Lauryn’s bond was set at $500,000. Her arraignment is set for January 16, when she will be tried as an adult. The charges against her of first- and second-degree murder carry possible sentences of life in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Abortion vs. Infanticide
Lauryn is accused of murdering her newborn son, a tragic act that in the teenager’s mind could have been viewed as morally equivalent to an abortion, and in a sense she’d be right. After all, if Lauryn’s infant had been killed one day earlier — by an abortionist — the act would have been legal.
Though abortion wasn’t brought to the forefront of our attention until the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the push had been on since the early 1900s for a woman’s right to "choose." Our children are daily reminded that a pre-born child is not a real person, but a "blob" or a mass of tissue. There is no human life in it according to the abortion advocates permeating our culture, so disposing of it is not murder at all; it’s simply a "procedure." The widespread acceptance of partial-birth abortion solidifies this belief. If it is okay to dispose of a child right up through birth, why not immediately after birth? After all, it’s only a difference of a few minutes or hours. Is this not the logical conclusion to which our children are being led? The very fine line between legal abortion and illegal infanticide is becoming blurrier by the day.
Should We Be Surprised?
Port Angeles Police Chief Terry Gallagher expressed shock at the tragedy of the case. "Anyone that [hears] the story is shocked. There’s no question it’s a real tragedy . . . we have a dead baby. I don’t think I’ve dealt with a case in quite some time that’s as sad as this one."
Indeed, it is a real tragedy. But should it be surprising? Why should we be surprised when a teenager kills her newborn child? After all, for over a century now our society has increasingly embraced a "culture of death" — from the popularization of eugenics in our country in the early 20th century (promoted by such estimable leaders as Woodrow Wilson, Margaret Sanger, and Winston Churchill; and financed by prestigious organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation), through the Roe v. Wade "revolution" in the later 1900s, and continuing into the 21st century with its emphasis on "quality of life." We have been steadily retreating from biblical morality and the sanctity of life.
Our children are growing up in a culture that does not view human life as sacred and does not acknowledge the existence of God or of absolute truths. Of course, if God and His eternal truths do not exist, then our children may logically conclude that life and death are in their hands, not God’s. Left to their own mortal understanding, those life-and-death decisions will naturally be based upon human feelings and desires.
Modern "entertainment" has done its part, too, to promote this culture of death. In the name of "realism," our children (and adults, too) are exposed to a constant barrage of immorality and violence. Why are we surprised when they emulate what they see?
It is no wonder that America’s children value life so cheaply. As God is removed from their daily lives in the schools, public sector, and media, it leaves a void to be filled by self-will, personal desire, and convenience. And as our young people are bombarded with immorality, violence, and moral relativism, it is no wonder one would be callously willing to take another life.
A 16-year-old girl killing her newborn is tragic to say the least. But is it really surprising? No, not in the least.
