Another tragic event has scarred Maryland with the death of a 29 year old woman on Thursday, February 8, 2013 in Germantown, MD.  Through the careless butchering of Leroy Carhart, Jennifer Leigh Morbelli and her baby are both dead.  Mrs. Morbelli was a kindergarten teacher from White Plains, NY who, at 33 weeks pregnant, decided that she could not have her baby.  The Maryland Coalition for Life and Operation Rescue have both reported that Mrs. Morbelli was looking forward to the birth of her daughter, Madison Leigh.  So what happened?  I don’t know and we may never know the whole truth of this situation.  Only God knows the whole truth behind this tragedy. 

This morning, February 11, 2013 in Germantown, MD, the Maryland Coalition for Life organized a press conference and invited the media.  There was an impressive list of pro-life groups represented at this conference including The Maryland Coalition for Life, Priests for Life, The Christian Defense Coalition (could not locate a web address), Students for Life, the National Black Pro-Life Coalition, Center for Human Dignity from the Family Research Council, the Susan B. Anthony List, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Archdiocese of Washington.  A representative from each of these groups spoke at the press conference and everyone expressed the same sorrow and horror over this event and the same anger over the fact that Leroy Carhart is in his clinic today with two new patients.  Two women arrived yesterday to begin the same four day abortion procedure that killed Mrs. Morbelli.

Michael Martelli of the Maryland Coalition for Life called upon the state of Maryland do a number of things in response to this tragedy.  He called upon them to investigate this murder, close down the clinic, revoke the Dr. Carhart’s medical license, ban late term abortions in the state of Maryland, give serious review to the safety of these procedures, and pass a fetal pain law in the state which would protect babies at 20 weeks gestation and beyond. 

Certainly this was a tragedy that did not need to occur.  Why Mrs. Morbelli and her family felt that having an abortion at 33 weeks was their only option, I’ll never know.  But what I do know is that family is suffering today.  Mother and child are expected to be interred together later this week.  I don’t know if she had other children, but there is a husband who is dealing with enormous loss today.  We must pray for the Morbelli family, for the repose of the soul of Jennifer Leigh Morbelli and daughter Madison, and for Leroy Carhart.  Perhaps he will finally wake up to the devastation he is causing.  Perhaps he will have an epiphany and the scales will be removed from his eyes.  We must be careful to never judge but to always pray for Dr. Carhart and all those involved in the abortion industry – that the goodness of the Lord will lead them to repentance.

“But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:2-4)