A Victory For Life?

The partial birth abortion ban [CNN] recently passed in the House by a 282-139 vote. President Bush has promised to sign this into law if it reaches his desk, which looks probable at this point. Yet those supporting this form of murder have already warned that they will challenge it in court.

Ken Connor, president of the anti-abortion Family Research Council, said passage was indicative of "a tide that is running against Roe v. Wade, which will eventually be dismantled."

Bush hailed passage of the legislation, which he said "will help build a culture of life in America. I urge Congress to quickly resolve any differences and send me the final bill as soon as possible so that I can sign it into law."

President Bush is right about this, though it will not happen overnight.

The president -- unlike former President Clinton, who twice vetoed partial birth abortion bans -- had urged Congress in his State of the Union address in January to give him a bill he could sign.

The administration strongly believes the bill "is both morally imperative and constitutionally permissible," the White House said in a statement.

Reading this reminds me of someone I saw on CNN just the other night, arguing that this ban was anti-woman. The classic argument is given that keeping this procedure in place is pro-woman because it protects a woman's heath. First of all, abortion, by its very nature, is anti-woman, and this procedure even further demonstrates that. Secondly, this procedure is no better for a woman's health than actually giving birth. In fact, it is even more invasive and destructive, not just because of the fact that abortion clinics are some of the most medically unregulated facilities in the nation, but because partial-birth abortion involves partially giving birth to a late term, perfectly viable baby.

Truly this is a nation with no memory. American Feminism has historically been very pro-life, seeing all abortion as the worst form of oppression of women. These were the same women who fought for equal opportunity and the right to vote. It was only within the past 50 years that our culture has bought into the lie that abortion is liberating.

Susan B. Anthony said this about abortion in her publication The Revolution:

Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime!

It is our culture that has blood on its hands because we have failed to provide opportunities to help women, faced with the choice, to not feel as though they have no choice.