It’s safe to say the public has been heavily exposed to (or bombarded by) Casey Anthony’s trial for the alleged murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, a tragic situation any way you look at it.

Should Casey be found guilty, she will face a possible death sentence or at the very least a severe sentence.

Regardless of the outcome, one glaring inconsistency emerges: How is it that if the little girl’s life had been taken from her at an earlier date, before her birth, there would have been no arrest and no trial?

Could that simply be age discrimination? I think not.

It’s the result of a broken system, on that was set in motion by the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that holds that an abortion requested by the mother for any reason whatsoever is legal.

Once a baby is born, it has the protection of the state, but prior to its birth, its life is dependent on the mother’s wishes. What a precarious situation for a baby!

So theoretically, the crib is safer than the womb.

There are nearly 4,000 abortion deaths daily in our country. Crib deaths occur, but not at the rate of 4,000 a day.

Some people’s routine acceptance of abortion rights as the norm even though these so-called “rights” bring about the deaths of a million innocent children every year exemplifies what sort of people we have let ourselves become as a nation.

A pre-born child deserves the same protection as a newborn or a 2-year-old. Our laws should reflect that position.

It’s up to us to bring about the needed changes in our values and laws in order to restore our country to the principles we were intended to uphold, among which is respect for the sanctity of innocent human life and protection of the defenseless.

Just think, if Casey Anthony had been responsible for Caylee’s death by having an abortion, she would be free of any charge. Today she stands accused of murder and may be found guilty.

“Responsible” or “guilty,” two words that signify very different outcomes for Casey, but the same sad consequence for little Caylee.

Virginia O’Beirne is a Natchez resident.