Via ifeminists, this disturbing story posted at WorldNetDaily.
Police were called into the case back in July after an 18-year-old went for an abortion, but the baby was born while she waited, and she observed the little girl breathing before a business worker came and put the baby in a biohazard bag. An anonymous tipster told police about the situation, then later updated them that the body apparently had been stashed on the roof of the building to prevent officers from finding it, and returned to the building later.
There's more to the story and readers can click on the link to read the rest of it. I'm posting this story because of a comment I received to my post When Do We Become Human Beings?
Me: And another question I think naturally follows is this: if a baby born at 23 weeks is a person entitled to life, why is an abortion at 23 weeks merely a woman exercising her "right to choose"? In other words, is personhood merely an accident of location?
Commenter: Birth is an event, not a location...It is this event, birth, that permits society to confer personhood. In a very similar manner we use another event, death, to take away personhood. In the absence of modern medical technology, these simple definitions have proven workable.
On behalf of those woman who are forced by heartrending circumstances involving massive failures in fetal development to have an abortion at 23 weeks, may I also point out that to refer to that as 'merely a woman exercising her "right to choose"' is callous and cruel. An abortion at five months is not something most women can shrug off. An abortion at five months is likely to represent the loss of a life that was desired, perhaps even actively sought.
Obviously, the events in Florida are highly unusual. But it does get back to my question. Is personhood an accident of location? I suppose in this circumstance, the baby didn't even get that consideration.
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