Protect and Defend Read Online Free Page B

glass, Chad finished amiably, “You’ve been here longer than I have. But I think this town may end up littered with the bodies of people who’ve underrated Kerry Kilcannon.”
    Gage’s smile compressed.
Maybe yours
, Chad could see him thinking,
but not mine
.
    Chad stood at once. “Anyhow, I’ve got to get home. Zip up Allie’s dress.”
    Gage rose from his chair. “How is she?
And
Kyle.”
    Asking after spouses, and recalling the names of children, was another staple of the Gage persona. Probably, Chad thought, this remark was nothing more.
    “Allie’s fine. And Kyle’s in college now, studying fashion design. If I’m any judge of dresses, she’s doing well.”
    “Good,” Gage said firmly. “That’s real good.”
    Driving home, Chad pondered why this last exchange—superficially so meaningless—unsettled him when what went before did not.

SIX
     
    “W HO
ARE your parents?” Sarah asked.
    The girl folded her arms, standing stiff and silent and then, as though deflated, sat down again. “My father’s Martin Tierney.”
    She did not say more, nor did she need to. Martin Tierney was a professor of law at the University of San Francisco, a teacher of trial practice and a specialist in ethics, and, by reputation, a formidable advocate for the pro-life movement. Sarah concealed her dismay. “I know who he is,” she answered. “And where he stands on choice.”
    “It’s more than that.” Mary Ann’s voice was soft. “When I was twelve, he and my mother took me to a prayer vigil at San Quentin, the night they executed a man who’d raped and murdered two little girls. They believe that killing is wrong and that life is sacred, no matter who takes it or what the reason is.”
    “Is that what
you
believe?”
    Mary Ann bit her lip. “The Church, my mom and dad, they’ve taught me that. Before, I just accepted it.” She looked up again, voice quavering. “But what if I have
this
baby, and then after that I can never have another one. Even when I’m married.”
    Her eyes seemed to plead for support, a need so naked it was painful. At this girl’s age, Sarah reflected, Alan and Rachel Dash had prized her intellect and encouraged her independence: just as Sarah would not be who she was without her parents, the same, for opposite reasons, was true of Mary Ann Tierney.
    “What exactly
do
your parents say?” Sarah asked.
    “
He
said an abortion isn’t possible.” The girl paused, shaking her head. “My mother just cried.”
    Silent, Sarah tried to sort out her emotions. “Please,” the girl implored her, “I need your help.”
    How many times, Sarah thought, had someone in crisis sought out her supposed calm and common sense. But there was no path open to Mary Ann Tierney which did not promise further trauma, and only one thing that seemed clear—the law. There was no kindness in evading it.
    “I’m sorry,” Sarah told her, “but you may be too late. At least for the kind of help you’re asking for.”
    Mary Ann’s eyes misted. “What do you mean?”
    “Congress just passed a law—something called the Protection of Life Act. It reads like it was written for you …”
    “Why?
”
    “Because you’re under eighteen, and by now your doctor would likely say that, in
his
medical judgment, the fetus is— or if it’s normal, could be—viable outside the womb. Under the act, you need the consent of a parent before aborting a viable fetus. And even
their
consent must be based on a doctor’s ‘informed medical judgment’ that an abortion is necessary as defined by this law.” Watching Mary Ann’s face contort, Sarah hesitated before continuing. “Without consent, you have to prove in court that the pregnancy poses a ‘substantial medical risk’ to your life or physical health. I don’t think a five percent risk to future pregnancies will be enough.”
    Mary Ann’s eyes shut. “Even if the baby has no brain?”
    “The statute doesn’t provide for that.” Sarah struggled to