Abortion is Now “Protecting Children” and “Providing End-of-Life Care”

This blog posting is dedicated to my ‘Christian’ critics who say – “The Church should not be preaching politics from the pulpit.”  To them I say … it in the strongest ‘other than English’ terms … “Bulls-Geschichte!”

 

Where are my critics when the pro-life opponents ‘preach’ their ‘other than Biblical’ propaganda to all who will listen?  Get real!  Get engaged in the affairs of the culture!  Get your head out from where the sun doesn’t shine!  Where else are you going to get empowered and equipped with an understanding of the Biblical worldview … if it isn’t in the Church?

 

On the World Stage –

 

The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child released a new report slamming the Roman Catholic Church and suggesting that it alter its belief system to permit abortion in order to “protect children.”  The committee also urged the Vatican to amend its Canon Law to identify circumstances where access to abortion can be permitted (i.e., saving the life of a young mother).  It urged the Vatican website (The Holy See) to ensure that sex education … including access to information about contraception and preventing HIV … be mandatory in Catholic schools. It called for The Holy See to use its moral authority to condemn discrimination against homosexual children or children raised by same-sex couples.

 

Naturally, Vatican officials are not overly pleased with the suggestion to change a significant pillar of the Church's teachings in order to appease the United Nations.  The Holy See does, however, regret to see in some points of the ‘Concluding Observations’ an attempt to interfere with Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of the human person and in the exercise of religious freedom.

 

The Holy See reiterates its commitment to defending and protecting the rights of the child, in line with the principles promoted by the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and according to the moral and religious values offered by Catholic doctrine.  But, it’s nothing short of foolish to suggest murdering unborn-children is the best way to protect them.

 

On The U.S. Stage –

 

The progressive ‘left’ of the United States is now seeking to redefine abortion as “end-of-life care.”  A proponent of this is a medical student and mother who, with her husband, chose to have an abortion saying it was a “parenting decision” — not one of when life begins, but a decision of “how and when life should end.”

 

The rhetoric surrounding most abortion arguments focus primarily on the question of when life begins — is the fetus a baby at 6-weeks?  12-weeks?  20-weeks? — And whether women have the right to make choices about their pregnant bodies.  In this case, however, abortion was a “parenting decision” … which they believed was the most important decision they had to make.

 

In the words of this mother, “This might not be comfortable or convenient for the pro-choice narrative, but it’s the truth.  Some aspects of abortion might rightfully be best considered in the context of when life begins; but in situations like ours, the most salient fact was how and when life should end.”

 

During a second trimester ultrasound … when the baby was 19-weeks … some potentially extensive medical complications were found.  With her medical knowledge, the mother knew the news was not good: She asked, “What kind of suffering is this baby experiencing?  What kind of quality of life will he or she have?”  She went on to say, “What we don’t talk about much in medical school, or anywhere else for that matter, is the idea of end-of-life care before independent life has even begun. Because of my familiarity with what many of the different therapeutic and palliative care options entailed — medically, ethically, personally — it was clear to me that what we were dealing with was choosing an end-of-life care plan for our son.  And because my husband and I believe more in evidence than in miracles, we knew that the appropriate time to implement that plan was now.”

 

Not wanting to risk the unknown of delivering a baby who might experience suffering, they chose to abort — what they called “a peaceful death.”  “[W]e chose to give our baby what we felt was the most humane, comfortable, and loving end-of-life experience we felt we could facilitate. Aborting my son was not about when life begins, but how to end it humanely.”

 

As the left so often does, they demonstrate their propensity to corrupt language, and blur the lines of right and wrong.

 

How can the Church – the proclaimer of Absolute Truth – not speak to what God (the Creator of life) has said about life within the womb?  That’s the problem.  The Church has become (or is being asked to become) speechless; to be muzzled on political issues; to compromise God’s Word.

 

Let me be clear: I WILL NOT cease to preach against this blight upon this nation.  Shame on those in pulpits and pews who foolishly think the Church should be silent on these moral issues of our day!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

 

P.S. — Don’t bother writing to me about my choice of language at the outset of this blog posting.  It is mild compared to what you hear on TV, in movies, at work, or at your sporting events.  Here again, you just wrongly think preachers ought not speak of the moral issues of our day.  You probably would have said the same of the Old Testament prophets.