Advances of the Culture of Death in America

How the Left’s recent actions and reactions in New York and Virginia have renewed the battle between life and death.

Nearly seven decades ago, beloved children’s writer, Dr. Seuss, penned Horton Hears a Who about the adventures of Horton the elephant trying to save the tiny citizens of Whoville. Because his peers could neither see or hear the tiny people, they had no regard for their survival. Horton pleaded with them to remember, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Recent events show that we all need to act as a modern day Horton in the battle for the lives of the tiniest and most vulnerable of all, our pre-born children.

In the past few weeks, New York, then Virginia, renewed the battle over the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. Masquerading as the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) in New York, Governor Cuomo pushed the law over the finish line to allow killing of a child until the moment of birth.

Click here to view Governor Andrew Cuomo and Hillary Clinton responding to President Trump’s pro-life State of the Union address. Governor Cuomo also published an opinion piece that includes comments about the New York abortion law.

The State of Virginia followed suit by introducing a bill in the legislature to permit ending a baby’s life anytime during pregnancy, even during labor. The Virginia bill was tabled after public outcry.

The horror in these bills is as much in the reaction to them as in the passage of them. Governor Cuomo directed the spire of the One World Trade Center, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Kosciuszko Bridge, and the Alfred E. Smith Building in Albany be lit in pink lights to “celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow.”

The State of Virginia found itself in a firestorm over comments by Governor Ralph Northam defending the proposal to allow the killing of a child after birth. In a feeble attempt to justify the procedure, he said:

“When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of obviously the mother, with the consent of the physicians, more than one physician, by the way,” Northam said. “And it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s non-viable. 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.”

Click here to see a video of Governor Ralph Northam’s comments on the Virginia legislation.

He forgot to mention that the measure being considered took away some of the safe guards to which he was referring. And, that there is no requirement that there be any physical deformity if a doctor decides the birth of the child may be harmful to a woman’s mental health.

On the other hand, it’s encouraging to see that many Americans still believe in the sanctity of all human life. In response to the New York law, the Catholic bishops of New York wrote, “Progress will be achieved when our laws and our culture once again value and respect each unrepeatable gift of human life, from the first moment of creation to natural death.”

In fact, a recent Gallup poll showed that roughly 68% of Americans believe there should be at least some regulations on abortion. They are divided equally on whether they identify as pro-life or pro-choice.

At the time of Dr. Seuss’ writings, most of the American people believed in the Biblical premise that all humans are created in God’s image, and thus pre-born humans are fully entitled to their right to life. However, Margaret Sanger and others popularized the ideas of British philosopher Herbert Spencer on eugenics and the beliefs of Thomas Malthus regarding population control.

These dangerous ideas had a devastating ripple effect, from medical practices to laws and court decisions on the federal and state level. The 1973 Supreme Court decision swung the abortion door wide open. Killing children in the womb moved from the back alleys, to white-walled clinics, their crimson blood to be spilled by people in white coats.

The New York RHA law is likely to be challenged in court. If the case makes it before the Supreme Court, it would likely result in a decision that is almost as significant, if not more significant, than Roe vs. Wade.

In stark contrast to the barbaric practices in New York, Virginia, and other states led by Democrats, Texas has nurtured a culture of life in their governance on the question of killing pre-born humans. State laws still exist on the books that outlaw abortion in Texas. Unfortunately, Roe vs. Wade trumps far too many state laws that restrict abortion access.

Every legislative session features many pro-life bills, testaments to Texans’ determination to protect all human life in the Legislature. In past years, bills such as informed consent before an abortion, outlawing killing a pre-born child after 20 weeks gestation, sonogram requirements before abortion procedures, and parental consent for minors have passed.

This session, our office filed SJR 3, a constitutional amendment that would ensure that the right to life is guaranteed to pre-born children under Texas law. Several pieces of legislation have been filed thus far in the House with the goal of protecting pre-born life, including HB 1500 and HCR 56. Representative Valoree Swanson introduced HB 47, a bill that would prohibit abortion except for the purpose of saving a mother’s life. Representative Tony Tinderholt once again filed his abolition of abortion bill this session, HB 896.

Thousands of people rallied for life on January 26, 2019 at the Texas Capitol to support pro-life legislative priorities. I look forward to continuing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all 100% pro-life Texans to expand the culture of life in Texas by protecting the most vulnerable and innocent among us; pre-born children.