Real Baby Killers

Real Baby Killers
By Vickie Stangl
Opinion | April 4, 2010

WICHITA, Kan. - One of the most brutal child abuse cases made headlines this week in Kansas. Yes, there are real "baby killers" in society. Are we finally prepared to have a grown-up discussion on women and reproductive decisions?

Let's begin by first examining the sanctity of life philosophy of men like Scott Roeder. The philosophy is grounded in the theory that any pregnant woman, and I mean any woman, say a 12 year old girl with Down's syndrome, has the moral duty to carry her fetus to term regardless of any other issues or common sense facts. Or, let's use a different example. A woman in her early twenties who has no job, is hooked on drugs, lives with an abusive boyfriend and she also has anger management issues, is pregnant. Which is the more ethical choice? Deny both these females a safe, humane option to ending their pregnancies if they wish to do so, or uphold the sanctity of life and demand these women give birth?

If you can't decide perhaps we need to make the issue more real. The abuse of a child in Newton, Kansas last week was revealed to be so brutal that the authorities said they had never seen anything so horrible. Do we still stand and support the sanctity of life mantra which means this sweet, innocent, defenseless little lamb's torture was far more humane than if its mother had aborted him? I bet we won't see self-righteous football player Tim Tebow doing a commercial on this real life scenario any too soon.

Nothing is more despicable than the abuse of a child. I know. I served many years working as a public speaker and board member on the Johnson County Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Americans do kill children and do so in the most horrible manner. I don't have to provide the facts to prove this statement. We all know it is sadly true. Even more tragic is how we continue to avoid an honest discussion about parenting and pregnancy. For too long we have abdicated our role as citizens and allowed religion to control this ethical issue as a "one size fits all " philosophy.

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Thank you for your posts! They are always worth reading.

What angers me is the "sanctity" of the fetus - as long as it's a fetus. Amazingly, these "pro-life" folks, as they like to call themselves, are also the ones who care not one whit about the welfare of mother and child once it is on this earth.

Molly said; "these people are not "pro life", they are "pro-birth".

After birth, you're on your own.

-90% Jimmy

"we should support abortion because kids will be abused without it." I think that's a terrible attitude to take, and it's a shit-ass argument.

This is a very complex issue and merely saying no to abortion is not truly advocating for kids.

Child abuse is tragic. But nothing in this article indicates that the mother wanted to have an abortion and something prevented it. Abortion should be a readily available option for women. Child abuse is a tragic crime that must be prevented. I don't believe this article connected these premises; nor do I think it will help in the fight for easily availble abortions. It seems to be trying to make political hay out of a tragedy.

I see it as an exposure of the hypocrisy in claiming to be 'pro-life' while ignoring vulnerable children post birth. We clearly need to do more than just prevent abortion.