Greetings!
Song writer Bob Dylan’s lyrics ring true: “But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord but you're gonna have to serve somebody”.
Today more than ever, the line between following the devil or the Lord has never been more defined. As Arizona narrowly passes pro life legislation, the California Assembly is on its way to leaping into the abyss of infanticide.
The Planned Parenthood supported California Assembly Bill 2223 has passed the Judiciary Committee and is on its way through the entire Assembly. If passed, it will certainly be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. This bill will allow the infanticide (killing) of babies to up 28 days after birth and possibly up to six weeks. The bill uses the term “perinatal”, which relates to the time immediately before and after birth. This has varied definitions from 20 weeks gestation to 4 weeks after birth to the whole time of pregnancy and up to a year after birth. It makes it hard to figure the actual time after the birth a baby could be legally killed and for that matter, how? Do they just allow the baby to lie there until they die or do they actively participate in their death?
Other provisions of this bill will ban coroners from determining the cause of death of a child during this perinatal period. It allows anyone medical or non-medical to perform an abortion at anytime during pregnancy. Also, no charges can be brought against a woman or anyone assisting her in ending a pregnancy or in the death of an infant during this perinatal time period. Did I say woman? The term woman has been replaced with, “birthing person”.
Following California’s lead, Maryland introduced SB 669 and HB 626 that they call “The Pregnant Persons Freedom Act of 2022”. They go so far as criminalizing the investigation of ending a pregnancy or perinatal death with possible civil action against the investigator. Sadly, the bills states “Nothing in this section shall be construed to confer personhood or any rights on the fetus.”
We wait patiently for the US Supreme Court to rule on Mississippi’s 15 week ban on abortion that will directly affect Arizona’s recently signed no abortion afer15 week gestation law. The big question is, will Roe v Wade be overturned?
This coming November election could be literally a matter of life or death not only for the unborn but the born also because as absurd as it may seem, the killing of a birthed child will be legal in states that elect legislatures and governors who support infanticide, possibly right here in Arizona.
At this moment the Arizona Legislature has 31 pro life members of the House of Representatives out of 60; 16 pro life State Senators out of 30 and a strong pro life Governor. Without the majority, pro life candidates winning the House, Senate and the office of the Governor this November, Arizona could follow California and Maryland. So ask the man or woman running for office as a litmus test; “who you gonna serve”?
Paul Parisi
Director-Government Domain
520-869-1679
