Dr. Gosnell, a medical doctor in Philadelphia who became a millionaire performing abortions, has been charged with murder. As a result of a grand jury hearing and the recent beginning of Gosnell’s trial in Pennsylvania, gruesome details of his killing chambers are beginning to be made public. Employees, former patients and district attorney investigators are testifying to practices and conditions that are barbaric. Those abortion advocates who are so quick to argue that abortion must remain legal in the name of women’s rights need to watch the documentary below and respond to the inherent racism, discrimination, deception and resulting devastation that it exposes as characterizing the respected Dr. Gosnell’s practice. If they refuse to do so, they are cowards whose agenda is something far different than the rights of women.
The almost universal media censorship of the Gosnell case is appalling. With rare exception, the national media has ignored (or would be better to say, covered up?) this story. Fortunately, attention is being called to it through new media and social media outlets. I for one am glad that the gatekeeping task of old media is being increasingly overthrown. A free press is a great benefit to a free society. But, as the deafening silence that has come from the national media about Dr. Gosnell indicates, in many respects, the old guard press is no longer free. They have been co-opted by wealthy, powerful interest groups to further political agendas. It is a tragic fact. But it is also an undeniable one.
For more on the media blackout of this case, see Denny Burk’s excellent article here. He also has followup posts worth reading (here, here). Trevin Wax has also weighed in with his 8 reasons for the media blackout on this case.
The politics of abortion is a vast, complicated issue. I don’t presume to have the expertise or wisdom to unravel it. I do, however, have enough clarity in my mind to know, as I have publicly stated on many occasions, I would not vote for a dog catcher if I knew he was pro-abortion. If that makes me a single-issue voter, so be it. One of the men in my church expressed it well recently when he described this position like this: “If a young man asked me for permission to marry my daughter and gave me a long list of his positive qualities and promises to love her, provide for her and take care of her, but then added, ‘But there is one thing you should know. I do plan to have sex with other women now and then, but that will not interfere with any of my other promises to love and care for your daughter.’ That would obviously be a deal breaker for me. That’s how I view political candidates with regard to the issue of abortion. No matter how many positive qualities he may have, if he is pro-abortion, he will not receive my vote.”
I agree wholeheartedly.
I listened to President Clinton’s 1992 declaration that he wanted to see abortions in America be “safe, legal and rare,” a mantra recently taken up by current President Obama. As the Gosnell case highlights with gut-wrenching reality, Clinton and Obama are only one-for-three in their stated objective. Abortion remains legal, even under the most horrific and brutal circumstances. President Obama is the most pro-abortion president this nation has ever seen. And his bully pulpit has emboldened the advocates and practitioner of abortion. As a state senator in Illinois, he voted three times to allow for babies who survived botched abortions to be put to death, assuaging his conscience with semantics. The 2012 Democratic Party platform is very clear in its advocacy of abortion on demand.
The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.
There is a connection between the atrocities perpetrated by Dr. Gosnell, the media bias and the political leadership in this country. The latter two have worked in tandem to help foster a culture that not only allows for but actually encourages the former. Dr. Gosnell made millions of dollars and evidently had enough political capital to avoid even Department of Health inquiries into reported deaths of women from his procedures. He has blood on his hands for certain. But he is not the only one. President Obama and every other political leader who supports the ongoing practice of abortion, along with every media outlet that chooses to look the other way at the atrocities of this legally protected industry shares his guilt.
The church of Jesus Christ in America cannot plead innocence, either. We know better. We have been given the truth. I admit that too often churches and Christian organizations have been so overtly political that at times they seem like little more than another political action committee for either the Democratic or Republican parties. I loathe that type of agenda wherever I see it being advocated in the name of Christ. That being said, there are times when issues arise that speaking for righteousness necessarily means crossing swords with those who promote unrighteousness as a political agenda. Abortion is the quintessential such issue of our times.
The church of Jesus Christ must speak out. We must speak plainly and compassionately. As the 20 minute documentary below on the Gosnell fiasco clearly demonstrates, it is far from a victim-less crime. And it is far from a private decision. The consequences of legalized abortion are massive and we have yet begun to feel all of their weight. While extending hope and grace to both abortionists and those who have suffered at their hands, we must not allow the horror of this national disgrace to go unchecked or unaddressed. Praise God for those individuals and organizations who have led the way. But all who name the Name of Christ must own our stewardship in this area. “Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter,” Proverbs 24:11 says. And “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die” (Proverbs 31:8, NKJV).
Pastors must be willing to preach, teach and write on the evil of abortion. Churches should offer gospel counsel to those scarred by abortion and alternatives to those who think that it is the only or best choice. Adoption should be promoted and encouraged among believers. And we must be willing to enter the public arena, calling on advocates of this murderous practice—including our political leaders, yes, even President Obama—to repent of their complicity in this national crime. Let the chips fall where they may, but let the people of God speak boldly, humbly, carefully, accurately, plainly and graciously, as is befitting those who have been graciously saved from such ways of thinking, in behalf of the millions of innocents who are being legally slaughtered each year.
May God have mercy on us.
This video is worth 20 minutes of your time to gain a sense of the depravity that was manifested by Dr. Gosnell and his staff in their abortion practice.
