Next month marks the twenty-seventh year of legal abortion, and the only thing that appears to have changed in the debate is the addition of more gruesome abortion procedures. The last two days I have been talking about partial-birth abortions. And today I would like to conclude by asking why abortionists have been interested in developing and defending this procedure.
In October, Life Dynamics in Denton, Texas revealed the results of their two-year investigation. They were able to document the national traffic of fetal body parts. They produced copies of brochures, protocols, and price lists that document the interstate commerce of fetal body parts. One brochure touts "the freshest tissue available." A price list provides a grim picture of the trafficking in cannibalized body parts: eyes are $50 to $75 depending on the age of the fetus, skin is $100, a spinal cord is $325.
The investigation provided new insight in why the fight against partial birth abortion has been so tough. Partial birth abortion, after all, is a difficult procedure that involves turning the fetus in womb and removing it feet first. This complicates the abortion and therefore poses more risk to the mother. So why do abortionists do it? Fetal tissue parts. If you want an intact brain, spinal cord, or limbs, partial birth abortion will provide that in ways that other abortion techniques will not.
That's why the investigation by Life Dynamics was so crucial. Their two year investigation clearly documents what many of us suspected all along. The fight against partial birth abortion was so tough because a lot of money and fetal tissue was a stake. This procedure has little to do with providing women with choice and everything to do with the interstate trafficking of fetal body parts.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.