By Walter B. Hoye II
Lessons from the Past
“Ending partial-birth abortion, which would more accurately be named ‘late-term murder,’ does not save a single human life.” — James C. Dobson, Ph.D.1
According to the American Right To Life Partial Birth Abortion (PBA) Ban summary, “Gonzales v. Carhart is the most brutal ruling in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court and is a virtual manual on how abortionists can continue to perform late-term and even partial-birth abortions. The ban and ruling explicitly keeps partial-birth abortion legal with the justices declaring what the misguided regulation obviously indicates, that the abortionist can deliver the baby to the navel (a four-inch variation on standard PBA) and then kill him or her; and he can even perform a textbook PBA if the mother is ‘over dilated’; and the justices list other ways the same late-term child can be killed, and they suggest that these other methods may indeed be more violent (and thus more painful to the fetus) than PBA itself, but they justify this in that the ban improves the public perception of the abortion industry.”2
No Moral Component Whatsoever
“Why on earth I am called upon to rejoice in a decision [Gonzales v. Carhart] that in every single line, in every single word, in every bit of logic in the whole decision, painfully shows its regard for a concept that violates the law of God, the law of man, constitutional law and every sane concept of decency that anyone in this country can come up with.” — Alan Keyes3
Pastor Bob Enyart of the Denver Bible Church, writing for Colorado Right to Life says, “The ban itself never had even the possibility of preventing a single abortion. The justices of the 5 to 4 majority, all of whom were appointed by Ronald Reagan, George Bush, or George W. Bush, namely, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito, rendered a ruling that has no moral component whatsoever and is merely regulatory. On page 30 at Section IV (A), these men optimistically suggest that, ‘The medical profession, furthermore, may find different and less shocking methods to abort the fetus in the second trimester, thereby accommodating legislative demand.’”4
Admitting Abortion Takes an Innocent Human Life
“It [Gonzales v. Carhart] says you can still kill them, you just have to do it a different way.” — Judge Roy Moore5
Now I am quoting the ruling verbatim: “In addition, if intact D&E is truly necessary in some circumstances, a prior injection to kill the fetus [i.e., ‘offspring or little one’] allows a doctor to perform the procedure, given that the Act’s prohibition only applies to the delivery of ‘a living fetus’ [i.e., ‘offspring or little one’], 18 U. S. C. §1531(b)(1)(A) [emphasis added]. Planned Parenthood of Central Mo. v. Danforth, 428 U. S. 52, 77-79, distinguished.”6 Brothers, Margaret Sanger admits abortion takes an innocent human life.7 Even today’s Supreme Court justices admit abortion takes an innocent human life.8
What about Us Today?
As we move closer to Saturday, January 1, 2011, I wonder what have we learned from our past. Today, can we admit abortion is an incontestable evil that takes an innocent human life? Today, can we admit that abortion is a sin, that abortion has no moral component whatsoever, that abortion does not liberate or empower the lives of women, that we, as the Body of Christ, have thought more about our own welfare than the welfare of women and children? Today, can we admit that we have shamefully tolerated the death of children, instead of rising up to save and provide for the life of children? If not, why not? Saturday, January 1, 2011 starts a New Year. Ending abortion in 2011 starts with us! I wonder what could be holding us back.
Brothers, we really need to talk.
References:
1. “A Nation at Prayer Amidst a Culture of Death,” CitizenLink, Tuesday, May 1, 2007, (http://bit.ly/hnq8mY).
2. “PBA Summary: Saves none, wasted years,” American Right to Life, (http://bit.ly/hsTikX).
3. Ambassador Alan Keyes on Partial Birth Abortion Ban (http://bit.ly/fdFQnL).
4. “PBA Gonzales v. Carhart Analysis,” Colorado Right To Life, (http://bit.ly/fqVxm5).
5. “Judge Roy Moore Condemns PBA Ruling,” interview aired on Bob Enyart Live in Denver on Thursday, August 16, 2007, (http://bit.ly/fPtLfX).
6. Gonzales, Attorney General v. Carhart et al. Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for The Eighth Circuit No. 05-380. Argued November 8th, 2006. Decided April 18th, 2007. (http://bit.ly/gziaBY).
7. Sanger, Margaret (1938). Margaret Sanger, An Autobiography. New York: W. W. Norton. p. 217.
8. “The Place of Women on the Court,” NYTimes.com, Thursday, July 9th, 2009 (http://bit.ly/hI1Nfq).
Walter B. Hoye II is president and founder of the Issues4Life Foundation and the California Civil Rights Foundation, and holds master’s degrees in sociology and business administration. He was arrested in 2008 and jailed in 2009 for offering peaceful, nonconfrontational sidewalk counseling outside an Oakland, California, abortion business. In 2008, Walter and his wife, Lori, received the fourth annual Walk for Life West Coast’s St. Gianna Molla Award for “courage under fire” in the pro-life movement. In 2009, the Family Research Council recognized Walter with its John Wise Award. As the author of Leadership from the Inside Out, he is in demand as a speaker and consultant. Walter and Lori Hoye are committed Christians and strong supporters of the human personhood movement. They have two adult children and live in Union City, California.
This commentary is reprinted with permission from Walter Hoye II and the Issues4Life Foundation, which targets and works directly with African-American pastors and priests nationwide, and is dedicated to addressing the issues surrounding the inviolability of human life in the African-American community.
