The essence of humanity
By Tom Quiner
Little “MIkey,” the non-person person.
The little fellow to the left (let’s call him Mikey) could feel pain at 20 weeks from the instant of his conception.
I’d like to pose a question: is it humane to abort Mikey at 20 weeks? Iowa State Senator Mike Gronstal says it is:
“I also know that second trimester abortions are almost always a decision by a woman that desperately wants to be pregnant but something has gone tragically wrong with her pregnancy….”
The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a semi autonomous branch of Planned Parenthood, said he’s wrong. Here are the various reasons women give for aborting their babies in the 2nd trimester:
71%–Women did not realize she was pregnant
48%–Difficulty making arrangements for the abortion
33%–Afraid to tell parents or partner
24%–Needed time to make the decision
8%–Hoped their relationship would change.
In other words, the notion that women abort their babies in the second trimester because the fetus is flawed is incorrect, according to the abortion experts. So is the notion that the woman’s health depends on it.
These abortions take place out of convenience to the mother, not in the name of humanity, as Senator Gronstal suggests. And this assumes that killing a flawed human being is ever humane.
The essence of humanity is kindness and benevolence.
Modern science now knows that the baby in the womb feels pain as early as twenty weeks. What can be more lacking in kindness and benevolence than intentionally hurting and killing a living being for the convenience of another?
Senator Gronstal and Iowa Democrats wouldn’t even allow a vote on legislation last year that would end abortions for persons like Mikey who can feel pain beginning at 20 weeks. How do Iowa Democrats defend such a seemingly inhumane position? They don’t consider him to be a person, and thus he is unworthy of Constitutional protection. I guess he’s sort of a non-person person.
We know that Mikey is one-of-a-kind. At conception, he received a unique genetic code unlike any other person in history. All of his hopes, dreams, and potential are alive in this little “non person person” at his conception.
Harry Blackmun, who wrote the majority decision in Roe v Wade in 1973, said:
“If the suggestion of personhood [of the unborn] is established, the appellant’s case, of course, collapses, for the fetus’ right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the [Fourteenth Amendment].”
This idea of personhood, this idea that the fetus is imbued with the essence of humanity, is dawning on a growing majority of Americans as science now lets us look directly into the womb.
At 20 weeks, we can see the baby’s head.
We can see its little fingers and toes.
We hear its heartbeat.
We know it feels pain.
I pose a question to Senator Gronstal and his party: Roman Catholics tend to vote for your party. How can you look us in the eyes and tell us an important piece of legislation that will prevent Iowa from becoming the late-term abortion capital of the Midwest isn’t even worthy of a vote?
Give Mikey and his brothers and sisters another chance this year.
In the name of humanity, start protecting the little guy.
To be fair you should mention that the 2nd trimester is from week 14 – 26. Half of that time is before 20 weeks and half is after.
To be fair, “Mikey” was a person at conception and should be protected by the 14th Amendment. The real point of the piece is the craven disregard Democrats have for a living being who feels pain. They wouldn’t allow a dog to be treated this way. I thank you for writing, and very much hope you continue to weigh in.
Tom-Never understood how liberals cannot understand that an unborn child is a HUMAN LIFE. It shows the characteristics of life: it feeds, it grows, it reacts to its environment…. It is undeniably human, as at conception it has unique DNA that shows it is such. Of course, once that they admit it is human life, as Blackmun stated in Roe, the whole Roe case would be thrown out, as according to the 14th amendment, the child has equal protection under the law.
As this video explains, abortion arguments can be boiled down to determining the difference in value between the pre-born and born humans. Defenders of the pre-born simply say they are equal. All other arguments all nullified after that.
Skip to 7:30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_0eTXvPvI
I believe we should not inflict cruelty upon any living creature. That is we should never inflict unnecessary pain on living creatures.
My moral prohibition on cruelty informs my position on both sides of this issues. I agree that around 20 week babies feel pain and I don’t agree with abortions after that point unless there is a danger to the mother.
On the other hand I think it is cruel to force a child on anybody. Nobody should be forced to bare a child they don’t want. I think that is cruel to the mother. But more importantly I think it is cruel to put the child in that position. It is a cruel life to be unwanted by your parents. There are enough unwanted children in the world already there is no need for more.
No one has a right to kill a human being simply because they are inconvenient. We have loving moms and dads waiting in line to adopt these so called “unwanted” kids.
A million couples every year want to adopt. That is a far better solution than killing one’s child. We were endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I guess those words don’t mean anything anymore….