Isn’t it ironic that Hillary Clinton, a staunch abortion supporter, visited a medical clinic in Miami, Florida on August 9, 2016 to draw awareness to Zika research and prevention? Has anyone pointed out to Ms. Clinton and other abortion advocates that the unborn children they wish to save from Zika infection are the same type of human beings they wish to ignore when it comes to abortion? Why can abortion supporters so easily show concern about the effects of Zika on unborn children, while ignoring the effects of abortion? I presume their answer would involve the autonomy of the mother prevailing over any consequences (even death) to the child — noting that by their ideology, a woman can “choose” an abortion, while she does not choose to be infected with Zika. Nevertheless, they cannot escape the fact that the very same unborn children who might be infected with Zika may also be prey to abortion. Why care for one and not the other? Might it be that the victim of a prenatal disease may be visible and possibly costly to society later in life, whereas the aborted child simply disappears?
The Zika virus may be able to diminish an unborn child’s health, but it can never diminish the child’s human dignity or right to life. As we have seen with Down syndrome and other prenatally diagnosed conditions, the parents are often guided toward abortion. Likewise, we predict that Zika-affected children will also be at higher risk for abortion, and so we must be ready to affirm their dignity within the womb and throughout life.
The pro-life community must participate in the widespread efforts underway to combat Zika while staying vigilant in our stand for life. Perhaps we can find common ground with abortion supporters in showing concern for unborn children. It is notable that pro-life terms and educational diagrams are in use by mainstream media while reporting on Zika. Some use the humanizing term “unborn babies” (in addition to the medical term of “fetus”) and some utilize diagrams of early fetal development. On NBCnews.com, reporting on the recently passed Zika funding bill, there is a magnificent MRI image of an unborn child, clearing showing the facial profile and beautiful little body snuggled in the womb. For some readers, the Zika coverage may give them their first glimpse of the humanity of the child in the womb.
[See http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/congress-finally-passes-zika-funding-bill-n656866]
