On the evening of 18 April, a couple in Flint were engaged in a customary nocturnal promenade in the frigid spring air. The couple were traversing a broad urban thoroughfare, situated in close proximity to Interstate 69. On one side of the street was a McDonald’s restaurant. On the opposite side of the street was a childcare facility.
The wife suddenly exhibited signs of distress. She requested her husband’s presence to examine the object she had discovered. At first, the husband was uncertain as to the nature of the object in question. However, upon closer examination, it became evident that it was, in fact, a human infant. “At that point, I informed her that it was merely a bird, to which she replied that it was, in fact, a human infant.”
The subject was a human infant. The medical examiner determined that the boy was between 20 and 23 weeks of gestation, a gestational age that may have been sufficient for survival if he had received intensive medical care. The infant was not in the womb of his mother, nor was he in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or even at home. Instead, he was lying dead on the side of a busy road in Flint.
He was not a mass of undifferentiated cells. He was not a tumour. He was not one of the numerous other terms that abortion supporters have devised to denigrate the value of human life before birth. He was, in fact, a human baby.
The husband was unable to articulate the depth of his distress at discovering his lifeless body discarded in plain sight of a childcare facility.
This is a perplexing question. It is asserted that the tissue in question is devoid of any intrinsic human value. In the state of Michigan, the legalisation of the termination of pregnancy after viability for any reason has been enacted. The repeal of pro-life laws by Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature, as a result of Proposal 3, has rendered the necessity for the pretence of a “health” reason obsolete.
Some have argued that late-term abortions are not solely motivated by the most tragic of cases. They contend that women do not simply undergo late-term abortions because they want to. It is difficult to comprehend how anyone could so casually throw away the gift of life.
Following the police response, it appears that the infant died as a consequence of a miscarriage. Miscarriages and stillbirths are not uncommon occurrences. I have even heard a pro-life speaker recount the heart-wrenching experience of losing a baby hours before birth. I have had first-hand experience of the appearance of a miscarriage. It is difficult to comprehend how such an event could occur.
“She was walking down the sidewalk, she was in pain and she thought she was having a miscarriage,” [Flint Police Chief Terence] Green said. “And as she was walking down the sidewalk, she delivered the fetus, took it out of her pants and threw it aside. That’s her testimony.
He said the callous reaction of the 26-year-old and her mother had affected the officers emotionally.
“The grandmother made the statement that, and I quote, ‘She didn’t understand what the big deal was. People throw litter and needles on the pavement all the time,'” Green said.
The items in question are of a particularly reprehensible nature. They include discarded needles, which have been used by individuals who are addicted to heroin in order to temporarily alleviate the distress caused by their own personal tragedies. In addition, the items include a human infant.
Is this the state of our civilisation at this moment in time? Indeed, this is the case. It is reasonable to posit that the grandmother’s perspective would remain unchanged. It is therefore evident that the state of affairs in Michigan is such that the bodies of children are discarded in the trash, and those who discover the bodies are subsequently penalised, rather than the perpetrators of the crime who stole the children’s lives.
The appellations bestowed upon unborn children are often pejorative and dehumanising. I have never personally traversed South Dort Highway in Flint, but from the information provided by Google Maps, it appears to be representative of the majority of major streets in Michigan that intersect with highway interchanges. These streets are characterised by a lack of visual appeal, with a repetitive pattern of chain businesses interspersed with run-down small businesses that are struggling to survive in a declining economic climate.
It is therefore unclear why the grandmother, who is presumably engaged in the activities of reading the news, social media, and experiencing everyday life, would be motivated to throw the body of a fetus on a sidewalk for someone else to deal with.
Nevertheless, despite the unfortunate state of our culture, the irrefutable facts of life remain. A couple engaged in a leisurely stroll are still disconcerted to observe the discarded body of a newborn infant. Police officers, who are frequently exposed to the most distressing aspects of human behaviour, can still be profoundly affected by the comparison of a woman’s grandson to discarded heroin needles on an empty city lot.
It is as yet unclear whether any charges will be brought. The laws of the state of Michigan regarding the final disposition of a deceased fetus typically pertain to abortion facilities, hospitals, and funeral directors, where the majority of deceased individuals are ultimately interred. The police have indicated that there is evidence that the 26-year-old mother of the abandoned boy was on heroin while pregnant. However, it is unclear whether Proposal 3 would permit any charges to be brought against her if the boy’s death was not deemed to be a natural accident. In light of the aforementioned constitutional provision, it is evident that the state of Michigan is prohibited from penalizing, prosecuting, or otherwise taking adverse action against an individual based on their actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion.
A comparison can be made between this account and that of Austin and Nicole LeBlanc. Nicole LeBlanc made a public disclosure regarding the circumstances surrounding the birth and subsequent demise of her daughters, Maria Therese and Rachel Clare. These events transpired on 16 May. The twins were conjoined, and their survival beyond the neonatal period was considered unlikely. Prior to their birth, the twins were loved and cared for, and the same was true of the hour they lived after birth. In death, they were given the proper respect that every human being is entitled to. They have been given names and will be remembered.
They were of consequence and had a beneficial impact on a significant number of individuals.
The unnamed son in the Flint matter was also of significant consequence, which is why those involved in the case were so distressed.
It could be argued that the world is cruel in that it robs some of life before they get to spend the 76.1 years that our government officials say we can expect on average. However, this would be an extreme form of hypocrisy. It is important to note that approximately 30,000 children in Michigan are killed each year, often for the convenience of others. How, then, can we make a judgement?
In which direction, Michigan? The question thus arises as to whether the respect for human life is to be extended to every human being, regardless of any characteristics or categories, at every stage of life, from the earliest embryonic stage to the final moments of death. Or alternatively, the path of death, where only that which is convenient is deemed worthy of value.
Should you elect to pursue the latter option, it is advisable to refrain from direct observation of the side of the road, where the remains of deceased infants are often found alongside discarded refuse and hypodermic needles. Such an encounter may elicit a brief emotional response, which we must endeavour to avoid.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
