Cases Revive Debate Over Childbirth Rights – and Wrongs

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) — Amber Marlowe was a seasoned pro at delivering
big babies — her first six each weighed close to 12 pounds. So when she went into
labor with her seventh last winter, she brushed off doctors who told her the 11-pound,
9-ounce girl could be delivered only by Caesarean section.

While I respect the rights of a well-informed woman to choose how she will birth
her children, I don’t believe those rights should be unrestricted.

“My impression is that we have a political culture right now that falsely pits
fetal rights against women’s rights, and that you are seeing a kind of snowballing
effect,” said Lynn Paltrow, of the New York-based group National Advocates
for Pregnant Women. “We’re at the point now where we’re talking about arresting
pregnant women for making choices about their own bodies, and that’s not right.”

If the fetus is a person – the crucial point in the abortion “rights”
debate – then it is entitled to protection. If a doctor fears for the health and
safety of a human being, he has a right and responsibility to do whatever is in
his power to protect that life. I’m sorry, Mrs. Marlowe, but that takes precedence
over any hurt feelings or inconveniences you may suffer. Feminists who cry foul
over the actions of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital are just as selfish as any woman
who aborts for any reason other than to save her own life.