'After-birth abortion:' Another slip on the slippery slope

Infanticide is creeping more toward the mainstream -- sadly and horrifyingly. In the last week, two Australisn philosophers published in the Journal of Medical Ethics -- which is supposedly a respected publication -- an article titled "After-birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?" The article's abstract says:

Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of acutal people, the authors argue that what we call "after-birth abortion" (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.

Such thinking should be abhorred by all civilized people, but it is only the logical outworking of the argument for abortion rights.

Robert George, professor at Princeton University and a leading pro-life advocate, wrote about the authors' argument at the "Mirror of Justice" blog:

It doesn't matter to the authors whether the baby is physically and psychologically healthy. As a mere "potential person" (sound familiar?), the infant has no right not to be killed at his or her parents will. Of course,most parents of healthy newborns won't be interested in killing them (though they should have the right to). But parents who find themselves with a newborn afflicted with say, Down Syndrome, might find the child to "be an unbearable burden on the family and on society as a while."

What if others are willing to adopt the baby so that he or she won't be killed? Well, the parents might decide to give the child up, and that is certainly their right; but they may prefer to kill him or her, since they may find it psychologically difficult to have a child of theirs out there in the world somewhere.

It appears society will go further down this road of inhumanity and destruction. The church stands in the gap. May we stand strong -- with Jesus and His gospel -- as bold proclaimers of the truth, compassionate servants to all and faithful ambassadors for our King. May we extend grace to the many who may yet be swept under in this carnage. May the light of Jesus shine brighter than ever before through His church in an ever-darkening domain.