Obama-mania in Barbados

Early in the campaign, I reviewed Barack Obama’s stated positions on various issues on his web site (www.barackobama.com), and I found it difficult to contain my excitement on realizing that I shared his views on most issues.  In fact, I was ready to take a vacation, travel to the US, and be deployed wherever he felt that I was most needed.  “Obama-mania” was real, and I felt a part of it.

 What attracted me most to his campaign was his willingness to listen to alternative opinions and be convinced otherwise through compelling evidence.  What a leader.  Stubbornness is normally a leader’s downfall, and it was exciting to witness the evolution of this new type of leader.

 His desire for Government supported healthcare and other social services for all US citizens, which we already enjoy in Barbados, was admirable.  It does not preclude private health care for those who can afford it; however, like him, I believe that the Government should look after those in need.

 As the President of the United States of America, he could advocate his social agenda around the world.  He is clearly inspirational, and I have no doubt that he would be influential.  I believe that he could change the way that healthcare, education, environmental stewardship, border conflicts, and other worldwide concerns are addressed.  He has explained that there are no issues or options that are off of the table – except one.

 Obama supports abortion.  I was able to convince myself that perhaps that was a small price to pay for having Obama as President.  Then I learnt that Obama supports no limits on abortion, even supporting abortion while the mother is in labour.

 Why did I not know of this before?  Then I realised that I had heard of it, but I was so caught up in Obama-mania that I did not consider it important enough.  When criticised by the National Organisation for Women and Hilary Clinton for his voting record on abortion legislation, Obama and Planned Parenthood admitted that they had agreed to deceive voters by having Obama vote “present”, rather than let his true opinion be known at the time.

 Then I learnt that he supports Partial Birth Abortion, even after the Supreme Court banned this abortion procedure.  It consists of allowing the baby to be partially born, and then crushing the baby’s head as he exits the womb and takes his first look at the world.

 As if that were not bad enough, I then learnt that he opposes the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.  He opposed legislation would have given assistance to babies who managed to survive the horrifying abortion procedures.  This Act had been passed unanimously in the US Senate (98 to 0).  Even Senator Clinton and other abortion supporters realised that denying assistance to the survivor was infanticide.  Even abortion organisations like NARAL, who fight for the partial birth abortion procedure to be recognised as a right for women, agreed to support babies who survived an abortion.  But not Obama.  For him, the issue was off of the table, and not subject to discussion.

 I wrote to Obama, and posted my letter on his website.  I wanted to know what was compelling him to believe that there can be no compromising on this issue with him.  I wanted to know what was possessing him to support measures that are so far beyond what even the abortion lobbyists want.  I checked recently and found that my post is still on his website. However, none of his staff or supporters had replied to it.

 I am now greatly disillusioned.  What other issues that have not become campaign issues are also under the table.  The lid is being dislodged, and I am getting a peek at the monster inside … and I do not like it.

Perpetuating the Human Race

Dear Readers:

The demands and sacrifices required of a woman in order for her to adequately care for her unborn child are difficult for men to fully comprehend. The emotional, mental, and physical effects of a pregnancy can at times reportedly seem unbearable. Women therefore cannot be fully compensated for their role in perpetuating the human race.

A supportive husband is an important component of the pregnancy process. His support is mainly emotional as his wife experiences times of anxiety and fear in response to changes to her body. A husbands’ reassurance of love towards his wife and unborn child, and his commitment to their marriage, can help to eliminate these fears. Without this support, the anticipated disruption and the imagined loss of physical attractiveness can lead a woman to contemplate terminating the life of her unborn child.

Barbadian young women cannot escape being bombarded with messages that promote premarital sex. The popular songs, television shows, movies, and role models encourage this behaviour. It is also promoted as being normal at many national entertainment events and secondary schools. The excessive pressure that we have placed on this generation of teenage girls to engage in premarital sex can only result in a relatively high rate of unplanned pregnancies.

Various surveys have shown that many of our teenage girls are sexually active. The practice of vigorously promoting this behaviour among our young women therefore seems to have been effective. As expected, many of our single young women have also found themselves with an unplanned pregnancy.

Pregnancy was previously viewed as a responsibility to care for the unborn child. Pregnancy is currently being promoted as an opportunity to make a choice of whether to end the pregnancy, or to allow the baby to be born. Information is therefore provided on the options available, both through counselling and literature. However, there seems to be an imbalance in the type of information provided to young women, which does not allow them to make an informed choice.

There is ample information provided to young women that supports terminating the life of her unborn child. Some of the topics can include: population control, unplanned pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, lifestyle disruption, financial ability to adequately care for the child, and the physical, mental, and emotional effects of the pregnancy on the mother. In addition to these, the baby is described as mere tissue, which can have the effect of minimizing the consequences of aborting the pregnancy.

The choice of whether to end the life of an unborn child is perhaps the most critical decision that a mother can make. The emotional effects of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy are complicated by the absence of a supportive husband. This emotional state does not facilitate rational decision-making. Providing the mother with unbalanced and misleading information during this time, and then expecting her to make an informed choice is irresponsible.

Before our young women are confronted with such a decision, they should be provided with balanced information. This can include information about the options available to her if she decides to keep her baby, the stages of development of her unborn child, and the procedures that are used to terminate a pregnancy. The main option available is to give the baby the opportunity of being loved and cared for by adopted parents. There are many such persons on long waiting lists around the world.

The stages of human development are as follows. On the day of conception, the sperm joins with ovum to form a living cell that contains the genetic information for every detail of a person’s development, including their sex, height, and skin colour. At this point, the woman becomes a mother with a responsibility of caring for this new life. The baby’s heart begins to beat by the 21st day. At 8 weeks old, everything that can be found in an adult human is found in the unborn child, and its body responds to touch.

Three methods of ending a pregnancy are currently being used. It would not be appropriate to describe them here. However, many doctors who have watched video footage of the reaction of babies to these abortion procedures are reportedly horrified at what they have done.

Regards,

Grenville Phillips II

Abortion for Convenience

Dear Readers: 

Noel Brathwaite PhD wrote a letter, which was published in the Advocate of 28th November 2003 in response to my last article on commercial pressures. I am grateful for his complimentary remarks. However, his conclusions depended on my responses to various questions posed in his letter. Preparing such responses exhausted the time allotted to writing this week’s article. Since others may have similar questions, I shall present his questions with my responses as this week’s contribution.

1. Is there really an abortion industry? Performing abortions should not be an industry but it has become one.

2. Who profits from these abortions? Among other people, the persons who perform them.

3. Is this industry regulated? Performing abortions is governed by the Laws of Barbados, specifically, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy act; however, the provisions of the act are not being enforced to prevent abortion on demand.

4. Who are the stakeholders? Among other people, babies whose lives will be terminated, mothers who choose to have abortions, persons who perform the abortion procedures, contributors to the National Insurance Scheme, and every human being that can be positively impacted by the contribution that the baby can potentially make to humanity.

5. Is the foetus at some stage mere tissue? Human tissue contains highly complex biological material, and in that respect, our adult bodies can also be considered to be mere tissue. From the moment of conception, the normal development of the ‘human tissue’ would be a person with the potential to positively impact their community.

6. At what stage in its development is it a baby or truly human? On the day of conception the sperm joins with ovum to form a living cell that contains the genetic information for every detail of their development including their sex, height, and skin colour. The baby’s heart begins to beat by the 21st day. At 8 weeks old, everything that can be found in an adult human is found in the baby-in–the–womb, and its body responds to touch. I believe that a person starts to develop from the moment of conception.

7. Are all abortions just for the sake of it or are some abortions justified? Are there conditions that may justify abortions or accommodate them, such as saving the life of the mother or when rape leads to pregnancy? The Medical Termination of Pregnancy act permits abortions for both of these cases. However, they are completely separate issues from abortion on demand, and should not be used to detract from the current practise of killing babies for convenience as a method of contraception.

8. Is abortion really “carnage”? Abortion on demand is the incomprehensible torture and death of so many of the most innocent and defenceless among us in the safest of all places. There have been over 40 million killed during the past 30 years in the United States of America alone.

9. Has the current Minister of Health really inherited the responsibility to stop it, and who gave him this responsibility – Cabinet? The Medical Termination of Pregnancy act gives the Minister of Health the instruments to restrain the practise of abortions so that it does not degenerate into a slaughter of babies for convenience.

The needless death of so many Barbadian babies distresses me. History has shown that every generation had opportunities to address at least one terrible injustice that had inexplicably become established in their communities. The injustices included genocide, slavery, political, racial, and religious persecution, the rape of children, and the oppression of women. History has also shown that the apathetic majority can allow such injustices to continue for generations, awakening only if they believe that their personal security is threatened.

There are many injustices in the world today, but the torture and killing of future generations of human beings simply for convenience is perhaps the greatest injustice of them all.

Regards,

Grenville Phillips II

Perpetuating the Human Race

Dear Readers:

The demands and sacrifices required of a woman in order for her to adequately care for her unborn child are difficult for men to fully comprehend. The emotional, mental, and physical effects of a pregnancy can at times reportedly seem unbearable. Women therefore cannot be fully compensated for their role in perpetuating the human race.

A supportive husband is an important component of the pregnancy process. His support is mainly emotional as his wife experiences times of anxiety and fear in response to changes to her body. A husbands’ reassurance of love towards his wife and unborn child, and his commitment to their marriage, can help to eliminate these fears. Without this support, the anticipated disruption and the imagined loss of physical attractiveness can lead a woman to contemplate terminating the life of her unborn child.

Barbadian young women cannot escape being bombarded with messages that promote premarital sex. The popular songs, television shows, movies, and role models encourage this behaviour. It is also promoted as being normal at many national entertainment events and secondary schools. The excessive pressure that we have placed on this generation of teenage girls to engage in premarital sex can only result in a relatively high rate of unplanned pregnancies.

Various surveys have shown that many of our teenage girls are sexually active. The practice of vigorously promoting this behaviour among our young women therefore seems to have been effective. As expected, many of our single young women have also found themselves with an unplanned pregnancy.

Pregnancy was previously viewed as a responsibility to care for the unborn child. Pregnancy is currently being promoted as an opportunity to make a choice of whether to end the pregnancy, or to allow the baby to be born. Information is therefore provided on the options available, both through counselling and literature. However, there seems to be an imbalance in the type of information provided to young women, which does not allow them to make an informed choice.

There is ample information provided to young women that supports terminating the life of her unborn child. Some of the topics can include: population control, unplanned pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, lifestyle disruption, financial ability to adequately care for the child, and the physical, mental, and emotional effects of the pregnancy on the mother. In addition to these, the baby is described as mere tissue, which can have the effect of minimizing the consequences of aborting the pregnancy.

The choice of whether to end the life of an unborn child is perhaps the most critical decision that a mother can make. The emotional effects of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy are complicated by the absence of a supportive husband. This emotional state does not facilitate rational decision-making. Providing the mother with unbalanced and misleading information during this time, and then expecting her to make an informed choice is irresponsible.

Before our young women are confronted with such a decision, they should be provided with balanced information. This can include information about the options available to her if she decides to keep her baby, the stages of development of her unborn child, and the procedures that are used to terminate a pregnancy. The main option available is to give the baby the opportunity of being loved and cared for by adopted parents. There are many such persons on long waiting lists around the world.

The stages of human development are as follows. On the day of conception, the sperm joins with ovum to form a living cell that contains the genetic information for every detail of a person’s development, including their sex, height, and skin colour. At this point, the woman becomes a mother with a responsibility of caring for this new life. The baby’s heart begins to beat by the 21st day. At 8 weeks old, everything that can be found in an adult human is found in the unborn child, and its body responds to touch.

Three methods of ending a pregnancy are currently being used. It would not be appropriate to describe them here. However, many doctors who have watched video footage of the reaction of babies to these abortion procedures are reportedly horrified at what they have done.

Regards,

Grenville Phillips II