Criminals, Children, and Twisted Priorities

Most states in the U.S. practice a programmed sequence of events to execute their most violent convicted criminals. There is an injection to anesthetize and take away pain and consciousness, a second injection to paralyze the body, and a third to stop the heart of the unconscious individual—a process designed very carefully to give the condemned offender an opportunity to die pain-free and with dignity, as one who had died in his sleep.

That said, the efforts are continuous by some to have this method done away. Focusing on the fact that the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, some argue that even if the procedure is performed properly there is a possibility, however slim, that the criminal may still feel pain before he dies. These groups argue, essentially, that if there is even a remote possibility of a sensation of pain or suffering, then the procedure should be declared "cruel and unusual" and be banned.

Yet many of the very same individuals pressing for an end to the death penalty and for absolute guarantees that convicted, violent criminals are able to leave this world pain free show no regard for the life in the womb, and the pain that unborn child may feel in the process of abortion.

And medical science is beginning to yield indications that pain can be felt earlier and earlier in the life cycle of the developing child. Until recently, the "common wisdom" was that the sensation of pain was not possible before the third trimester, with the advanced development of the cerebral cortex. However, as The New York Times Magazine reported in its February 10, 2008 article, "The First Ache," it is now thought by many that the child developing in the womb can feel pain much, much earlier—perhaps 13 weeks earlier, within a month of the first trimester.

Field observations from fetal surgeries and experience with children suffering from hydranencephaly, lacking a cerebral cortex, are causing old assumptions to be completely rethought. Some are even beginning to think that the pain sensations are more severe for the unborn.

Of course, in the horrific and murderous practice called partial-birth abortion, taking place as late as the very last trimester of pregnancy and development, all of these questions of pain in the earliest stages are much more academic.

Please forgive this graphic statement, but the truth is graphic: Why is it that those who would argue that it is morally acceptable to stab a partially born child in the back of the head with scissors so as to collapse the skull by suctioning out its contents are many of the very same people who would protest ferociously if the very same procedure were practiced on convicted murderers and rapists?

Why would they fight for the right to a peaceful, painless slumber for the most violent of criminals, but allow the ripping apart of the skull or body of the most innocent among us?

It is because they don't fear God! They do not even know Him! They do not know His laws, His ways, His mind, or His sense of justice. But they will. Many in our world today may not know the God who creates the life in the womb, but the day is coming soon when that God will introduce Himself to them. And He regards the slaughter of innocents while simultaneously showing "partiality to the wicked" very differently (Psalm 82:2–3).

But you do not have to wait until that day to know that great God. Consider requesting some of our free Bible literature, such as Do You Believe the True Gospel? or What Is a True Christian? and become acquainted with Him who weaves together the life in the womb and the Messiah who is soon bringing to this earth a Kingdom of glory and peace, and a government that distinguishes between criminals and children.