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In American politics, abortion is the 500 pound gorilla in the corner of the room. Politicians fear taking a public position on
abortion. No matter whether they say
they are pro-choice or pro-life, they are going to make a lot of people mad at
them if they tell the truth about where they stand. Nevertheless, abortion is a deal breaker for
many voters, and they want to know a candidate’s position on it.
Abortion is an emotional issue, and rational, logical,
analytical reasoning does not always hold sway.
People often make up their minds based on what they feel about abortion,
and not what they think, or perhaps their feelings overcome their attempts to
reason their way through the issue.
Others decide where they stand on the abortion question
by gathering the facts, evaluating them, and drawing a conclusion. Rationalization is one of Freud’s ego defense
mechanisms. Perhaps I tend to rely on
logical, reasoned arguments for my point of view because they provide a mechanism
for defending it. However, Albert Ellis
is reported to have said that, “Introspection is the high road to neurosis.” So, I have learned to try to avoid too much of
it.
It is easy to offend or wound another person when
discussing abortion, depending on their personal history and values. I try not to hurt people with what I say. Regardless, an election year is the time to
speak out plainly and directly about abortion, before too many more people cast
their ballots.
The courts have decided that the 5th Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution protects all persons within our borders from being, “… deprived of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law …” The
courts have ruled that illegal migrants have a right to due process. Do they have more rights than an unborn
American child? So for me, one of
the decision points about abortion is, when does an unborn child become a human
being? There is a lot of disagreement
about that.
From the time that
the human egg is fertilized, the unborn child has unique DNA that has never
existed before and will never exist again.
When the unborn child attaches to the uterus, a pregnancy becomes
viable. Soon, the fetus will have a
heartbeat and begin to react to external stimuli. If carried to full term, a live birth usually results.
A person that is born on American soil
is an American citizen by law, and their life may not be taken without due
process of law.
Think it over. When do you think an unborn child is fully
human?
For me, once a pregnancy becomes viable the unborn child has
a chance at life, and to take it is to kill a human life. In my opinion, that is unconstitutional, and therefore
illegal.
Another argument has to do with values and
ethics. Some people choose not to regard
religious belief as logical or rational.
It is their right. I can only
speak for myself. As a Christian, my
values and ethics are governed by the Word of God. The better modern translations of the Holy
Bible render the 6th Commandment: “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13 NASB) * Since I regard the viable fetus as a human
life, I think it violates God’s Word to take that life. I do not have the right to force others to
believe the way that I do, but I have the right to peacefully advocate for
it. One way to do that is with my vote.
Emotionally speaking, all I can ask is that you search your
heart. Explore your feelings. If you do
so honestly, your conscience will tell you that abortion is just plain wrong.
I believe a woman has the right to defend herself. If there is a high degree of probability that
carrying a child to term will kill the mother, or cause her permanent bodily
harm, then she has the right to protect herself. If a pregnancy is the result of rape or
incest, a woman has the right to defend herself from further injury by
terminating it. Even though ending a
viable pregnancy is taking a human life, I believe the mother’s right to defend
herself supersedes the child’s right to life in these specific circumstances.
Some advocate that the mother may choose to end a baby’s
life after live birth, or close to the time of delivery (partial birth
abortion). That is infanticide. It is so evil that I am sickened by the very
thought of it. How far must we fall
before we hit bottom? God forgive us.
Public funding of abortions makes every citizen complicit, especially those who pay taxes. It
is forcing “people of faith” to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. If an elected leader is not able to understand
that, they have no business holding public office. Please do not vote for someone like that.
Abortion must not be just another method of birth control. There are many alternatives, which deserve
public support. As a Director of Social
Services in a remote mountain county in the 1980’s, I personally provided
adoptive services. I know that there are
waiting lists of prospective adoptive parents, especially for infant adoptions. The family is also often a resource for children
from unplanned pregnancies. We need more
and better alternative living arrangements for mothers expecting the birth of a
child to be placed for adoption. The
church needs to stop judging and step up to the plate to help mothers with
unplanned pregnancies. Birth control must
be made available to girls who are of legal age to consent to sex (generally 16
years old and older). Counselling services need to
be expanded to help women avoid unplanned pregnancies and access services for
the child if an unplanned pregnancy occurs.
The time to decide is now.
Please vote for life, not death.
* https://biblehub.com/
