Closing one's eyes to science - to the humanity of the fetus

Texas Senate Bill 8 bans abortions after an ultrasound can detect a fetal "heartbeat."

"A fetal heartbeat" is defined as "a cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac." Such activity can be detected by ultrasound as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Dr. Nisha Verma, a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist, who provides abortion services, argues that describing what ultrasound detects as a "heartbeat" is misleading. The term is misleading because embryos don’t possess a heart at that developmental stage. She argues that the activity measured on an ultrasound in early gestation is electrical impulses, not a true heartbeat.

"When I use the stethoscope to listen to a patient’s heart, that sound that I hear ... as the heartbeat is created by the opening and closing of the cardiac valves. And at six weeks of gestation, those valves don’t exist."

But is that the real issue here? "Electrical impulse" rather that the sound created by he opening and closing of the cardiac valves?

Or is the real issue whether the embryo/fetus is truly a human person? That is what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott believes: "Our creator endowed us with the right to life and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion."


So who is doing the misleading? Who is obfuscating? The Texas Legislature? Or doctors like Dr. Verma?

For any person of good will, who believes in acting upon the true facts, and who isn't a "science denier," I would highly recommend a five-minute visit to WebMD, at: https://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-fetal-development.

That video describes "Fetal Development" as follows:

Development at 4 Weeks. At this point the baby is developing the structures that will eventually form their face and neck. The heart and blood vessels continue to develop. And the lungs, stomach, and liver start to develop. A home pregnancy test would show positive.

Development at 8 Weeks. The baby is now a little over half an inch in size. Eyelids and ears are forming, and you can see the tip of the nose. The arms and legs are well formed. The fingers and toes grow longer and more distinct.

Development at 12 Weeks. The baby measures about 2 inches and starts to make its own movements. You may start to feel the top of your uterus above your pubic bone. Your doctor may hear the baby's heartbeat with special instruments. The sex organs of the baby should start to become clear.

Development at 16 Weeks. The baby now measures about 4.3 to 4.6 inches and weighs about 3.5 ounces. The baby's eyes can blink and the heart and blood vessels are fully formed. The baby's fingers and toes have fingerprints.

Development at 20 Weeks. The baby weighs about 10 ounces and is a little more than 6 inches long. The baby can suck a thumb, yawn, stretch, and make faces. Soon — if you haven't already — you'll feel your baby move, which is called "quickening."

An ultrasound is usually done for all pregnant women at 20 weeks. ... You can see the baby's heartbeat and movement of its body, arms, and legs on the ultrasound. You can usually find out whether it's a boy or a girl at 20 weeks.

Development at 24 Weeks. The baby weighs about 1.4 pounds now and responds to sounds by moving or increasing their pulse. You may notice jerking motions if they hiccup. With the inner ear fully developed, the baby may be able to sense being upside down in the womb.

Development at 28 Weeks. The baby weighs about 2 pounds, 6 ounces, and changes position often at this point in pregnancy. If you had to deliver prematurely now, there is a good chance the baby would survive.

Now, if you still doubt that the fetus is a human being with the same right to life that you enjoy, go to the WebMD site and look at the ultrasound images.

The Democrats — liberals and progressive alike — delight in calling anybody who disagrees with them on climate change, or the efficacy of wearing a Covid mask, "science deniers." And yet, when confronted with the heartbeat or electrical activity of a baby in its mother's womb, they cover their ears, and claim to hear nothing.

When confronted with ultrasound images of the child's undeniable development in the womb, they close their eyes and pretend to see nothing human. "It's merely a 'part of its mother' — just like her appendix or a wart on her finger." It is merely a "part of its mother" even though the embryo/fetus undeniably bears not only its mother's DNA, but its father's as well.

Copyright 2021, John Donald O'Shea

First Published in the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus on October 26, 2021

A solution for Alleman

On June 30, Barb Ickes' article about Alleman High School appeared on the Dispatch-Argus' front page. The article included criticism of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, and Alleman Principal Sara Stroud. Ickes reached out to Stoud for comment. Stroud did not respond.

Ickes wrote, "Enrollment at Alleman has decreased from 443 students in 2018-2019 to 381 last year. Enrollment for the upcoming years is at 330 students."

A number of my friends, close to Alleman, had told me that (1) the 2021 freshman class would number about 60; (2) 38 students expected back would not return; and (3) 17 Illinois families would be sending their children to Davenport's Assumption High School instead. More recently, I have been told that total enrollment this year is at about 280.


In an effort to verify what I had been told, I emailed Stroud, asking, "Are the following facts substantially true?

1. The 2021 freshman class will number 60; only 10 are boys.
2. 38 students expected back are not returning.
3. 17 families are sending their children across the river to Assumption HS.
4. The former Alleman School Board was dissolved around the time Ms. Gau was terminated."

She replied:

"We have 70 students in our freshman class with 37 boys and 33 girls enrolled. More applications continue to come in; as of today. ... 5 students transferred to Assumption this summer."

I followed-up with a fifth question:

"What will Alleman total enrollment be this year?"

Mrs. Stroud replied:

"Our enrollment is still in flux but we are very pleased with welcoming 14 new students to our school! We are also very excited to partner with Partners in Mission to write our strategic plan this year where enrollment is one of 8 domains of focus, with academics being one of our most common topics of conversation amongst families most recently. The future is bright for Alleman and when we are positive, optimistic and rely on truth while allowing the Holy Spirit to flow, only greater progress will be evident!"

Since that non-answer, I have been told by three sources that attendance this year is "about 280.'


On Oct. 7, I wrote to Stroud telling her that, and asking, "Is that true? If not, please correct me."
I have received no reply.


From 443 students in 2018-19, Alleman's enrollment for the 2021-22 year appears to be somewhere between 330 and 280.

So, why are numbers important? Because fixed costs must now be paid by fewer student families. And because numbers are important for all extracurricular activities from football to theater; good programs draw students.


After the Ickes article, Bishops Jenky and Tylka wrote a July 3, 2021 letter, advising the Catholic community that a "strategic planning process" was being initiated, and "The strategic planning process will allow the school communities to provide the 'valuable feedback' needed to develop goals and objectives for the future sustainability of the schools...."

They further advised that they have hired a Boston-based consulting firm, "Partners in Mission," to provide "'valuable feedback' needed to develop goals and objectives for the future sustainability of the schools."

It is one thing to develop a long term strategic plan for the future sustainability of the schools in the diocese. It is an entirely different thing to deal with complaints that the Alleman leaders appear to have lost — or perhaps never earned — the confidence of a substantial number of donors and parents paying tuition to send their children to Alleman.

If the goal is to deal with the problem, rather than conduct a post mortem, the solution is obvious: Involve the Alleman community.

There are many distinguished Alleman graduates — men and women — who have proved their worth — both in their parishes as well as in the larger community: doctors, veterinarians, CPAs, lawyers, teachers, bankers and business owners, parents, etc.

Let the Alleman community pick its own lay board from among these Alleman grads. Trust the dedicated Catholic men and women chosen to act in the best interests of Alleman and the church. Reject the unsupportable notions that Peoria is infallible and that the Alleman community lacks competence to educate its own children.

Allow that board to run the school, to hire and fire all Alleman personnel, to raise sufficient funds to run the school properly, and to exclusively control all Alleman funds raised. Funds donated for Alleman must be entirely free of diocesan invasion.

I would suggest that a model can be found in my high school, Notre Dame College Prep, Niles, Ill.

In 2006, the Congregation of Holy Cross ended their sponsorship of Notre Dame. Ownership was assumed by a board of lay people on Jan. 1, 2007.

The Archdiocese of Chicago placed the Catholicity of the school under the oversight of the Notre Dame Education Association, an Association of Christian Faithful, composed of the lay board and other members. Under this new leadership, Notre Dame continued to grow and prosper.

If this diocese wants to climb out of its self-dug hole, the quickest and most permanent way of doing so is to treat the loyal Catholic laymen as full-partners in the education of their children. Follow the NDCP/Chicago Archdiocese model.

For me, writing this op-ed is not a journalistic exercise. My daughter was Alleman's 2004 salutatorian. I am a donor, and a great admirer of Father Mirabelli. I cared enough to serve at Alleman from 2002 to 2018 as a volunteer theatrical director. I don't want to see Alleman fail. I believe that fine Catholic high schools are more critical today to the welfare of American society that at any time during my lifetime.

Copyright 2021, John Donald O'Shea

First Published in the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus on October 15, 2021