Abortion

No doubt the 2014 race for Pennsylvania governor will contain plenty of debate about jobs, jobs, and jobs. That's no surprise, since the economy ranks at the top of the list of issues state voters tell pollsters they care about most. And yet the emotional issue of abortion, always lurking in politics but thrust into renewed prominence recently, may wind up haunting Gov. Corbett's reelection campaign. Consider the trial of physician Kermit Gosnell, accused of four counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing babies born alive after late-term abortions at his Women's Medical Society clinic in West Philadelphia.

Remember when you first heard the heartbeat of your first child? I do. It was a painfully faint sound emanating from my wife's tummy, indistinguishable for a long time from other raucous gurgles with which it was competing. It presented as a sort of slurp-crunch, seemingly random, until, at length, I detected its regularity. Maida and I gazed into each other's eyes and smiled simultaneously. We knew our love was monumental, but this, this slurp-crunch, was miraculous beyond all telling.

In his weekly letter to area Catholics, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput took the national media to task for a lack of coverage of the Kermit Gosnell trial. Gosnell, 72, a doctor who performed abortions at his West Philadelphia clinic, won a minor victory last week when a judge dismissed three murder charges and six lesser counts. He still faces four counts of first-degree and one count of third-degree murder. "Some stories, no matter how unsettling, just can't be ignored - even when some people are determined to look away," Chaput's letter, dated Friday, began.

WASHINGTON - President Obama vowed Friday to join Planned Parenthood in fighting against what he said are efforts by states to turn women's health back to the 1950s, before the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide, and singled out the GOP-governed states of North Dakota and Mississippi for criticism. "When politicians try to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag, they're not just talking about you," Obama said, becoming the first sitting president to address the abortion-rights group in person.

IN "THE EMPEROR'S New Clothes," a preening monarch is hoodwinked into believing that he's just bought a magnificent outfit when all he's been sold is a bill of (dry) goods. Prancing around in what he thinks is cloth of gold, the emperor is complimented by his obsequious subjects. They all would have lived happily ever after had a young boy not pointed his finger and said "he's naked!" I love that story for what it tells us about the human capacity for self-delusion. We often believe what our hearts suggest despite the clear and urgent message relayed by facts.

JACK McMAHON, the often explosive and combative lawyer for accused baby-killer Dr. Kermit Gosnell, rested his case yesterday without as much as a whimper. Without calling Gosnell, 72, to the witness stand, nor anyone else to speak in his defense, McMahon rose from his seat just after 1:30 p.m. and announced that he was resting his case. Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart then informed the jury that the next step in the capital-murder trial would be closing arguments on Monday.

Kermit Gosnell has been accused of "snipping" the spinal cords of babies born alive in his Philadelphia abortion clinic. Is such behavior crazy, or does it simply follow the logic of an industry that believes the mother's choice overrides any right to protection that the baby has? Now I'm not saying Gosnell, if found guilty, shouldn't be held accountable for the eight murders he is charged with. But I am suggesting that a certain set of presumptions has been created by our public policies on abortion and the arguments made to justify these policies.

Inspiring students with '42' What better example to teach all children about great courage and tenacity under fire than with the story of baseball great Jackie Robinson, who received some of his worst treatment in Philadelphia ("He was unwelcome," April 7). Robinson was one of the true heroes of the civil rights struggle. His autobiography, I Never Had It Made , should be required reading in all public schools - especially in the city, since Robinson writes of his harsh treatment by then-Phillies manager Ben Chapman and players on the 1947 Phillies squad.