In Each Case A Child Dies...

I have been following with difficulty the various news and US leadership skawnking about "Sandy Hook."

However, there is so much "noise" and posturing I thought it best to work backward from the consequences and look at the causes.

At the end of a long set of roads we have a single, horrific consequence.

A dead child.

More specifically, a number of dead children.

Now in 2007, from which the statistics below were taken, there were some 82 million children 19 or under in the US.

Of this 82 million 54 thousand or so died.

Some 36 thousand of "natural causes" - basically disease.

Some 11 thousand of "unintentional injury."

Some 3,300 from homicide.

Some 1,600 from suicide.

There there is abortion.

Some 1.2 million per year (about 1 in 100 children conceived).

Perhaps 18,000 or so late term abortions each year (post 21 weeks).

Perhaps 5,000 post 24 weeks.

Of these 5,000 perhaps 1,000 (see chart from here above right) would survive.

So by the "right" of Roe v. Wade at least some 1,000 children die under protection of the law - legally and without question by any authority.

This death rate is clearly supported (as indicated for a lack of support on a ban, see this) by the current Administration (see this video from 2003):

So here we have a legal activity - late term abortion - clearly killing children that would otherwise live.

And the decision, according to the Administration, is clearly in the hands of those responsible for the child.

Clearly taking the life of children is supported by law in the US.

At least some of the time.

And merely suggesting that this right be eliminated invokes rancor from its supporters.

And the law stands.

Yet these same people believe that somehow "guns" should be banned or limited.

Because of violence to children.

As if late term abortion is not violence to children.

"Guns" are legal and are constitutional protected.

Just like Roe v. Wade.

What's wrong with society today is that it works forward from "policy" positions for people who are concerned about personal or political or social agendas.

I am for this or that "right."

Yet there is still a body count as a consequence.

A body count of children.

Neither guns nor abortions kill more children than automobiles.

But, they say, automobiles are not "designed" to kill people, like guns.

Yet abortion clinics (as well as the tools they use) are designed to do exactly and no one is suggesting they be banned.  (How is the set of tools used in a late-term abortion different than a gun?)

This mistake here is to believe in the "agenda" over its "consequences."

Both can and do kill.

Abortion, on the other hand, is an "allowed" means to terminate a child's life.

I think that if its wrong to kill a child then its wrong no matter how it was done.

Society, in point of fact, has made a large effort over centuries to reduce the infant mortality rate in this country - not as well as other countries - but at least an effort was made.

However, it will never be zero - there will always be accidents, suicides, and so on.

But what can we do about the deliberate deaths of children?

Nothing if the reason is a sacred cow of some form or other.

One should note that today the misuse of a gun is a crime - a gun by itself does nothing.  Only when a human misuses it does it become so...

The body count is easily hidden by the agenda.

If children dying is a societal problem then we must look across the board for causes and address them.

Not selectively at particular cases that fulfill specific agendas.