Killed for being the wrong gender

As F. LaGard Smith remarks, "Guilt about abortions was not invented by the pope". Such guilt seems to be a universal condition. As another commentator puts it, "Findings such as these do not constitute an argument against abortion. But they certainly tell us we are not in the realm of tonsillectomies."

The ironies of the pro-choicers are indeed incredible. We can choose to have a baby, or dispose of it, but it is no longer politically correct to choose to wear a fur coat. In America teenagers need parental permission to get their ears pierced, but not to get an abortion.

Outside the womb, child abuse is clearly not an option; inside the womb it's "a woman's right to choose." As one observer puts it, "What irony that a society confronted with plastic bags filled with the remains of aborted babies should be more concerned about the problem of recycling the plastic."

Once we have descended this far down the tubes, it is not surprising that a calloused and hardened culture can actually condone and seek sex-selection abortions. A vote line which accompanies this story has so far found that 96 per cent (2400 voters) are against sex-selection while four per cent (100 voters) are in favour. While it is great to see a landslide of support against this heinous practice, what are we to make of these 100 people who actually support it?

As philosopher Peter Kreeft put it, "If we do not see the awfulness of abortion, that is not because the facts and arguments are unclear but because our own consciences are unclear. Mother Teresa says, 'Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and it kills the conscience of the mother.' Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women: half the babies and all the mothers."

The doctor at the centre of this row may now be punished for his actions. Reality check: a doctor who wants to save lives may get into trouble for doing so. Welcome to the Brave New World of the Hippocratic Oath being stood on its head.