Life Links 6/3/09

Scott Roeder has been charged for George Tiller's murder.


Both Ramesh Ponnuru and Jay Watts respond to William Saletan's argument individuals who kill abortion providers are the only ones who truly believe the unborn are as valuable as the born.

The more I think about, the more I can't believe how thoughtless Saletan's argument is. For example, take his argument and use it on other movements. Does he think those who resorted to violence (like John Brown) were the only abolitionists who really thought that slaves were persons? Did William Wilberforce not really believe slaves were equal to free men because he didn't kill slave traders?


Pro-choicers often assert something along the lines of "what ever choice a woman makes regarding her pregnancy is the best choice." In a RH Reality Check blog post, Ann Rose departs from this line of thinking and claims that abortion is the "best solution" for women whose unborn children are diagnosed with fetal anomalies late in pregnancy.

Without a doubt, the number one reason for abortions past 24 weeks is the late discovery of a fetal anomaly incompatible with life. I've talked with many women who find themselves in this situation and it is always an extremely difficult and heart-wrenching situation. Many women even underwent infertility treatments to become pregnant. But, when the pregnancy goes horribly awry, a Mercy Abortion is the best solution in a no-win situation. These are women who need abortion more than many others.

A child who weighed a mere 12.5 ounces at birth is set to leave a hospital in Pittsburgh.

Weighing 12.5 ounces and measuring 10 inches long at birth, Taylor Rideout is the tiniest baby ever to survive at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.

The baby was born on March 12 to Brittany Rideout and Adam Bouchat of the South Side. The due date was June 17.

Normally a baby born at 26 weeks of gestation weighs about 25 ounces, said Dr. Jennifer Kloesz of Magee's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Mrs. Rideout has lupus and the pregnancy was posing a risk to her life, so doctors had to deliver the baby. Lupus patients often have pregnancy complications, and the couple was aware of the risks.