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Thou Shalt not Kill
That’s My Opinion
By Bob Robinson
Every year, about this time, Jane comes home with a pretty, new
blanket, or a sleeper, or a picture book or some toy.
Every year, about this time, Jane plans a party for little Danny. She
drives by the local schoolyard during recess and watches the children
at play. She knows exactly who she’s going to invite to the party.
Every year, about this time, she writes out the invitations and
addresses the envelopes. Each has the name and address of the school.
One goes to the little boy wearing the blue jacket. Another goes to the
little girl in the pretty pink dress…
She leaves the stack of invitations next to the car keys to mail on her
way to work. Weeks later, she eventually throws them away.
Every year, about this time, Jane cries herself to sleep at night. She
often seems distant – and lost – during the day.
And every year, about this time, Jane’s husband of four years tries to
comfort her. Sometimes she lets him. Sometimes she pushes him away…
“You can’t possibly understand,” she would scream at him.
She’s right. He can’t.
Seven years earlier, Danny would have been born. About this time. But
Jane made a choice.
Danny died before he had a chance to live. And Jane has died a thousand
times since.
I wrestled with this.
I wrestled with it big time.
Abortion is a volatile, polarized, emotional issue. I won’t delude
myself into thinking anybody is going to “see the light” as a result of
my opinion. I have alluded to abortion as a symptom of the decline of
morality in America. It is. I have skirted the issue more than once.
I’m not proud of that. And I have intentionally ignored it when I
should have been addressing it.
I can no longer do so.
There is no doubt in my mind that some of my favorite critics are going
to be furious about this. In fact, I fully anticipate this column will
help build their ranks.
That is precisely why I called it: “Thou shalt not kill.”
I call it truth in advertising. I also call it fair warning…
This opinion is about killing. And the roots of my antipathy come
directly from the Ten Commandments. You know, the ones we aren’t
allowed to see in public places any more. Well, “don’t kill” is the
sixth one.
No matter how you try to package it. No matter what kind of pretty
ribbon you try to tie around it. Abortion is not choice. Choice is
deciding whether you will keep your baby or give it up for adoption.
Abortion is murder.
And if any of you really believe you can justify the murder of
innocent, unborn children… bring it on!! Just don’t throw “choice” at
me. It won’t wash. And don’t change the subject, either. This isn’t
about capital punishment, war, euthanasia or any of the other things
that people do to people. At least not this week. This is about killing
unborn children.
Laci Peterson’s husband is on trial in California, not for one murder,
but for two. He is charged with the murder of his wife and his unborn
child. Yet Laci, if she had chosen to do so, could have “killed” the
unborn child legally.
There have been cases in the news – far too many – where young girls
have given birth to children and then left them to die… in trash cans,
dumpsters, you name it. They were subsequently tried and convicted.
Yet they could have killed those children legally – prior to birth –
had they chosen to do so.
Roe v Wade became the law of the land on Jan. 22, 1973.
The argument was that a rape victim should not be forced to give birth
to the child of the person who raped her. It’s a tough question. Maybe
she shouldn’t. Maybe the state should “butt out” and leave that
decision to the woman, her family and God. I don’t know.
Of course, we find out later that Jane Roe (Norma McCorvy) lied about
being raped. The court decision that changed the entire fabric of our
society was built upon a lie. Who’s surprised?
Another argument has to do with the health of the mother. A woman
shouldn’t be forced to carry a child full term, or deliver it, if it
endangers her life. In a civilized, modern society that should not even
be an issue.
However, keep in mind that there is a big difference between
endangering the mother’s life and endangering her lifestyle.
Oh, yeah. And there’s this back-alley butcher stuff we always hear
about. Based upon the information I was able to find, most abortions,
prior to 1973, were done by licensed physicians anyway. Roe v Wade only
meant they could do legally what they had already been doing illegally.
It also meant they could do a whole lot more of it.
I think history will show that the vast majority of children who have
died as a result of Roe v Wade, were victims of convenience… not rape…
not fable... not danger to the mother.
Then there are the ramifications of this mind-set.
A Princeton University professor has decided we should give a mother up
to 30 days after birth to decide whether or not the child should live
(The Daily Advocate, Slice of Life, Jan. 19, 2003). This was okay, the
professor said, because newborns lack self-awareness and “are not fully
persons” yet.
Why should this surprise anyone?
Abortion advocates have been saying for years that a human isn’t really
human until it’s born. What’s another 30 days?
More or less?
A University of California Irvine professor said once: "Arms, legs, and
chests come out of the forceps. It's not a sight for everybody."
How much more “human” do you need?
Remember Jane? For those of you who would accuse me of fabricating a
story to make my point, Jane was real. There was one little detail that
I left out… Jane died, at the age of 25, by her own hand.
I was a communications specialist in the mental health field for
several years. I had the opportunity to interview dozens of
psychologists and other mental health professionals. That “case” was
only one of many. I could tell you stories – about abortion and what it
has done to us, as individuals and as a society – that would chill your
bones.
Every Sunday we run birthday pictures of kids – infants, toddlers,
youngsters – smiling or happy or looking upon the world in wonder. In
my humble opinion, it is the best part of the entire newspaper. My
wife, Jeanne, and I have published pictures of our grandchildren on
their birthdays… in fact we have one coming up shortly. Marc, our
youngest grandchild, will be six.
But for the Grace of God and the gift of loving parents, there could
have been a blank space on any of those pages where a name and photo
should have been.
All perfectly legal.
All in the name of “choice.”
And a horrifying thought to contemplate.
I guess the “kicker” was the full page ad that appeared in The Sunday
Advocate on Jan. 18. It was paid for by Darke County Right to Life. It
said, simply:
“Over 40,000,000 first rights revoked since Roe vs. Wade.”
I was stunned. And saddened.
We have given our Maker many reasons to be angry with us. Destroying
His greatest gift to mankind for “convenience” has got to be at the top
of the list.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
This award-winning opinion was originally published in 2004. It was
edited for reprint and published in my book, “God Don’t Make Junk, from
Ramblings of an Old Man,” in 2008. It was one piece out of many
opinions and reminiscences on my journey from being a “young and
stupid” kid in the 50s and 60s to my arrival in Greenville, Ohio, as
editor of the Daily Advocate.
Jane Williamson, local resident, said it’s “a wonderful insight into
who Bob Robinson is and the people and happenings that made him who he
is today.”
While the book is still available online through Amazon and a variety
of other web sites at $27.95 (I assume plus shipping), I figured we’d
pretty much “sold out” locally.
Wrong. We found another 20-30 copies during our annual spring cleaning.
You may purchase one for $21.95 at the following locations: Bears Mill,
Brethren Retirement Community Gift Shop, Garst Museum and Shawnee
Prairie. All outlets use profits from these and other sales to support
their community programs.
Part of the remaining proceeds will go toward scholarships to the
Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund.
Williamson said the book “…will make you laugh and make you cry.” Lyn
Bliss said… “When you've finished, you won't believe he is still alive
and kicking!”
Want to know what makes me tick… for better or worse? Get your copy
today.
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