The Cost of So-Called “Freedom of Choice”

by America Mission™’s @kimsays and @chrisfilby

The Back Story

In early 1973 nine men wearing black robes sitting on a dais in a Court Room in Washington DC in an august building bearing the words Equal Justice Under Law and representing fully one third of the United States Government otherwise known as the Judiciary, announced their decision known as Roe against Wade (Roe). This was a Landmark Decision that made Abortion a legal medical procedure in the United States until the 13^th week of pregnancy. Prior to that each State made their own law concerning the procedure. It was legal in some States, and in others it was not, and in some it was restricted. Several other cases came to the high court after Roe which modified Roe that extended the 13 week term limit, the most famous being Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania against Casey. As a result of these cases, some states took things to the extreme and approved the Abortion procedure up to the time of delivery or what has come to be known as Partial Birth Abortion aka MURDER of a precious BABY!

Fall Out

From the day of the Decision opposition to it exploded. It divided the country in a very significant way. It began to be sold as a right to women’s health care, but was it really, and how did we get to the point where we became one of the few civilized nations in the world where Abortion on Demand is a Right? For decades previous to that it was considered taboo, even where it was legal. Society looked down on the procedure, well most of society.

Little did most people know that the birth of the blackest of markets was brewing under the guise of “Freedom of Choice”. Margaret Sanger who was born in Corning, NY on September 14, 1879 and became a Women’s Rights Activist as well as one of the world’s most famous promoters of Eugenics (the concept of selective breeding to achieve characteristics that improve future generations). She founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which in 1942 became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She served as the President of the organization until 1952 and then founded the International Planned Parenthood Foundation in 1953. Sanger is often criticized for her work with the “Negro Project”, which brought birth control practices to the Black community. As a consequence of these actions, critics have described Sanger as racist. After the death of George Floyd in May of 2020, many institutions came under fire for racist leanings, one being Planned Parenthood, who according to the Washington Examiner “acknowledged that Sanger was a white supremacist”. The group also confirmed that Sanger delivered a speech to “a women’s auxiliary branch of the Ku Klux Klan in Silver Lake, New Jersey, in 1926.” Up to that point the narrative was that “it is generally accepted that Sanger’s notions were no more racist than those found in society in general at the time”. Ironically, we see literary classics being edited to remove racist connotations more and more these days. Margaret Sanger died in 1966 but her lethal legacy lives on, funded by your tax dollars and by profits from abortions.

With hindsight, we see that abortion clinics are disproportionately located in low-income minority neighborhoods. The National Right to Life Center (NLRC) estimates that 40% of women seeking abortions are black, which is staggering considering that black Americans only accounted for 13.6% of the population during the 2020 census.

What happens to the abortion leftovers?

SCOTUS Revisits Roe v Wade

Fast forward to December 1, 2020, a new case found its way to the Supreme Court. Dobbs against Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Dobbs) a 2018 case seeking to limit Abortions in Mississippi to 15 weeks. Dobbs could have been decided narrowly, but even the defendants seemed to argue it was time to put an end to the overarching controversy once and for all. The Justices immediately came under fire, protests broke out at the Supreme Court and at the homes of the 6 justices who might vote in favor of deciding the case in favor of the plaintiffs. For the first time ever, the entire membership of the Supreme Court had to be placed under 24 hour protection by the United States Marshalls Service. Then in February, a rare leak of a possible majority decision in favor of the plaintiffs written by Justice Alito found its way into the media. Abortion rights activists became activated immediately. The protests became even larger, threats to the Justices lives were made, and one was attempted against Justice Kavanagh. At that time, an additional layer of protection was added to the Justices protective detail. Finally, on June 24, 2022, the decision was handed down. The Majority Opinion was written by Justice Alito with Concurring Opinions by Justices Thomas, Kavanaugh, and Robert, they were joined by Justice Coney-Barrett. Justice Kagan wrote the Dissenting Opinion joined by Justices Breyer and Sotomayor.

The case reversed Roe against Wade and Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania against Casey. The Abortion issue was now back the states from where it had come a half century earlier. This was not a matter for the courts, it was a matter for the people, and the people are closest to their legislators where they live. Some States immediately reverted back to pre-Roe law because of so-called “trigger laws”, which were in place in the event a case like Dobbs ever came to pass. Other States began the process of passing new legislation. Still other States put the matter on the ballot and let the people vote directly through ballot initiatives and amending their constitutions. The people had absolutely no problem speaking and they did it loudly. The controversy is far from over.

In some States Partial Birth Abortion is still legal. In 2019 then Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), who is also a pediatrician, in an interview on Washington DC’s WTOP Radio described what the procedure might look like if the child had actually been delivered.

“So in this particular example if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

He came under immediate fire from the Pro-Life community.

Compared to the now disgraced Dr. Kermit Gosnell who was charged with and convicted of third degree murder in Pennsylvania, the description by Governor Northam is quite tame.

“Kermit Gosnell was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies authorities said were born alive before having their necks cut with scissors. A jury found Gosnell not guilty of first-degree murder in a fourth baby’s death. In addition to the murder charges, the 72-year-old was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the overdose death of former patient Karnamaya Mongar. Gosnell was also found guilty of several other crimes including one count of infanticide, two counts of conspiracy, 21 of 24 counts of abortion of an unborn child of 24 weeks or more and 208 of 227 counts of violation of informed consent of an abortion.”

NBC 10 Philadelphia

Selling Baby Parts

According to the NLRC and verified by checkyourfact.com there have been approximately 64,000,000 abortions performed in the US since Roe v Wade. That equates to 3,500 per day, every day for the last 50 years.

Though incomplete data (not all 50 states reported, including California, New Jersey, and Maryland) from the CDC shows abortion rates dropping steadily prior to the Dobbs case, 2023 saw a backlash spike which led to there being 1,026,690 abortions according to Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study. Since that decision in 2022, fourteen States have banned Abortions with limited exceptions.

What Now?

Abortion is not really an issue for the upcoming election despite the Democrats mocking points about “Reproductive Freedom”, rather it must be reexamined as part of the plan to foster a healthier society. Programs that provide resources to families and incentives to women who choose life must be part of the solution.

So, what is the bottom line? When does life begin? Perhaps one of the best looks at this may have come from Princeton University’s Dianne N. Irving M.A., Ph.D. from February 1999 in her paper published in the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 1999 titled “When Do Human Beings Begin?
“Scientific” Myths and Scientific Facts.” In her paper she concludes with good cause that life begins at conception. No matter the answer, the fact remains that 64,000,000 lives were extinguished under the guise of freedom.

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