#603 - Peace & Life: Ukraine / Idaho / End of Life Care
More: Human Dignity Defies Attacks
We join in the general delight about the bravery and creativity of Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian editor and producer who managed to get on air with an anti-war sign. The Russian part says:
“Stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."
There were concerns for her safety as she wasn’t heard from for hours afterward, but she did show up with her lawyer later.
Meanwhile, in an example of assertive nonviolent action showing solidarity and bravery against the aggressor, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled by train to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Explaining the Idaho Bill
Texas legislation made abortion after a detectable heartbeat mainly inaccessible in-state by allowing anybody, even an unrelated person, to sue anyone involved in the abortion. This has been criticized, even by some pro-lifers, as being vigilante in character.
Modeled after this approach, Idaho legislation only authorizes the unborn child's family to sue – the baby's father, siblings, grandparents, etc. This means a lawsuit by people who were directly injured by a specific action. This is what lawsuits are for.
Also, the only person to be sued is the abortion provider.
Will the Idaho approach be as effective in getting abortion clinics to stop? We’ll see. But consider a difference between a legal ban vs. allowing lawsuits: with a criminal prosecution, the abortion provider is seen by some as a noble martyr standing up to a tyrannical government. Holding the abortion provider accountable to a weeping grandmother is another matter.
Update on Referendums
In Pennsylvania, a court case is on appeal that some fear might become the Roe v. Wade of the state. Therefore, a state constitutional amendment to say there’s no right to abortion in the state constitution is being considered in the legislature, to be voted on in 2023.
Our Latest Blog Post
Lois Kerschen covers tender care at the end of life, whether it’s a long life or that of a baby - palliative care and perinatal hospice, in A Process of Tender Understanding and Loving Closure when Life Ends.
Quotation of the Week
Cassy Fiano-Chesser
Live Action, March 10, 2022
In just a few short weeks, over two million people have fled Ukraine. A sizable number of them – an estimated 80,000 – are pregnant . . . Some are going into premature labor, set off due to stress and fear as Russian troops bomb hospitals. Women are also at high risk of suffering sexual violence as refugees, and during times of war as well . . . But in Planned Parenthood’s opinion, what they need is birth control and abortion – even without a doctor’s supervision. . . .
Ukrainian women, right now, need things like food, shelter, medical supplies, and to know that they and their families are safe. What they don’t need is to add the trauma and violence of abortion to the violence and trauma they have already experienced.