In modern-day America, unborn babies are constantly subjugated to clinical labels such as “fetus,” “embryo,” “zygote,” or even just “tissue.” At the other end of life, the elderly and disabled are deemed “inconvenient,” “burdensome,” or “unable to contribute to society.” Our culture claims that unborn babies should be killed in the womb and that seniors should be euthanized because of inconvenience. When we measure human worth by age, ability, and independence, the conclusion is deeply troubling: some lives become more worthy of protection than others.
However, for thousands of years, cultures around the world have recognized children as blessings and the elderly as sources of wisdom and experience. People valued human life not for what someone could accomplish, but for who they were.
This language change is not unintentional: verbiage, wording, and connotations matter. The language we use to describe human beings can shape how we see them, and, ultimately, how we treat them. These language changes were crafted for a specific purpose: to devalue human life, especially in its most vulnerable stages. When we stop calling an unborn child a “baby” and instead reduce them to a biological description, it can become easier to distance ourselves from the humanity of the child. This simple change in verbiage has opened a doorway for normalized murder methods such as abortion and physician-assisted suicide.
As time goes on, the culture’s respect for life deteriorates further and further.
Just last month, Massachusetts enacted legislation that removes its previous restrictions on abortions performed after 24 weeks of pregnancy to allow abortion until birth. Weeks later, we saw thousands of women rally behind a mother who maliciously murdered her own children, in Lindsay Clancy v. Massachusetts, and malign the lone juror who held out on whether it would be insanity or premeditated.
Unfortunately, this pro-death culture has even impacted states that are believed to be the most “pro-life.”
On February 9, 2024, Kansas City, Missouri, mom Mariah Thomas killed her one-month-old daughter, Za’Riah Mae Thomas, by placing her in the oven.
When first responders arrived at the home, they found the child severely burned beyond survival, resulting in her tragic death. According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, the mother claimed she “was putting the child down for a nap and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib.”
Thomas’ first-degree murder charge was recently dropped after she entered the guilty plea freely and voluntarily. The court documents show that she “had no mental disease or defect defense.”
On September 22, 2026, the Jackson County Judge Sarah A. Castle sentenced Thomas to only 13 years in prison. The judge also waived all other costs for the young mother except for a $68 charge for Missouri’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.
Za’Riah—a baby who had barely begun her life and who was completely dependent upon the adults entrusted with her care—had a life that mattered. She was not an inconvenience, not a burden, nor was she disposable. She was a human being who deserved protection, love, and the opportunity to live.
And that is the heart of the issue. A society that truly values human life cannot reserve dignity for the strong, the healthy, the independent, or the wanted. We must be willing to defend human dignity precisely when a person is most vulnerable.
As a Church and a community, we cannot rely on the state to take care of these mothers. When it comes to the human nature of maternal love, the body of Christ must step in, because the socialist state will fail in a man-made system.
The fight for life remains both in policy and the culture through advocating for laws that protect life and building a culture where life is once again respected.
*Serenity Porch is a Young Women for America (YWA) Chapter President in Missouri.
