Killing is Killing

There hasn't been much going on with the blog for the last few weeks.  We went on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland.  Other than the long flights 'down under', it was an idyllic couple of weeks.  We've been on Viking river boats and decided to try one of their ocean cruises.  We are now committed Viking customers and I'm pretty sure we'll never go with anyone else.  That company has to be the best on earth when it comes to customer service.  The ships are superb.  They only hold 900 passengers, it's all adults, every detail has been thought of, and the experience just simply couldn't be more enjoyable.  As for Australia and New Zealand, they were great.  We've been to Australia many times so had some idea what to expect and weren't disappointed.  New Zealand was a delightful and magical place.  If it wasn't so damn far, we'd be going back soon.  Anyway, it was a great couple of weeks and we generally unplugged and tried to not pay attention to any of the news from home.  At least not too much.  The ship had strong WiFi and we got continuous TV from home.  However, we limited how much we watched, mainly because we were so busy having fun.

But now we're home and the news of the day continues to depress.  Although there is a lot in the news, the passing of a recent law in New York allowing abortion all the way up until birth caught the eye of many.  And today there was a story about Virginia considering a similar law.  Thankfully it died in committee, but that only means a delay.  We haven't seen the last of this issue.  You can read about it here. 

Now, there is no doubt that abortion is the most controversial and divisive issue of our time.  People have strong and rabid opinions on both sides.  I've always found myself somewhere in the middle.  I think I'm pretty intellectually pro-choice.  But I'm definitely emotionally pro-life.   I can see the need for abortion in some circumstances, but I think there should be some controls on it.  I would never condone abortion for birth control.  Bottom line is that I agree with Bubba...abortions should be safe, legal and rare.    

But now we have legislators and governors passing laws that allows an abortion right up until birth.    I have two beautiful Granddaughters who are 14.  They were born at about 32 weeks and weighed 2.4 and 3.2 pounds.  When I saw them I had two immediate and strong emotions.  The first was that they were beautiful.  The second was that their survival would be tenuous.  And yet...here they are.  Maybe it's just my age.  Maybe it's because I see all these beautiful children around me.  Or maybe it's because at some point someone has to say, "no more".  To me, allowing abortion right up until birth is not much different than murder.  In fact, I've known several folks in my life that I wouldn't mind "aborting".  What's the difference?  Killing is killing.