Almost without exception, Americans were shocked this week to hear the verdict in the Casey Anthony murder case in Florida. This is the Florida mother accused of killing her baby, because, according to prosecutors, she simply didn’t want the responsibility of being a mom. In fact, Casey did spend the month after the baby’s death partying with friends and certainly acting as if she enjoyed her new found freedom. It was the pictures and stories from this time period that more than anything else, had (or still has) us convinced this mom is guilty.
In the end, there was little else in real evidence that prosecutors could work with. The decomposed body of the baby was too long gone out in the elements, so no DNA or tissue samples were available to the forensic team. It is said today that the government just couldn’t connect all the dots for the jury. Only ten hours of deliberation would tend to support that.
The reactions from across the country are generally disgust and dismay. It is true that most of us, along with the media, believe more in “guilty until proven innocent” rather than the opposite. The only good thing about that, I think, is that it means that we have a lot of trust in our authorities, even though it is a trust that occasionally through history has been ill placed. Whether it was in this case or not may never be known. This trust we keep is not a small thing. Think about other countries where there is absolutely no trust in the law or prosecutors, and I’m convinced we are better off this way.
Casey Anthony will have a tough life now. There are protests outside of the court house, and she is already receiving death threats. Americans have little tolerance for a child killer if that’s what she is. The idea that this woman would take any action to end her own child’s life, and just because she was a burden to the lifestyle she really wanted, is abhorrent to us all….it would seem.
Yes, it would seem. Then again…
Last year in the U.S., 1.2 million abortions were performed. That’s 25%....one quarter….of all pregnancies. The vast majority of those were performed out of one major category: the mom simply didn’t want the responsibility for the child. Think about that.
So, we can react in disgust, turn off the news in anger, and curse Casey Anthony to a future hell that many would say she certainly deserves, because evidently she is different. She must be different than the other 3288 moms who ended their baby’s lives just yesterday. But think about it. What is the real difference?
I think it all deserves prayer. Future moms should pray about it. We should pray for them. There is an answer for all.
