1929: Abortion by physician proves fatal

On February 21, 1929, Virginia Clark died of complications of a botched, illegal abortion. G. W. Wilbanks and W. A. N. Jones were charged with murder in her death. Wilbanks was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and the following information comes from the Westlaw commentary on his appeal.

Virginia was treated prior to her death by a Dr. McArthur, who testified as to her dying declaration. He said that Virginia told him that when she learned that she was pregnant, she told the man responsible that "something would have to done about it." He made arrangements for an abortion to be performed by a doctor. The paramor brought the doctor to Virginia, and he used medicine and instruments on her. The procedure was so painful that Virginia asked him to stop, so the doctor administered chloroform. According to Dr. McArthur, Virginia told him that this abortion "was what had butchered her up and was killing her."

Virginia didn't tell her mother, Mrs. Goodwyne, about the abortion. Mrs. Goodwyne testified, "She (Virginia Clark) said that she went to the theatre or something, and it seemed like there was something broke, and she said she thought she wouldn't be able to get back to the hotel, but she did."

Wilbanks tried to get his conviction overturned on the grounds of the difference between what Virginia told her mother, and what she told Dr. McArthur as she lay dying.

Virginia's abortion was typical of illegal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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I laughed until it hurt

The Epic Ballad Of Sully And The Devil-Birds

Though maybe you have to be an English lit major or a ren-faire geek to get it.

1988: Cheapskate abortionist kills patient with overdose

When 23-year-old Stacy (or Stayce) went to Scott Barrett for a safe and legal abortion on February 20, 1988, she didn't know how he anesthetized his patients at Central Health Center for Women in Springfield, Missouri.

During the abortion, Stacy stopped breathing, Barrett and his staff were unable to revive her. Staff called an ambulance, but the medics found Stacy in full cradio-respiratory arrest, with unresponsive pupils. The resuscitation attempts made by paramedics included suctioning "copious amounts of blood" from Stacy's airway, inserting an endogrecheal tube, administering medications and oxygen, putting in an IV, and using a defibrillator.

They transferred Stacy to the emergency room, where she had a racing pulse and fixed, dilated pupils. She was unable to breathe on her own. The hospital transfused her with packed red blood cells and gave her additional IV fluids, but her EEG "revealed findings consistent with brain death. After a discussion with the patient's family, respiratory support was discontinued and the patient was pronounced dead at 11:34 p.m."

Stacy's father requested an autopsy, which found toxic concentrations of Lidocaine in Stacy's blood. Her serum level, as tested in blood drawn 2 hour after the abortion, was 8.1 ug/ml, or more than five times the therapeutic level of 1.5 ug/ml. An expert who testified later estimated that, based on how fast the body metabolizes Lidocaine, the amount in her system at the time of the abortion could have been as high as 16 ug/ml, over ten times the therapeutic dose.

In order to rule out other causes of death, the coroner examined ten times the normal number of specimens, looking for signs of an amniotic fluid embolism. He could find no such evidence. He also found no evidence of "any naturally occurring disease process which could account for Ms. Ruckman's death." What he did find was "history of a grand mal seizure and cardiac arrest after a 'therapeutic' abortion at 13.8 weeks gestation." Stacy also had suffered cerebral and pulmonary edema (swelling of the brain and lungs), pulmonary hemorrhage (excessive bleeding in the lungs), clotted and unclotted blood in her mouth and nose, around 55 cc of bloody fluid surrounding her lungs, and another 200 cc's of bloody fluid in her pelvic cavity.

Stacy's parents sued. An anesthesiologist was asked under oath to give any and all possible medically valid reasons for administering that high a dose of Lidocaine; he repeatedly answered that he could think of none. The only reason he could think of -- not a medically valid one -- was to speed up the abortion. Barrett's nurse testified that he tupically did 35-40 abortions per day, at $300 each.

She, and other staff, also testified that Barrett routinely gave patients massive dosed of Lidocaine in order to render them unconscious.

The court found that Barrett altered or falsified Stacy's records in attempt to cover his culpability. The Medical board likewise implicated Barrett in Stacy's death.

A jury awarded Stacy's parents $25.3 million for the wrongful death of their daughter -- $330,000 in actual damages, and $25 million in aggravated damages. However, Barrett caried no insurance and was not represented at all during the trial; he himself failed to show up.



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Two pre-legal abortion deaths

On February 20, 1919, W. G. Waters and M. T. Summerlin performed an abortion on Viola Parr with instruments of some sort, causing her death. I have been unable to determine what professions Waters and Summerlin pursued when they weren't acting as abortionists.

Viola's abortion was unusual in that it was apparently performed by an amateur, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.

Fast forward to 1927, when on February 20, 23-year-old Angerita Hargarten died in her home from an abortion performed there that day. Midwives Anna Trezek and Frances Raz were held by the coroner, Trezek as the principal and Raz as her accomplice. Again, this was unusual, but a bit more typical in that Trezek and Raz had medical training.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Today's Scripture: Matthew 25:40

Matthew 25:40 --

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you did for me.'

King James Bible
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

American Standard Version
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

Weymouth New Testament
"But the King will answer them, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.'

World English Bible
"The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Young's Literal Translation
And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my brethren -- the least -- to me ye did it.

The word translated "truly" or "verily" is -- AMEN -- meaning very firmly, truly

What's translated as "you rendered to" or "ye did it to", etc, is from poieo:

1) to make
1a) with the names of things made, to produce, construct,
form, fashion, etc.
1b) to be the authors of, the cause
1c) to make ready, to prepare
1d) to produce, bear, shoot forth
1e) to acquire, to provide a thing for one's self
1f) to make a thing out of something
1g) to (make i.e.) render one anything
1g1) to (make i.e.) constitute or appoint one anything, to
appoint or ordain one that
1g2) to (make i.e.) declare one anything
1h) to put one forth, to lead him out
1i) to make one do something
1i1) cause one to
1j) to be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about)
2) to do
2a) to act rightly, do well
2a1) to carry out, to execute
2b) to do a thing unto one
2b1) to do to one
2c) with designation of time: to pass, spend
2d) to celebrate, keep
2d1) to make ready, and so at the same time to institute,
the celebration of the passover
2e) to perform: to a promise

"The least" is elachistos:

1) smallest least
1a) in size
1b) in amount: of management of affairs
1c) in importance: what is the least moment
1d) in authority: of commandments
1e) in the estimation of men: of persons
1f) in rank and excellence: of persons

"Brethren" or "brothers" is adelphos:

1) a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the
same father or mother
2) having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same
people, or countryman
3) any fellow or man
4) a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection
5) an associate in employment or office
6) brethren in Christ
6a) his brothers by blood
6b) all men
6c) apostles
6d) Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place
from 1 (as a connective particle) and delphus (the womb); a brother
(literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like 1):-brother.

Now, put forth an argument that by virtue of being small, young, helpless, and totally dependent, the unborn are somehow not numbered among "the least of these". It seems from this Scripture that the more insignificant a person seems, the more you'd do well to treat them as you would Jesus.

1986: Diagnostic failure by abortionist allows patient to die

Magnolia Reed Thomas was a 35-year-old mother of two when she went to Hedd Surgi-Center in Chicago for a safe, legal abortion. The abortion was performed by Rudolph Moragne on February 19, 1986. Moragne failed to note that the fetus was growing in Magnolia's fallopian tube, rather than in her uterus. After Magnolia was discharged from the clinic, the undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy ruptured, and Magnolia was rushed to the hospital. There, doctors did everything they could to save her, but she died from blood loss and shock on February 19, 1986.

This was Magnolia's third abortion. Multiple abortions are a known risk factor for ectopic pregnancy.

Even though, in theory, women who choose abortion should be less likely to die of ectopic pregnancy complications, experiences shows that they're actually more likely to die, due to sloppy practices by abortion practitioners.

Another patient, Diane Watson, died of anesthesia compliations after she'd undergone a safe, legal abortion by Moragne at Hedd.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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For Students: The Grosvenor-Sessions Abortion Case

This is aimed primarily at students who might be looking for a topic for a term paper, debate, or speech. Instead of doing my write-up, I am going to provide primary source documents for an historic abortion case in the US Colonial era, along with some questions for you. The entire exercise is an excellent one for honing research and analysis skills. And although you can't draw definitive conclusions from just one case, you can use it as an example to combine with other evidence to try to paint as accurate a picture as you can of abortion as practiced in Colonial times.

I've found that writing up these historic abortion cases challenged many of my assumptions, introduced ideas that hadn't occurred to me before, and reinforced other assumptions. I'm hoping that regardless of your stand on abortion it will do the same for you. The more thought and consideration we give to the dynamics of abortion, the more we can do to prevent the practice -- a goal all prolifers and most prochoicers would agree on.

Before you start looking at the documents, think a while about some of what you've been taught about abortion historically -- what the different people have said to you, what you've seen written up, and what conclusions you yourself have drawn.

Was it common?

Was it legal in the time period in question?

Was it approved of? By whom? Why or why not? What role did concern for the fetus play? Concern for the mother? Other concerns (social stability, religious beliefs, etc.)?

Was it perceived as safe or dangerous? Why?

Was the perceived safety or danger the primary concern?

Was it practiced openly or secretly?

How did people go about arranging abortions?

Who took the the lead in making abortion arrangements?

Was abortion thought of as killing a baby?

Since this is a death, it's also important to ask before you read:

Was the mother's death thought of as the only crime, the primary crime, the secondary crime?

How much significance was placed on the death of the fetus?

Now it's time to start reading original source documents. The involved parties' depositions are here, and the indictments here.

As you read, try to develop a timeline of who was doing what and when it was happening. What roles did various people play? What was their perception of what was happening? What impact did social mores, laws, religion, relationships, and other circumstances play?

You can double-check your timeline against this chronology when you're finished. More commentary and questions are available here, and another person's commentary here.

Were any aspects of this case surprising to you? What aspects played out the way you thought they would have? What did you learn? Do you think your preconceptions played a role in how you interpreted the events? Read these accounts and analyses, and consider what sorts of conclusions others drew from the same source documents. What other sources might they have had access to that you lack? What further information do you need?

"Taking the trade": abortion and gender relations in an eighteenth-century New England village. (abstract)

Sexual Borderlands

Sarah Grosvenor vs. Mary Fish

Contraception and Abortion in Nineteenth-Century America

Meehan Reports (Use search to find the reference, then look at the surrounding work and compare it to what you see elsewhere.)

When Abortion Was a Crime (Use search to find the reference, then look at the surrounding work and compare it to what you see elsewhere.)

Do you think this young woman's death could have been prevented? If so, how? What role did law, social mores, family and social dynamics, the relationship with the man, and medical practices of the time play in her death?

Most importantly: What are we doing today that might be preventing such tragedies? Facilitating them? What can or should we change? What can or should we maintain or protect?

Nonsensical headline of the day, courtesy of Fox News

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Eggs Human Status

A fertilized egg is an egg that contains an embryo.

Earth to the Associated Press: HUMANS DON'T LAY EGGS. No mammals do. Our embryos gestate inside the bodies of their mothers.

Today's scripture: 1 Peter 4:9

1 Peter 4:9
"Be hospitable to one another without complaint." (NAS)
"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." (KJV)

The word translated "be hospitable" is " philoxenos" -- simply, "hospitable, generous to guests".

The word translated "complaint" is "goggusmos" -- "a murmur, murmuring, muttering; a secret debate; a secret displeasure not openly avowed"

In other words, you're called to be hospitable without being cranky about it.

Lest hospitality seem a trivial, Martha Stewarty thing beneath the believer's notice, take a look at these studies and commentaries:

Hospitality: "The need for shelter is a fundamental human need. None of us ever knows for sure when we might be uprooted and cast on the mercy of others. But how do we overcome our fear in order to welcome and shelter a stranger? The Christian practice of hospitality is the practice of providing a space to take in a stranger. It also encompasses the skills of welcoming friends and family to our tables, to claim the joy of homecoming." Read the whole thing; it's short but to the point.

Exodus Network: "The word "hospitality" can only be found in the Bible (NIV) five times! Yet, the spirit of hospitality can be seen throughout the Word."

Nave's Topical Bible: Extensive Scriptural links to themes of hospitality.

Hospitality in the House of God: "Hospitality is a common theme throughout the Bible. References to hospitality first appear in the Hebrew Scriptures--the Torah (Law)--and are found throughout the history of Israel, the Psalms, the books of the prophets, the Gospels, and the writings of John, Paul, and Peter." Follow the links to further study.

This is just a starter. Hospitality from a Scriptural standpoint is not the same as entertaining. It is recognizing God in others, and offering to them what we would offer to Our Lord -- a welcome, a meeting of the needs for food and shelter, a place of rest and refreshment.

How hospitable are we being when we deny our own offspring the safety of our wombs? If we refuse to love our own children, sheltered in our bodies, how can we claim to love our brothers and sisters who seek refuge in our homes?

Likewise we are called upon to offer hospitality to the troubled pregnant woman, to see to it that she has her needs met, so that she in turn can offer the hospitality of her love to her unborn child.

Wisdom in the strangest places

Such as 5 Things You Think Will Make You Happy (But Won't) (PROFANITY ALERT!!!)

Conclusion: Stop worrying so much about yourself and shift your focus outward, to doing good and practicing your faith.

Psalm 119:14
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Proverbs 30:8
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (New International Version)
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

1949: Attempt to cover up abortion death

On February 17, 1949, the battered body of Mrs. Roberta Shirley Danks, a 28-year-old war widow from Chicago, was found crumpled on a rural road near Chesterton, Indiana. She had bruises over her body and a deep gash on her head, but an autopsy revealed that these injuries had been sustained after her death, evidently to try to make Roberta appear to be the victim of a hit-and-run driver. She had actually died of peritonitis from a criminal abortion performed several days earlier.

An investigation found that Roberta had undergone an abortion, performed by a physician, in the basement of the Chicago home of 40-year-old housewife Olive Janes. Roberta had been on leave from her job as a switchboard operator at Roosevelt College in Chicago.

Roberta's boyfriend, 36-year-old James Manes, who had been involved with her for three years, said he hadn't seen her since February 6.

Janes was sentenced to 7 - 14 years for manslaughter, plus 5 - 10 years on two other abortion counts.

Dorothy's abortion was typical of criminal abortions in that it was performed by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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1995: Biskind's forgotten patient

Lisa Bardsley was 26 years old when she went to Dr. John Biskind in Phoenix, Arizona. She was at least 20 weeks pregnant when she underwent her supposedly safe and legal abortion on February 16, 1995. An hour after the abortion was completed, Lisa was discharged from the clinic. With a friend who had accompanied her, Lisa headed home to northern Arizona.

Lisa took ill, so she and her friend stopped at a motel and called for medical help. Lisa was taken to a hospital in Cottonwood, where she died February 17. The autopsy showed that she'd bled to death from a large uterine laceration.

Biskind went on to get into further trouble for delivering a live, nearly term infant during an abortion performed on a teenager, and for the abortion death of Lou Ann Herron. Herron's death got far more press than Bardsley's, whose death for some reason did not capture public attention or generate outrage the way Herron's death did.

Biskind's license was finally revoked in 1998.

The clinic where Lisa died was owned by abortionist Moshe Hachamovitch, who was implicated in the abortion deaths of Christina Goesswein, Tanya Williamson, Luz Rodriguez, and Jammie Garcia.

For more abortion deaths, visit the Cemetery of Choice:



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1929: Abortion by housewife proves fatal

On February 17, 1929, 25-year-old Violet Diancalana died in the home of Katherine Bajda, of complications of a criminal abortion performed on her there that day.

Mrs. Bajda, identified as a homemaker, was held by the coroner. On March 15, Bajda was indicted for felony murder by a grand jury.

Violet's abortion was unusual in that it was performed by an amateur, rather than by a doctor, as was the case with perhaps 90% of criminal abortions.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Today's scripture: Psalms 119:169

Psalms 119:169 -- Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word. - (KJV)

Nothing lengthy today, just a reminder that in time of trouble, while we might cry out to God to release us from our trouble, wisdom comes in asking first for understanding. The trouble may well have some good purpose, if only we seek it.

More illegal deaths, more pondering

I've been adding to the Cemetery of Choice, a few deaths from old news clippings, but a whole batch from the Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database. Either I'd missed a bunch before, or a whole slew have been added.

What's odd is that it tends to be supporters of legal abortion who get all snotty with me about how far back in time I go when researching abortion deaths. I'd expected that their response would be to try to focus my attention on the older ones, to challenge me with something akin to, "How can you look at all that carnage from criminal abortions and not appreciate how much better safe, legal abortion is?" But by and large, they don't, possibly because of how indistinguishable so many of these deaths are from the nice sanitary safe-n-legal kind.

I don't think I've ever gotten a single criticism from prolifers for listing all the illegal abortion deaths -- stories that, after all, short sighted abortion supporters could use as ammunition in a debate with somebody who isn't very well educated about criminal abortion. The prolifers might be bewildered, but they're never outraged.

What I have gotten from both sides is "Why do you do it?" To which I'd answer, "Why does Adrian Monk touch parking meters?" It's a compulsion. A bizarre, ghoulish compulsion. I said it to a reporter who considered it worth putting in print: "My ministry is to the dead." All of these women died because of an idea -- the idea that women and their unborn children are mortal enemies, that a baby's death can be a boon to its mother. And that idea, if it's true... well, to paraphrase Jeremy Irons in The Mission, if that's true, then might really does make right and love has no place in the world. And I don't think I have the strength to live in a world like that.

It's been a learning experience, that's for sure. I started out the project very naive, thinking that quack abortionists were swiftly and surely locked up in the olden days. There's nothing quite like digging into the past to dispel that illusion. Chicago, in particular, seemed to have run a revolving-door justice system in which abortionists who killed their patients were scolded, locked up long enough to lull the public into a sense of security, then set free to ply their trade again.

Digging up the past has done a lot to convince me that both sides are misinformed and working toward a cure that is an illusion. The prochoicers see the past as an endless vista of coathanger-impaled women who would have lived and thrived had there just been legal permission for doctors to rid them of their unwanted fetuses, and the present as an era of competent and compassionate "providers" of "vital reproductive health care services". All that's necessary, in their eyes, is to throw enough contraceptives around, with abortion as a backup, and all will be rosy. The prolifers tend to see the past as a golden age in which abortion was virtually non-existent, to which we could quickly return if only we could pass a personhood amendment.

Both sides are wrong in their assessments.

There were gruesome, horrible abortions back in the bad old days. But there are gruesome, horrible abortions now. Legalizing abortion did nothing to change the kinds of people who are attracted to the business. As abortion advocate Magda Denes noted, "Reknown is no guarantee of skill. Skill is no safeguard aginst cruelty. Patients are utterly vulnerable to the mental health of their helpers. The helpers should, therefore, be watched like potential enemies." And it's in the abortion supporters' self-interest to heed Denes' words. Every instance of quackery is, after all, ammo for the enemy to argue that legal abortion ain't all it's cracked up to be.

But contrariwise, prolifers need to grasp that recriminalizing abortion won't stop it. It will only limit it. As long as the idea is put forth in respectable circles that abortion is palliative, many women will resort to it. We need to ask ourselves what our goal is -- to punish abortion, or to reduce it to an absolute irreducible minimum.

Prochoicers act as if the morality is unclear, but the solution is clear: lots of contraceptives with abortion as a backup. But they're wrong. The morality is clear: any society that drives woman to kill their own children is a seriously screwed up society that needs fixing; it's the solution that's unclear. We ridicule the abortion supporter for the simple, one-size-fits-all solution of abortion to all social, emotional, and medical dilemmas for the pregnant women. But we're equally over-simplistic when we present criminalization as a simple, one-size-fits-all solution.

This post is highly unsatisfactory to me. I like to have a nice, clean, simple thing to say. And I don't. All I can do is share my dismay and bewilderment when I ponder how we can ever cut through all the muddle and build a society where mothers and their unborn children aren't pitted against each other as if they're natural rivals instead of natural allies.

"Haunted" or "Don't judge the glibness; it might be a cover-up"

Haunted is a haunting post by The Raving Theist.

The two carefree young women in the bar were roommates. One of them was pregnant. The condition was temporary. In a few days her late-summer drinking companion would drive her to a clinic for an abortion, just as she had driven so many other friends to “get theirs.” That appointment made way for a relaxing evening, for the aversion the pregnant woman briefly felt towards alcohol was relieved by a sensible reminder.

“You are going to kill it anyway.”

Her friend was indifferent to who heard this remark (and many did) because the observation was so ordinary. It was like explaining why it didn’t matter if paint splattered on a pair of worn, soon-to-be discarded shoes. After another round of drinks and cheerful conversation, the comment would be forgotten.

It would also be remembered, some 18 years later.

Both young women would be haunted not only by the remark but by the reality behind it. Read it all and reflect that what you see might not be all that is there.

1925: Fatal abortion performed by midwife in Chicago

On February 16, 1925, 28-year-old Agnes Crowe died in Chicago's West Side Hospital from a criminal abortion performed that day. The coroner indicated that a female midwife was responsible for Agnes' death, but did not name the guilty party.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Why time doesn't heal all wounds.

Ashli has posted what I might think of as a Best-Of: Ashli explaining why crying "Heal!" won't heal a mother's broken heart.

I was at the fax machine at work on Friday, stamping "FAXED" on some papers and scribbling "2-13-09" in the little box. And it smacked me right between the eyes how much time had passed since my dear friend had gotten struck and killed by a pickup truck as he was hitchhiking to a gas station. The huge gap between then and now, the nine years that have passed, smacked me in the head. My life has gone on. Dans' ended. I left him back there, his body broken on a Texas highway, spirit set free. And for me, nine years without him. Nine years of no Dan to go home to. Nine years of things Dan wasn't there for, both good and bad: 9/11, my granddaughter's birth, the election, my new job. Everything I've had for the past nine years is something I've had without Dan, something that Dan didn't have any part of. It took my breath away. I nearly burst into tears there by the fax machine. And I said a prayer for Ashli, because I know that when I'm getting these smacks with the 500-pound wet fish of loss, I'm getting a smidgen of what she gets when the fish hits.

The most helpful thing anybody said in the immediate aftermath of Dan's death was when my father said, "You never get over something like that." He let me know that he understood what it was to lose your best friend. He'd lost his in 1979. He knew.

The very word "compassion" means "suffer with". Platitudes make you feel better. Shutting up and listening is hard. Admitting your helplessness to make it better is harder.

If you want to say something comforting to a woman who has lost a child to an abortion, don't. Just admit that there's not a goddam thing you can say or do that will bring her baby back, nothing you can say or do that will give her the thing she needs more than anything else. She needs her baby. She wants her baby. She aches for her baby. You can't say anything to make that better. You can only say stuff that makes it worse.

Think of the worst loss of your life. Think of the worst guilt of your life. Think of the worst anguish of your life. Think of how they come back to haunt you at night sometimes. Imagine them on this scale: Your child dead because you signed the death warrant.

Then just stop trying to make it all better. Nothing this side of Paradise will.

Assorted Scriptures on the Unborn Today

In the last Scripture posting, I looked at Exodus 21 and Abortion. Now let's look at some other Scriptures.

Christians most often cite two scriptures when tackling abortion:

Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart"
Psalm 139:16 - "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

These scriptures certainly speak clearly on the issue of God valuing and treasuring each of us, even before birth. They reflect the marvelous quality of God's handiwork, even before science knew exactly how detailed, complex, and sophisticated the fetus was. By eight weeks -- the time most abortions are performed -- every organ system is present in the fetus. The bones are formed, the hands and feet, kidneys and adrenal grands, eyes and ears and brain. The unborn child is God's handiwork, a masterpiece in progress. The scriptures recognize this.

Another scriptural reference to unborn life is the wrestling in the womb of Esau and Jacob within Rebekah's body (Genesis 25:21-23):

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." (NIV)

Of course, this scriptural passage was written long before ultrasound allowed us to observe behavior in the womb. But it turns out that twins do indeed wrestle in the womb, do touch and interact with one another. And God uses this normal human behavior, and Rebakah's unusal recognition of this behavior, to reveal the future of her descendants to Rebekah.

Perhaps the most famous act by a fetus in the Bible is the leaping of John the Baptist within Elizabeth's womb at the sound of her cousin Mary's voice (Luke 1:41-44):

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (NIV)

As John the Baptist was later to announce the coming of the Messiah to the multitudes as a man, he announced the Incarnation to his mother while still in the womb. His destiny was already in motion, and the Spirit of God already active in him, directing him, even before his birth.

If we search the Bible for signs of when God first begins to love each of us, we see that His love is eternal -- that it precedes our existence. But how are we, who live within the limitations of time, to live out that love to one another? We can not act in love toward those who, from within our prison of time, do not yet exist, except to be prepared to welcome our fellows when they arrive in this finite world, to live out their lives among us. To countenance abortion even in theory is to prepare to reject those who God holds in His mind, who He already loves with His perfect love. And to practice abortion in reality is to reject our brothers and sisters, in a very real and concrete way, by killing them. In doing so, we sin not only against our brothers and sisters by breaking the Commandment against murder; we sin against Christ by killing Him in them, for as we do to them, we do to Him.

1890: Abortion proves fatal for Chicago woman

On February 16, 1890, Mrs. Mary Keegan died from complications of an illegal abortion performed that day. Mary died at the location where the abortion was performed. Mrs. Annie Schneider was arrested and held by the Coroner's Jury. Mrs. Schneider is described as employed in an unidentified profession. The Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database shows no other illegal abortion deaths associated with Mrs. Schneider.



For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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