“An endangered species is any species that is at risk of extinction because of a rapid decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat.”
What happens when the number of births falls below the population’s replacement rate? That population is at risk of disappearing. The loss of a species is tragic and much is being done around the world to prevent animal and plant species from vanishing forever.
The most well know organization organization in the world which is dedicated to preventing the disappearance of species is the World Wildlife Federation (WWF). The WWF lists 17 species that they consider to be “critically endangered”. Twenty-nine more are considered to be “endangered” and 16 are listed as “vulnerable”.
And then there is the U.S. Congress. In 1973 U.S. Congress passed the “Endangered Species Act” the purpose of which is “…to provide a means whereby the eco systems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species, and to take such steps as may be appropriate to achieve the purposes of the treaties and conventions….”
According to FindLaw.com
“The Endangered Species Act prohibits any action that results in a "taking" of a listed species, including "harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing and collecting listed species." The Act lists species in two categories, endangered and threatened, and the penalties for violations under the ESA will depend on which category the violation involved, and how many violations a person has previously committed.
The criminal penalties for killing an endangered species can be as serious as a year in prison and $50,000 in fines, and civil penalties can range up to $25,000 per violation.”
But there is one species that has escaped the attention of private and public humanitarians whose goal is to protect animal species and ensure their survival and growth. Since roughly 1955 the birth rate of humans in the United States has been in substantial decline. That decline in birth rate was precipitous between roughly 1955 to 1972 when it crossed the point at which the birth rate was no longer sufficient to provide for the the replacement of the U. S. population.
There are a number of things that are affected when a nations population is in decline and few of them are good. While the WWF and the Endangered Species Act are devoted to protecting the Monarch Butterly and the yellow fin tuna there is no federal legislation to protect human beings in the United States and to restore the birth rate to the point when it is at or above the replacement rate.
In fact, there are great efforts being taken to do exactly the opposite. The number of abortions in the U.S. more than doubled between 1973 and 1980 reaching 1.6 Million in 1990. And though the number has decreased since then there has been a recent increase and in 2020 there were about 930,000 abortions in the United State. As you can see from the graph below, the population decrease noted above coincides with the increase in abortions in the U.S.
But rather than sound alarm bells about the population decrease and the role that abortions are playing in it, “progressive” ideology and politicians are doing all they can to ensure that abortions can be easily had. Case in point; the abortifacient mifepristone. Because of concerns that the FDA did not properly ensure that while mifepristone is very effective at inducing abortions it is safe to use a federal judge ordered the FDA to stop its distribution. This has thrown the left into yet another melt down over interference with their “right” to have abortions on demand.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes that the judges order should be ignored as does the Secretary of the Depart of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra. And then there is the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom who had this to say about the judges ruling:
"We will not cave to extremists who are trying to outlaw these critical abortion services," Newsom said Monday in announcing his plan. "Medication abortion remains legal in California."
What can we learn from Gov. Newsom? Strange things. First, if you are opposed to abortion you are and extremist. Second, access to abortion services is “critical”. I have no idea why but Newsom says so. Third, chemically induced abortions are performed using a “medication”. According to wikipedia “A medication is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease.” Clearly in Governor Newsom’s mind an unwanted pregnancy is equivalent to a disease.
If he were talking about Monarch Butterflies or the Snail Darter he would move Heaven and Earth to ensure that no harm would come to them but an human baby is fair game. If one destroys Monarch Butterfly habitat that they can be fined $50,000 and spend a year in prison. There is no penalty for killing a human in utero.
My wife would tell you that this is all happening because we have a “God problem”. It is not that we have too much God in our lives making us “extremists” but rather that we have too little God in our lives making us callous and unloving.
Gavin Newsom will ensure that the milkweed host for the Monarch Butterfly is protected as are its eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalis. But he has no problem with ensuring that human beings can be killed in utero and on demand; and he is not alone. The Biden Administration is appealing the judges ruling.
Matthew 6:9-13
Union, Kentucky
12 April 2023