Matthew 19:18 ESV “And Jesus said, “You shall not murder…”
Editor’s Note: Throughout the scriptures, God has made it clear that shedding innocent blood is murder, and no murderer will enter heaven. In addition to the death of the unborn baby, abortion also substantially harms the women and many times, families, husbands, boyfriends and a whole sphere of relationships connected to and surrounding each abortion. Often, lifelong guilt and other social, relational, spiritual and even physical problems follow the murder of innocent babes in the womb. Pastor Jim Bakker believes that this issue, abortion, may be the single most significant issue that brings God’s judgment on this nation more than any other.
Pro-abortion groups have filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in their quest to eliminate a Texas abortion law that calls for higher safety and wellness standards for clinics that provide abortions.
The bill, signed in 2013, is HB 2. The bill requires abortion clinics to meet the same health and cleanliness standards as other ambulatory surgical centers. It also bans late term abortions in the state except for rape and incest. The law also requires abortionists to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital with in 30 miles of their clinic.
“… new research and advanced technology give prematurely-born children a renewed chance at life, which should give us all pause as we argue the definition of viability,” stated then Texas Governor Rick Perry, who signed the bill.
“House Bill 2 ensures that anyone performing abortions in Texas is doing so in a facility that is safe, clean and prepared to deal with any emergencies that might occur – a reasonable, common sense expectation for those caring for the health and safety of Texans.”
Twenty abortion clinics in the state closed by May 2014 rather than meet the health and cleanliness requirements of the bill.
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Texas earlier this month.
“Reviewing Texas’s statute against a backdrop of varying state regulations of abortion, Roe assessed the states’ interests in regulating abortion, acknowledging a legitimate interest in women’s health,” wrote the panel.
“It held that states may not proscribe abortion prior to viability. … After viability, generally at the end of the second trimester, states could proscribe or regulate abortion except when an abortion was necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”
Without a Supreme Court stay, the law will go into effect July 1.