On Wednesday, January 30th, 2019, Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran (D) introduced a bill that would have removed restrictions on abortions up until birth, including during delivery. When asked how late into the third trimester a doctor would be allowed to perform an abortion, Tran responded:
“Through the third trimester. The third trimester goes all the way up to forty weeks… I don’t think we have a limit in the bill.”
When asked if that unlimited allowance for abortion included the period of labor (when “[the woman] is dilating”), Tran responded:
“…that would be a decision that the doctor, the physician, and the woman would make at that point… My bill would allow that, yes.”
see the video exchange here.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) seemed to support the bill. When asked about these delivery-aborting procedures in a radio interview, Gov. Northam said:
“[They would be] 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.”
washingtonpost.com
Gov. Northam’s office later responded to suggestions that this bill promoted infanticide (the murder of infants) saying that such ideas were “disgusting.” However the Governor’s office wants to spin it though, the bill does legalize infanticide (as all partial birth abortion allowances do).
Child sacrifice (the ritual murder of infants and children to a god) was not an unknown practice of the heathen nations in Bible times. The god associated with child sacrifice was known as Molech. (He is also called Milcom or Chemosh, depending on the nation with which he was associated).
“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deuteronomy 12:30-31
Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”
This passage indicates that child-sacrifice most characterized the depth of depravity among the Canaanite peoples. It is also at the head of a list of sins for which God said He would destroy them (Deuteronomy 18:10).
“For all that do these things [including child sacrifice] are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
Deuteronomy 18:12
Surprisingly, King Solomon supported Molech-worship because of his heathen wives, and this support was part of the reason the kingdom would be stripped from his family.
“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
1 Kings 11:7-8
And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.”
“…I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon… Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.”
1 Kings 11:31b-33
Several observations should be made about the issue of child sacrifice (or, infanticide):
- It is God’s character to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”
Psalm 68:5
The Bible warns against causing the blind to fall, cursing the deaf (Leviticus 19:14), or oppressing the less fortunate (Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 10:17-18; Zechariah 7:8-11; Malachi 3:5). In each instance, the defender of those who are violated is God Himself. Those who engage in such condescending oppression can expect God’s opposition.
- Child sacrifice (infanticide) was considered the lowest to which mankind could fall.
“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:21, 24-25
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.”
As was mentioned above, the Canaanites were guilty of a host of disgusting practices (including rampant incest and bestiality). However, God highlights their murder of children as the top-listed reason for casting them out. Furthermore, infanticide is always an “abomination,” something entirely detestable to God.
- God judged nations who participated in child sacrifice (infanticide).
“And he [Manasseh] made his son pass through the fire…
2 Kings 21:6a, 24:3-4
Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;
And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.”
The Canaanites were “cast out” of the land because of their Molech-worship (the pinnacle of their depravity). Wicked King Manasseh of Judah, who was also guilty of this sin, was removed from being king by Assyria, and set the nation of Judah on an unalterable path to destruction. The shedding of innocent blood triggers God’s justice.
- God may be abundant in mercy, but His longsuffering has its limit.
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus 34:6-7
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
The Bible makes it clear that though God is exceedingly merciful, His judgment does fall on those who repeatedly turn away from Him: He “will by no means clear the guilty.” In fact, the compounding judgments in Israel’s covenant with God were based on two attitudes: refusing to heed God’s Word (Leviticus 26:14-17) and refusing to heed God’s correction (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 23-24, 27-28). He is both merciful enough to give space for repentance, but vengeful enough to do something about it when repentance is absent.
Americans on both sides of the abortion issue saw what was proposed in Virginia as “out of bounds.” However, as this was the third time such a bill had been introduced in Virginia, it will not be the last time legislation of this nature will need to be defeated.
The snuffing out of innocent and helpless human life has already been legalized through abortion. America is now on the brink of openly embracing an ancient practice of sacrificing born children. The “most High Who reigns in the kingdom of men” will undoubtedly work against a culture that continues to embrace death.
Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
Nathan M. McConnell 