Judie Brown, president of American Life League, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Child Custody Protection Act (S.403):
American Life League is extremely disappointed in the Child Custody Protection Act and the misguided philosophy that created it. While the intentions behind it may be noble, this legislation presents a minor’s parents with a legal opportunity to sign their grandchild’s death warrant. How could such a proposition possibly advance the pro-life effort?
The bill weakens parental rights and negates the preborn child’s protection by stating that "an abridgement of the right of a parent occurs if an abortion is performed on the minor, in a State other than the State where the minor resides, without the parental consent or notification, or the judicial authorization, that would have been required by that law had the abortion been performed in the state where the minor resides.’ In other words, it recognizes judicial override, in which the parents" wishes may be sidestepped and the abortion ordered by court decree. That is both wrong and un-American.
The bill permits an abortion "if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor because her life was endangered by a physical disorder, physical injury or physical illness, including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself." Such exceptions and compromises put a preborn baby’s life in extreme peril.
The bottom line is: abortion is always wrong, no matter the circumstances and no matter who gives permission. The Child Custody Protection Act is wrought with verbal gymnastics performed on the balance beam created by a legal system that condones the direct murder of any preborn child for any reason whatsoever. This should give us pause to ask: Why have we abandoned our struggle to establish personhood for all innocent preborn human beings?
Release issued: 26 Jul 06