Supreme Court decision for infanticide: ‘Abominable’

by Rep. David Klindt

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

You probably recognize these powerful words from the Declaration of Independence. After rereading this, I am struck by the irony of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent extreme decision striking down Nebraska’s law to ban partial birth abortions in that state just days before we celebrated Independence Day and the reason this document was written.

The Nebraska law defined the banned procedure as “partially delivering vaginally a living unborn child before killing the unborn child and completing the delivery.” The court ruled 5-4 that the ban placed an “undue burden” on a woman’s right to an abortion. This “undue burden” standard is one the Court invented in a previous ruling on another abortion law which it struck down. This procedure is way beyond abortion. It is infanticide. And there should be an “undue burden” placed on a mother before undergoing this gruesome, barbaric procedure.

The Court also said that the Nebraska law was unconstitutional because it did not contain an exception for the mother’s health. This is a moral issue, not a medical issue. The American Medical Association says partial birth infanticide is never medically necessary. The Court even concluded in their opinion that the mother’s health wouldn’t be damaged if the baby were allowed to be born alive instead of killing him or her just inches from being born. Furthermore, a “health exception” is meaningless because the abortionist is the one who would make that determination.

Missouri passed a bill in 1999, HB 427, to outlaw infanticide. Governor Carnahan vetoed the bill and the Legislature overrode his veto. The bill says, “A person is guilty of the crime of infanticide if such person causes the death of a living infant with the purpose to cause said death by an overt act performed when the infant is partially born or born.” Planned Parenthood has filed suit and the bill is currently tied up in State court. Eventually, the bill will probably end up in Federal court and, like Nebraska’s law, be appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The overwhelming majority of Missourians oppose partial birth infanticide and want it outlawed in Missouri. The overwhelming majority of the elected officials who represent Missourians in the Legislature also oppose this heinous procedure which is why we passed a bill to outlaw it and then overrode Governor Carnahan’s veto by a vote of 127 Ayes to 34 Noes. The Supreme Court’s decision debases and prostitutes our representative form of government. We, the people, must not acquiesce and accept this abominable decision.

It is a travesty that only five unelected, unaccountable people who are cloaked in black robes and secrecy have the power to say infanticide is acceptable, much less constitutional. This extreme decision should result in an extreme reaction from Americans which the Declaration of Independence calls for. The Supreme Court and their twisted opinions have become destructive to innocent life and the Court should be altered or abolished and a new one instituted with justices who interpret the law — not make the law.

This is about “choice.” We have set before us in this nation the choice of life and death. We must, once again, choose life.