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The California Supreme Court affirmed that a viable fetus is a legal life
By Andrea Widburg
Much to my surprise, California law limits abortion once the fetus is viable. That's why the California Supreme Court held that the state could bring murder charges against a woman who gave birth to a stillborn child after using meth. The state's leftist Attorney General – who will join a hypothetical Biden administration – finds this ruling disturbing. However, a story out of Novato, California, ought to make him rethink the value of life.
The Supreme Court's ruling addressed the case of Chelsea Becker, a resident of Kings County, California. Becker was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she gave birth to a stillborn baby that had methamphetamine in its system. Becker admitted to using the drug but nevertheless pleaded not guilty.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra intervened in the case to try to get the charge dismissed. However, Kings County, which is located in California's Central Valley, gave 54.9% of its votes to Donald Trump. Perhaps that's why the county prosecutor charged Becker with murder in the first place.
If Becerra's name seems familiar, that's because Joe Biden, when putting together his hypothetical cabinet, nominated Becerra to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, despite his lack of any meaningful experience in that area. He's a leftist and "diverse" (Becerra is Hispanic), so he fits the Biden checklist.
Becerra is devoted to "reproductive rights":
Becerra, nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a supporter of reproductive rights and in a letter to justices said fear of prosecution might prevent pregnant women from seeking addiction services. The case could also prompt extra scrutiny by law enforcement on miscarriages and stillbirths, he said.
The Supreme Court, however, has held firm. At eight-and-a-half months, there's no doubt that the fetus was viable and, as Philip Esbenshade, the executive assistant to Keith Fagundes, the Kings County DA said, the law allows a murder charge for "the reckless or indifferent unlawful conduct of a mother that results in the unlawful death of her fetus."
The Supreme Court's decision not to stop Becker's prosecution was reported on Christmas Eve day. Then, on Christmas Day, the Marin IJ published a sweet story about Janet Jones, a nurse in Novato, California, who finally got called into work after three months of forced time at home due to the pandemic. When Jones got the call, she picked up the phone for the first time in three months and called 26-year-old Kelsey Formslag, her dog sitter, to let Kelsey know that she'd be dropping off her teacup poodle, Noche, before dawn.
The drop-off time arrived and Jones did not show up with Noche. When ten minutes had passed, Kelsey decided something was wrong and texted her mother, Sara Formslag, who lived near Jones and asked Sara to check on Jones. Sara took her daughter's warning seriously, went to Jones's house, and discovered that Jones was seriously ill.
When Sara arrived, Jones was running a 105-degree fever and showing serious speech, vision, and memory impairment. It turned out Jones had gotten meningitis which had gone untreated (I'm guessing because of the lockdown), and she'd then developed a brain abscess:
"It was really in nick of time," Sara Formslag said. "Honestly, the doctor told Janet if it would have been any longer she wouldn't be in the condition she is today. It was just a matter of minutes. All the pieces fell into place.
"Kelsey has a little bit of a sixth sense. She definitely senses things and she knew something was wrong."
I'm sure you're wondering what this story has to do with Becker's criminal case. This is why it matters:
The 26-year-old has Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic condition that affects behavior and intellectual and physical development.
In other words, it's entirely possible that, when it comes to academic matters, Kelsey has a lower-than-average IQ. Also, like most Americans, she probably will never be a rocket scientist.
Prader-Willi syndrome can be detected prenatally, and it's probable that many parents, if they are advised that their child has the syndrome, will opt for an abortion. In Iceland, for example, almost all Down syndrome babies are aborted.
Kelsey, however, was not aborted. She grew up, became a loving and loved child, a responsible adult, and a person who might have a sixth sense. Because Kelsey lived, Janet Jones lives.
Every life has the potential for value, just as every life has the potential to be destructive. Given that we can't see the future, we should always err on the side of believing in the good that every life has within it.
And that's something that Xavier Becerra, with his devotion to abortion, might like to consider.
IMAGE: New baby. Public Domain.