Star Parker has been a favorite of mine for years; in fact, she spoke at one of American Life League's events in Florida ten years ago and wowed the audience with her insights. She has just had that effect on me again. Her commentary on the valiant Walter Hoye, an African American pastor who was sentenced to 30 days in jail for standing outside an inner city abortion mill holding a sign that said "Jesus Loves You and Your Baby, Let us Help You," hit the nail on the head.
After bemoaning the fact that Hoye was sentenced even though not a single "victim" testified again him for harassing him or her, she points out with clarity that
Abortion clinics such as Family Planning Specialists strategically locate to optimize their deadly business. This means in poor black neighborhoods.
In describing the particular place where Rev. Hoye was standing with his sign, she tells us
A search of the 94607 zip code in Oakland where this facility is located shows that the population is 50 percent black, the median household income is 40 percent that of the median household income in the state of California while 30 percent earn below the poverty line and 58 percent of households with children are single parent households.
The poor black kids from the broken families and communities there go to failing public schools in Oakland where half of them drop out.
In these failing public schools, it is prohibited to teach the most important thing that these children could possibly hear. That there are absolutes in this world - that there is right and there is wrong.
Parker has exposed a serious problem that is clearly becoming worse. Where right is wrong and wrong is right, nothing good can result. As a matter of fact, such topsy-turvy perspectives infect the way people think, the manner in which they treat others and the attitudes conveyed by those who report the facts.
Recently, for example, in Miami, a young woman named Sycloria Williams went to get an abortion. At the time, she was 18 years of age and while she sat in the chair in the abortion mill, Williams gave birth to a little girl. As National Review explains
And here we will quote the Associated Press: "What Williams and the [Florida] Health Department say happened next has shocked people on both sides of the abortion debate: One of the clinic's owners, who has no medical license, cut the infant's umbilical cord. Williams says the woman placed the baby in a plastic biohazard bag and threw it out. Police recovered the decomposing remains in a cardboard box a week later after getting anonymous tips." And Williams is suing the late-arriving doctor. Her attorney said, "I don't care what your politics are, what your morals are, this should not be happening in our community." What's the attorney's problem, and what's Williams'? She went for an abortion, and the doctor was a little slow-moving. She wanted the baby gone, and the baby was, indeed, gone. The AP has said that "both sides of the abortion debate" are "shocked." Why? Do five minutes make all that much difference - or 20, or 80? The gruesome cases make us think harder. And, in truth, all the cases are gruesome - some are just less seen than others.
There's a case in Maryland involving a couple of fishermen who accidentally found a trash bag containing the body of an infant girl. The fishermen were astounded of course, but one of them told the reporter, "You don't do it that way - by disposing a trash bag. Hospitals is where you take them."
Another case in Miramar, Florida, involves a grandmother, a mother and a grandchild. It goes like this:
A South Florida mother says she ended her teenage daughter's pregnancy and dumped the infant's body in the garbage. Miramar Police Detective Yessenia Diaz says 39-year-old Tonuya Rainey admitted giving her daughter medication from a Miami clinic to end the pregnancy.
Rainey is not a nurse, but works in the medical field. The daughter told police she gave birth two weeks ago over a toilet. Rainey later said she placed the infant in a bag and dumped the body in the garbage. Rainey said the infant was born dead, but her daughter claimed she saw it breathing.
Rainey was arrested Friday and faces felony charges that include performing the termination of a pregnancy without a physician license, unlicensed practice of health care professional, child abuse and improper disposal of human remains.
Take note, if you will, of the charges being considered against the grandmother, none of which is murder.
Then there is the hotly debated case in Brazil where a nine-year-old girl allegedly was pregnant with twins and received an abortion with her mother's blessing. Lo and behold, an international pro-abortion organization, Grupo Curumim is said to have conspired with the pro-abortion hospital staff to abort the twins even though it has come to light now that the girl carrying those babies was not in danger of losing her life!
It is necessary to point out, by the way, that the Brazilian pro-abortion organization, Grupo Curumim is part of the International Women's Health Coalition. IWHC works very closely with the United States government. In fact their web site is chock full of glowing words about President Barack Obama.
It is no stretch therefore to presume that Grupo Curumim received some of its training in devious tactics, if not direct funding, from groups funded by our tax dollars. Maybe even advisors from the United States Agency for International Development. The culture of deathÕs tentacles are extremely far reaching, as we all know!
As LifeSite News reported
Dr. Elizabeth Kipman Cerqueira, a Brazilian obstetrician, said in a public statement on the case that "I don't know anyone who died because of the young age at which she was impregnated, if she received adequate accompaniment," and that she personally knows of cases of 10 year olds who gave birth and are in good health. She added that the abortion is likely to do serious damage to the girl psychologically, and noted that early labor could have been induced at some point after 22 weeks, rather than an abortion. The twins were already at over 20 week's gestation when they were killed.
Clearly, there is something tragically wrong with the way people around the world perceive the value and dignity of the human being. It is no longer a matter of welcoming those into our midst because of who they are, whether convenient or not, but rather it is a matter of placing personal predispositions ahead of everything. It's all just a matter of what you think versus what I think, we are told.
The conversation goes like this: If you think abortion is bad, you have a right to think that it is bad. But please don't impose your version of morality on others.
We hear such sentiments from politicians, newscasters, family members, pastors, and sadly, far too many young people. The difference between good and evil, right and wrong doesn't exist. The culture has become saturated with selfishness and egoism. It is awash in death. Where will it all end?
Star Parker and I agree: Something is wrong in America today, very, very wrong.
But you know, it won't be people like Star and me who will have to live through the cruelty that is becoming so commonplace, it will our children, our grandchildren, and if things don't turn around, generations to come.
Where is the joy in such violent attitudes that are passed off as factual reporting?
Where is the hope in actions that force someone to die or spend time in jail for attempting to be truthful and loving?
Where is the faith in our fellow human beings when pressure from one ideological group can result in lies, death and devastation?
Such is the substance of the plague sweeping the nation and the world. Something is definitely wrong in America today.