Following yesterday’s podcast, Dr. Mohler offers additional comments concerning Katrina Efferts’ murder of her baby. He writes on his blog today:
The case emerged from the Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta, where a judge faced the fact that a woman had been convicted of strangling her newborn son and then throwing the baby’s body over the fence into her neighbor’s yard.
As CBC News reported, the woman was given a three-year suspended sentence and will spend no time in jail for the killing of her baby. Katrina Efferts “will have to abide by conditions for the next three years but she won’t spend time behind bars for strangling her own son.”
Justice Joanne Veit, whose name should now go down in legal and moral infamy, tied this woman’s act of infanticide to Canada’s lack of legal restrictions on abortion. The judge’s decision stated that “while many Canadians undoubtedly view abortion as a less than ideal solution to unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy, they generally understand, accept and sympathize with the onerous demands pregnancy and childbirth exact from mothers, especially mothers without support.”
She continued: “Naturally, Canadians are grieved by an infant’s death, especially at the hands of the infant’s mother, but Canadians also grieve for the mother.” She also stated that the Canadian approach is a “fair compromise of all the interests involved.”
Two juries had found Effert guilty of second-degree murder, but an appeals court had reduced her conviction to infanticide.
More:
The moral dishonesty of the entire tragedy comes down to the fact that, in legalizing abortion, liberal societies claimed to be making a bargain. We will not protect unborn life, but we will defend all those who make it to birth. Of course, the dividing line was always dishonest. Are we seriously to believe that human personhood is a matter of mere location, inside or outside the womb?
The entire article is worth a read.
- Dr. Russell Moore points us to an article in WORLD Magazine concerning the recent news of a baby abandoned and left to die in a toilet.
- Jenny Clark reminds us to take action to defund Planned Parenthood by using to this link on the Susan B. Anthony List website. You may also find another helpful link to contact your representative here. Please call or email today!
- Dr. Denny Burk writes about our inconsistency concerning abortion and fetal surgery.
- And finally, Jill Stanek confirms that Lila Rose will appear on Fox News today at 5:00 p.m.(EST). Glenn Beck is dedicating the entire hour to Live Action & Planned Parenthood. (In case you’ve missed it, Live Action has released several videos since last week exposing Planned Parenthood. You may find more information on this latest project here.)
UPDATE: Due to breaking developments in the Middle East, Lila’s appearance on Glenn Beck will now be on Monday’s show (via @LilaGraceRose)
There are two pieces of pro-life legislation that we need to pass this year in Kentucky and they are:
- SB9 -Ultrasound Informed Consent
- HB215 – Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
And you can help!
From Kentucky Right to Life:
URGENT! To All Kentucky Right to Life Affiliates and Supporters:
Kentucky Right to Life Association legislative agenda for 2011 includes SB9 -Ultrasound Informed Consent and HB215 – Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
SB9 is common sense and common ground legislation that simply requires the abortion provider to conduct face-to-face counseling and to “turn the ultrasound screen around” and briefly explain to the woman the images of her unborn fetus prior to consenting to an abortion. The woman is not required to view the images, but should have the opportunity. KY abortion providers would incur no additional expense because it is standard operating procedure to use ultrasound technology during the abortion procedure (see “surgical abortions include” on the EMW abortion clinic website).
HB215 is a bill that would legally protect unborn children by prohibiting abortion after the gestational age that an unborn child is capable of feeling pain, commonly accepted as no later than 20 weeks, though there is strong evidence that unborn babies are capable of feeling pain much earlier.
1. Call The Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 and the receptionist will help you identify your House Rep within a minute.
2. Leave a message to the following: “Please don’t let SB9 and HB215 die in committee this year. Send the bills to committees that will pass them out to the House floor for a vote.”
3. Ask the receptionist to “Please copy all five House leaders on the message.”
• Rep. Greg Stumbo (D)
House Speaker
• Rep. Larry Clark (D)
Speaker Pro Tempore
• Rep. Rocky Adkins (D)
Majority Floor Leader
• Rep. Robert Damron (D)
Majority Caucus Chairman
• Rep. Tommy Thompson (D)
Majority WhipThis action will generate green slips to your House Rep. and each House leader. At the end of the week, they will count the number of green slips as a measure of support for the bill! Let’s make sure their desks are covered with green slips!
Please spread the word!
From the Family Foundation of Kentucky:
Mark your calendar now for the annual Rally for Life at the Capitol on Thursday, February 3. The rally will begin at 11:00 a.m. Speakers will include: Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Lexington; T. Patrick Monaghan, President of Kentucky Right to Life; Kent Ostrander, Executive Director of The Family Foundation; Kathy Rutledge with Silent No More & Operation Outcry; and Shari Richard, an obstetrical ultrasound educator from Michigan. Several legislators will also be on hand to speak
We have blogged previously here and here about how you can get involved. I hope to see you next Thursday in Frankfort!
We blogged recently about SB9 Ultrasound Informed Consent – a bill which has the intention to educate women on their babies’ development prior to undergoing an abortion. At our local crisis pregnancy clinic, ultrasounds have been extremely effective in helping women understand the true personhood of their unborn children and discredit the lie that there are just carrying a “blob of tissue.” Those lies hold no weight when a young mother is staring at her baby’s profile, hearing its heart beat, and learning of all the miraculous growth her child has already achieved. A picture is worth 1,000 words and in a crisis pregnancy, ultrasounds can mean the difference between life and death. Obviously, we want this bill to pass and now we have a strategy to get that done!
We recently learned that our best way to support SB9 is to convince our Speaker of the House, Democrat Greg Stumbo, to pull his weight in the vote. With his support, SB9 has a great chance of passing the House vote despite the anticipated opposition. Please reach out to Greg Stumbo directly and ask him to support SB9. His email address, phone number and mailing address are available here: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/legislator/h095.htm.
Also continue to contact your own KY House Representative. This time, ask them to contact Greg Stumbo and gain his support on this bill. You can look up your Representative here: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/legislators.htm.
Let’s be encouraged to pray for our leaders and ask God to turn their hearts toward His will and the unborn in our state!
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” Psalm 21:1
“Pray for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” I Timothy 2:2
A new bill is making its rounds in Kentucky proposing a law which would require women be offered the option to see their baby’s ultrasound and have its development explained prior to undergoing abortive procedures. See below for more details from Kentucky Right to Life:
SB9 – Ultrasound Informed Consent – will be heard in the Senate Standing Committee on Military Affairs, Veterans, and Public Safety on January 6th and is expected to pass with bipartisan support.
Hopefully it will receive its final reading and pass on the Senate floor on Friday, then head to the House, where it has died in previous years.
During the next three weeks please work to generate phone calls into your House Representative and ask him or her to urge House Leadership to support the Ultrasound Informed Consent bill. When you call the Legislative Message line at 800-372-7181 the operator will identify your House Rep within a few seconds.
We must be the clear and strong voice for the unborn. Their lives depend on it!
Thank You!
Kentucky Right to Life Association
The bill did pass in the Kentucky Senate (http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/01/06/gop-agenda-moving-through-state-senate-in-whirlwind-fashion/) so let’s pray the Lord causes it to pass in the upcoming House vote.
Three states currently have similar laws (http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_RFU.pdf) – pray that Kentucky joins them soon!
Here is the link to the bill http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/11RS/sb9.htm as well as the site where you can look up your Kentucky Representative http://www.lrc.ky.gov/house/hsemembers.htm. Join us in calling our law makers and praying the Lord causes this bill to pass!
