The blindness of the culture of death

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the screening of a documentary produced by the Australian Christian Lobby entitled “Born Alive, Left to Die”.  I am sure you are able to determine the content of the documentary from the title alone.  However, so there is no misunderstanding, the documentary focuses on the Parliamentary decisions of the States and Territories of Australia to allow babies to die outside the womb in the event of an unsuccessful abortion procedure. Although we like to believe we are a highly civilised society, the practice of allowing a baby to die a slow death (some taking up to 7 hours) is a uniquely barbaric practice.

Also barbaric (and being vigorously debated) is the use of potassium chloride for late-term abortions. As part of this procedure, potassium chloride is injected into the fetal heart in order to induce cardiac arrest (fetal asystole).  It should be noted that potassium chloride is the same agent used to carry out the execution of prisoners who are sentenced to the death penalty.  According to the Death Penalty Information Center: “In the one-drug executions, the prisoner is injected with an overdose of pentobarbital. In the multi-drug executions, states start with a sedative, previously sodium thiopental but more recently drugs such as midazolam, which is supposed to put the prisoner to sleep. Next, a paralytic drug, typically vecuronium bromide or pancuronium bromide, is injected, which paralyzes the entire muscle system and stops the prisoner’s breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. Death results from anesthetic overdose and respiratory and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious.”

As noted in the information above, most lethal injections follow a protocol consisting of three drugs: the first is supposed to anesthetise inmates; the second paralyses them; the third stops the heart.  However, investigations conducted over the last 20 years in the US are revealing concerns over insufficient anesthesia resulting in inmates who "would experience severe respiratory distress with associated sensations of drowning, asphyxiation, panic and terror" during their deaths.  According to reports, the inmate is not only feeling the suffocating sensation of pulmonary edema but also the pain of the third drug: potassium chloride.  David Lubarsky, the former chair of the anesthesiology department at the University of Miami, said this of potassium chloride: "It's like a burning cocktail coursing through your veins.  Once it reaches the heart, it stops the heart, and you do die. But in the process there is a period of just intense and searing pain."

When it comes to the destruction of animals, many veterinarian guidelines state that potassium chloride is not acceptable for use as a sole agent for euthanasia of vertebrates because it results in distress and conscious perception of pain prior to death.  Therefore, anesthetic protocols must be used to induce unconsciousness, a fact confirmed by a veterinarian who was present at the screening of the documentary.  However, when it comes to the practice of feticide, there is a lack of consensus amongst health practitioners regarding anesthetic protocols due to a disagreement over what level of pain a fetus feels at various gestational stages.  In fact, in a 2023 report published by Christian Concern, they wrote: “Oxford University Hospitals said in response to the FOI requests: ‘We use potassium chloride in our procedures for feticide. Our standard operating procedure is to inject the cord of the foetus and therefore so-called ‘painkiller’ is not required.’”      

Health practitioners often claim there is no need for fetal analgesia when potassium chloride is administered through the umbilical cord as the cord does not contain pain-sensing nerves.  Although this is correct, the fetus would experience significant pain as the potassium chloride travels via the belly button into the liver and then through the veins before reaching the heart and inducing cardiac arrest.  Sadly, the abortion industry continues to either deny the level of pain inflicted upon the preborn or bury the evidence by introducing “expert” reports that contain deliberately vague language which seeks to assure mothers that abortion does not cross any moral barriers. Although a consensus on the impact of pain on the preborn would be a positive step in educating the public, the reality is that pain tolerance does not excuse the injustice perpetrated in abortion clinics. 

The reality is that abortion providers are inflicting significant pain upon two people: the preborn baby and its mother.  When it comes to mothers, they are generally victimised through deep emotional and psychological wounds.  Although some health practitioners will vigorously deny any link between abortion and psychological disorders, others do.  For instance, consider these statistics from the Charlotte Lozier Institute:-

Substance use

• The Bodunde meta-analysis cited a 2014 study by Steinberg et al. finding that even after adjusting for prior mental health disorders, women who had abortions had a 130% greater likelihood of experiencing substance use disorders.

• The Coleman meta-analysis found that women who had abortions had a 110% greater likelihood of alcohol use/misuse and a 230% greater likelihood of marijuana use.

• The 2025 study by Auger et al. found that women who had abortions were more than 150% more likely to be hospitalized for substance use than were women who gave birth.

Depression and anxiety

• The Bodunde meta-analysis found that abortion was associated with a 49% greater likelihood of depression and a 43% greater likelihood of anxiety.

• The Coleman meta-analysis found a 37% greater likelihood of depression and a 34% greater likelihood of anxiety.

Suicide

• Studies from the United States, Italy, and multiple studies from Finland have found that women who have abortions have suicide rates approximately two to six times that of women who give birth.

• A study by CLI scholar David Reardon surveyed nearly 2,000 American women and found that women who had abortions were twice as likely to report having attempted suicide. They were also significantly more likely to attribute their suicidal feelings and actions to their pregnancy outcomes.

• The 2025 study by Auger et al. found that women who had abortions had approximately twice the risk of being hospitalised for a suicide attempt compared to women who gave birth.

However, none of these statistics or their related outcomes need to have the final word on the matter.  There is lasting hope, forgiveness and comfort in the arms of Jesus.  Yes, the preborn are victims of the abortion industry but in many ways, so too are mothers.  They have been lied to by politicians, doctors, abortion advocates, the media and everyday people.  So, as we continue to commit ourselves to the truth of what God’s Word says on the matter, may we also be committed to offering all of the people involved the eternal hope and victory wrought by Jesus Christ who shed His blood to cleanse every stain.