Jamie Lee Morales was turned away by Planned Parenthood and another clinic in Queens before she went to Dr. Rho for a late term abortion [1]. Nobody would take her because she was past the legal 24-week limit to get an abortion in the state of New York [4]. However, Dr. Rho performed the late term abortion without giving it another thought [1]. Perhaps he should have been more contemplative about many of his choices, as he botched the abortion in a rush to complete it.
Jamie Lee Morales left the clinic with a ‘torn cervix, pierced uterine wall, and slashed uterine artery’ according to the National Review [1]. She was rushed through the process of having the procedure and needed a follow-up procedure intended to mend the mutilation done to her. This was all done in the same day [1]. Jamie Lee Morales was escorted out of the clinic in the same day by her sister in a fragile and disoriented state. Soon after she was rushed to a hospital, but despite their efforts she bled to death [1].
Dr. Rho was arrested months later and was indicted for second degree manslaughter; however, he was not charged for performing an abortion past the legal limit [1].
I am wondering why he wasn’t indicted for two counts of manslaughter. After all, he did violently and unnecessarily kill two lives that day.
Dr. Rho was released on $400,000 bail, but he was looking at 15 years in jail for reckless manslaughter [1]. His attorney got him a deal to plea guilty to a charge of criminally negligent homicide, and to admit to the family of Morales that he had behaved badly [1]. This charge required only a 16month-4year prison sentence. However, his attorney claims he could be out in only 1 year [1].
Rho continues to give the explanation that it was “unfortunate medical accident” [1]. He claims no responsibility for this double homicide.
I am astonished at the facts given in this story, knowing the happenings of a late term abortion and the way this particular procedure was ill performed. Why Dr. Rho is getting off with a slap on the wrist punishment compared to the irreversible damage he has done?
Late term abortions are illegal in many places, and in New York the law prohibits abortions past 24 weeks because the child is viable at that age [4]. Viable meaning it is able to live after birth [1]. This makes it painfully obvious why late term abortions are illegal, it is plain and simple, Murder.
If this information is not enough to convince you, let me describe what occurs in a partial birth abortion. Brenda Pratt Shafer, a registered nurse, testified on assisting of a partial birth abortion before the senate Judiciary committee:
“According to nurse Shafer, the baby was alive and moving as the abortionist “delivered the baby’s body and arms – everything but the head. The doctor kept the baby’s head just inside the uterus. The baby’s little fingers were clasping and unclasping, his feet were kicking. Then the doctor stuck the scissors through the back of his head, and the baby’s arms jerked out in a flinch, a startle reaction, like a baby does when he thinks he might fall. The doctor opened up the scissors, stuck a high-powered suction tube into the opening and sucked the baby’s brains out. Now the baby was completely limp.
With forceps, the doctor turns the baby around in the womb to be positioned feet first. The baby’s legs are pulled out into the birth canal. The baby is alive at this point.
The abortionist delivers the baby’s entire body, except for the head, which remains inside the birth canal. The baby’s hands and feet move.
The abortionist stabs the scissors into the base of the baby’s skull. The scissors are spread to enlarge the opening. The suction catheter is then inserted, and the brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The head slides out easily.” [3]
This sort of visual and verbal stimulation about abortion seems to be vital to the common persons understanding of the significance of this procedure. We have been seriously desensitized to the idea that abortion in any manner is the murder of a human being.
There are many arguments for the pro-choice (pro-abortion) side. None of which seem to be enough to convince me its okay to take someone’s right to life away. Unless someone is burdened with the tragedy of either losing the mother or baby in the birthing process, a process in which one or both lives will already inevitably be lost, I will not stand for abortions.
Arguments of when a life begins are illogical to me, beyond even my Christian standpoint. Someone will bring scientific information in which they’ve determined that at a certain point life begins, for example say 9 weeks. What happened in that last minute before it went from 8 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes to 9 weeks? Was there some defining moment between those seconds that somehow transforms it from pregnancy tissue into life worth saving? No.
This argument makes no sense. And if you are to argue that brainwaves or a heartbeat or whatever other human trait of biological function defines us as life be the determining factor, what about those with Arrythmia, what about people in a coma? [7] There is no science that can show me there is a time in which we can abort a baby and it would not be the killing of a human life.
I cannot stress enough the importance of what is happening here. There is no justification that prevails over the right to life. PERIOD.
This is not some political game; this is the protection of human life.
Dr. Rho should have been persecuted to the full extent of the law. This would sentence him to 2 years for providing a late term abortion, and then 15 years for reckless manslaughter [1] [4].
Why this was not taken as seriously as the law requires is beyond me.
Dr. Rho has performed 400,000 abortions in his career [1]. This is an alarming amount. How can a human being perform these mutilating actions (400,000 times nonetheless) and not suffer psychological damage?
I don’t have the answer to this question, but what I do have is information that leads to the conclusion that even successful abortions of any kind lead to serious mental health issues for the mother.
A study by the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry used a representative sample of over 3,000 women studied the mental health of women with an abortion history as compared to those without [5]. This study found that women who have had an abortion are at a 98% increased risk for mental health disorders, compared to other women [5].
They found other alarming statistics:
- 59 percent increased risk for suicidal thoughts [5]
- 61 percent increased risk for mood disorders [5]
- 61 percent increased risk for social anxiety disorders [5]
- 261 percent increased risk for alcohol abuse [5]
- 280 percent increased risk for any substance use disorder [5]
With this information, and many other studies which yield similar outcomes, how can we justify abortion for bettering the health of the mother? Putting aside the miniscule less than 1% of cases where the life of the mother is in danger by having the child [3]. Other than the choice between two lives in these few cases, there is no excuse that should prevail as a reason to bypass a person right to life!
If the argument has come down to looking at hard cases, then let’s look at the case with Dr. Rho, shouldn’t this one instance be enough to make abortion illegal? This is the tactic of those on the pro-choice (pro-abortion) side, taking one hard case and setting precedent by emotive factors. This is illogical, ineffective, and solves nothing.
So far letting women “choose” has only led to the death of millions of lives, and the endangering of women’s health both mental and physical.
If you want to look at the abortion issue in a logical way, let’s not look at hard cases, lets look to logic and fact shall we.
What are the reasons behind abortion? Poverty, disability, rape, not wanting to be pregnant [3]. Tell me which one of these reasons prevails over someone’s right to life?
Furthermore, it is clearly not safe for the mothers to go through with abortions for their mental health sake. Does planned parenthood have programs for PTSD after they have killed your baby? No. [6]
As my mom always said, if you want to know if abortion is right or wrong, try and explain it to a child, you will be able to tell by the look on their face.
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[1] McArdle, Mairead. “A New York Abortionist’s Road to Prison.” National Review, National Review, 2 July 2018, www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/abortion-doctor-robert-rho-conviction-in-death-of-jamie-lee-morales/.
[2] N/A. “An Overview of Abortion Laws.” Guttmacher Institute, Guttmacher Institute, 1 June 2018, www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-abortion-laws.
[3] N/A. “AbortionFacts.com.” Https://Www.abortionfacts.com, 0AD, www.abortionfacts.com/literature/partial-birth-abortion.
[4] Cornell. “18 U.S. Code § 1531 – Partial-Birth Abortions Prohibited.” LII / Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 2003, www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1531.
[5] “Abortion Risks: A List of Major Psychological Complications Related to Abortion.” After Abortion, www.afterabortion.org/2011/abortion-risks-a-list-of-major-psychological-complications-related-to-abortion/.
[6] Planned Parenthood. “Our Services | Affordable Healthcare & Sex Education.” Planned Parenthood, National – PPFA, www.plannedparenthood.org/get-care/our-services.
[7] Young Americans Foundation, director. Ben Shapiro at Berkely- ABORTION. Dr. Ben Carson’s Accomplishments, Awards, Honors, and Community Involvement, Young Americans Foundation, 15 Sept. 2017, www.facebook.com/officialbenshapiro/videos/vb.203805062990264/1532611513442939/?type=2.
Image citations:
[a] Rosenberg, Rebecca and Georgett Roberts, directors. New York Post. New York Post, New York Post, 12 Oct. 2016, www.nypost.com/2016/10/11/doctor-charged-with-killing-woman-who-died-from-botched-abortion/
[b] “Church Militant – Serving Catholics.” Church Militant – Serving Catholics, www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/oklahoma-law-to-define-abortion-as-first-degree-murder.
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