Personal biases may have prevented this case from moving forward, if not for public outcry.
Miami, FL – The criminal trial of Belkis Gonzalez, who was charged with two felony counts related to the death of a baby born alive during a botched abortion in Hialeah, Florida, in 2006, has been delayed. Just two days before the scheduled the July 9th trial date, a new prosecutor, Gail Levine, was assigned to the case, prompting Judge John Thornton to reschedule the trial to begin on October 9, 2009 at 9:00 AM.
“This is an open and shut case that has been characaracterized by footdragging and delay. Three years is a long time to wait for a case that should have been prosecuted within months,” said Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger. “But is likely that it would never have been prosecuted without public pressure brought to bear on a reluctant State Attorney’s office that obviously allowed personal biases to affect judgment.”
Gonzalez was on duty in July of 2006, at an abortion clinic in Hialeah, Florida, when a patient of abortionist Pierre Renelique came in to complete an abortion procedure she began the previous day. Renelique did not show up or respond to calls. When the woman birthed Baby Shanice, who was in her 24th week of gestation, the baby was moving and gasping for breath. Gonzalez cut the baby umbilical cord, shoved her into a biohazard bag, then tossed her body on the roof.
On a tip, the police recovered Shanice’s body. An autopsy confirmed that Shanice was born alive. At 24 weeks, babies are considered to be viable, or able to survive outside the womb.
For two and a half years, prosecutors dragged their feet over the decision to charge Gonzalez.
Then in February, 2009, the Florida Medical Board stripped Renelique of his license, declaring him a danger to the public. This prompted forty-four members of the Florida House of Representatives to call for Gonzalez’s arrest. Within days, at Operation Rescue’s request, pro-lifers held a press conference outside the State Attorney’s office demanding that Gonzalez be charged. Within a week, prosecutors arrested and jailed Gonzalez on two felony counts for practicing medicine without a license and evidence tampering.
Gonzalez was previously convicted of practicing medicine without a license in February, 2008, for illegally doing abortions at a Miramar abortion clinic. She is currently serving five years of probation as she awaits trial.
“It is clear that Gonzalez is a habitual offender who will only learn her lesson behind bars, but when abortion is involved, there is often a reluctance to prosecute,” said Sullenger.
“This is what happens when prosecutors and even judges allow their personal feelings about abortion to interfere with justice. This case should be a lesson to Senators who are considering the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor has shown a similar inclination to allow her personal beliefs to trump the rule of law. That kind of partiality only leads to injustice. Without public pressure, it is very likely this case would have been swept under the rug. But thankfully, injustice was averted and we look forward to justice being served in a court of law.”
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Abortion is a predictable and unavoidable symptom of a much deeper global conflict, between the wanton life of consumption and the moral life of sufficiency. Unwanted pregnancies and abortions won’t end as long as every TV channel, billboard and magazine glorifies sex as a consumer good and justifies consumption as “the American Dream.” Pro-life or pro-choice, judges only deal with the obscene products/symptoms of “business as usual.” If you really want to end abortion, go after the industries and marketers who peddle sex as a consumer good, or the politicians who are bought by their political donations. In other words, do what none of the politicians do; Tackle the root causes.
I agree sex should be saved for marriage. But I do not think it is wrong to make sex look enjoyable. If sex is made into such a bad thing before you are married then you will feel that you are doing a bad thing when you are married. That is the wrong thing about sex ed. I remember in HS that they said if you have sex you will get aids and die. Or you will get pregnant even with a condom. They did not say If you have sex before marriage in any of their statements. I believe that sex before marriage WILL happen and that students should be taught about the consequenses of your choices. I believe that is the only way to lower abortion rates.
Don’t be fooled by the liberal news media and others that tell you there is nothing the republicans can do to stop judges Sotomayor from being confirmed because they are out voted.
Radical Judges can be stopped with no votes.
Please go the U.S. Senate Judiciary Rules web page and read the rules.
Article III, there must be two members of the minority attending to have a hearing. If six of the seven republicans on the committee do not attend there will be no hearing. No hearing the radical judge is stopped.
Article IV, there must be one affimative vote from the minority to stop debate and bring the subject to a vote. If the republicans do not give them that vote the radical judge is stopped.