feel pain

*12 WEEKS: Can smile

Keep in mind that at twelve weeks (3 months) a woman is barely visibly pregnant because the baby is so small, yet he or she is already formed and can feel pain and emotion; the baby just needs time to grow and develop so that it can survive outside the womb. It is fully human, fully an individual person apart from its mother. It is not a blob nor a part of a woman's body. I've never met a woman with 2 hearts, 2 brains, 4 eyes, 4 ears, 4 legs, 4 arms... have you?

Pro-life folks (of whom I am a part) believe that abortion is wrong even in its early stages because of the facts above. Once a human being has a heartbeat (2 1/2 weeks after conception) it is not just a blob of cells but a living being! The same in the animal kingdom. Ironically, laws harming animals are stiffer than those harming human babies - whether the harm is to a pregnant animal or its offspring. As a matter of fact, there is more protection for insect species that are in danger than humans! A case in point are the bills proposed by Representative Kathy Tran of Virginia this week. She proposed a bill that would allow abortion through the end of pregnancy even if the mother was in labor and the baby is being born. On the same day of this proposed bill, she also presented a bill to protect the canker-worm. In her mind, a caterpillar has more rights to life and protection than a full-term baby! This abortion law was voted down, but the governor of Virginia (who also happens to be a medical doctor) supported it and even took his thought process a step further defending what this abortion law would mean for Virginia.

In a podcast interview, the governor stated that in these cases where a mother is giving birth, if the mother was still considering abortion, the baby would be delivered, kept "comfortable" while the mother and her doctors discussed and decided whether the baby should live or not, based on whether it had severe health issues making it "viable" or even whether it had some sort of deformity or handicap. The mother's "health" would also be in consideration - obviously not her physical health if the baby is already born, but her emotional, mental, and even economic "health." In simple terms, Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia is advocating INFANTICIDE. He was perfectly clear about the process. His comments have produced outrage across the country, yet he has doubled down on his comments trying to clarify and justify. Extreme abortion advocates both in the media, politics, and Hollywood have backed this "reproductive right" of women.

An additional case earlier in the week was the actual passage of a bill by the State of New York and its governor Andrew Cuomo. Their bill made it legal to abort a baby up until the moments of birth for any reason whatsoever - once again siting the woman's "health rights" and "rights to control her own body." Again, those rights include physical, mental, emotional, and economic - so broad ranging that a doctor can validate the murder of an innocent unborn child for any reason whatsoever. It seems that Vermont, New Jersey, and most likely other states are going to follow suit to this barbaric precedence. Watching the representatives of New York giving Governor Cuomo a standing ovation at the passage of this bill was horrific. The signing was followed by lighting the tower of the Empire State Building pink in "celebration" of death! The decision of abortion, whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, should be difficult at the least and never celebrated. There is something very dark about being proud of having an abortion.

Before I go further, let's just define that word "reproduction." It literally means "the production of offspring through a sexual process." Once there is a baby, fetus, or whatever one wants to call the unborn child, this isn't about reproduction. You have already reproduced! "Reproduction rights" would only truly involve access to birth control pills, patches, IUD's and condoms should you not want to reproduce; would involve freedom to have sex or not; or would involve access to alternative methods if one wanted to get pregnant (reproduce.) These methods include: insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers, etc. Falling back on this "reproductive rights" of women argument is a crock. If a woman does not want to have a baby, then she should use birth control or abstain from sex. Even in the cases of rape and incest, there are "emergency contraception" pills that can be taken up to five days after unprotected sex. Most of them instruct that they should be taken within 24 to 72 hours, and a few of then up to the five days. Should a person get caught up "in the moment" without protection, these pills are an option. Depending on the brand, they are on average 89-95% effective. They can even be purchased at Walmart!

Another argument for abortion is women's health rights and rights to their own body. Renowned physicians and even former abortionists, say there is never a reason to abort a child because of a woman's health. Dr. Anthony Levatino states that it would actually harm a woman's health even more to prep her for an abortion. He uses the case of coming in with extreme and life threatening high blood pressure. Because the process of abortion requires several hours to a few days to prepare a woman's body for abortion, holding off on certain medical necessities to bring her blood pressure down and stabilize her until she goes through the prep process of an abortion would most certainly kill her or produce a massive stroke in this case. The proper procedures for rescuing a woman with a severe health crisis is to produce delivery of that baby - most likely through a C-Section which can be done in an hour or less and address her health issues immediately. The baby can be tended to at the same time. Many babies live, some do not but at least they are given a fighting chance.

For those who are pro-choice, there is a discussion to be had. This is why I stated early on that I welcome rational debate. Opinions differ concerning "viability" and at what point an unborn child experiences pain. I hope that some of the medical statistics that I stated at the beginning provide something for you to think about. What I do hope in addition, is that both pro-life and pro-choice advocates find a common ground when abortions take place beyond 20 weeks at most. These new bills being presented by New York and Virginia are not acceptable - ever! If a baby has a fighting chance to survive - even if it means with machines until it develops and grows, then give it a chance. Some people will go to more effort and spend more money on saving a sick or injured puppy than they do a baby. Even more, this idea that a child can have life ended once the mother is giving birth, or in the case of the Virginia governor right after it is born is nothing short of MURDER! It doesn't matter if there are health issues, deformities etc. with the child. Every human being has the right to live or be helped to live! As I stated to someone on Twitter, the truth is, no baby would live for long without assistance after birth, no matter how healthy. They are helpless and vulnerable and in need of care. I even asked one advocate how he would feel should he have a massive heart attack and was not viable on his own without the help of machines, doctors, and medications for a period of time until he became stronger. How would he feel if his wife's "mental health" was unstable and she couldn't bare his sickness? Would it be okay to simply unplug him?

Finally, this is a slippery slope that truly could be the "death of a nation" for us once we go down this path. At what point do we say, like some other countries, that Down syndrome babies can be either aborted or killed? At what point do we decide that weak elderly people need to be "euthanized" because of lack of quality of life? At what point do we determine that only the strong should be given a chance? With all of this propaganda of dictatorial or Nazi-like behavior spouted and alleged against people that some progressives disagree with (which is false btw,) perhaps one should look at what Hitler and the Nazi's actually did. They declared that Jews were not "people" so it was acceptable. Arguments for abortion say that unborn babies are not "people" but just a lump of cells - a fetus. China has orchestrated the same in the past by devaluing female babies and not allowing them the chance at life with their "One-child policy." Their government required the use of contraception, sterilizations, and abortions to ensure compliance. Is this really who we want to be? Pro-choice women say "my body, my choice" but enacting such extreme abortion laws is actually opening the door for the atrocities that I just mentioned of past governments in the case with Nazi Germany and Communist China.

Lastly as a pro-life woman I stand strong to protect the small and innocent. You see, I had one of those. My son Josh was born at only 26 weeks. He weight 2 pounds and 1 ounce and lost birth weight within a day until he weighed only 1 pound and 9 ounces. This was not "my body,my choice!" I felt him kick in my womb for 15 hours before I went into premature labor. He was in distress and fighting for his own life. After he was born and whisked away from me, I wasn't even able to hold him. Hours later, when I was taken to see him, he was not a "non-viable fetus" nor "my body, my choice." He was my baby, my son, and deserved every chance at life! We fought for him every day for the next three months with around the clock care in the NICU. Should you be interested, he is twenty-six years old now and has been the greatest blessing a woman and mother could ever have!

Below is a side by side picture. On the left is an aborted baby the same size as my son was when he was born. On the right is Josh. My "pint-sized" miracle!

Choose life people. Let's not lose what makes us exceptional in this nation. Morality matters. Respect for others, no matter how small, no matter how challenging, is what has allowed us to become the great nation that we are and the reason the nations of the world look up to us. Choose life!!!!!!