Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion provider in Philadelphia, has been found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors claimed that he ended the lives of fetuses which had been born alive. In one case, a baby was delivered into a toilet and appeared to make swimming motions before one of Dr. Gosnell’s assistants cut its neck. After 10 days of deliberations, the jury rendered its guilty verdict. (If you’d like to learn more, you might watch 3801 Lancaster, a documentary produced on the issue.)
Last month I wrote on the trial, focusing on the lack of coverage in mainstream media. Today I’d like to consider the logic exposed by the verdict. The fetuses that Dr. Gosnell was found to have murdered were the same after their birth as before—only their location had changed. Eight former workers testified in the trial that they saw babies move, breathe or whine. They were no more alive than they had been moments before.
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{/source}Nonetheless, they were now individuals deserving of protection by the state—hence the murder verdicts. As the president of one pro-life group asked, “What is the difference between killing a baby minutes before delivery compared to moments after? Only the barest of legal nuances.” Or about 12 inches, as the case may be.
I hope the verdicts help more Americans see that every person possesses “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—whether prior to physical birth or after. Texas Gov. Rick Perry responded: “Those of us who believe in the sanctity of life will continue to fight for the day when abortion is nothing more than a sad footnote in American history.” What are your reactions to the trial, its coverage, and its outcome?
And consider one other implication of the Gosnell trial. As my wife and I were discussing the verdict, she made this point: How did you feel about the babies who deserved the chance to be born physically and experience life? Now imagine how our Father feels about every person who deserves the chance to be born spiritually and experience eternal life. “For God so loved the world . . .”
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