David Freddoso writes of a ten-inch long baby boy, weighing perhaps half a pound, born four months premature, struggling to breathe through undeveloped lungs, dying after a lifespan of 45 minutes. A lifespan of 45 minutes, because we measure life as starting from birth. Isn't it funny though, this word, birth. And the word life, for that matter. Confusing too. LOL. Because, is an abortion a birth? This premature baby boy was aborted, and born, both at the same time. LOL. Can something that's aborted be alive?
The "family had wanted a baby, but when they learned that theirs would be born with Down syndrome, they wanted an abortion. For that, they went to Christ Hospital in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ." Look at how closely affiliated with Christ that hospital is. Christ: who said, 'let the little ones come unto me.' Hospital: a place to go in order to heal infirmities. Family: a word of indeterminate meaning.
"In 'induced labor' or 'prostaglandin' abortion — a common procedure at the hospital — the doctor administers drugs that dilate the mother’s cervix and induce contractions, forcing a small baby out of the mother’s uterus. Most of the time, the baby dies in utero, killed by the force of the violent contractions. But it does not always work. Such abortions sometimes result in a premature baby being born alive. Sometimes the survivors live for just a few minutes, but sometimes for several hours. No one tried to save or treat them — it is hard to save someone you just mauled trying to kill. But something had to be done with them for the minutes and hours during which they struggled for air."
That's a very emotional, values-laden and manipulative paragraph. I probably should not have quoted it at such length. Here at Forgotten Prophets Weblog we strive to maintain an equanimity and lightness of tone calculated to delight the very widest spectrum of readership. I would apologize, only I'm too proud to apologize.
Nurse Jill Stanek was on duty and observed the proceedings in their entirety. Her colleague was told by the medical professionals "to take this baby and leave him in a soiled utility closet. [Stanek] offered to take him instead. 'I couldn’t let him die alone,' she says." She cradled the baby or abortus in her hands for the remainder of his or its life or metabolic activity. That was a violation of doctor's orders. I wonder if she was reprimanded. Unprofessional conduct.
The Hospital called Christ "was doing nothing illegal under the laws of Illinois. Doctors had no ethical or legal obligation to treat these premature babies."
"On March 30, 2001, Obama was the only senator to speak in opposition to a bill that would have banned the practice of leaving premature abortion survivors to die. The bill, SB 1095, was carefully limited, its language unambiguous. It applied only to premature babies, already born alive. It stated simply that under Illinois law, 'the words "person," "human being," "child," and "individual" include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development."
There we go again, getting all confusing about the definition of words. I wish there was some other way of communicating. Like, with smells, the way insects do. The world likes smells, right? Of course it does.
The eloquent Sen. Obama had this to say, when he spoke against this Illinois bill but diplomatically voted present rather than nay:
There was some suggestion that we might be able to craft something that
might meet constitutional muster with respect to caring for fetuses or children
who were delivered in this fashion. Unfortunately, this bill goes a little bit
further, and so … this is probably not going to survive constitutional scrutiny.
Number one, whenever we define a pre-viable fetus as a person that is protected
by the equal protection clause or other elements in the Constitution, what we’re
really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds
of protections that would be provided to a — a child, a nine-month-old — child
that was delivered to term. That determination, then, essentially, if it was
accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place. I mean, it — it would
essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow
somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an
antiabortion statute.
Obama is a scholar of Constitutional Law, you know. So his argument must be very solid, very sound. For my part, I have not studied Constitutional Law, I've only studied the Constitution itself, so I'm not qualified to have a respectable opinion in so subtle and weighty and complex a matter. But there it is again, all that confusion about words. A "child," "a nine-month old" -- a "person." "Pre-viable." "Kill." And I'm not a very good speller either. But I just thought of a way to remember how to spell hospital -- it's like ho spit ... yeah, that should help. It's the i -- I'm always mistaking it for e.
Well, after this, Freddoso gets all boring and political. And anyway I forgot what my point was. Something about how some nurse disobeyed protocol, or the way insects love the stink of feces, or about all the things we could cram into 45 minutes. Funny how I can get so far off track. LOL.
The man who would be president said, "if this is a child, then this would be an antiabortion statute." If this is a child, then this would be an anti-killing-a-child statute. LOL.
J
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