Jivin J’s Life Links 9-21-11
by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat
- A Wisconsin man is facing homicide charges after his reckless driving resulted in the death of 5-month-old unborn child:
Emmy Kiecker wept Monday in Winnebago County Court during a preliminary hearing for [Joshua J.] Ozment as she gave the details of the crash that resulted in the death of her fetus. She was five months along with a normal pregnancy at the time of the crash, according to the testimony.
Ozment, 22, was driving a car south on County H near River Trail Drive in the Town of Wolf River when he came around a curve in the road, lost control of his vehicle and zigzagged into the front driver portion of Kiecker’s car.
- The Washington Post editorial board is wailing about Virginia’s new abortion regulations. They think it is “already hard” to get an abortion in a state where 26,000 abortions were performed last year.
- Pro-choice columnist Ellen Goodman (pictured left) was dis-invited from speaking at a Catholic college in Pennsylvania because of her abortion views:
St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., has canceled a lecture on civility by the syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman after an advocacy group called attention to her strong public support for abortion rights.
“After careful consideration, the university feels that the body of your work has reflected statements that are not in close enough alignment with some Catholic teachings and with the values and mission of the university as required for an event of this stature,” provost Wayne Powel wrote to the Pulitzer Prize winner.
[Photo via ellengoodman.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
GOOD !!! Would that Notre Dame had done the same thing with our fearless leader.
I’m glad to see that Joshua Ozment will be held accountable for killing Emmy’s unborn child. It never fails to astound me that the killing of some unborn babies is permitted by law and others are not, all depending on the wishes of the mother. It’s so outrageous; I can’t believe our society tolerates the inconsistency.
And hooray for St. Francis University!
A post from Hans I missed way back when – Aug. 31 – Red Hot Chili Peppers thread.
Hans: Sentient, schmentient.
Wikipedia: “the ability to feel, perceive, or be conscious, or to have subjetive expeeriences”…”the concept is central to the philosophy of animal rights, because sentience is necessary for the ability to suffer”.
Merriam-Webster:: 1. responsive to or conscious of sense impressions
2. aware.
I put it to you that little word “ability” should cover the entire lifespan of the creature in question. The more you allow him or her to grow, the more “sentient” he or she becomes. Any of us are “able” to win the lottery next year. If hit by a bus, we are not.
I just disagree, Hans, to a point in gestation that ability isn’t there at all. Indeed – almost all babies will eventually become sentient if they continue to live.
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Go ahead and marginalize our relatives as “subhuman” or only “potential” sentient beings. The fact is that like any lifeform, they are able to react and feel from the earliest age. Just how “aware” they are is hard to measure even after birth.
But, unlike a rock or tree, just give them a little time and they’ll be currently as sentient as you’d like.
Well, no – not “from the earliest age,” if you mean conception, there. I’m not marginalizing the unborn, I’m just not accepting your take on things, and the degree to which you personify the unborn.
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You’re just hiding behind this word, like the word “viable”, which – when you’re honest about it, just means “harder to kill”.
Wrong, there’s no “hiding.” It’s just how I feel, same as you. If we were not sentient, there would be issues of morality in the first place, and I see the killing of sentient beings as worse than those which aren’t sentient. For that matter, I also see it worse that a 12 week abortion occurs, versus a fertilized egg failing to implant.
On viability, it makes sense from a bodily-autonomy point of view, as once the baby can live outside the womb, then the interest of the woman – if she wants the pregnancy ended – can be satisfied while the baby remains alive. I’ve never looked at it with “harder to kill” mattering.
I know it’s far from a good solution, though – premature births bring a whole host of their own problems and are vastly expensive. In practice, would a 24 week pregnancy be ended by inducing labor, because the woman didn’t want to be pregnant? I doubt it.
For that matter, I also see it worse that a 12 week abortion occurs, versus a fertilized egg failing to implant.
It’s a zygote. It’s no longer an egg. It’s a developing human being.
Yeah, Kel, and I didn’t mean anything to the effect that it wasn’t a zygote. Also agreed – yes, it’s a “human being.”
In both cases I certainly see a “living human organism,” but still seems worse to me to have the 12 week abortion versus the zygote/blastocyst failing to implant. And worse yet for a late-term abortion.