Kermit Gosnell's Bhutanese Victim: Had you heard about this?

Lots of people have been talking about the wicked actions of Kermit Gosnell, the abortion doctor who is accused of killing several babies born alive. Fewer seem to know that one of his victims was a 41-year-old Bhutanese-Nepali refugee. Since a number of my readers care deeply for the Bhutanese, I wanted to just give you a quick heads up.

The below link will take you to an article by Fox News which tell she the story of Karna Mongar who died while under Gosnell's care in 2009.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/16/woman-testifies-about-mom-death-at-philadelphia-abortion-clinic/

And here is another from Philly.com:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20130416_Gosnell_jury_hears_of_womans_death.html

This episode has, of course, raised the issue of legalized abortion all over again. For years, one of the more compelling arguments in favor of legalized abortion has been the specter of illegal, unsafe abortions performed in secret clinics and back alleys. The Gosnell case certainly throws a wrench in the pro-abortion lobby which has perhaps spent so much energy fighting to make abortion legal that they have failed to ensure that it is safe and rare.

Mongar's death, however raises another critical issue. Do our current social welfare systems encourage certain slimy individuals to exploit the poor and immigrant? I am going to go out on a limb and assume that most of Gosnell's victims were, like Mongar, poor. And, while I don't know for sure, I feel safe in stepping out a bit further to assume that they were also mostly ethnic minorities. I have had the opportunity to be with many immigrants during trips to medical clinics, doctors' offices, etc. I have also personally had my family participate in public health care systems. These experiences and that Gosnell case certainly raise the question in my mind, "Where is the accountability?"

It just seems to be one of the most politically expedient things in the world to make sweeping offers of public health care as a benefit to the poor and then, because too few people actually care about the poor and about ethnic minorities, to do very little to ensure that the healthcare provided is ... well ... healthy.

Thoughts?

Excess Female Deaths

My friend, Sam George of Parivar International, has recently shared the following information regarding gender inequality and death:


Gender inequality

Death and the maiden

Sep 19th 2011, 15:08 by The Economist

Women and girls die prematurely in greater numbers than men
OVER a quarter of all excess female deaths occur in China at birth, says the World Bank's annual World Development Report, published on September 19th. The number has risen since 1990 from 890,000 to 1.1m. These are the numbers of extra girls who would have been born if the normal sex ratio at birth (105 boys to 100 girls) had prevailed in China. It does not do so because of the practice of sex-selective abortion. Aborted girls account for the largest single share of excess female deaths worldwide, but other sorts of death have been growing faster, notably those of women of child-bearing age in Africa. The excess deaths of African women aged 15 to 49 (when compared with female death rates in rich countries) rose by 150% between 1990 and 2008. The number of excess deaths in African countries with high rates of HIV-AIDS increased by 760%. Excess female mortality is shifting from birth in East Asia to adulthood in Africa.

Tide Turning Against Abortion Rights

The opinion tide in the USA seems to be shifting more and more against abortion-on-demand. The below article by Chuck Colson is very interesting. One thing to highlight:

"The respected polling agency [Gallup] says that 87 percent of respondents favor informing a pregnant woman of the risks of having an abortion.

Folks, in these contentious times, it’s hard to get 87 percent of the people to agree that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west!"

Which, for me, begs the question . . . who are these 13% that oppose informing a pregnant woman of the risks of having an abortion?!?!

Abortion Abatement:

James Lankford's Pro-life Speech at Congress

This was good to hear.  Thanks, James!

TIBM's Perpetual Film Fest: Bella

Last night at Trinity International Baptist Mission (TIBM) we gathered for our monthly installment of the "Perpetual Film Fest".  This month featured the Alejandro Monteverde film Bella.  This dialog-heavy story of brokenness, love, redemption, and new life reminded me of a more morally and spiritually profound Before Sunset. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it. Themes worth noting: adoption/abortion, love, family, cross-cultural communication, and healing.