By FRC's Mary Szoch
While the term "birthing people" grabbed most of the headlines during yesterday's hearing on black maternal mortality, Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Mo.) -- speaking to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform -- provided a powerful pro-life testimony which should not be overlooked. She described her experience as a single mother who gave birth to two children -- one at 23 weeks, and one -- who with the help of medical intervention at 16 weeks -- was carried to term.
Bush's story recounting the dismissal of her fears, the failures of the medical system, and the trauma of her son being born at 23 weeks is heartbreaking. She beautifully and painfully describes her son's condition after birth, "His ears were still in his head. His eyes were still fused shut. His fingers were smaller than rice, and his skin was translucent. A black baby, translucent skin. You could see his lungs. He could fit in the palm of my hand. We were told he had a 0 percent chance of life."
Just a few months later, Bush went into pre-term labor again, this time at 16 weeks. Her doctor told her to go home and wait for her baby to die.
Praise God that the story does not end there. Just as she saw the humanity of her son, Zion, Bush could not deny the humanity of her daughter. As a mom, she recognized that the child within her womb was completely and totally dependent on her for survival. She realized that her daughter, who she would appropriately name "Angel," had no voice and no other advocates. And so, in her moment of desperation, she was willing to do anything to save her daughter's life. Why? Because she is a mom.
Listening to Bush's powerful testimony, one might logically conclude that she must be a fierce advocate for moms and unborn babies. But the end of her testimony is where the cognitive dissonance begins.
In an effort to include people who identify as transgender, Bush refers to moms as "birthing people." She tweeted, "I identify as a mother, but not every person who gives birth identifies as one. Everything I do is rooted in love, a love that means that everyone's identity is respected, welcomed, and celebrated."
Congresswoman Bush's experience should have led to very different conclusions. The radical Left's pro-abortion ideology led Bush's doctors to deny the truth that her unborn children were people and as such, deserved medical treatment. In the same way, the radical Left's ideology has now led the congresswoman to deny the truth that only WOMEN can carry a child within their womb and that every woman who carries a child in the womb is a mother.
Accepting lies as truth is not love. Instead, it is what leads to people -- like Bush's children -- not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
There is a black maternal mortality crisis in this country. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Black women do not have the access to health care that they should. In fact, in Washington, D.C., the maternal mortality rate is twice as high for black women as it is for white women.
As Mother's Day approaches, now is the perfect time for America to commit to doing better, and doing better starts with acknowledging basic truths.
Cori Bush, who knows what it is like to face discrimination and what it is like to fight for her unborn child, is the perfect spokeswoman for a campaign ACTUALLY combatting the black maternal health crisis, but that campaign cannot be based on lies.
To combat the black maternal health crisis, Americans must acknowledge that only women can be the recipients of maternity care; that regardless of whether the child is wanted--every woman who carries a child is a mom; and that abortion is destroying the lives of precious unborn babies who are the same ages as Bush's children were when she first fought for them. While public figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shamelessly plug for Planned Parenthood, the reality is that by targeting minority communities for abortion, abortion businesses are major contributors to the black maternal health crisis, and if Americans truly intend to confront this crisis, this must be acknowledged.
As Mother's Day approaches, please pray that Congresswoman Bush has a change of heart and becomes willing to fight and stand for ALL truth with the same courage she first displayed as a mom fighting for her unborn children.
By FRC's Mary Szoch
While the term "birthing people" grabbed most of the headlines during yesterday's hearing on black maternal mortality, Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Mo.) -- speaking to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform -- provided a powerful pro-life testimony which should not be overlooked. She described her experience as a single mother who gave birth to two children -- one at 23 weeks, and one -- who with the help of medical intervention at 16 weeks -- was carried to term.
Bush's story recounting the dismissal of her fears, the failures of the medical system, and the trauma of her son being born at 23 weeks is heartbreaking. She beautifully and painfully describes her son's condition after birth, "His ears were still in his head. His eyes were still fused shut. His fingers were smaller than rice, and his skin was translucent. A black baby, translucent skin. You could see his lungs. He could fit in the palm of my hand. We were told he had a 0 percent chance of life."
Just a few months later, Bush went into pre-term labor again, this time at 16 weeks. Her doctor told her to go home and wait for her baby to die.
Praise God that the story does not end there. Just as she saw the humanity of her son, Zion, Bush could not deny the humanity of her daughter. As a mom, she recognized that the child within her womb was completely and totally dependent on her for survival. She realized that her daughter, who she would appropriately name "Angel," had no voice and no other advocates. And so, in her moment of desperation, she was willing to do anything to save her daughter's life. Why? Because she is a mom.
Listening to Bush's powerful testimony, one might logically conclude that she must be a fierce advocate for moms and unborn babies. But the end of her testimony is where the cognitive dissonance begins.
In an effort to include people who identify as transgender, Bush refers to moms as "birthing people." She tweeted, "I identify as a mother, but not every person who gives birth identifies as one. Everything I do is rooted in love, a love that means that everyone's identity is respected, welcomed, and celebrated."
Congresswoman Bush's experience should have led to very different conclusions. The radical Left's pro-abortion ideology led Bush's doctors to deny the truth that her unborn children were people and as such, deserved medical treatment. In the same way, the radical Left's ideology has now led the congresswoman to deny the truth that only WOMEN can carry a child within their womb and that every woman who carries a child in the womb is a mother.
Accepting lies as truth is not love. Instead, it is what leads to people -- like Bush's children -- not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
There is a black maternal mortality crisis in this country. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Black women do not have the access to health care that they should. In fact, in Washington, D.C., the maternal mortality rate is twice as high for black women as it is for white women.
As Mother's Day approaches, now is the perfect time for America to commit to doing better, and doing better starts with acknowledging basic truths.
Cori Bush, who knows what it is like to face discrimination and what it is like to fight for her unborn child, is the perfect spokeswoman for a campaign ACTUALLY combatting the black maternal health crisis, but that campaign cannot be based on lies.
To combat the black maternal health crisis, Americans must acknowledge that only women can be the recipients of maternity care; that regardless of whether the child is wanted--every woman who carries a child is a mom; and that abortion is destroying the lives of precious unborn babies who are the same ages as Bush's children were when she first fought for them. While public figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shamelessly plug for Planned Parenthood, the reality is that by targeting minority communities for abortion, abortion businesses are major contributors to the black maternal health crisis, and if Americans truly intend to confront this crisis, this must be acknowledged.
As Mother's Day approaches, please pray that Congresswoman Bush has a change of heart and becomes willing to fight and stand for ALL truth with the same courage she first displayed as a mom fighting for her unborn children.
