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"None of those who have Hell before their eyes will fall into Hell. No one of those who despise Hell will escape Hell.... Nothing is so profitable as to converse concerning Hell. It renders our souls purer than any silver."  

~St. John Chrysostom~

BOOK

Abortion

Dear Aaron,

             So, you discovered that your girlfriend is pro-choice. Is that really so surprising given today’s culture and her sexual proclivities? Although there are more who consider themselves to be pro-life today than there were when I first began evangelizing in the early ’80s, you will still find that at least one out of two people will identify himself to be pro-choice. Also, it should not surprise you that her arguments tend to be emotional in nature. This is not because she is a woman (as you alluded to), but since the facts are on our side, emotion is all she has. I would be happy to help you in your discussions, but don’t hold your breath. From what you’ve told me she seems pretty entrenched in this one.  

Since you say you had a fairly long and heated discussion, then I am sure one of the arguments she proposed was that she has a right to do whatever she wants with her own body. But does she? Do not the laws against drug use, prostitution, and even suicide in most states clearly show us that we do not have the right to do anything we wish with our body? Plus, I think the very idea that the baby is a part of the mother’s body is foolish at best. It is definitely attached to and drawing nutrients from the mother, but its genetic makeup is different. It has half of the mother’s, but also half of the father’s DNA, and since its genes are consistent with that of being human, the only rational conclusion is that the fetus is a human being who has come from the mother and the father, but still has its own unique identity.

This is sixth grade biology, and maybe seventh grade civics, so why is it so hard for us to accept? The answer goes back to my first e-mail. Remember when I wrote that my generation’s philosophy of life was to have pleasure without responsibility? Well, abortion is all about the desire to have sex without responsibility. All of our talk of civil rights is just a smokescreen for a hedonistic lifestyle. Yes, I know, abortion is supposedly a constitutional right, but so was slavery. We should all realize by now that just because something is civilly right doesn’t mean necessarily that it is morally right.

Of course, those who are pro-choice will tell you that there is no comparison between abortion and slavery, but the connection is that both are justified using a philosophy of dehumanization. In the case of slavery, the African was thought to be more animal than human. As a result, he could be bought, sold, worked in the field, and even beaten and killed, as an animal. As far as abortion goes, the baby in the womb is said to be only potentially human and therefore can be disposed of without any moral qualms. In both cases the subject has been dehumanized.

In light of this, ask your girlfriend if she can name one instance since the world began that when a government has declared some portion of its population to be less human than the rest, history has proved them to be right. If she can think of one let me know, because I cannot. It appears as if—at least in this case—history is on our side.

Besides, if we as Americans value human rights as I believe we do, and if we are not sure when life begins, as we say we aren’t, don’t you think the humane thing to do would be to put a moratorium on abortion until we are sure? I guess that’s more of a question for your girlfriend than for you. I must say though that this whole line of reasoning frustrates me. Essentially what we are saying is that we do not know when human life begins, so let’s continue a potentially deadly practice until we do. Shouldn’t we be assuming that the fetus is human until it can be definitively proven otherwise? If not, we may wake up one day and realize that for decades we have killed a million to a million and a half babies a year, just so we can have sex without consequences. Our insatiable desire for pleasure has darkened our reasoning.

Let me move on to what I believe is the best argument that the other side has to offer. I’m sure you heard some variant of it in your discussion the other night. The gist of it is that the embryo is not fully human because human beings have a heart and a brain and the embryo does not.

The most important thing to understand is that this argument deals with how far along in its development the baby is and not how human it is. If it wasn’t fully human at conception, then we should be able to find something that enters into the egg after fertilization which completes its humanity, and as far as I know we have not. In addition, the embryo not only has human DNA, and is developing all of its various parts, but it is also the product of a human mother, a human father, a human sperm, and a human egg. If everything about it is human, why are we judging it based on its level of development? Isn’t it the basis of all genocide to judge a people unworthy of life because they don’t measure up to an arbitrary standard laid down by the powerful? Haven’t we as Americans always fought against that sort of thing?

Also, if we are going to decide how human we are based on our stage of development, I could make the argument that newborn babies are not fully human. Following the reasoning of those who are for abortion, I would simply make the point that since a newborn child cannot walk, talk, or reason on a level higher than an animal, then it must be something less than entirely human. Any thinking person would reject this argument because he would know that if left alone, a baby who matures normally would develop these abilities. It just needs time. I would make the same point about the embryo.  If left alone, and given time, it will be just like us, as we were at one time just like it. The embryo doesn’t become human as it develops. It develops as it does because it is human.

By the way, I am sure you have heard people say that they are personally against abortion, but they do not feel that they have a right to tell someone else what to do. Next time you hear someone say that ask him why he is opposed to abortion. There is, of course, only one reason, and that is because they think it is the killing of a human being. If this is the case, then they not only have the right, but the obligation to speak out.

            Well, Aaron, good luck. I sincerely hope you can convince her to change her mind. One final suggestion, if I may. If she gets frustrated and tells you that you cannot speak on this issue because you are not a woman and cannot get pregnant, tell her that as a former fetus you are against abortion, and that you are speaking up on behalf of all your brothers and sisters who are still in the womb. Gets ’em every time.  

Yours truly,

Uncle Greg