Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell Guilty of First-Degree Murder
Pennsylvania doctor Kermit Gosnell was found guilty on 3 counts of first-degree murder – killing babies ex utero after unsuccessful abortions – and 1 count of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the late-term abortions his medical practice conducted. Media coverage of Gosnell’s trial was rather small, but the verdict has enlivened the ever-present debate about abortion and human rights. At The Daily Beast for example, Michelle Goldberg argues that the issue should not be about abortion, but about illegal or late-term abortion. The problem, she says, is that “[w]hen you restrict abortion, this is what happens. Gosnell is what happens.” What we need, Goldberg asserts, is more access to abortions so that women do not become desperate and do not look for doctors like Gosnell who perform sketchy operations.
In contrast, Matthew Franck at Public Discourse argues that the horrible actions of Kermit Gosnell are not an aberration as Michelle Goldberg claims, rather they are a:
“[L]ogical extension of these groups’ moral reasoning and public policy goals, which they have advocated for decades. They have devoted themselves to teaching American women that their unborn children simply don’t count in any moral calculus, and horrors like Gosnell’s clinic are the fruit of their diligent work.”
Goldberg’s assessment of the abortion situation is at the same time predictable and unsettling. It is predictable because it is not surprising that people turn to unsavory methods when they are desperate, and it is unsettling because we allow desperate people to think that abortion is the only way out. We have arrived at this unsettling place because those on the extreme-left have taken an overly practical me-first approach that prevents us from taking responsibility for our actions. I don’t mean to overly simplify the issue of abortion here, I just mean to emphasize that mothers should not feel alone when they are expecting a newborn baby. Perhaps communities should think about shouldering more of the burden so that mothers don’t think the only practical way to deal with an unwanted baby is to abort it.
What is more important in determining who we become: Nature or nurture, our genes or our environment? Well, it appears new research is beginning to break down this dichotomy and turning it into a trichotomy. Gary Marcus reports on a new study which shows that mice with identical genomes and identical living conditions often end up with very different lives. The reason? The chance events that we experience shape our memory and future decisions more than we realize. As Marcus put it, small differences in experience, desire, or talent “become magnified over time.” Interestingly, National Geographic’s recent cover story was on human longevity and why some people live longer than others. Giuseppe Passarino, the featured geneticist in the story who is at the University of Calabria in Italy, said:
“It’s not that there are good genes and bad genes. It’s certain genes at certain times. And in the end, genes probably account for only 25 percent of longevity. It’s the environment too, but that doesn’t explain all of it either. And don’t forget chance.”
I was extremely saddened to learn this week that Dallas Willard died on May 8 at the age of 77 to pancreatic cancer. Yes, May 8th was last week, but I was away so I am including Dr. Willard here. Willard was both an academic of the highest order and a spiritual father of the most humble order. His influence on the evangelical landscape in the last 30 years should not be understated. For example, I, like John Ortberg, was forever changed when I first read Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines in my early 20s. It opened my eyes to the reality and the importance of the spiritual life. I still consider myself rather helpless at the spiritual life, but I get encouragement from knowing that people like Willard found joy and strength from living a “with-God life.” But Willard did not live “with-God” from a position of privilege as Ortberg helpfully points out:
“Because Dallas wrote on spiritual formation and taught philosophy at the University of Southern California, one might think he came from a background associated with richness of education and culture and resources. In fact, he grew up in very poor circumstances in rural Missouri. His mother died when he was two; her last words to her husband were: ‘Keep eternity before the children.’”
Dallas Willard kept eternity before himself and before the multitude who have read his books, and I suspect he will continue to do so long after he himself has entered into eternity.
Other News:
- Canadians are becoming less religious, with one in four Canadians declaring that they have no religious affiliation.
- The infamous Star Wars Kid is speaking out against cyber-bullying. His message: “You’ll survive. You’ll get through it. And you’re not alone. You are surrounded by people who love you.”
- R.A. Dickey, the outspoken evangelical and knuckle-ball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jay’s who was recently profiled by The New Yorker, received an honorary doctorate from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto’s Anglican college.
- Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three north-eastern states after a series of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups, whose name mean “Western education is forbidden.”
(Photo:Dr. Kermit Gosnell is shown in a courtroom artist sketch during his sentencing (CNS/Reuters)
