A frozen embryo destroyed in a Chicago fertility clinic was a human being whose parents are entitled to file a wrongful-death lawsuit, a Cook County judge ruled Friday. Judge Jeffrey Lawrence II said "a pre-embryo is a 'human being' ... whether or not it is implanted in its mother's womb" and the couple is entitled to seek the same compensation awarded to other parents whose children are killed. [source: Covenant News, Chicago Sun Times, ABC News]

Friday, Judge Jeffrey Lawrence II said "a pre-embryo is a 'human being' ... whether or not it is implanted in its mother's womb" and the couple is entitled to seek the same compensation awarded to other parents whose children are killed.

"Philosophers and theologians may debate," he wrote, "but there is no doubt in the mind of the Illinois Legislature when life begins. It begins at conception."

Updates:

• This judge, and biologists in general, agree the embryo is fully human. Even John Kerry said he believes human life begins at conception. The question is whether or not as a society we believe in the intrinsic God given value of the individual or whether we are willing to discriminate on the basis of maturity and/or other characteristics. The former has driven the civil rights movements. The latter is a frightening development.


• Wittenberg Gate has an insightful analysis of this story and concludes:

  There are only two available positions for the pro-abortion crowd.

  As those who value the lives of their own children continue to demand that the law recognize and protect them, expect to see more opposition from those who assert abortion rights. They will be forced into one of either two positions. Either they will have to look these mothers and fathers in the eye and coldly tell them their dead children deserve no recognition or justice, or they will be forced to legally define two groups of unborn people: the wanted and the unwanted. God help us.



• Modblog, Espresso Roast, Commonwealth Conservative and Mark Nicodemo add more.


• WorldnetDaily picked-up the story today (Feb. 6)


• The Truth Peddlar and Stone's Cry Out weigh-in.


• LifeNews reports the story.


• Okie on the LAM writes, "Finally, A Judge in His 'Right' Mind".

Here’s my assessment: An unborn baby is human only if the mother wants it. If she doesn’t, at any stage up to the legal limit of 32 weeks, she can have the child killed in her womb and get on with living. From 20-32 weeks, "partial birth abortion" is available. I won’t make you ill by describing the "procedure" here.

PajamaHadin provides an interesting analysis as well, adding

So it seems we have a peculiar (and philosophically nonsensical) situation here. The death of the victim is a crime (intentional homicide, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide) for which a law suit may be filed. However, if the mother wants the unborn child to be killed, no crime has been committed.

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