Abortion

One extreme view related to human reproduction holds that we should be striving to reproduce at the maximum rate. This concept appears in many religious writings, including the Bible, and it aligns with nature. One of the most fundamental principles of nature is that all living things reproduce as much as they possibly can.

This view is logical and I can respect people who hold that view, but I personally reject it. In today’s world of advanced technology, humans have filled the earth with people who live much longer, healthier lives than they would in primitive natural settings. Under these circumstances it makes sense for us to practice birth control for personal preference in family size and social responsibility to reduce population growth.

I don’t consider preconception life to be sacred. The other extreme that I reject would be to kill unwanted babies after they’ve been born. I don’t know anyone who considers such an approach morally acceptable. It goes against principles of almost every religion and nature. Once a baby is born and breaths its own air, it’s sacred and anyone who deliberately terminates that life is a murderer.

The real issue then is where does life become sacred between these extremes. There are many options.

• At conception

• When the heart starts beating

• When the brain becomes active

• When pain can be felt

• When the baby could live outside the womb with medical care

• When the baby could live outside the womb without medical care

• When the baby is born

• When the baby breaths on its own

I’ve known people to defend all of these positions. Most people admit uncertainty. They understand that they aren’t God and they don’t really know when God considers a baby to be a human soul. When does a human first have a soul? I don’t know, but I’m sure it happens before the last 3 choices.

The reason I consider myself pro-life is because I’m absolutely certain we should not be killing unborn babies if they have matured to the point where they could live outside the womb without special medical care. I’m fairly certain the human soul develops shortly after brain activity begins, but in this realm of uncertainty I’m pro-choice. I believe it’s best to respect the right of a woman to choose what to do with her body during the early stages of pregnancy when we don’t know if the fetus in her womb is a human soul or not.

Our constitution is silent on abortion. If I was to write an amendment to the constitution to settle the abortion question, I would protect a woman’s right to have an abortion prior to detecting a heartbeat. I would protect the life of the baby during the last 2 months of pregnancy. In between those two sacred lines I would leave it up to democratically elected state representatives to regulate how and when abortions are performed.

I know this position isn’t popular because everyone seems to have gravitated to extremes on this emotional topic, but that’s the most thoughtful response I can come up with when I look at evidence to define when human life becomes sacred and worth protecting and weigh the strength of that evidence against a woman’s right to choose what to do within her own body.