This is a long post, and it's a post I don't want to write. I have
some friends that I'm pretty sure will tear me up – some politely and gently,
some a bit more viciously. But being a believer means doing what God calls you
do to even if it gets you torn up, so here I go. Folks, we need to talk about
abortion.
I had a friend in high school who worked for many years at George
Tiller's clinic. When we re-connected later on Facebook, we had a very civil
discussion on the topic. Interestingly enough, she said she usually respected
the people who peacefully protested at the clinic (key word, of course:
peacefully); they had every right to try to persuade people to agree with their
opinion of when life begins, she said.
Because we both agreed that the whole issue really hinges on the question
of when, precisely, life begins. If life begins at conception, there is no
doubt that abortion is wrong. On the other hand, if life doesn't begin until
the fetus leaves the womb, abortion might be legally justified. And if life
begins at some vague, arbitrary point in the gestation period . . . which is
apparently what most Americans believe these days . . . well, that makes it all
awfully fuzzy.
But deciding when a fetus is "alive" is the key to the
whole argument. If you believe the fetus is alive, I'm not sure how you can give
any justification for ending that life. All the reasons given to justify an
abortion immediately cease to apply once the baby leaves the womb and everybody
agrees that it is now "alive". Consider:
If the baby is born with some defect or medical condition that
wasn't previously detected, nobody argues that it is now, after birth, okay to end that baby's life. If a new mother in a
hospital suddenly decides that she isn't qualified or prepared to raise a baby,
nobody would argue that it is okay to end that baby's life now, after birth. If a newborn could, in some
way, put the life of its mother in danger, nobody would argue that it is okay
to just kill the baby to spare the mother, once
it's already born. If some terrible tragedy happened in the course of the
delivery and that baby will now be a daily reminder to the mother of this
trauma in her life, nobody would argue that it is okay to end that baby's life,
after its birth, to spare the mother
her emotional struggle. Nobody argues
that, because a newborn baby cannot survive independently without the nurturing
of another that it is "unviable", and it is okay to allow it to die.
These arguments only apply to fetuses, to babies still in the
womb, and they only apply if 1) the fetus is not really "alive" and
2) it is just a part of the mother's body that she can choose what to do with. (And
you must believe both, by the way: none of this nonsense about the baby being
alive but the mother still has a legal right to choose what to do with it.
That's obscene rationalization. Yeah, I'll get crucified for that statement,
but that's the truth, people. If you believe that baby is alive, but you think
the mother should have a legal right to end its life because "it's
her choice" . . . well, I don't know what to do with you.)
Here's the heart of what I want to say: whatever your religious
stance, it is hard for me to understand -- based on what we know today, forty-some
years after Roe v. Wade -- how you can come to these two beliefs (especially
after the 1st trimester or so) unless you just want them to be true.
I'm not going to rag on Planned Parenthood and what they may or
may not be doing that is illegal or immoral. But I do want to focus on
something that came out in all those videos. Fetuses that they abort have
organs. Intact (before they are mangled by the aborting process), visibly
identifiable human organs. Even sexual organs ("It's another boy!"
one of the technicians said).
These fetuses have DNA that is distinctly different from their
mothers'. I don't know the legal or scientific definitions that apply to all
this, but personally, I don't need the law or science to tell me that different
DNA is a clear indication of a different human being, not simply a part of a
human being growing inside itself.
These fetuses have beating hearts. I heard Chris Christie say the
other day that he changed his position on abortion when he heard the heart of
his child beating at his wife's OB appointment soon after the first trimester.
This is a common story; there are many, many people out there whose feelings
about the fetus changed when they heard that early heartbeat or saw that early
ultrasound. This is why pro-life clinics try to give pregnant women ultrasounds
as early as possible.
(And I don't understand why pro-choice people are so angry about
this practice. If they are really about women having a choice, why are they opposed to women having all the available
information before making that choice? My friend told me that at Tiller's
clinic, they went way out of their way to be sure these women really wanted an
abortion – they had no interest in performing procedures that the mother may
regret someday. If this is the case with abortion providers, why would they
fight the ultrasounds?
Pro-choice people vehemently protest that they are NOT
pro-abortion; it's not that they want babies aborted – they just want women to
have the choice. If that's true, why would they be pushing the medical route
that is most likely to result in an abortion? If they are NOT
"pro-abortion," why do they seem to be actively trying to prevent a
pregnant woman from having any possible reason to change their mind about the
procedure, from making any emotional connection with the fetus? Why would they pointedly discourage a
practice that helps pregnant women recognize and embrace the role of
"mother"? Why would they not
rejoice at this? Aren't loving connections between mother and child a positive
thing for society overall? Really, I don't understand this.)
Again, I'm afraid to bring this up, because I don't have the
knowledge, energy, or time to make the pro-life case to friends who will get
riled by my post. And I'm quite sure anyone who wants to can nickpick a million
holes in everything I've said here – in everything every pro-life
advocate would say. And I'm certainly
not denying that there are pregnancy situations where I might wish abortion was
okay (my friend described 9-year-old girls who were brought in for abortions
after being raped – dear God – no, I would have no idea how to counsel someone
in that situation, and that's the truth).
But those extreme situations are extremely rare . . . and arguing the
individual points here can shield us from seeing the obvious big picture of what
abortion is and how it is happening in our country. Don't focus on defending
the trees and miss the layout of the forest – back up and look at this forest we've created. I want to urge my
pro-choice friends to really consider
what brought you to this position. Listen to your heart. Your gut. To justify
abortion, you must believe that there is no
life in that fetus. Can you honestly look at those videos, listen to those
heartbeats, view those ultrasounds, and believe this is not a life?
If you can, I guess our conversation is done. If you realize that
you can't, then God has answered some prayers today.
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