Silenced.
As a writer knowing I have some degree of influence, no matter how small, I usually try to choose my words judiciously.
Today I am not.
There is an outrage in me that should spread like wildfire not only at what is considered “news” in our mainstream media, but what is silenced for the sake of it. Today I give my voice, no matter how small, to those with the smallest voices who were never given a chance to speak.
You may have heard the story by now – though likely only through social media platforms. Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell is under trial for extreme acts of brutality, murder, and infanticide. Gosnell’s former employees are testifying as to what they were led to do and witness over years in the abortion clinic.
If you want the gory details, Kirsten Powers has written a superb opinion article in USA today with all of the details I am literally too nauseated to type here. Read it. What I can tell you is that Gosnell’s procedures and practices were outside the law, outside of human conscience, and outside the realm of what any being or entity can justify.
Perhaps on a lower strata, yet outrageously concerning, is the lack of attention given to this trial which began on March 18th – nearly one month ago at the time of this writing – and took place over the course of more than ten years.
If you haven’t heard about the trial during your regular television or Internet viewing cycle, you’re not alone. No major news show on any of the top three networks has given a second of air space to the story. Even a quick review of major Internet news outlets finds them void of the massacre. At the time of this writing, Yahoo! News does not have the story in its top 95 stories, or even listed under its general news feed.
So what is listed?
- Hugh Hefner’s 87th Birthday Celebration
- Taylor Swift quits wearing eyeliner
- Top All-Beef Franks
- Cosby Show Cast Now!
…and a story expressing concern over whether or not a violent video game is “too real.” You know what IS too real? The fact that hundreds of children had their spines cut, “heads severed,” and were murdered – even outside of the womb and considered “viable.”
The outrage over the event is warranted. The fact that Planned Parenthood continues to deny and hem-haw around the issue is vile. The reasoning of major news executives in shying away from the story because of its pro-life implications is infuriating. The fact that this scenario may be playing itself out in countless other abortion clinics is frightening. Above all, the idea that these murders happening outside the womb warrant trial, yet inside the womb are simply a day at the office for abortion doctors should bring us to anger and action.
So what can we do about it?
If the mainstream media is afraid of the story because of its pro-life bent, we must use social media to champion it. We all have a voice, no matter how small. Use it.
As a father I weep. As a human I am enraged. As a victim of this charade by the media I am irate. As a Christian, I pray Lord come soon, ask for justice, and pray somehow for the gospel to be made known through this.
Hundreds of children have been silenced. Let us not be so.
Another great article Ryan! I hadn’t heard anything about Gosnell until reading this. I’ll be sharing your post all over the place.
“What I can tell you is that Gosnell’s procedures and practices were outside the law, outside of human conscience, and outside the realm of what any being or entity can justify.”
I’m sorry to sound snarky, but your comments above regarding what he did being “outside the law” bother me. If he would have aborted those babies any earlier, being “inside the law”, would you still be outraged and pray for justice?
See, as a mother I weep. As a human I am enraged. As a pro-life advocate I want see abortion abolished..all forms of it…legal or illegal! As a Christian, I too pray that His gospel goes out to all…and with you I pray Lord come soon!
Millions and millions of un-born children have been aborted…legally or not. I pray with all that is in me that this comes to an end!
Tina,
Thank you for your post. I assure you we share the same sentiment and view on the sanctity of life. As I stated later in the article,
“The idea that these murders happening outside the womb warrant trial, yet inside the womb are simply a day at the office for abortion doctors should bring us to action.”
The law in place is a travesty. Yet even in the horrible allowances of the law, what Gosnell was doing (and I fear he is only representative of many others) outside of that law should shed light on the horrific act of abortion, the hypocrisy of Planned Parenthood, pro-choice ideology, and hopefully will bring swift and severe justice.
Thank you for responding in such kindness…I was trying to not be upset, but obviously was. I was so upset that I zoomed right over the whole article. Yes, you did indeed say abortion all together is wrong. And, I do apologize for jumping the gun and reacting on emotion. I am with you on praying for swift justice! In a world that cares nothing of laws that are in place, I must say that I am not surprised at all that we have heard nothing of this in the media. It’s sickening and a terribly disheartening what people have become…but, we as Christians do have hope…a Savior, who mercifully took us out of who we once were ourselves…Now, out of pure thankfulness we too should go out and share Him and His gospel of truth, love, and forgiveness with others! That’s the only way to stop the silencing of our un-born…We must fight for them and be their voice!
Oops…This was supposed to be a “reply” to your reply…Haha…Sorry about that ;o)
It’s a good article and I would like to tell you that I’ve been exactly where you are. I used to literally get sick when I read of abortion (at any stage). I used to pray often with fasting and weeping and wailing, I used to protest in public..then one day it dawned on me.
I believed that Jesus was everywhere and all powerful. If this belief is true, then Jesus is right there in that room watching those babies being torn apart and tortured. He could easily easily fix it with a thought, but he doesn’t. He chooses to watch it without intervening. That thought eventually settled in on me and eventually I realized that the best explanation for the inactivity of the deity I believed in was that there really isn’t a deity at all. I no longer believe in any deity of any kind and it has made the world a much more explainable and understandable place for me.
One might use the argument of free will, that won’t really work here because the child isn’t getting to exercise his/her free will. I would not respect any deity that simply offered an excuse for why he
could have intervened but chose not too. There are no good excuses.
If Christians really believed abortion was murder then they would take MUCH more drastic action. If your neighbor were about to murder a child (be it their own or another’s), would you just watch? I would hope not, you would act..and if you did just watch, you would likely be found culpable for murder. Yet..every hour of every day..Christians know exactly where these babies are being aborted at, and all they really do is stand on a side walk and make noise.
All of this tells me a couple of things..
Not only do those getting abortions not consider it murder. Those protesting them don’t consider it murder either and Jesus himself doesn’t have any interest in intervening. So it must be ok.
The case (though not the trial itself) has actually been mentioned multiple times by almost every major media organization over the past two years.
But, you know, whatever.
And yet these anti choicers will never learn that with more abortion restrictions come more illegal, more brutal, more dangerous, and less capable of being regulated abortions. Hmmm. You make safe legal abortion non affordable and not accessible and then wonder why someone would go to someone as cheap as that guy? And wonder how he managed to do so much harm? When you over regulate, you will have THIS to look forward to.
Yet anti choicers never seem to take responsibility, rather blame planned parenthood who tried reporting and getting him shut down, Hmmm.