In this latest chapter of “people are disposable” in our society we have the case of the DC5. The legal battle is for an autopsy on the remains of 5 believed to be late-term aborted babies in 2022. The abortions were performed in a Washington DC abortion clinic, and the question that has delayed any respectable disposition of the remains is whether the abortionist violated the Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003, and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. Both acts protect children from abortion late term and after birth.
How Did We Get Here?
Abortion has made people disposable. This has become more evident with each passing day as the battle for “reproductive rights” has kicked into high gear. Fortunately, the US Supreme Court struck down the Roe v Wade “standard” that for many years was the “guarantee” for access to abortion procedures. This decision pushed the abortion question back to the states where it should have always been. Many people look at the political perspective of this decision and use it as a rallying cry to fight for women’s rights at the voting booth. In my view there is absolutely no downside to this. If it saved even one child it is worth it. The DC5 situation is especially despicable for a number of reasons:
- There is the horrific question of whether these children were aborted very late in term, or even more despicable after birth. Both were illegal based on the acts listed above, as well as the moral issue that we *must* value any human life and cooperate with God’s plan.
- These remains were “obtained” by the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) group after Police “found” the remains in the home of a known abortionist. The police were there to arrest an anti-abortion advocate who violated the FACE act in 2020 and was rumored to be at the house.
- The PAAU “obtained” the aborted fetus’ by taking over the clinic and blocking access to any patients until the police arrived and ended the takeover. They determined that due to the size of the fetuses that they were likely to be late-term or survived the abortion. The PAAU along with congressional members and pro-life leadership have called for an autopsy and an investigation into the deaths of the 5 babies (the DC Medical Examiner did not intend to do an autopsy).
- The legal battle for the investigation has extended from 2022 (the babies were aborted in 2020) and earlier this month the DOJ instructed the DC Medical Examiner to destroy the 5 remains.
What is the Catholic Church’s Position on the Dignity of Human Life?
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
Where’s the Dignity of Human Life in all of this?
There has not been any dignified treatment of these murdered children:
- They were aborted in their mother’s womb. While that in and of itself is inherently evil, even more so should the DC5 be found to have been late-term or even have survived the abortion prior to death.
- There has been no interest on the part of the DC Medical Examiner, or the Biden DOJ, to perform an investigation and/or autopsy to resolve the issue.
- The remains of these murdered babies have been victim of a legal and a political battle approaching 4 years now. There has not been a dignified funeral or burial for these victims as the battle for an autopsy rages on.
- While the intentions were good, the actions of the PAAU do not help the cause. Taking over an abortion clinic did in fact violate the FACE Act and is counter-productive. We have since seen a number of protestors arrested for violating the FACE Act that were peacefully praying near abortion clinics.
- Granted, if the abortionist broke the law and murdered these babies late-term or after birth they need to be help accountable, but this battle is pushing 4 years now with no immediate timetable to resolution.
What’s Next?
This situation needs to be resolved and immediately. As Catholics, we need to be more vocal with our church, our elected officials, and society in general. I encourage everyone to reach out to your congressional representatives and demand they stand for an expedited investigation and closure to this issue so these victims can receive a dignified funeral and proper burial. You can find your elected officials here.
I urge you to reach out to church officials as well to help push this issue to closure. You can find your local bishops by clicking here. While I have seen a lot of feedback from anti-abortion groups and congressional leaders, I have not seen much if any from the Catholic Church leadership for this issue.
I encourage everyone who wants to pray peacefully by an abortion clinic to abide by the law. We have seen the Biden DOJ target pro-lifers with legal action while allowing situations like the DC5 to go without investigation and unpunished. For more information on the FACE Act you can view the definition from the DOJ site here.
This is a critical issue and we need more voices fighting for life. With the removal of the Roe v Wade “standard”, there has been a widening of the gap between the sides. A very positive development has been the restriction and in some cases, the banning of abortions. The other side of this pendulum has driven a number of states to remove most if not all restrictions on abortion, and will even fund travel for women who live in states with strong restrictions to travel to receive an abortion. Our voices must be louder as we take on this inherent evil. As always, comments are not only welcome, but encouraged.
God Bless
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