By Maria Gallagher, February 11, 2021
They are the amazing stories that cause us to pause and think about the resilience of the human spirit—even in the tiniest, most vulnerable among us.
These are the tales of micro-preemies, babies who have miraculously survived despite being incredibly premature. These little champions give us hope in a world that can seem sadly lacking of it at times.
These poster children for modern medical care show that babies can in fact beat the odds and emerge victorious, even if they have a shaky start in life.
And that is why I was especially saddened to see the latest abortion statistics in Pennsylvania, which clearly show late-term abortions, are on the rise in the Keystone State. In 2019, some 462 preborn babies of 21 to 23 weeks gestation lost their lives to abortion. That is an increase over the 2018 totals, which saw 457 such babies die in abortion facilities throughout the Commonwealth.
BabyCenter.com explains the milestones of development at 21 weeks. Under a heading which reads “Alive and kicking,” the website notes that you may feel as if your baby is studying martial arts as “her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges.” In a further nod to the baby’s humanity, eyebrows are now visible.
And yet, that same preborn child can be aborted in Pennsylvania.
It is a truly sobering thought, and speaks to the importance of reaching out to pregnant women with factual information about their preborn children’s development. For, once you see that image of a baby at 21 weeks—your baby at 21 weeks—it is difficult to turn away.
All abortions are unacceptable and late-term abortions are especially egregious. According to all national public opinion polls, they are opposed by a strong majority of Americans.
It is high time for Gov. Wolf to recognize the public health crisis posed by late-term abortions, and move to address it through compassionate public policy initiatives that recognize the dignity of these precious children. Even a former Planned Parenthood “escort” should be able to grasp that this rise in late-term abortions is a tragedy of immense proportions in a Commonwealth which prides itself on the spectacular care it offers to premature babies in neonatal intensive care units.
This article first appears HERE.