What I am going to talk about here is something that is extremely controversial, especially in today’s society, and it is an issue that I could honestly something I could talk about for days without stopping. This is the topic of abortion. Before you continue to read, I want to warn you that I probably hold an opinion on this matter that is the opposite of what you may believe, so if you get offended while reading this post, you have already been warned. Abortion is an issue which, since the decision of Roe v. Wade and the recent political elections, has grown to have a large amount of social significance in America. While there are many who may argue the potential benefits of abortion, it is impossible to deny the tragedy that occurs when an innocent human life is killed, and it is for that reason that it is imperative that abortion access be restricted in this country.
When broken down into its fundamentals, the issue of abortion really is not as nuanced as many people make it out to be. At its core, the abortion debate is about three fundamental issues: (1) whether or not the fetus is a human (2) whether it holds the same moral value as you and me, and (3) whether or not someone has the right to kill it, regardless of its moral value. When discussing abortion, people will often tend to add more to the issue than necessary, which may make abortion seem like much more of a nuanced and complicated issue. In reality, however, anyone who holds a view on either side of the abortion debate will most likely be able to be identified by how they answer those three questions.
The first category, the humanity of the fetus, is one that is extremely easy to answer. Regardless of one’s beliefs on abortion, it is 100% fact that the fetus is a human from the moment it is conceived. There is no denying that a unique, living, organism with human DNA and biological characteristics is created at the moment of conception. Among many of the respected scientists who would unequivocally agree with this assertion is a Princeton University scholar, Dianne N. Irving, M.A., Ph.D. in her study, When Do Human Beings Begin? who herself states that “…upon fertilization, parts of human beings have actually been transformed into something very different from what they were before; they have been changed into a single, whole human being.” To many who may argue against my stance on abortion, this assertion in and of itself is not reason enough for abortion access to be restricted, and I would agree. There are cases in which human life should be ended, most notably in cases of self deference, where there is no other option. But the fetus’ humanity simply cannot be ignored, because the unavoidable truth, regardless of the circumstances of the abortion, is that every abortion results in the ending of a human life, and that is not something that should be taken lightly in the least.
The issue of the moral value of humanity, unlike the first issue, is one of a more philosophical (and in some cases religious) nature than a scientific one. However, in today’s modern society, the value of human life is seen to be worth more than any other kind of life on the planet. In America especially, even the lives of the most hardened criminals is protected, even if they are on Death Row. Assuming this logic can be applied to humans that have already been born, why is it any different for the unborn? Is it because the fetus is a “lesser being”? What does that even mean? Historically, times where one’s humanity was weighed on a scale have been very dark ones, including the age of slavery and the Holocaust. What constitutes one as exhibiting qualities of a “lesser being”? Organ development? Breathing? Consciousness? These are all qualities that can be applied to any living person, born or unborn, and we as a society do not classify those who have been born as “lesser beings” under this criteria, so why should we do this for the unborn?
On the topic of whether or not it is right to kill the unborn, society should be much more careful about its rationale than it is now. The only times today where it may be arguably be okay to kill another human being is in cases of self-defense, law enforcement, or war. Even then, killing another person is not taken lightly. The vast majority of abortions occur not for reasons of health for the mother or the infant. In fact, according to the CDC, over 75% percent of abortions will occur for other reasons. If society wants to make all abortions to be acceptable, there are some serious questions that need answering, and we should not take lightly the ending of a human life.
I completely agree with you becasue the embryo will still turn into a baby. In my honest opinion I do not think abortion should be legal becasue you are taking away a childs life. I think that in cases of sexual harrassment or harm to the mother and or child then it can be legal because in both cases there is a chance that the mother will not survive and that would not be beneficial for either of them. I can see the reason why people think that it is their body and that they should be able to do what they please with it but people have to tke into considertion that there is now a baby that needs to be looked after too. I do not think that it is right to kill a baby because the other and father were too stupid to not use protection. The baby should not have to suffer becasue its parents were dumb. However, I think that schools should povide some sort protection so that teenage pregnancies do not happen. And, there is always adoption in order to save the childs life.
In regards to your three fundamental issues:
(1) I don’t really know if it being human or not matters, it’s alive in its own way.
(2) I’m not really a moralist so this doesn’t matter for me.
(3) I think that whatever it is, human or not, people with fetuses should still be able to kill them. The life of the fetus should come second to the life of the parent. It’s a killing that should be defended.
I’d be really interested to hear your stance on Duty to Rescue laws, since those are thematically and technically similar to abortion and forcibly halting gestational work. I don’t think anyone should be forced to undergo tremendous amounts of suffering in order to save someones life.