In one news cycle this week, we had two stories about babies in the womb garnering a lot of attention at the same time. Both relied on what science can tell us about the humanity of the unborn.
The first was a good, witty segment on the Today Show. They discussed a recent study by England’s Durham University showing that babies in the womb prefer certain foods their mothers consume and have an aversion to others. A kicker? Babies express these preferences just like we do, with unmistakable facial expressions.
The babies, seen on stunningly clear 3D ultrasounds, grimaced when their mothers ate kale (related, kids) and laughed when their mothers ate carrots. It was fascinating and charming to see their little faces show pleasure or distaste, like any person of any age.
I wanted one of the Today Show hosts to interrupt the warm giggles around the studio table by saying, “Democrats in Congress recently tried to pass a law that would allow a mother to kill that little carrot-loving cherub for any reason, with no restrictions.” Because that’s what we’re talking about when the abortion lobby proposes legislation to codify unrestricted access to abortion.
It was unclear whether anyone at the table understood how this study, like many others, exposes the quest for unregulated access to abortion as lurid. They just smiled and sat in cognitive dissonance.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams took a reckless swing at the very science that medical professionals use to detect heart activity in unborn babies during the first trimester of pregnancy. While participating in a live panel discussion, Abrams said, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of women’s bodies…”
Sound produced. It is difficult for the party of science to live with the full ramifications of it.
It only took a few minutes for the scientific community and medical professionals of all rights to challenge Abrams’ incorrect claim. But hey – if the right can have a big lie, doesn’t the left deserve its own baseless conspiracy theory? Fair is fair, right?
Poor Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post Fact Checker tried to step in and help Abrams by stating on Twitter that the ultrasound machines are picking up “electrical activity” generated by the fetus. But soon, a number of cardiologists and developmental biologists drug him mercilessly for this claim.
I’m not a scientist. I’m not a cardiologist. I am not an ultrasound technician. But on five different occasions in my life, I went to an obstetrics appointment and heard that magical rhythmic, hissing sound that my doctor clearly identified as my baby’s developing heart doing what hearts do: beating to sustain life.
And on three occasions I’ve laid on that exam table at a follow-up appointment while the nurse searched for a sound, only to be met with heartbreaking silence.
Stacy Abrams can negate the sound of fetal heart tissue coming to life in an attempt to justify her gruesome plan to kill the unborn at will if she wants to. But those of us who lived for the safety of that sound, and were devastated by its absence, know better.
We know it as the difference between human life and death.
I know many people who support abortion rights, and their reasons vary. And I can have that debate in good faith with those who argue with intellectual honesty saying what they think: that they think mothers should be able to kill their developing children in the womb if they want to.
But don’t brag like Abrams and Kessler did this week trying to make the scientifically proven humanity of the unborn disappear. Let’s deal with the facts and have the debate these facts demand: whether it is morally justifiable to end the lives of the most vulnerable, innocent and disadvantaged human beings.
Dana Hall McCain writes about public policy, religion and culture for AL.com. Follow her on Twitter @dhmccain for thoughts on these topics and more.
Note to readers: If you make a purchase through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a commission.
