Infant Mortality -- and Abortion: A U.S. Scandal

I wonder if Governor Sarah Palin, that ardent defender of the rights of the unborn, and self-anointed supermom, took note of this report in yesterday's Washington Post about the infant mortality rate in the United States. This country, which she touts constantly as "the greatest in the world," is clearly not the greatest when it comes to giving birth to its babies. This most powerful and wealthiest country in the history of the world today ranks 29th among all nations. 29th! In 2000, we ranked 27th. In 1960, 12th.

You'd think the governor would be out there shouting from the rooftops about this scandalous state of affairs. Well, no. So far as I know, not a peep. I suppose you could argue -- albeit somewhat cynically -- that abortion is a conscious choice, and therefore sinful, according to a particular religious belief; and that infant mortality, on the other hand, is no more than an unfortunate accident of nature. I myself would argue, though, that given the advanced state of our medical knowledge and the technology at our disposal, infant mortality is also a choice we make, as a society. In failing to provide our citizens with the health care they deserve -- whether pre- or post-natal, or at the moment of birth -- we are in fact choosing, I suspect in the large majority of cases, to allow those babies to die.

What moral universe do we live in, that we permit ourselves to make these scurrilous distinctions? How easy for the Governor to pick up on this report and make it an issue in her campaign! How great a service to her country and its people! I'm not holding my breath, however, for to draw attention to the problem would be to admit that, in this area at least, we are far from great; and that, to address it, we would need to make some serious improvements in our health care system and--I'm guessing here that, as with most other problems of this nature, it's the poor who bear the brunt of it--in making care available to the poor as well as to the wealthy.

So how about it, Governor? You'd pick up a pinch of much needed respect from voters if you were to champion such a cause, instead of simply bloviating about our supposed greatness. Drop the hot air. Talk about something that shows you really care.

Comments

[LTolstoy]

This is a worthy cause to take up. There are others. The rights of the unborn, of course is in itself a worthy cause, whether or not someone takes on other causes. The fact that our infant mortality rate is much higher than it should be does not in any way diminish the need to couageously stand up for the rights of those who have no voice and whose life is regularly terminated at will. I don't think we would fault the abolitionists of the early 19th century because they had not adequately made the case for the proper integration of the slave population into society. Slavery was wrong, it was a serious moral issue, and it had to come to an end, even though the courts and politicians had allowed it to continue and justified its continuation. Many at the time thought it impractical to bring an end to slavery as the slave population was so large. Many thought it was wrong to accuse the southerner of having commited a moral wrong when they were merely continuing a practice which, at the time, created a boom economy for the South. Many also did not know how society would be integrated. Some had even thought of creating a seperate state, etc. Those who wanted to end slavery were considered impractical. Lincoln divided the country because some believed their rights were being violated. I hope I would have gotten behind Lincoln had I voted in 1860.

[grannyluv]

If mothers are doing drugs then it's the mothers responsibility. Don't make excuses for this behavior. You reap what you sow.

[timm0]

You imply that the problem is solely from drug abuse. Where is the data that leads you to this conclusion?