Life Links 4/24/13

     
The New York Times has an article on Tuesday's events in the Kermit Gosnell trial which repeatedly uses the term "fetus" to describe the born-alive children Gosnell is accused of killing.

A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday threw out three of seven murder charges against a Philadelphia doctor charged with killing viable fetuses while performing abortions.....

 Bryan Kemper, youth outreach director for Priests for Life, an anti-abortion group, said he was "obviously frustrated" with the judge's decision. Mr. Kemper, who traveled from Ohio to attend the trial, said he was convinced that Dr. Gosnell had deliberately killed live fetuses.

"It makes no sense to me that he could snip the back of the neck of a baby that was not alive," Mr. Kemper said during a break in the hearing.

Today, Judge Minehart corrected the charges which he threw out.  Apparently, he confused some of the babies Gosnell is accused of killing. 

On Wednesday, Minehart clarified that he did not intend to dismiss charges related to Baby C, which former employee Lynda Williams admits killing after it was alive for 20 minutes.

Instead, Minehart has thrown out the charges involving Baby F, which allegedly jerked its leg after it was born. Another staff member says Gosnell then cut the baby's neck to "ensure fetal demise."

Trevin Wax imagines a Planned Parenthood press release responding to Gosnell.

The actions of Dr. Gosnell and the atmosphere of his clinic for reproductive health do not represent the experience of women who visit Planned Parenthood for access to birth control and other reproductive services.

Here are some important differences to keep in mind:

•     In abortions after the first trimester, Planned Parenthood physicians never "snip the necks" of babies outside the womb. We take great care to make sure that the snipping happens inside the birth canal moments before birth, not after.

•     Unlike Gosnell's clinic, Planned Parenthood clinics do not have jars of baby parts or toilets overflowing with fetal remains. We make sure that the fetuses we dismember and extract from the womb are placed in sanitary medical bags and properly disposed of.

                   
Republican senators in New York plan on blocking Governor Andrew Cuomo's abortion legislation. 

The Republican leader of New York state's Senate said Tuesday that he will block any abortion proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whether it's to allow later-term abortions or protect current standards.

"Expansion of late-term abortion is extreme, in my opinion. It's not progressive, it's extreme," Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos said Tuesday.