perfidy

The other day, Mavra Stark, the head of the Morris County, CA NOW branch announced, in regard to the double murder charge against Scott Peterson, "If this is murder, well, then any time a late-term fetus is aborted, they could call it murder." Later the national organization distanced itself from these comments, "out of respect for (Peterson's) family and what they're going through."

Apparently, Stark and other pro abortion figures believe that fetal homicide statutes will give anti-abortion advocates ammunition for their fight to overturn Roe v. Wade. At least 23 states have passed fetal homicide laws, all of which exempt more traditional abortion techniques.

I have a few thoughts about this.

One, in light of my earlier posts about constitutionalism, is that there is no right to abortion in the constitution. It ain't there. And given the text of the tenth amendment, that means that the power to legislate on this issue is reserved to the states, or to the people. Even many supporters of Roe agree that it is bad law. Roe is an unwarranted imposition of federal power on a matter that should be regulated by the states.

Two, the body of a "fetus" washed up on the shore. That doesn't sound right, does it? Laci Peterson and her unborn son disappeared on Christmas Eve. Two bodies are discovered months later. All Mavra Stark can think about is how this will give ammunition to her political opponents. Laci Peterson had chosen a name, Connor, for the fetus; but Stark said, "He was wanted and expected, and (Laci Peterson) had a name for him, but if he wasn't born, he wasn't born. It sets a kind of precedent," adding that the issue was "just something I've been ruminating on." This is heartless.

Three, if a baby is born prematurely, even by months, that child is "viable" and can survive with the aid of incubators and other medical technology. Connor Peterson was about as old as my unborn son John Christian when he and his mother disappeared. I know personally, as I have felt him move, that my son is not a lump of tissue. He is not something that can be disposed of on a whim, or because a baby would represent an inconvenience to someone's lifestyle. Connor Peterson would have survived if he had been delivered by c-section last Christmas Eve, so it is right that his death be the cause of a murder charge.