(CNA) Lila Rose, the founder and president of the national pro-life group Live Action, recently spoke in defense of the unborn in cases of rape and fetal anomalies to a national audience on Dr. Phil’s talk show.
In response to the talk-show host’s statement that the scientific community is divided on the question of whether life begins at conception, she countered with a powerful one-liner.
Rose asked: “In an abortion, if it’s not a human life why do you have to kill it?”
.@LilaGraceRose brings SCIENCE to Dr Phil:
— Live Action (@LiveAction) September 13, 2022
96% of 5,577 biologists from 1,058 academic institutions affirmed that human's life begins at fertilization
"If it isn't a human life in the womb, why do you have to kill it?"
Science is crystal clear that life begins at fertilization pic.twitter.com/fZ1YkHvS9a
Two recent abortion cases were the focal points of the episode of Dr. Phil, which aired on Sept. 12. The show focused on a case involving a Louisiana woman who was unable to have an abortion after receiving a devastating diagnosis regarding the unborn child she was carrying, and that of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and traveled out of state to receive an abortion.
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Dr. Phil was joined by Louisiana State Sen. Katrina Jackson; Rose; attorney Ben Crump; and Christian Nunes, the president of the National Organization for Women.
The pro-life case for babies who are going to die
Nancy Davis and Shedric Cole, a couple from Louisiana, were denied access to an abortion after receiving a fatal diagnosis regarding what would have been their fourth child. The baby was diagnosed with acrania, a rare but fatal condition in which the fetus does not form a skull. She was advised by doctors to terminate the pregnancy but, due to a law enacted after the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the state of Louisiana, would have to travel out of state to receive an abortion.
Davis described the experience as “emotionally draining” and said that she was forced to “carry my baby, to bury my baby.”
In response to this case, Rose shared her heartfelt condolences saying, “My heart broke when I heard your story, because that’s the worst thing any mom wants to hear is that their baby is going to die.”
“My husband and I, we had a miscarriage about two years ago. They were some of the darkest days of my life and they were dark days because it was our child,” Rose added. “You know, we knew this was a baby. And I think that’s the fundamental point here is that we’re talking about a baby, we’re talking about a human life.”
“And the pro-life position is that all humans have human rights. And the first right is life. To not be killed … Nancy, you deserve better. You deserve better health care. There’s perinatal hospice, there’s palliative care so that your baby could die in the loving arms of their, of their parents instead of at the abortionist’s tools,” she said.
The pro-life case for babies conceived in rape
The focus then shifted to a 10-year-old girl who was raped and traveled from Ohio, where most abortions are illegal, to Indiana to have an abortion. Dr. Phil asked his audience members for their thoughts on the matter.
One woman directed her comments to Rose, saying, “You just want to legislate evil. That’s really how it feels when I hear you speak, especially when you’re talking about a 10-year-old girl who was raped. To hear you say that, you know, they should just have that anyway is disgusting.”
“I really think you’re a traitor to your own, and I will never be able to agree with you,” she added. “There is nothing you could possibly say to justify that level of lack of empathy.”
Rose responded: “Abortion is devastating to women’s mental health.”
The audience member interrupted, questioning, “Do you know what it’s really like to get raped and then have to have the child? What kind of trauma is that that you’re inducing on somebody?”
“The trauma is from the rape. The child’s an innocent party there,” Rose said.
“The child isn’t born yet. It’s not there,” the audience member interjected back.
Rose responded: “Our fundamental human right, that we all share in this room, is life. It’s the first human right. Laws are meant to protect the weak. In a society, who’s the weakest? Who’s the weakest in the society? A child. They don’t have a voice. They can’t speak.”
“Whether you live 10 minutes or 10 years or a hundred years, you’re human life and you have the right to not be killed. And that’s what the pro-life fight is all about,” she continued. “That’s what we’re fighting for. A culture of life where we provide real health care. You know, abortion is the intentional destruction of an innocent human life. We can do better than that.”
.@LilaGraceRose brings SCIENCE to Dr Phil:
— Live Action (@LiveAction) September 13, 2022
96% of 5,577 biologists from 1,058 academic institutions affirmed that human's life begins at fertilization
"If it isn't a human life in the womb, why do you have to kill it?"
Science is crystal clear that life begins at fertilization pic.twitter.com/fZ1YkHvS9a
The pro-life case for life from the moment of conception
The guests also debated the question of when human life begins after Dr. Phil commented that “there is no consensus among the scientific community.”
“There is, Dr. Phil. Ninety-six percent of scientists say that life begins at fertilization,” Rose stated.
A study conducted by a University of Chicago doctoral student showed that a majority of biologists believe life begins at conception. Of the 5,577 biologists who responded to a survey he sent out, 96% supported this fact.
“When do you say human life begins then?” Rose asked.
Dr. Phil replied, “Well, it doesn’t matter what I think, I don’t care what I think. What I’m saying is the scientific community does not have a consensus about when life begins.”
“A single-cell embryo is a unique, new human life,” Rose stated.
“You can go to the body of scientific literature and you can find neuroscientists who say that it begins when there is a detectable brain wave,” he said.
At this point, Dr. Phil turned his attention from Rose to his live audience encouraging them to “fact check” him, find the different definitions available from scientists, and decide for themselves what to think.
Editor's note: This article was published by Catholic News Agency and is reprinted with permission.
