A Needed Discussion, Life Is Under Attack, Anti-Semitism In Congress

Gary Bauer

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: A Needed Discussion - Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made headlines yesterday for his remarks on late-term abortions. Here's what the governor said:

"So in this particular example if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."

I'm not entirely certain what "discussion" needs to ensue after the baby is born. But thank you, Gov. Northam, for kick-starting a national discussion on the evilness of late-term abortions. It's a discussion the country desperately needs to have.

If you're only watching the "mainstream media," you'd never know about the controversy. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all ignored it in their evening news coverage last night.

Let me remind you again, that Northam's remarks came amid outrage over legislation sponsored by Delegate Kathy Tran (D) that would have permitted abortions even up to the point of birth. This radical pro-abortion bill had 22 co-sponsors.

President Trump weighed in yesterday, saying:

"I thought it was terrible. Do you remember when I said Hillary Clinton was willing to rip the baby out of the womb? That's what it is. That's what they're doing. It's terrible."

He's right. And it shows that the true extremists in the abortion debate are not those attempting to save lives, but those so eager to take lives at every opportunity.

Planned Parenthood spent millions of dollars backing Ralph Northam and candidates like Kathy Tran, and this is the payoff. Thankfully, Tran's bill was "aborted" in committee on a narrow 5-to-3 vote. But similar legislation is being pushed in other states, as we saw last week in New York.

The Endangered Species Act - Many people worry about endangered species. Progressives often carry this to extremes when certain animals such as spotted owls or snail darters are used to prevent all kinds of worthwhile economic projects. Over the years, more and more animals have been added to the Endangered Species Act, giving the left more ammunition to block economic progress.

At the same time, many on the left have another goal regarding one class of "endangered species" -- they want to ensure that no children with Down syndrome are born.

Sadly a Down syndrome diagnosis is often a death sentence for the unborn baby. Studies indicate that as many as 75% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are "terminated."

I have a relative with Down syndrome in my family, and she is one of the most delightful, gentle, big-hearted individuals I have ever known. In fact, I have never met a person with Down syndrome who was not kind or gentle. In many ways, they are made more in the image of God than the rest of us.

The next time the Endangered Species Act comes up, I hope a pro-life legislator will include the unborn babies that our society says do not meet certain arbitrary standards for deserving life. Is the snail darter lobby really more powerful than the human baby lobby?

"Life Is Under Attack" - Vice President Mike Pence is also speaking up for the sanctity of life. In a column today at National Review Online, Pence blasts the left's embrace of infanticide as "morally reprehensible and evil." Here are a few excerpts from the vice president's column:

"This shameless embrace of a culture of death is startling to every American who cherishes life. Not too long ago, the Democratic Party's stated position was that abortion should be 'safe, legal, and rare.' It was this widespread rejection of late-term abortion that led a large bipartisan majority in Congress to pass the partial-birth-abortion ban in 2003. But now look at how far the Democratic Party has fallen.

"To support, let alone cheer, late-term abortions not only marks a disturbing step backward by so-called 'progressives' — it also violates every demand of human decency. As modern science has moved the point of viability ever earlier in pregnancy, most Americans have agreed that a child who can survive outside the womb deserves a chance at life. Only a handful of countries, including China and North Korea, allow late-term abortions. . .

"After all, at the base of the same One World Trade Center that was bathed in pink last week to mark the passage of New York's [new pro-abortion] law, is the September 11th memorial. There, the names of all who died in the horrific terrorist attacks 18 years ago are etched in stone — including the eleven unborn children we lost along with their expectant mothers."

Anti-Semitism In Congress - Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has made headlines in the past for bashing Israel, and she's back at it once again. In a recent interview with Yahoo! News, Omar laments that Israel is our ally and that we don't treat the terror-subsidizing Palestinian Authority as an equal.

She also criticized the Jewish state for being, well, Jewish, and blasted Israel for being anti-democratic. Omar said:

"When I see Israel institute a law that recognizes it as a Jewish state and does not recognize the other religions that are living in it, and we still uphold it as a democracy in the Middle East, I almost chuckle.

"If we see [something like the nation-state law] in any other society, we would criticize it. We would call it out. We do that to Iran. We do that to any other place that sort of upholds its religion."

This is utter nonsense!

There are at least 20 nations in the world where Islam is the official state religion. Why is Omar singling out the one and only Jewish state for criticism?

I don't hear Rep. Omar calling out the Palestinian Authority for making it a crime, punishable by death, to sell land to Jews. And no one is calling out Iran for the fact that it is a self-declared "Islamic Republic."

The problem with Iran is that it is the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism. Its leaders refer to America as "the great Satan," and they have repeatedly advocated a second Holocaust by vowing to wipe Israel off the map.

Israel is our ally because it shares Western values of freedom and genuine tolerance.

Israel does not hang homosexuals.

Israel does not persecute religious minorities.

Israel does not threaten genocide against its Muslim neighbors.

Israel is not the obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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