Dear Pro-Life Partners, November 1, 2021

Location, Location, Location

A couple months ago, my husband and I put our house on the market. We had two showing and two offers on
the first day. Sold! I would credit the old real estate adage, “Location, location, location,” but since we lived on
a busy street in Grandview, I would say the quick sale was more a product of the present housing market. I
would agree that location can influence or enhance one’s quality of life, but could it be that location could
endanger the sanctuary of life itself? Let’s take a look.
As of June, 2021, Worldometer reports 24.2 million abortions worldwide. Compare this to 33.4 million deaths
worldwide from all other causes combined. It is not as though world leaders do not recognize the value of
human life, per se. Just witness the zeal with which world leaders strive to combat the coronavirus, which has
claimed the comparably small number of 4.1 million lives since January 2020 (LifeNews, July, 2021).
Apparently, the value of unseen and unborn lives does not register.

In the United States, abortion numbers have declined steadily over the past 40 years, but the number still
hovers just south of 2,500 per day. Compared to the rest of the world, the United States is only among a small
handful of countries (with China and North Korea) that allows late-term elective abortions. Out of 50
European nations, 47 have stronger abortion limits, the overwhelming majority limiting elective abortions to
earlier than 15 weeks gestation (LifeNews, July 2021). Eight European countries do not allow elective
abortions except for specific medical or socioeconomic reason, and no European nation allow elective
abortions through all nine months of pregnancy (LifeNews, July 2021).
On the state level, it would seem that an unborn child’s safety is determined largely by the state in which (s)he
lives. Presently, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri (yay), and Texas are a few notable safe states for children not
yet born. (Abortions for Missouri residents has declined by 78.5% in the past 40 years, and in-state abortions
have dropped by 92%!) The Supreme Court, of course, will have the final say when they hear oral arguments
on November 1 in Texas and on December 1 in Mississippi. In states such as California, Maryland, New York,
and Massachusettes, an unborn baby will have to wait until his birthday to see if (s)he makes it. As populations
continue to shift across state lines, perhaps it will give us a clear picture as to where Americans stand on life.
Locally, the most dangerous place for an unborn child is within the walls of an abortion facility. Location
means the difference between a baby born prematurely and a baby fighting for his life after a botched
abortion. One is taken to the NICU and given medical attention and a fighting chance; the other is left on her
own (but made “comfortable,” of course). Nick Cannon recorded a song from the perspective of an unborn
child in danger of being aborted, in which he says, “$200 is the price for living? Mommy, I don’t like this clinic.”
Partnering with You for Life,
Linda Verhulst, MRL-WR *Feel Free to Copy and Distribute