Letter: Lion-Hearted Grief for Lion; Where is Outcry About Aborted Children?
To the Editor-
The lion is without dispute one the most awesome creatures in the animal world. The “king of the jungle” roars and all animals run for cover. There has been quite an uproar over the recent killing of a lion in Africa by an American hunter. A significant amount of press was devoted to this story, as the rules of hunting were not followed. In addition, a significant amount of anger has been directed toward the hunter based not just on how the lion was killed, but that he was killed at all.
Every day in America alone, thousands of doctors, nurses, expectant mothers and fathers make decisions and take actions to end the lives of human babies before they are even born. Are these fetuses (so called) living when they are removed from their mothers’ bodies? Science says yes — they have a circulatory system, a brain, a heartbeat, they possess human body parts (some are later sold) and even have the ability to hear sound and feel pain. Are they human? They are most certainly not lions.
Human beings make and enforce laws to protect animals (even some unborn animals) regarding how they may (or may NOT be) killed — whether for food, sport, or both. And yet — humans do not make laws to protect their own unborn? Why is it acceptable to kill a human being before it is even born, but it is an unspeakable act to kill a lion? I do not understand this logic.
Where is the media outrage and protestation for these unborn children? The lion got his press and was even named posthumously. Who will provide media coverage for the babies never allowed to see the light of day because another human being stopped their heart from beating before they could hold a fellow human’s finger and celebrate their entrance into this world as a new life?
I do not know; but my heart is broken over the imbalance of attention given to these two tragic scenarios.
Carl Coffman, Village of Whiting