AN ABORTED BABY BOY WAS FOUND IN A BIN IN BELFAST: EVERYONE NEEDS TO WAKE UP
"It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be denounced." - Frederick Douglass, 1852
On Monday 4th April 2016, a young woman who bought abortion pills online and aborted her unborn child in Belfast pleaded guilty to two charges under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; namely, procuring her own abortion by using a poison and of supplying a poison with intent to procure a miscarriage. Her aborted baby boy was reported to have been between ten and twelve weeks old. He was found in a bin in a flat in Belfast. The young woman was handed a three-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
This case provoked a surge of shock, disgust, and outrage, from both sides of the abortion debate and for very different reasons. For those whose consciences have not been dimmed or darkened by the evil and warped mentality that an unborn child is only a blood clot, a thing that can be eliminated simply because his or her mother chooses to, it was incomprehensible that an aborted baby could be disposed of and found in a bin by two distressed housemates in their flat in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
In the media furore that followed, journalists and radio presenters were only interested in one question: “should the woman have been prosecuted?” Many people immediately ‘softened’ their disgust and outrage.
But Bernadette Smyth bravely denounced the leniency of the sentence. She argued that the judge in this case undermined sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the seriousness of the crime of killing an unborn child. She expressed her concern that this sentence would set a dangerous precedent for future cases of illegal abortions; that far from being a deterrent, the outcome of this case would goad others to commit the same criminal offence with the belief that their actions will have little or no consequences. The law will be abused. Illegal abortions will happen again and again. The shock and horror of finding an aborted baby in a bin, a bag of clinical waste, or sewer pipe, will be gradually washed away from the people’s conscience.
Speaking out against the leniency of the sentence and asking for the case to be reviewed was not about wanting to punish the young woman, but to honour the law and to ensure the protection of every human life. It was very disappointing and concerning to find that many within the pro-life movement did not share this stance. Instead, for fear of appearing cold, uncompassionate, and ‘anti-woman’ and putting themselves in the firing line of vitriolic criticism, many were silent. Others downplayed their disgust and outrage by focusing on the need to catch the people behind the sites selling the illegal abortion pills and those aiding and abetting this abominable crime, and calling for better care and support for women faced with crisis pregnancies.
Yes, those despicable sites selling illegal abortion pills must be shut down, and of course, every woman should receive the right information and support to help her through an unplanned pregnancy and after the birth of her baby. But we cannot and must not lose sight of the fact that a woman had broken the law and had dumped her aborted baby boy in a bin in Northern Ireland.
A polite shaking of the head and exchanges of “isn’t it horrific?”, “God have mercy on that girl” and “the poor baby” over a cup of tea with family, friends or colleagues aren’t enough. An unborn baby was aborted and dumped in a bin. Anyone who thinks that justice was done for this unborn child needs to wake up and get up from under their cosy covers of ‘compassion’ and ‘mercy’.
Frederick Douglass, the famed 19th century American author, orator and abolitionist, delivered his powerful speech, ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’, at Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York, on 5th July 1852. He reprimanded his audience who sat comfortably with their family and friends, celebrating the freedom of their great nation, all the while oblivious to the clanking of chains and the cries of the men, women and children bound to the pain, misery, oppression and degradation of slavery in States further south.
When taking a stand against the injustice of slavery, Douglass made clear that “It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”
As the dust settles on this heartbreaking case and the media hounds sniff around for another story, it is not a time to bow our heads and talk quietly and gently among ourselves about “that dreadful case”. Rather, it is time to step out and Take a stand against the injustice inflicted on that little baby boy.
On Wednesday 20th April 2016, a Memorial Mass for Unborn Children will be held at St Mary’s Church, Chapel Lane, Belfast at 7.00pm.
This is to gather in remembrance of and respect for the little unborn baby boy who was aborted. We will pray for every woman who had an abortion and every woman who is in danger of having an abortion, that she will receive the care and support she needs to choose life for her baby. We will pray that our pro-life laws, namely sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and section 25 of the Criminal Justice (NI) Act 1945, will always be protected in Northern Ireland.
Please make every effort to attend the Mass.