Marlise Munoz, a Texas paramedic, was recently found unconscious by her husband, Erick. Marlise was pregnant with their second child, but had lost oxygen to her brain and became brain dead. The incident may have also left the baby disabled.

Texas law prohibits a hospital from withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment for a pregnant patient so the unborn baby could live. Still, Erick Munoz, Marlise’s husband, urged the hospital to remove her from life support.

While Marlise’s wishes were not in writing, Erick said that she had verbalized the desire to not have machines keep her organs and blood running. But, what about the baby and her organs and blood?

Last Friday a judge ignored the Texas law and ordered the removal of life support. On Sunday afternoon the life-support was removed from Marlise. She and her baby both died.

The death of baby Munoz is a tragic example of hard-hearted parental hatred, willful judicial blindness, political cowardliness by pro-life politicians, and silent consent by pastors. People were standing by to adopt and love this child, no matter how difficult it might have been, but the family, state and church considered this baby better off dead. Attorney General Abbot, Texas Governor Rick Perry, pro-life pastors, where are you when it counts?

Imperious judges are not God, nor can they conveniently take the blame as if all other legitimate authorities are not also responsible to uphold justice. Judges are not infallible and when they make illegal, murderous decrees they are not binding. Judges who ignore the law can and should be defied by the executive branch that is charged with enforcing justice.

When it comes down to checking the illegal decree of a judge, Texas officials lost their principle and their nerve and simply bowed down to a judge. This is the Jeb Bush and Terry Schiavo debacle all over again. What good are pro-life politicians if they don’t stop this kind of gross injustice?