The Sanctuary for the Life of Unborn Human Beings Resolution

The following is the resolution adopted 8-1 Monday by the Effingham County Board declaring the county a Sanctuary for the Life of Unborn Human Beings:

"WHEREAS, human beings individually have a unique DNA code, accepted scientifically and legally as a identifying marker and genetic trait code for development, and

WHEREAS, at the moment of fertilization of the human ova (oocyte) with a human spermatozoa, the resulting cell has the unique DNA marker and trait code for a human being separate from either of the parents providing the ova and spermatozoa, and

WHEREAS, there is no generally accepted scientific definition of when human life begins after conception, and

WHEREAS, Princeton University internet web site defines life as “That is, upon fertilization, parts of human beings have actually been transformed into something very different from what they were before; they have been changed into a single, whole human being. During the process of fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced, and

WHEREAS the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States of America, states; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men ( meaning mankind: man, woman, and child) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Life being the first of these rights, and

WHEREAS, The United States criminal procedures require the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt be applied before the government can take a person’s life, and this is the only standard addressed in which the government can sanction the execution of a human being outside the incidence of war or defense of life, and

WHEREAS, the reasonable doubt standard of proof was originated from pre-modern Christian attempts to save the souls of judges, juries and public officials from damnation to hell in the event they condemned an innocent, and

WHEREAS, abortion in the United States has gone from being limited to the first trimester defined in the Roe v. Wade United States Supreme Court decision, to being available at any time during the pregnancy, including past the time the unborn child could survive outside of the womb, and

WHEREAS, abortion in the United States has become a means of birth control in which the unborn are killed for the convenience of the parent(s), and

WHEREAS, the protection of all human life is in the interest of the people of Effingham County, and

WHEREAS, cases in which a pregnancy may threaten the life of the mother are extremely rare, and in those rare cases, medical treatments and interventions are done for the mother and/or unborn child that may have the unintended side effect of harming the other, but intentional killing of an innocent human life is never acceptable.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE EFFINGHAM COUNTY BOARD declares Effingham County a Sanctuary for the unborn, that life begins at conception, and that the practices of the Effingham County government will reflect this resolution until such time that acceptable proof of when life begins is scientifically determined beyond a reasonable doubt, and Effingham County condemns voluntary abortion practices used for any reason; emergency medical interventions done for the mother and / or unborn child that may have the unintended side effect of harming the other are acceptable, but intentional killing of an innocent human life is never acceptable."