Recycled, Inconvenient, & Pre-mature

Does anyone recall a Paul Ehrlich who wrote "Population Bomb" in 1989? In May of 1989, Ehrlich claimed, global warming was going to melt the polar ice caps, causing a flood in which "we could expect to lose all of Florida, Washington D.C., and the Los Angeles basin...we'll be in rising waters with no ark in sight." Ehrlich commanded that to forestall doom, the world needed to cut its energy use in half over 20 years. Industrialization needed to be dragged to a screeching halt, not only in America, but especially in the Third World. It’s been almost twenty years, we never cut our energy use in half, and Florida is still above water, not to mention D.C. and Los Angeles.

So, why is Al Gore recycling Paul Ehrlich? In 2027, will Al Gore be around to explain why his doomsday predictions never occurred or will he, like Paul Ehrlich, fade into oblivion?

In mid February, tiny Amillia Taylor made her public debut. Amillia was delivered at 21 weeks and 6 days, the shortest period of time a child has been carried in utero and lived to survive. ABC World News Tonight was the only broadcast news outlet to make the connection between Amillia’s gestational age and laws governing abortion. Kudos to ABC anchor Charlie Gibson. ABC made a point of presenting both sides of the story.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, 360 also tackled the abortion-related issues surrounding Amillia’s birth, but couched the discussion in terms of “fetus viability.” Bioethicist Arthur Caplan showed his true colors when he said, “… it isn’t just a question of biological life, it’s also a question of at what price to the child.” What price to the child? Living with disabilities is a small price to pay, considering the alternative – not living at all. What does that say about the countless children born with problems similar to those of a pre-mature infant? Are their lives worth less because of their disabilities?

God bless little Amillia Taylor.