Legal Commentary

Birth Defects as God?s Punishment for Abortion

By Eugene Volokh

From the Washington Post several weeks ago:

?The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the firstborn of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children,? [Virginia Del. Robert Marshall (R-Prince William)] said.

?In the Old Testament, the firstborn of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord,? he added. ?There?s a special punishment Christians would suggest ? and with the knowledge that they have in faith, it?s been verified by a study from Virginia Commonwealth University ? first abortions, of a first pregnancy, are much more damaging than later abortions.?

The VCU study he referred to was published in 2008 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health and suggested that there is a higher risk of premature birth and low birth weight in children born to women who have had an abortion.

Marshall then apologized:

A story by Capital News Service regarding my remarks at a recent press conference opposing taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood conveyed the impression that I believe disabled children are a punishment for prior abortions. No one who knows me or my record would imagine that I believe or intended to communicate such an offensive notion. I have devoted a generation of work to defending disabled and unwanted children, and have always maintained that they are special blessings to their parents. Nevertheless, I regret any misimpression my poorly chosen words may have created as to my deep commitment to fighting for these vulnerable children and their families.

Hard to figure out what exactly Del. Marshall meant, but I thought I?d put the two statements out there so readers could decide for themselves.