A tragic shooting in a Texas church earlier this month has unsurprisingly revealed media bias against those children who are alive in their mothers wombs, yet to be born. Last week, Fox News’ “The Five” tackled this topic, noting how outlets like CNN and MSNBC have been counting the death toll at 25, plus an “unborn child” or “fetus,” clearly dehumanizing the child in the womb.
The state of Texas, for its part, counts both the expectant mother and her preborn child as separate victims in the attack.
From the tape played during “The Five” showing MSNBC’s Tuesday coverage:
Crystal Holcombe, she was pregnant; she died inside this church behind me. And not only her and her unborn child, but three of her children. And today, during this press conference, we learned that her unborn child is included in that count of 26 dead here at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Then the reporter added that “news out of that press conference is 25, and an unborn child, or a fetus, if you will.”
While “fetus” is a technical term used to describe a stage of human development, abortion supporters don’t use that term to be scientifically accurate (especially since many deny the science that proves a new human life, with its own distinct DNA, begins at conception). They use the term to dehumanize preborn children.
Relevant discussion begins at 27:24 in the video below:
“The Five” co-host Juan Williams suggested that perhaps an MSNBC producer didn’t want to just allow the term “unborn child” to stand alone, as that kind of language, according to Williams, is “charged” and “politicized.” But in today’s world, the truth is often considered controversial, even if, in reality, it’s accurate — a further example of just how far the pro-abortion crowd will go to deny biology as well as humanity.
Texas, where the shooting occurred, has been consistently ranked by Americans United for Life as one of the most protective states for life. In addition to the passage of several pro-life laws this previous year and in ones before that, Texas has a law requiring that Holcombe’s child, and other preborn victims of violence, be counted as victims in such instances. The state was among the first in the country to pass such a law, in 2003.
Co-host Dana Perino explained:
These are decisions made by state governments. So the federal government doesn’t have a position on this. This is a crime that took place in Texas, and in Texas a fetus is considered a child, a life. And so, if, for example… let’s just say that a pregnant mother, she’s driving down the highway, she gets hit by a drunk driver, and it was reckless endangerment, and she lives, but the baby dies. That would, in Texas, and in many other states, including Virginia, that child would be counted as a life that passed away.
While most states have fetal homicide laws, not all do. Tragically, Colorado had no such law when Heather Surovik’s preborn son, Brady, was killed in an accident caused by a drunk driver. The state refused to charge the driver with Brady’s death, because Brady had not yet lived outside of the womb. Even after Brady’s death, pro-abortion politicians and their allies in Colorado killed a bill that would have made sure mothers didn’t have to go through the same anguish that Heather did.
READ: Abortion supporters terrified of idea of memorials to abortion victims
Heather later joined with Personhood USA, and they gained enough signatures for a 2014 ballot initiative which would have amended the state criminal code. Unfortunately, Amendment 67, also known as the Brady Amendment, was defeated, due to fear mongering from pro-abortion forces who claimed the initiative was a “personhood” amendment which would (they said) threaten the legality of certain types of contraception.
Just a few months later in the same state, Michelle Wilkins, who was seven months pregnant with her daughter, was lured to Dynel Lane’s house, under the impression that she was answering a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. Lane attacked Wilkins and cut her daughter out of her womb. The baby girl was believed to have taken a breath, but did not survive.
From the start, Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett did not treat Wilkins’ daughter, Aurora, as a human victim, claiming murder charges would be too “complicated.” Less than a week later, it was reported that murder charges would not be filed. It was also revealed that Garnett was personally tied to Planned Parenthood, which fought against the Brady Amendment. Planned Parenthood fights against virtually every bill that might regulate or restrict abortion in any way.
Lane was ultimately charged, and found guilty of, Michelle’s attempted murder, and in April 2016, was sentenced to 100 years in prison.
“The Five’s” Perino mentioned that the parents, in these cases, view the preborn child as a real human being, even if the law does not, further highlighting the unspeakable heartache of Heather, Michelle, and other women in states where fetal homicide laws are not in place. These mothers not only suffer heart wrenching tragedy, but surely they must feel like justice has been thwarted in some way.
The truth of the matter remains that regardless of state laws, Holcombe’s preborn child, just like Brady and Aurora, were children who existed and lived, even if not outside the womb. And they were precious human beings all the same.
