Said one of my senior residents when I was an intern - he's now a colleague of mine at my hospital but that's besides the point.

Grain by grain the sand of the hourglass falls downward, never upwards. Inexorably, irreversibly, even relentlessly, time plods ahead and we've but no choice to to be pushed along.

In some ways, it is a comfort that we can't shy away from the inevitable.

In other ways, I can't help but be afraid of the tears that are coming (even as I know they are necessary), of the possibility of depression nipping at my heels.

I cling to You, Oh Lord, to be our strength, as each tick of the second hand moves us forward.

I mailed in my votes a few days ago.

I'm sure most of you aren't surprised to find that I voted McCain-Palin.

However, the fundamental reason that I voted for them is not related to the economy, nor to health care, or to drill-drill-drill.

I don't have the time and am too darn tired to put in links, so this time around you'll have to do some digging yourselves. I will put in the links later - my apologies for now.

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The Declaration of Independence, penned centuries ago, stated that we are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

However, the inalienable right to life is being denied to many, who don't have a voice in the matter at all.

Since the United States granted women access to abortion - and in some states, at any stage of gestation - millions upon millions of unborn babies have been aborted - terminated - killed.

We as human beings have managed to come up with many creative ways to "exercise a woman's right to choose" ... scraping an embryo off the endometrium; using scissors to cut apart a fetus; vacuuming the fetus (apart) and out; administering medications that disrupt the connections between placenta and endometrium, or expel the fetal sac; injecting highly concentrated salt water into the amniotic fluid so that the fetus swallows it up and dies of hypernatremic convulsions; or the euphemistic "D&X", where all but the baby's head is delivered out into the world, and a sharp hollow needle called a trocar is inserted into the skull base and the vacuum turned on, suctioning the brain into a collection canister.

One argument from the pro-abortion ("pro-choice") movement is that thing growing inside the uterus is a blob of nonsentient, nonfeeling cells lacking in intelligence and therefore has no humanity, no rights - so we can do whatever we wish with it. Abortion notwithstanding, this argument also is advanced so that we can use the "abortus'" cells to cure disease, clone, or experiment upon, because they're not human.

I digress but I then pose three counterpoints for thought ...

• how come when I post an ultrasound picture of my 8-week gestational age son, I elicit comments of "congratulations," or "another baby!" and not "what a cute blob of nonsentient, nonhuman cells?" -- because there is an inherent sense of humanity recognized by people in that incompletely formed, yet (at the time) nonviable fetus.
• as a corollary to that, if we really did think our unborn babies were unhuman masses of proliferating cells, why do (some) women contemplating abortion have some degree of hesitation prior to, and even guilt / mourning following the procedure?
• If we really felt that nonsentience / nonintelligence allows for termination, let me carry that reasoning to its coldest, most logical extreme and pose the question: why don't we euthanize those with Alzheimer's, dementia, those children with severe disabilities that render them non-interactive with their environment, ventilator-dependent, gastrostomy-tube fed? (don't misconstrue that statement - I don't support euthanasia)

If Barack Obama, who before an audience of Christians at Saddleback quipped that "it was above his pay grade" to speak on when life began (personal note - as a presidential candidate, appearing before an audience whom you know wants to hear your justification for your views on abortion, I would have expected - and had more respect for him - if he had at least answered the question), gets elected, one of his promises is to have the Freedom of Choice Act passed.

This law would supersede any state's decision to regulate abortion - and consign federal Medicaid dollars to pay for those who cannot afford one ... and with a Democratic majority in both House and Senate, he is highly likely to carry out that promise.

His pro-abortion position is made clear in his campaign platform, and extends even further than that - such that even babies born alive after a failed abortion should be denied human rights.

As an Illinois State Senator, he refused to allow the Illinois State Born Alive Act to get out of committee and onto the assembly floor for a vote not once, not twice, not three, but four times - 3/28/01, 3/5/02, 4/4/02, and again on 3/12/03.

The fourth incarnation of the IL State Born Alive act is identical in wording to the Federal Born Alive Act unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate, with all but 17 'yeas' in the U.S. House of Representatives, and signed into Federal Law on 8/5/2002. Note: even after the Federal Act was passed on 8/02, Barack still denied living babies human rights. A quote (see page 86 ... or read starting page 85) from the IL legislature transcript of debate:


Flame me if you want for getting the quotes and the docs from Jill Stanek's site, I don't have the time to find the original quotes, but Obama's words speak for themselves. No one is altering anything he's saying. Here were his reasons for voting no. Such callous disregard for the value of human life is appalling.

One final point ...

Sophistry - (n)

1.	a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.

2.	a false argument; sophism.

Both Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, proclaimed Catholics, stated that the Catholic Church has had a lot of trouble figuring out their position on abortion for 2000 years (the Catholic church hasn't been around that long, BTW) ... a view to which his bishop replied, "is simply incorrect. The teaching of the Church is clear and not open to debate. Abortion is a grave sin because it is the wrongful taking of an innocent human life."

I encourage you to dig beyond what people say (both sides), and line it up against what they truly mean, to discern the Truth - which does exist, and can be found. That way, you can overcome sophistry and see things for how they truly are, not how they are (mis)represented.

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I will spend a paragraph on something that really deserves its own blog post - which I ought to in the future - which is to say that I am not 100% black-white on the abortion issue and struggle with it myself. In my head, I think I am nearly 100% against except in the case of say, maternal choriocarcinoma or other maternal malignancy, severe eclampsia, and cases where continued pregnancy truly endangers mom.

I still lean against for rape because the baby conceived did not choose to be conceived, while I acknowledge for the mother it is a horrible and devastating event ...

For fetal malformations I am all the more torn because I can understand the anguish parents would feel upon knowing that their second child also has, say, Krabbe disease, which caused their first child to die with pain and suffering; still, having personally experienced the anxiety of the possibility of a child with Down Syndrome (Fran screened positive in the first trimester for a chromosomal defect and had an amniocentesis) I can say with certainty that we would have continued our pregnancy regardless of the chromosomal findings.

For pregnant moms who are facing economic challenges and wonder if they can provide; for women - especially teens and young women - who had plans for upward mobility (school, etc.) disrupted by getting pregnant early, even women who simply "don't want" the baby they're carrying - "why don't you just give baby up for adoption" is far too simple, and doesn't address the issue. This is perfect situation for the role of the Church - not with dismissal, nor with disdainful judgment - but with open arms and hands to help that mother out, to love, and to support her through tough times.  

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In summary, so long as a presidential candidate acknowledges the value and sanctity of a human life - including an unborn life, s/he will always have my vote.

Conversely, so long as a candidate supports abortion - no questions asked - I will never vote for them. Even if they can put $1000000s of dollars in my pocket. Life is too precious for that.

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PS
I voted yes for prop 4. I'm a parent and would want to know if my kids are getting ANY medication or procedure, much less an abortion. That's my responsibility as a parent to look out for them.

I voted yes for prop 8. I was first galled and then not surprised to find out the California Teacher's Union donated more than a million dollars on the "No on 8" campaign. Homosexual couples have rights to civil unions already; the purpose of prop 8 is to normalize homosexual marriage, then mandate its teaching in schools. I don't want my kids being taught - without the ability to opt out - by public school to experiment in Lesbian sex because "you won't know if you're gay until you try it."

I'll entertain Death Penalty objections to the sanctity of life arguments later. I'm too tired and need to sleep.