In 2022, a nine-year-old girl was raped and forced to travel to Indiana to save her life. Not only did the State of Indiana try to prosecute the doctor who saved this girl, but the (since fired for unrelated reason) spokeswoman for Ohio Right to Life declared that the girl’s mother was a murderer. She showed zero sympathy for the girl or her family. This is the person whom Peter Range, the Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life, considers a “brave pro-life activist”. That. Peter Range, who still denies COVID was even deadly (see his Twitter account), considers the bottom of the barrel to be “trusted sources” rather than actual scientists who have advanced degrees.
Here is Ohio Right to Life’s “official” statement on the matter: “we failed by offering the band-aid solution of abortion that only added to the pain and violence perpetuated against her. ” (Source: https://ohiolife.org/arrest_of_alleged_child_rapist/) Accessed 9/26/23
Elizabeth Marbach Whitmarsh is not a doctor, even according to ORTL’s own website: https://ohiolife.org/ohio_right_to_life_announces_new_board_members_pac_member_and_communications_director/
She therefore has zero credentials to comment on whether an abortion was necessary to save the girl’s life (which it was).
As the Biblical scholar Corrine L. Carvalho (University of St.Thomas) notes in her commentary on the book of Judith, “Behind Judith’s prayer is the reality that rape…has been used as a weapon…throughout the centuries (Gafney). It is not surprising that this female character, who is about to confront the militarized enemy, should be reminding God to exact vengeance on rapists (Harrington). Rape and other forms of sexual violence are still used as military weapons today. Judith’s prayer that God protect women and avenge sexual violence resonates with too many contemporaneous readers.” (Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha. Fortress Press: 2014, p.967).
Interestingly, as Carvalho notes on the next page, “Judtih has not been actively engaged in the theological traditions of Christianity”. (ibid., 968). Perhaps it is her avenging spirit that puts the patriarchy to the sword, a patriarchy which is, regretfully, manifested in both Peter Range and Whitmarsh. Carvalho notes on the same page that “Holofernes’ servants declare, No other woman…speaks so wisely.”” (11:21). Here we can see the wisdom of the female doctor in Indiana who said that abortion, though a severe procedure, was necessary to save the girl’s life. This wisdom was found lacking in the politicians and “pro-life” activists in Ohio like Range and Whitmarsh and Indiana who have since sought to have this prophetess punished for saving an innocent human being. Even the Salafists readily admit that when it comes down to it, it is better to save a life at the expense of a life (abortion to save the mother) than to lose both. Judith, like the women involved in that case, was not an Israelite (ibid., p.969), and so the possibility of seeing their cases in this way is made easier. As Carvalho notes, Judith’s actions were the “result of dire circumstances” (ibid., p.971). The same must be said for the case of the nine-year-old. Earlier, Carvalho states that the deliverance of Judith and her people by God from suffering “(confirms) their innocence” (ibid., 966). We see this in the case of the rape victim being delivered from even more suffering, as God could have changed the hearts of the doctor and mother, their travel and performance of the procedure confirm that God was on their side, not on the side of their oppressors. In other words, God approved of this abortion, since he could have allowed the contrary to occur. This free will on the part of God puts to shame her oppressors who “attempt to manipulate Yahweh” (ibid., 966), in this context, the “pro-life” activists’ attempts to make Yahweh somehow prefer the death of an innocent child to a life saving procedure.
As in the case of Judith, when the mother and doctor “speak the truth, it puts them at odds with prevailing authorities.” (ibid., 965).There are other Biblical texts which speak to us on this matter. Another Biblical scholar, Nyasha Junior (Howard University School of Divinity) notes, “The book of Susanna illustrates how those in positions of authority can take advantage of the vulnerable” (ibid., 1049). Junior discusses the allegations against Justice Clarence Thomas from 1991 and the lawsuits against the Catholic Church (ibid., 1048-1049). We thus see prophesy of hypocritical “pro-life” activists and politicians. Junior notes, “The presumption is that if an assault takes place in the city, someone will hear the woman’s cries and come to her aid. A woman who does not cry out during an attack in the city is presumed guilty. When the people in Susanna’s house hear the noise and come into the garden, instead of responding by assisting Suanna, they listen to the story offered by the elders (vv. 24-27)” (ibid., 1048) This is virtually identical to the response given by none other than David Yost, Attorney General of the State of Ohio, who brazenly dismissed the entire story as “fake news”. (source: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/07/the-consequences-of-dave-yosts-and-other-republicans-handling-of-10-year-olds-rape-case-analysis.html Accessed 9/26/23).
As a Catholic, Peter Range accepts both texts as scripture (as declared so during the Council of Trent). Why, therefore, does he not see Sophia (wisdom)?
Bill Kennedy IV
Bowling Green
