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The STAR Thursday, October 18,
2001
Another perspective
Abortion procedure must be outlawed
By Daniel Zanoza
Guest columnist
There is a burning controversy over legislation being considered on the state
and federal levels that would prohibit an abortion procedure some are calling
live-birth abortion.
This abortion method first came to light when Jill Stanek, a labor and delivery
nurse at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, brought it to the attention of
state and federal lawmakers nearly two years ago.
Known in medical parlance as induced labor abortion, the practice includes the
pharmaceutical inducement of a pregnant woman into labor.
A drug is administered which leads to premature birth. What makes this procedure
particularly loathsome is, at times, live babies result from this method. To
complete the ugly process, live newborns — who can be in as late as their 24th
week of gestation — are then left to die without any medical assistance.
Volumes of state and federal testimony have been given on the live-birth
abortion controversy.
And in that testimony, the induced labor method of abortion has even drawn
criticism from some of the most ardent defenders of a woman's right to an
abortion.
The first piece of born-alive infants protection legislation on the federal
level was introduced by former U.S. Rep. Charles Canady, R-Florida. Canady's
bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 by a vote of 380 to 15.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate never considered Canady's legislation during the
last session of Congress.
However, more recently, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, sponsored an
identical born-alive bill that was passed as an amendment to the Patients Bill
of Rights which was also approved by the Senate in June of 2001.
Santorum's born-alive bill passed by an astounding 98-0 vote. In addition, the
U.S. House of Representatives passed the Patients Bill of Rights which includes
the born-alive amendment.
Among the 98 senators who voted "yes" were steadfast supporters of
abortion, including Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Barbara Boxer of
California.
With such voluminous support on the federal level, even the most casual
political observer would think this legislation would face little resistance in
the state where it all began.
However, the defenders of abortion rights have launched their most effective
campaign against the Born-Alive Infants Protection legislation in Illinois.
Many believe this is because our state has become a clearing house of sorts for
those seeking abortions in the Midwest.
Early in his term, Gov. George Ryan was put under great political pressure as he
vetoed a bill that would have ended taxpayer funding of abortions in Illinois.
During the last session of the General Assembly, a bill that would have required
parental notification for minors seeking abortions was defeated as well.
In fact, nearly every bill that would have cut into abortion rights met its doom
in our state due to the political hammers levied by organizations like the
National Organization for Women, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Earlier this year, gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Patrick O'Malley,
R-Palos Park, sponsored a package of bills that would protect live newborns from
suffering deaths as a result of the live-birth abortion method.
Senate Bill 1093 would have required a separate physician, who is not involved
in an abortion, to be on hand in the event an abortion might result in a live
birth, for that doctor to make an independent evaluation of the viability of the
infant and to provide medical care if required.
Senate Bill 1094 created a cause of action in the event an induced labor
abortion resulted in a live birth and the doctor or health care provider harmed
or neglected the infant or failed to provide proper medical care to the child
after its birth.
Senate Bill 1095 defined a "born-alive infant" to include every infant
member of the homo sapiens species who is born alive at any stage of his or her
development.
The Senate had passed these bills earlier in the year.
But there were great forces aligned to prevent this legislation from getting to
the House floor. One politician who gave testimony against the born-alive
protection bills was a pro-choice Republican, Renee Kosel, R-Mokena. Kosel gave
an impassioned plea, urging the House Judiciary Civil 1 Committee to vote down
O'Malley's bills.
Two committee members testified that their votes against the legislation were
based, at least in part, on Kosel's testimony. Since each of the bills only lost
by 1- and 2-vote margins, it is apparent Kosel's testimony played a significant
role in their defeat.
It seems the public's reaction to this issue has taken some elected officials by
surprise. Kosel now claims her appearance in front of the House Judiciary
Committee was not meant to help defeat these bills. Kosel now asserts she
testified against O'Malley's bills because she had some problems with how the
legislation could be used to force parents with terminally ill children, to keep
their child on life support against their wishes.
What Rep. Kosel should have done was recuse herself from giving any testimony on
the subject at all, since she is on the Governing Council of Christ Hospital,
which is at the center of this controversy.
I am hearing the Republican from Mokena is under heavy fire from her
constituency over this matter. In a phone call to Rep. Kosel, she said the
communications from her constituents were her business and no one else's.
Kosel, essentially, spent the better part of an hour trying to explain to me why
black was white, up was really down, and she was, in reality, in favor of the
born-alive bills.
In any case, Kosel's appearance before the Judiciary committee is a matter of
public record, which I urge her constituents to read.
People can disagree on whether abortion should be legal or not and still be
civilized in this discussion. However, there are some acts which a caring
society should not allow. These procedures bode horribly for the future of us
all.
My heart aches with a longing to undo a great wrong. But it is the voters of
Illinois who ultimately have the political power to make things right.
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