By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director
Out of sight is out of mind.
When we can’t see something, or perceive it by some other sense, we can forget that it exists.
That is not the case with Covid-19. Each day we hear about rates of infection and lives lost. Heart-wrenching stories broadcast by news outlets and shared on social media put a human face on the pandemic. Maps and graphs help us visualize trends so our decisions are better informed.
But there’s another death count not represented at daily press conferences. No news stories detailing the agony that families experience. No charts or graphs or maps. No mitigation efforts ordered by the Governor. The victims remain invisible, out of sight and out of mind to the general public.
But they do exist. Even if you and I can’t see them.
Yesterday, 12 deaths were attributed to Covid-19. Eighty-three were due to abortion.
Today, 38 deaths were attributed to Covid-19. And again, eighty-three were due to abortion.
While tomorrow’s count for Covid-19 deaths remains unknown, we know the approximate number of deaths from either surgical or chemical abortion. Based on 2018 statistics released from the PA Department of Health, over 30,000 abortions occur annually in our state, an average of 83 every single day.
While Pennsylvania has lost 7282 precious lives to Covid-19, in the same time frame we have lost 12,699 precious lives to abortion, as abortion facilities remained open even when other non-essential businesses were closed.
Some lives are ended by a dangerous virus, others by a dangerous mindset that some humans are simply disposable. And should remain unseen and uncounted. As if they never existed.
But we know they do. The science is clear. Human life begins at the moment of conception. Vulnerable, fragile, dependent, yes. Living, human, unique, and worth protecting, absolutely.
Ironically, in his remarks on April 18, Gov. Wolf reminded us, “There is no higher service than helping each other survive.”
That should include the littlest among us, even if hidden from view.
Let us not forget the victims of the abortion pandemic, during which a total of 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have been denied the most basic of all human rights.
Their lives should count too, after all.