Pro Death - The National

Pro Death - The National Organization of Women is scuttling away from its attack on "Fetal Homicide" laws in 23 states. The issue came to a head when California charged Scott Peterson with two murders in the death of his wife and unborn child.

NOW officials declined to comment Monday on statements made this weekend by Mavra Stark, "out of respect for (Peterson's) family and what they're going through," spokeswoman Rebecca Farmer said by telephone from Washington.

Farmer would not say whether NOW opposes fetal homicide statutes that exist in at least 23 states. The laws have been opposed by some pro-choice groups even though legal abortions are exempted from prosecution.
[...]
Stark, who heads the Morris County NOW, spoke Monday with the national organization's vice president, Terry O'Neill. Stark said O'Neill told her that NOW "felt it wasn't the right thing to take a position right now" on either the Peterson case or fetal homicide statutes.
[...]
On Monday afternoon, Stark said the "viability of the Peterson fetus … makes a great deal of difference" in assessing the criminal case.

"The position I was veering very close to was not even in synch with those of all the pro-choice organizations I belong to," said Stark, who had previously speculated that the double-murder charge could strengthen efforts by pro-lifers to enact a ban on late-term abortions.

As I said yesterday, I generall steer clear of abortion; my views aren't conducive to being pounded into a convenient quote, which is a little too deep for some people.

But leaving aside the fact that the Peterson baby was nearly full-term, a solid three months farther along than "Fetuses" have been successfully delivered, the whole "viability" question is a complete canard.

Left to its own devices, even with absolutely no medical care, a "Fetus" will survive to full term 3/4 of the time. Even on the prairie before medical care was widespread, at the turn of the century, 2/3 of pregnancies ended in a live birth. "Viability" is, in most cases, a matter of someone not killing the fetus on purpose.

NOW is backtracking because the issue and incident showed an awful lot of people what a bunch of extremists NOW is. (I almost said "Depraved Extremists", but that would have been inflammatory. I'd hate to inflame, so I won't say that).

Posted by Mitch at April 22, 2003 12:52 PM