Two North Carolina Senate Committees have approved a bill that would ban abortions on preborn babies performed because of their race, sex or disability.
The Human Life Non-Discrimination Act/No Eugenics (H.B. 453) is a brief, three-page bill that would outlaw abortions performed because of discriminatory intent. The Senate Health Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill this week. It now goes to the rules committee. If approved, it will then head to the Senate floor for a vote.
The bill states: “No person shall perform or attempt to perform an abortion upon a woman in this State, unless the physician who is scheduled to perform or attempt to perform the abortion is related to has confirmed before the abortion that the woman is not seeking an abortion” for the following reasons:
- “The actual or presumed race or racial makeup of the unborn child.”
- “The sex of the unborn child.”
- “The presence or presumed presence of Down syndrome.”
The bill argues that federal law already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex or disability. Therefore, these same protections should be applied to human beings before they are born as well.
“The inherent right against discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or genetic abnormality is protected in federal and state laws. For example, the 1964 Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq.) and the laws of every state protect against discrimination on the basis of race or sex,” the bill reads.
“Despite equality under the law being guaranteed to all women in the United States and most of the developed world, sex-selection abortions continue to occur in the United States,” the bill also notes. “Unborn children perceived as ‘handicapped’ or ‘disabled,’ such as those with Down syndrome, are routinely aborted in the United States.”
“It is the intent of the General Assembly … to prohibit the practice of abortion for the purpose of terminating the life of an unborn child because of that child’s race, sex, or the presence or presumed presence of a genetic abnormality like Down syndrome.”
The Daily Citizen previously reported on the bill when it passed through the North Carolina House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill garnered support from six Democrats, including Reps. Gailliard, Graham, Pierce, Quick, Smith and Wray.
The North Carolina Senate is composed of 28 Republican members and 22 Democrats. Should the Senate majority approve the bill, it still faces a steep climb to become law.
According to the Martinsville Bulletin, “Gov. Roy Cooper is unlikely to sign it if it reaches his desk … Republicans would be unlikely to get enough Democrats to join them to override a possible veto.”
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
Answers in Genesis, in their article, “What About Eugenics and Planned Parenthood?,” discusses in-depth the history of the eugenics movement and how it continues to be perpetuated and promoted by Planned Parenthood:
The term eugenics was first coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, father of eugenics and cousin of Charles Darwin. The term comes from the Greek roots eu (good) and genics (in birth) to communicate the idea of being well-born.
The term eugenics was first coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, father of eugenics and cousin of Charles Darwin. The term comes from the Greek roots eu (good) and genics (in birth) to communicate the idea of being well-born.
In the early 1900s the eugenics movement became well established in the United States. The movement was well-funded by men like Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Kellogg. Eugenic societies, conferences, research institutions, and journals gave a façade of real science to the study of eugenics. This was further promoted by eugenic departments and courses at the university level.
The name most commonly associated with Planned Parenthood is that of its founder Margaret Sanger.
Margaret married into money and eventually became an active member of the Socialist Party. She was attracted to the party’s fight for “women’s suffrage, sexual liberation, feminism, and birth control.” Sanger also became a fan of the concepts promoted by Thomas Malthus (who also heavily influenced Charles Darwin in the development of the concept of evolution by natural selection). Malthus was concerned that the human population was growing too rapidly (especially the poor, diseased, and racially inferior) and would outgrow natural resources. The solution proposed by his followers, like Sanger, was to decrease and eliminate the “inferior” population through birth control (including sterilization and abortion). Sanger stated, “The most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
Planned Parenthood still endorses many eugenic ideas. This should not be surprising as the PPFA website “History and Successes” page clearly states, “Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, is one of the movement’s great heroes. Sanger’s early efforts remain the hallmark of Planned Parenthood’s mission. . . .” Sanger’s efforts advocated sterilization, abortion, and infanticide of “defectives” in the name of eugenics.
Biblical Perspectives on Eugenics and Planned Parenthood
When we start with the truth of God’s Word, we see that eugenics and the ideas promoted by Planned Parenthood do not align with the Bible.
God doesn’t care whether people have dark brown skin or light brown skin, whether they are deaf or have perfect hearing — God does not show partiality. (Galatians 3:28, Acts 17:26).
God created each of us individually and we are His image-bearers on earth. He loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us so that we might have eternal life (Genesis 1:26–27, Psalm 139:13–16, John 3:16).
God commands us to care for people no matter what their affliction (Exodus 22:21–23, Matthew 25:34–36).
Life is precious—no matter how short or how impaired that life may be. Contrary to the ideas supported by eugenics and Planned Parenthood, all human life has value because it comes from the Life-Giver.
