Life Links 12/1/09

The Los Angeles Times has an article about a former abortionist's efforts to restrict abortion in South Korea.

For nearly two decades, obstetrician Shim Sang-duk aborted as many babies as he delivered -- on average, one a day, month after month.

"Over time, I became emotionless," the physician said. "I came to see the results of my work as just a chunk of blood. During the operation, I felt the same as though I was treating scars or curing diseases...."

But Shim's campaign has triggered a rare public debate on abortion. Lawmakers now call for tougher enforcement of existing laws, and are asking parents to reassess the cultural value of childbirth.....

The country's birthrate is now among the lowest worldwide, with just 1.19 live births per woman.

Meanwhile, abortion rates have kept their pace, many say. Every year, 450,000 babies are born here; Health Ministry officials estimate that 350,000 abortions are performed each year. One politician says the number of abortions is actually four times higher -- nearly 1.5 million.

At the RH Reality Check blog, Elisabeth Garber-Paul is finally getting her own reality check and realizing that current pro-choice arguments are a little stale.

So what does this mean for Millennials? First, it means that we need our theory and rhetoric to catch up with the technology, and quick—otherwise, Roe v. Wade may soon be as obsolete as the tape deck. While we shouldn’t abandon other, more modern issues—such as GLBTQ rights, a distant dream in the 1970s—we should find ways to update our arguments.

Pro-chocers are still making incredibly silly comments about the Stupak amendment. In a letter to the Delaware County Daily Times, Ashley Baptiste thinks it should be illegal to even consider something like the Stupak amendment. Also, notice her idea that women who have children instead of abortions will be "stuck" in welfare programs. What a positive view of women, huh?


Congressman Patrick Kennedy has come out of hiding after going public with Bishop Toobin's 2007 request that he not present himself for commmunion and now he isn't going to comment on the controversy. Here's a quote from Kennedy in the Brown Daily Herald.

“In the final analysis, all of us are children of God,” he continued. “All of us have that spark of divinity. If any one of us is denied health care, it really is a threat to who we call ourselves as human beings.”

Kennedy, of course, didn't note if the unborn were "children of God." And I don't suppose liberal groups will be howling about "separation of church and state" after this comment.