Here's an odd item from recent Virginia news: Woman shot self to induce abortion.

A Suffolk woman who lost her unborn baby after suffering a bullet wound to the abdomen was arrested yesterday and charged with shooting herself to "illegally induce an abortion."

As always, I need to qualify my remarks about abortion by stipulating that, as a male, I have no business discussing this topic. So, on with the discussion!

I don't know all the facts about this case, and I freely admit that I'm making a lot of assumptions here, but on the surface it sounds like this particular baby is probably better off not having to deal with this parent. It's pretty clear that this woman wouldn't have been the world's best mom. Most likely, the baby would have been doomed to a miserable life--probably neglected, perhaps sent to foster care, perhaps abused, perhaps killed in a school gang fight. Or maybe the child would have been born with debilitating defects and institutionalized for life at taxpayer expense. So I would consider the death of the baby to be a bit of a blessing.

The big question is whether the woman should be punished for this. Assuming this woman was not a rape victim, I tend to think yes, because there should definitely be consequences for adults that engage in irresponsible behavior (especially when it involves trying to deceive the cops). If this was a case of cold feet, what she should have done was get an abortion a lot sooner, when it would have been a) legal, b) easier, and c) not involve a potentially fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound. Better yet, she shouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place. I'd label it pretty irresponsible to wait until she was "seven to nine months" pregnant to realize she couldn't handle a baby--at that point I'd say she's obligated to suck it up and give birth. After that, she could have decided whether it was better for her or someone else to raise the child, and deal with those consequences.

Was it murder? That's a tough question (obviously, I'm not an Evangelical). Legally speaking, I would say no. But on a moral or religious basis, I'm kind of iffy about it. It depends on her situation, and her attitude about the situation. If she had just found out her baby had a horrible defect or something, I think it would be morally justifiable. Otherwise I'd be tempted to frown upon it. But ultimately I think that's between her and God.