On Monday a hearing was held to discuss Seante Bill 5, the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution regarding what the sponsor called reproductive freedom.

I want to commend Senator Marie Pinkney, the chair of the Health & Social Services Committee, for the respectful manner in which she conducted the hearing on Senate Bill 5.

The ground rules were laid out early by the Sergeant of Arms who warned against cheering or booing anyone during the discussions.

Senator Eric Buckson, committee member, arrived a little late for the hearing. His wife was in a car accident moments before the hearing started. Thankfully she was not injured, but seriously shaken. 

SB5 sponsor Senator Bryan Townsend said the bill is the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution to ensure that every Delawarean is afforded reproductive freedom. 

He listed what the bill considers reproductive freedom, including prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care.

Most of items listed as reproductive rights in the amendment were mostly non controversial. However, abortion was listed as abortion care.

Care?

Postpartum care and infertility care I think are appropriate descriptions, but I don’t think abortion has anytiing to do with ‘care’.

I asked Senator Pinkney how much time I had for my testimony. She said that was up to me but to be sensitive to the fact that there were dozens of people signed up to testify.

Also showing respect by the committee chair was the three-hour time block allocated for the hearing. 

That was more than enough time for those signed up to speak following my personal testimony.

More than 30 people signed up to speak in person with half a dozen others testifying online. All but four or five spoke out against SB 5. 

A representative from Planned Parenthood and one from Christiana Care spoke in favor of the bill.

Last week I mentioned four women who were not able to testify virtually on Senate Bill 317, the Women’s Right to Know Ultrasound Act.

On Monday three of those four women appeared in person to testify. They were: Moria Sheridan, president of the Board of Delaware Right to Life; Bess McAneny, president of Nurses for Life; and Hope Whaley of Laurel.

Apostle Herb and Pastor Joy Hill Clendaniel of Glory City Fellowship, an independent church in Delmar were among the few members of the clergy to testify.

Evangelist Frank Goehringer of Old Paths Church of Christ gave a heartrending testimony, speaking of holding his stillborn daughter in his hand.

Joe Fitzgerald spoke against the bill on behalf of the  Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.

I would have liked to see more representation from church leadership. I think it would have helped.

Most people are not affected by the abortion issue and usually don’t give it a second thought.

They don’t think about what in happening inside the walls of the clinics that provide abortions.

Why become involved in the discussion if it doesn’t affect you?

I think about the stories of the villagers who lived near the concentration camps in Germany.

Following the end of World War II, they were taken to the camps and forced to see the horrors that took place inside the buildings.

On the way in some in line were acting nonchalant or even joking among themselves.

Many were in tears and some collapsed after seeing the horror inside.

I think that is what would happen today if they saw the horrors taking place inside the abortion clinics. 

On Monday my testimony focused on four topics:

• Cruel and unusual punishment

• Crimes against humanity

• The complexity of the human body beginning at conception

• Self Defens

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

I’ll expand on this next week as I continue to explain the need to defeat Senate Bill 5.