[guest post by Dana]
This doesn’t seem hard but I guess if one is desperate to maintain the illusion that abortion is not about a baby but a faceless clump of cells, better to mock those who believe every life is sacred for their intense pushback, pouncing, and seizing after hearing the staggering comments made by a lawmaker rather than growing a moral spine and condemning advocacy for eugenics being played out on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives.
This is Rep. John Rogers (D) filibustering in the Alabama State House during the lead up to the vote on a pro-life bill that would tighten up restrictions on abortion. .
In the first clip, Rogers bluntly embraces the utilitarian point of view on abortion:
It ought to be a woman’s choice. I’m not about to be a man and tell a woman what to do with her body. She has a right to make her decisions herself.
Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later.
In the second clip, Rogers moves to straight-up eugenics, while at the same time unwittingly confirms that these are indeed, real life babies we are talking about:
He went on to explain that some children may be aborted because they are “retarded” and “half-deformed.”
Some parents can’t handle a child with problems. “It could be retarded. It might have no arms and no legs.”
Again, it’s unfathomable that everyone isn’t pouncing and seizing and condemning Rogers for his barbaric advocacy. What does it say about a culture when the right to kill is more highly-valued and more vigorously fought for than the right to live? How the most vulnerable are treated by a people, and the extent to which they are valued, reflects the soul of a society. When that society readily justifies the killing of innocent beings because they are less than perfect and even equates their short existence with an adult who was given the actual opportunity to live and breathe and know life, then the gig is up.
Today Rogers doubled-down on his statements:
The Al.com reporter pressed Rogers to clarify his remarks. “So you said they’re unwanted children, kill them now, it doesn’t matter, it’s the same thing as killing them later?” she asked.
“Right,” Rogers answered, continuing to justify his comments by citing the hardships people are facing in Alabama. “You close thirteen rural hospitals, and going through Medicare Expansion,” he said. “You got at least two people a night getting killed in our prisons, and then we keep locking them in prisons and building prisons — locking them up in prisons by the droves. So therefore, you kill them anyway. You denying them the right to get food stamps. You got to get drug tested to get food stamps–’cause you on drugs mean you starve to death!” Rogers exclaimed. “So therefore, you kill them anyways.”
With permission, I am sharing this because it presents a stark – and very real – contrast to Rogers’ claims. Several weeks ago a friend shared with me that her daughter’s close friend had been told by doctors in her 17th week of pregnancy that her baby would be born with a rare birth defect known as Encephalocele. The defect was irreparable. Yet, even when hearing the diagnosis, the young woman of faith was compelled to carry the baby as long as she was able. Because whether perfect or imperfect, this baby was a testimony that life was being housed in her womb, and she would continue to provide shelter and nourishment and every other miraculous gift a mother’s body provides on the journey to life. In spite of the doctors not expecting the baby to survive past 25 weeks gestation, a full-term baby girl was delivered several weeks ago via C-section. For the short 21 hours of her life, the baby rested on her mother’s breast and remained there while both mother and father enveloped her in their mighty love. A mother who, although knowing that the odds of survival were extremely low, chose to give her baby breath and welcome her to the world.
This unwavering commitment to life-affirming principles is humbling. As this young couple now make their way through a season of mourning, please say a prayer for them. Had she opted to abort upon finding out about the rare birth defect, there would have been no condemnation from me. Only compassionate prayers. Life can be brutally cruel. It seems that between its trials and tribulations, we are gifted with a few golden moments to tuck away in our hearts that can later be pulled out when the unbearable happens. It is then that we are reminded of Hope and Grace and enduring Love. And that it won’t always be like this. For the believer, suffering in the name of Christ is the heart of faith. It looks to the eternal with sureness that at the end of our days, we will be reunited with those loved ones who have gone before us. This young woman believed that abortion was not an option. To her, the only option was life – no matter how fleeting it might be. And one tiny 6 lb. 15 oz. wisp of baby girl was able to know and receive that breath of love for a brief moment. Never unwanted, never rejected because of her imperfections, simply loved beyond all description.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
