Modern medical advancements and the very premature babies who are being saved are presenting some very difficult questions for abortion activists.
Babies like Emlyn Jackson, who was born 13 weeks prematurely, weighing 1 ½ pounds, once would have died at birth; but now they are surviving and thriving.
The Federalist reports Jackson was born on April 23 and, though still in the hospital, she is doing relatively well. Her family said she probably will stay in the hospital until around her due date, July 20, but they have been pleased with her progress so far.
Emlyn’s father, who has been posting about her progress on Twitter, said Wednesday that she now weighs 2 pounds 2 ounces. At birth, her foot was as small as her parent’s finger.
— good scott (@NotScottInSC) April 27, 2018
Writing at The Federalist, Nicole Russell pointed to Emlyn’s story as an example of “something pro-life advocates have long believed: Science is pro-life.”
“She would not have lived more than a few minutes without a ventilator after she was first born,” Scott told Russell in an email. “When she was about 15 hours old, they discovered that she had a pulmonary hemorrhage and kept her alive with CPR and epinephrine (adrenaline). Without the knowledge of her doctors, nurses, technicians, and the technology they use, she would not be alive now.”
Emlyn’s story is one of many. Late last year, the journal Pediatrics highlighted a baby girl in the United States who survived after being born 21 weeks and four days after conception. The girl, who now is 3, is believed to be the youngest premature baby to survive.
A Duke University study in 2017 also found that babies born at just 23 weeks gestation are surviving outside the womb at a greater rate than ever before. Researchers examined 4,500 babies between 2000 and 2011 and found a “small but significant drop in fatalities for babies born between 23 and 37 weeks gestation,” as well as a decrease in premature babies manifesting neurophysiological problems, the Daily Mail reported.
Their stories present difficult questions for abortion activists like former Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards who recently claimed “there is no specific moment when life begins.” That may be Richards’ belief, but it’s not backed up by science.
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Harvard Professor Glenn Cohen, an expert in medical ethics, recently explained: “People say, ‘When does life begin?’ But that’s the wrong way of asking the question. It’s very clear that a fetus is alive, they’re life, the question is whether they are person.”
Numerous other medical experts, textbooks and even some abortion activists admit that human life begins at conception.
Some abortion supporters and even the U.S. Supreme Court say viability is the point when unborn babies should be protected. But with viability being an constantly-moving mark – from 28 weeks to 24 to now about 21 – it’s increasingly clear that this also is the wrong answer to the question. Pro-life advocates point to biological facts for the only clear answer: conception.
As Russell concluded:
The miracle births of these babies show what science has supported for so long: that all babies are babies at conception. They only need time and in this case, extraordinary medical care, to develop into a talking toddler. Liberals have to turn a blind eye to science in order to make the case that abortion is ethical and legal. While the progressive left and much of the mainstream media might pretend to be unaware of when life begins, the science on this remains firm.
