A BABY KILLER GETS A FREE PASS

I’m not what you would consider a sensitive guy, yet when I hear about the atrocities perpetuated by Dr. Kermit Gosnell I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and nearly tear up.

The Pennsylvania abortionist is currently under trial, having been accused of conducting hundreds of illegal late-term abortions over a nearly 20-year period, tearing fetuses from the womb after 24 weeks or more. 24 weeks sits smack dab in the middle of the grey area for viability. Thanks to the miracles of modern science, a preemie born at 24 to 26 weeks has a 53% chance of survival.

Those statistics -- and the law -- didn’t faze Gosnell.

Neither did the very essence of life.

Gosnell would actually kill babies who worn born alive and breathing. He would use scissors to snip their spinal cord, a horrific act of inhumanity that his staff said was accompanied by an unimaginable scream from the dying infants. Gosnell would then take that evil further, cutting the feet off of the babies and keeping them in jars like morbid trophies.

As unconscionable and frightening as Gosnell’s sustained disregard for precious life was, this is likely the first time that most of the readers of this paper have heard of the monster. The mainstream media, from daily newspapers to the Associated Press to broadcast news outlets --  like CNN, Fox News and the 3 big networks --  have mostly ignored the trial.

The limited coverage – or lack of thereof – normally wouldn’t be par for the course, as killing sprees as disgusting as this tend to overwhelm the news cycle. Think about how the Newtown Massacre dominated newscasts for weeks and how still, to this day, we hear references to the shootings that happened over 4 months ago. Even smaller scale events have gotten more attention – like the sensationalized murder trials of Casey Anthony and Jodi Arias that gripped the nation.       

So, how did Gosnell’s acts – fit for our macabre media --  become a footnote?

The reason is simple: The press, policy makers, and a good number of citizens have a love affair with abortion.  

Covering, and therefore putting in a bad light, something like Gosnell’s death clinic doesn’t fit with the expectations of our allegedly-modern, allegedly-advanced and allegedly-civil society. Giving press to Gosnell’s acts would do nothing to promote so-called reproductive rights (the legalized killing of a human in utero) and would, instead, cause even the most ardent supporters of abortion (or choice) to second guess their leanings. It’s purposely kept quiet to further the agendas of making abortion appealing to the masses and suppressing life, even in its youngest, purest and most innocent forms.

Consider that one of Gosnell’s heinous crimes, late-term abortion, is becoming more acceptable, despite the very real chance of baby viability. Here in New York it is the goal of the Governor to this year loosen the restraints on the act. Current state law says late-term abortions can be conducted if the life of the mother is in immediate danger. Gov. Cuomo would like to change the language to accommodate the health – not the life – of the mother. That sort of definition can be abused mightily, because the most nebulous and weak claims – including mental health issues like stress - can be made to allow the scraping of the womb.

Even Gosnell’s most egregious act – the murder of birthed children -- is becoming more palatable to so-called intellectuals. Last year, the Journal of Medical Ethics argued that infanticide was perfectly acceptable because newborns are not real persons, and their killing should be allowed in all instances in which abortion would be used, even if the child is born perfectly healthy. And these are the ethicists who help define the progress of healthcare!

So, it’s really no wonder that the Gosnell scandal isn’t topping the news these days. It would give the future of abortion – in the woman and outside of her -- a very bad name and the horrors identified with such “advances” could cause the masses to prevent the institution of these ills.

Obviously, the press is not on the side of the innocents as it claims to be.   



Gasport resident Bob Confer also writes for the New American magazine at TheNewAmerican.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobconfer  

This column originally appeared in the 15 April 2013 Greater Niagara Newspapers