Sunday morning Pro-Life blogging...

One down, 49 to go, ya'll. I am heartened and encouraged by South Dakota's recent decision to ban abortions - with provisions for the mother's life. Hopefully this will get the ball rolling in other states as well.

The opposition is trotting out the usual "well what if the mother was raped? What if she's the victim of incest" arguments, of course. I don't understand - and never will - why it is that the baby should get capital punishment for something he/she didn't do. (this coming from the liberals who are supposedly against capital punishment for convicted felons...)

In this country, we have many options besides murder - including adoption. Adoption laws in this country have improved drastically, and the adoption agencies make the process easy and will walk through the process with the mother from start to finish. (I know, I explored that option with agencies like Bethany Christian Services among others)

In addition, giving your child (conceived by rape or incest) up for adoption instead of killing him or her doesn't add more post traumatic stress issues to the original trauma of the event that resulted in the pregnancy. Is adoption emotionally stressful? Of course. But at least the baby will be alive, raised in a loving family and not...well, dead - unable to ever have a life, realize his or her potential or make the world a better place by being in it.

The most ridiculous argument I've heard in favor of the disgusting "partial birth" abortion is protecting the mother. By the time "partial birth" abortions are performed, the baby is on its way out of the mother. By then, any risk to the mother's life is not an issue if she's carried it to term. Give me a break already.

Speaking of ridiculous (from the FoxNews article):

"If a woman who is raped becomes pregnant, the rapist would have the same rights to the child as the mother, said Krista Heeren-Graber, executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault.

"The idea the rapist could be in the child's life ... makes the woman very, very fearful. Sometimes they need to have choice"

That, ladies and gentlemen, is utter crap. There are many laws on the books in almost all of the states which would a) never give visitation the biological father if the child is a product of "criminal sexual acts". b) never give visitiation to the biological father if it is not in the best interest of the child. Most states automatically terminate the fathers "parental" rights in the case of criminal conduct.

Killing an innocent child is never okay. Ever. A baby's life isn't a "choice". It's a baby. A living, breathing, viable life - entitled to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" like everyone else.

More at Stop the ACLU and Amy Proctor.

UPDATE: Must-read post by a doctor regarding the partial birth abortion debate.

I searched the medical literature and found NO case where partial birth abortion was the ONLY alternative available and thus saved a mother's life. So I tried to imagine a hypothetical situation. I'm not an OBGYN, but I have been trained in obstestrics and I am licensed to deliver OB care. Given the success of C-section deliveries and advances in neonatal care, I can't think of a single scenario in which partial birth abortion would be the ONLY means to save someone's life. Maybe I'm wrong and I've simply overlooked something. But I honestly don't believe such a situation could arise. I also know that this procedure is absolutely horrific, bordering on barbaric. So here's one physician who hopes that the Supreme Court pays attention to medical testimony and decides to uphold any state-imposed ban on this procedure...it's simply not necessary.

**note**
Trolls, before you start screeching and throwing your tired old "we believe in killing babies" arguments, obscenities and insults - I am 7.5 months pregnant. I know what it means to have a life growing inside of me. I had the chance to abort my little girl, and I chose not to even though she wasn't "planned" and I was scared to death. So try to be a bit sensitive, okay? (I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm trying to appeal to the humanity I know is in there somewhere...)