It’s All About Definitions

Some of the details of the bills differ, but the essential language and effect is the same. Here’s what the California bill says, with my emphases in bold:

Notwithstanding any other law, a person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty, or otherwise deprived of their rights, based on their actions or omissions with respect to their pregnancy or actual, potential, or alleged pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.

The key word is “perinatal”. The words “miscarriage”, “stillbirth”, and “abortion” all have clear and understandable meanings. But what does “perinatal” mean? Here’s where the cruelty is hidden. This bill doesn’t define that term. But elsewhere in California law, you can find a definition. And when you do, it’s shocking in its implications.

“Perinatal” means the period from the establishment of pregnancy to one month following delivery. California Code, Welfare and Institutions Code – WIC § 14134.5(b)

For its part, the Maryland bill also doesn’t have a definition. But the generally accepted medical definition of “perinatal” includes a newborn up to one month in age.

The Shocking Result

These bills would permit anyone to kill a baby up to one month old, either by act or omission, and completely escape any accountability. The horrific Kermit Gosnell approach of strangling newborns or leaving them to die on a shelf, would be perfectly legal in California and in Maryland. We are back to the barbaric ancient world, where unwanted children were exposed in the woods and left to die. Since the Father of Lies always relies on his favorite tricks, the bills have deliberately and perversely deceptive names. The Maryland bill is called the “Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act of 2022”. Note the trendy redefinition of “woman” into “pregnant person”, and the exclusion of the unborn baby from being a “person”. The California bill is an amendment to the “Reproductive Privacy Act”. Odd, since the purpose of abortion and infanticide is to terminate the results of reproduction, but they certainly would hide murder behind a veil of privacy. As if that weren’t enough to shock the conscience, a look through California and Maryland law reveals all sorts of provisions that are aimed at enhancing perinatal health and reducing infant mortality. So if the baby is wanted, the states will move mountains to help her. If, not, the state will stand by indifferently while she is murdered.

Coming Soon to a State Near You

When it comes to legislation, what begins in the bluest states like California and Maryland will soon come to other states. We can expect similar legislation in other abortion sanctuaries like New York, Illinois, and the New England states. We have known for a long time that the goal of the abortion mentality was to guarantee a dead baby by any means necessary. The mask has once again come off, and the barbarity of that movement can be seen in all its demonic ugliness. Our Lord might as well have been speaking about these bills:

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”John 8:44

The answer to all this, of course, is not just legislative advocacy. We constantly need to enhance our efforts to build a Culture of Life, where mothers would find abortion and infanticide unthinkable, and where we would be there to accompany them through any difficulty in their pregnancy or parenthood.

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This article was originally printed at Ed Mechmann’s blog Stepping Out of the Boat. Reprinted with permission.