Soon and Very Soon, America

I will preface everything by saying that I am Pro-Life: I believe in the sanctity of life from conception to its natural death and I believe in taking responsibility for whatever else happens in between. I won't kill a bug (I usually "set them free") and I absolutely adore puppies and babies.

Having said that, I read this heartbreaking article from the NY Times titled “Pro-Life Nation” about the total ban on abortion in El Salvador. Not surprisingly, San Salvador's Archbishop Fernando Sáenz Lacalle, an Opus Dei member and a JP2 appointee (who isn't?) played a key role in inserting church into state. He's also the same guy who eradicated liberation theology - Archbishop Oscar Romero is probably turning in his grave.

What is so sad about this whole thing is its singular goal: to prevent all forms of abortion at all cost. Fair enough. However, what is absolutely infuriating is that it is sorely lacking in compassion and conscience; for example, a kid who could have been abused by a family member could end up in jail for the abortion, but the abuser could go free. The law doesn't provided for the life that it saves, only that it "saves" it. Who feeds and clothes and loves it - that's not the state's problem. How very Republican of them.

And guess what, the law still exempts the rich: "Abortion as it exists in El Salvador today tends to operate on three levels. The well-off retain the "right to choose" that comes of simply having money. They can fly to Miami for an abortion, or visit the private office of a discreet and well-compensated doctor. Among the very poor, you can still find the back-alley world described by D.C. and the others who turn up in hospitals with damaged or lacerated wombs. Then there are the women in the middle; they often rely on home-brewed cures that are shared on the Internet or on a new underground railroad that has formed to aid them."

Those folks who organize anti-abortion marches, I often wonder if they would lift a finger and open their wallet to help. Because if your sole purpose is to prevent abortion and not care for the life that you have "saved", that's one very empty victory.

If this is what our country has to "look forward to", be afraid. Be very afraid.

On a separate note, it seems that abortion is also the cause of illegal immigration according to Senator Nancy Schaeffer (R-GA): Commenting on illegal immigration, Schaefer said 50 million abortions have been performed in this country, causing a shortage of cheap American labor. “We could have used those people,” she said.

Glad to know someone has made the connection.



Keywords: Delia Gallagher