Ever since the Gosnell saga blew up in April (although Live Action has been whistle-blowing on him since January 2011), the pro-life spotlight has been shed on the practice of late-term abortion, and on the facilities and abortionists who carry it out. Lately, the specific focus has been on the late-term abortion ban, or “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.” The legislation passed in the House but faces an ominous future in the U.S. Senate. Many pro-life and mainstream media outlets have contributed to the discussion, and today we round up some of the most current and relevant pieces focusing on late-term abortion from around the pro-life web.
The Weekly Standard
In addition to pointing out the lunacy of Pelosi’s now-infamous “sacred ground” comment, The Weekly Standard staff writer John McCormack called Nancy Pelosi out on her June 13 lie that the 20-week abortion ban being debated in Congress would ban all abortions. In fact, the bill will ban abortions after the point at which science has demonstrated that pre-born children can feel pain. Says McCormack:
Pelosi falsely claimed the bill that passed out of committee on Wednesday would ban all abortions, when in fact it’s simply a prohibition on abortion during the final four months of pregnancy (with an exception for when the life and physical health of the mother is at risk), the point at which science indicates babies can feel pain and some babies can survive long-term if born.
Politico
Beginning with an anecdote about her niece, who was born prematurely at just 3 pounds (a weight at which many babies are subjected to the scourge of late-term abortion), U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn shared an opinion piece with Politico on June 18. She said:
Life’s amazing potential often surprises us and too often we underestimate it. And that sacred connection of witnessing life’s potential compels us to stop turning a blind eye to the scourge of late-term abortions in our great country.
National Review Online
On June 15, National Review Online‘s Wesley J. Smith summarized the current state of affairs regarding the late-term abortion debate in the political world. He touched on the aforementioned Nancy Pelosi comments, and summarized truths about the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. He said:
Expect the bill to be fought tooth and tong by the radical reproductive-rights crowd. They believe in an abortion right to the moment of birth — perhaps even “after-birth” abortion — and evidence of fetal pain, even if it became uncontroversial, isn’t going to talk them out of it.
Christian Post
Yesterday, Christian Post opinion columnist Janet Parshall, host of the In The Market radio program, emphasized the scientific roots of legislation that aims to ban abortions past the point at which pre-born children can feel pain. She cited former late-term abortionist Anthony Levatino, saying:
Testifying before the Subcommittee on the Constitution on HR 1797, Dr. Anthony Levatino, an OB-GYN, described in detail what abortions entail during the second trimester of pregnancy. He spoke to a hushed room and explained, step by step, what a Suction D&E procedure was, and how, by the time a woman is that far along in her pregnancy, she “has been feeling her baby kick for the last month.”
Live Action News
Here at Live Action News, we’ve kept you up to date with various aspects of the late-term abortion ban debate. Last week, Murray Vasser and Jeannie Deangelis pointed out the long-cultivated dedication of the president of the United States to late-term abortion. Kristi Burton Brown asked the question, “Should we save the one?,” responding to concerns about the consistency of fighting for an abortion ban that does not directly benefit pre-born children earlier than 20-weeks in utero. Rebecca Downs, Josh Craddock, and Josh Brahm also opined on the same question.
