Newborn on scale (from here)

Why are some people calling upon Gov. Ralph Northam to resign? Well, read the headlines in the news.

• Virginia Democrats want Gov. Ralph Northam out by Monday after racist photos surface (wusa9.com)
• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Won’t Resign, Says He Wasn’t in Racist Photo (nbcwashington.com)
• Gov. Northam Won’t Resign; Said He Did Not Appear in Racist Photo (bristowbeat.com)

Yet just before the controversy over the 35 year old photos came up, Northam found himself part of another brouhaha. Here Northam argued for infanticide?

• Va. Gov. Northam draws outrage from GOP for defending abortion bill (wtop.com)
• Virginia Gov. Northam faces backlash for comments on 3rd-trimester abortion bill: ‘Morally repugnant’ (foxnews.com)
• Abortion bill draws GOP outrage against Va. Gov. Northam, Democratic legislators (washingtonpost.com)

Think about this. If we read or listen to Northam’s words, the only logical conclusion is that he was arguing to kill an infant AFTER it had been born. Consider what he said.

The procedures, Northam said in the WTOP interview, are “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s not viable. So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” (from here)

When he realized how unpopular his words were, here is what Northam’s office did to correct his words.

Northam’s office later made clear the governor was talking about prognosis and medical treatment, not ending the life of a delivered baby. (from here)

What is curious about Northam’s words? When a baby is delivered, it is not unusual for them to require resuscitation. After all, babies don’t start breathing until after they are delivered. So one way or another he is talking about letting a baby die that could survive after it has been delivered. It is not even a woman’s rights issue. The baby has been delivered.  What does a women’s “right” to choose got to with a baby OUTSIDE the womb?

Did some people misrepresent Northam? Yes. Some did not quote Northam in context. They missed this part: “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s not viable.” It is unfortunate, but some try to make their opponents appear as bad as possible. Nevertheless, it is strange that Northam is being asked to resign over a stupid, 35 year old joke, not his ridiculous support for an awful public policy proposal.

Arguably, Northam was not even factually incorrect. Abortions, even late term abortions, are mostly performed just because the mother does not want the baby.

• The Reality of Late-Term Abortion Procedures (lozierinstitute.org)
• Debunking three myths about third-trimester abortions (liveaction.org)

How many late term abortions there are every year? About 18,000, 18,000 Babies Die in 3rd-Trimester Abortions Every Year in the United States (lifenews.com). That is more than the number of people killed in the USA by firearms, excluding suicides, Gun Deaths Increased in 2017, Gun Violence Archive Data Show (thetrace.org). Is it not strange that some people get terribly upset about all the deaths from the use of firearms but still ask us to consider 18,000 late term abortions statistically insignificant?