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Aborting the “wrong” baby. Is the church to blame?

April 15, 2010 By Jeremy Dys

This is a longer than usual post. Please take the time to read through it all. It’s a challenge growing deep inside of me that helps motivate our efforts to advance, defend, and equip West Virginia’s families.

Dr. Albert Mohler, one of my favorite theologians and socio-political commentators, has once again thrust us to the heart of the matter. Commenting on a story out of Sarasota Florida of a doctor who aborted the wrong twin, Dr. Mohler writes:

The situation with Dr. Kachinas reveals the horribly confused morality that marks modern America and, in far too many cases, the practice of medicine. This doctor was asked to perform what is now euphemistically called a “selective reduction.” Instead, he aborted “the wrong baby,” killing a healthy baby instead of the baby identified as carrying the markers for Down syndrome.

Consider what this means for the sanctity of human life. We are now looking at babies as consumer products. We will accept babies that meet our specified qualifications, and abort when medical tests or other factors reveal that the baby does not meet our standards. Human life is reduced to just another consumer product subject to consumer preferences and demand.

Do we recognize what this means? The abortion of Down syndrome babies is a scandal of the first degree, and this nation is growing more complacent and complicit in this scandal by the day. Beyond this, we can be certain that babies are now being targeted in the womb for reasons far beyond Down syndrome. Specialists working with autism are concerned that forthcoming genetic tests will put babies who carry markers for autism next on the list for prenatal search and destroy missions.

via AlbertMohler.com – NewsNote: Aborting the “Wrong” Baby?.

Sure. That’s scandalous. But, as Mohler concludes, what’s the real scandal here? That the doc killed the wrong child or that he was ready to kill a child just because a few genes might have been askew?

In his column, Dr. Mohler points out that the stats now show that 80-90% of children who test positive in the womb for Down Syndrome markers are being aborted.

80% to 90%. Let that sink in for a minute.

Maybe this is more poignant to me this morning because I just got back from taking my almost 13-week pregnant wife to our OB appointment. We were advised of the “test” that we can decline to test for genetic problems. We declined.

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About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Sex Education – Not the Governments Job

The decree by liberal educators and social psychologists that government mandated sex-education and 24/7 access to condoms and abortion clinics is helpful has found stark contrast in other countries; particularly India and Latin America.

In a report carried by Christian New Wire, Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, blasted the UN Economic and Social Council after it called for “comprehensive sexuality education starting in early childhood,” after claiming that such education “neither accelerates sexual debut, nor increases the frequency of sexual relations.” Mr. Euteneuer’s comments are below in their entirety from the article.

“This is absolute nonsense! We know from almost every study on the topic that this is the exact opposite of the truth. Condom promotion has not stopped HIV in the developing world. And propagandizing young children about a value-neutral approach to sex, and telling them that they’ll be safe if they use condoms is exactly how you get them to start practicing sex before marriage.”

“This outrage is perpetrated by pagans forcing their hedonistic values on the families of the only Catholic continent in the world. It is a violation of sovereignty of nations and of the rights of parents to teach their kids on these delicate matters. The innocence of children is too precious of a gift to throw away in deference to government and its coercive modern amorality. Parents, teachers, and all people of good will, let’s tell them to get their grubby hands off our kids!”

I would like to thank Mr. Euteneuer for his words or wisdom, and pass them along to American educators and lawmakers on the behalf of millions of American parents who whole-heartedly agree with such a philosophy. But not before I add a few more thoughts and comments from the Indian government on a proposed introduction of sex-education into their public school. The following comments are from Lifesitenews.com:

“The Indian government has rejected western-style sex education programs, saying they do nothing to solve the problem of teenage pregnancy but only exacerbate the problem by promoting sexual promiscuity.

According to the government, the curriculum prepared with material from UNICEF, had ‘shocked the consciences’ of the country and was described as ‘quite frightening.’ If implemented, the report said, it would ‘promote promiscuity of the worst kind.’

If implemented, the petitioners said, the program would ‘corrupt Indian youth and lead to collapse of the education system.’ Over all, they said, such programs are nothing more than an ‘education to sell condoms’ that will lead to the creation of an ‘immoral society’ and to an increase in single-parent families. The Indian government’s reasoning stands in sharp contrast to that of the West, which, in reaction to steadily increasing rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, has invariably increased access to free contraceptives and abortion and exposed ever-younger children to more explicit sex education.”

As advanced as America may be, it sounds to me like we could learn a lesson from Latin America and India regarding what is essential and appropriate in our education systems. Sex education is not essential for kindergarteners or high-schoolers. It does not prepare them for function within society. But the negative of sex-education, listed quite intelligently in the comment above are certainly true for American schools; and our education rankings are proof.

A 2007 survey result published in the UK Telegraph shows the top 25 in the world in the areas of Math, Reading and Science. Sadly, America is not the top 25 in any category.

Maybe its time we stop teaching kids how to do what will inevitably come naturally, and should be taught by parents, and start teaching them the skills they will need to thrive in society. Thank-you India and Latin America for saying what needs to be said right here in America.

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About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.