A Rufas Rambling
Before I begin, let me say something about myself. I like babies. I think babies are cool. I am fortunate enough to have a circle of friends who seem to take turns having newborns. The current baby is a seven-month old girl who squirms like a fish out of water. She�s such a little charmer; she will smile at me and hold up her little arms so I can pick her up. Another couple in the same circle has just had a baby boy this past week. He will be ready to assume his place as the current baby when the little charmer gets to walking (there will be no stopping her then) and not so baby like. So I have a positive bias toward babies.
The second factor that may be pertinent regarding my opinion about abortion is my faith. I am a proud born-again Christian. Christians are well known for their opposition to abortion. Rest assured however that I am a free thinker. I do not change my opinions based on what my pastor said on Sunday morning. I respect the opinions of others and I like to hear varying views to challenge mine but I still decide how I feel about any given issue. With this in mind, let us begin.
In my opinion, the abortion issue boils down to a question of rights. Who�s right is a greater priority: the fetus� right to life or the mother�s right to govern her body. If we replace the word fetus with the word baby I think that the debate would come to a stop, at least in the minds of decent people. I would propose that the only difference between a fetus and a baby is where he or she resides. Therefore, the baby�s right to life supercedes the mother�s right to her body. To put it more bluntly, abortion is a procedure in which a doctor takes the life of an unwanted baby. I am vehemently opposed to this procedure on that basis.
There are two basic philosophies people adhere to when defending legalized abortion. The first philosophy believes that while abortion is a regrettable act and some are personally opposed to abortion they believe, as former President Clinton said, that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. They believe that the government should not interfere with the reproductive rights of women. I disagree with this philosophy but at least I can have a little respect for their position. The second philosophy believes that a woman has an unalienable right to have abortions on demand and that an abortion is like taking an unwanted item back to the store. I hold these folks, many of them feminists, in the lowest possible regard. To them, a fetus (actually a baby) is a tool used for political gain. These people make it hard to love everyone as Jesus commands.
Another fly in the abortion ointment is the pregnancy that is caused by rape, incest or death of the mother. Many cite these as legitimate reasons for abortion while they are otherwise opposed to it. Let us look at each circumstance individually. In the case of rape I would simply say that one wrong does not justify another. However, I would be reluctant to condemn someone who suffered a fate far worse than death. As far as incest goes, I do not understand why it is considered a mitigating circumstance. If the act was nonconsensual then it is rape. If it was consensual then why punish the baby for his or her parent�s sins. There could be a wide variety of circumstances where the mother�s health is concerned. The level of risk for the mother and the baby�s survival chances has to be considered. In general although one would like to see a mother risk her life for her child it is a lot to ask someone to take a chance that has a high risk of death.
The next question concerns abortion�s legality. If you have been paying attention to this point you would reasonably assume that I would want to make abortion illegal as soon as possible. That assumption would be wrong. If I could turn back time I would try to prevent abortion from becoming legal. Unfortunately at this point making abortion illegal would only make it more risky. The amount of abortions would only decrease ever so slightly. That reduction in abortions would be cancelled out and overrun by teenage girls who would die or become seriously and permanently maimed by a botched abortion.
If you are thinking that these girls deserve such a fate consider this: they have been told by people they trust all their lives that abortion is a minor mistake, not a major moral failing. They have been handed condoms in school then, at best, told that abstinence is the best way to avoid the dangers of sex. Some schools do not even allow abstinence encouragement. That is what is called a mixed message at best. Some parents will even encourage their pregnant daughters to �fix the problem�. Do these girls bear moral responsibility should they choose to have an abortion? Yes. Do they deserve to die because they are young and misinformed? No.
Believing that making something illegal will stop the activity is a fallacious premise. One only needs to look at prohibition to find evidence of this truth. Consider this, how many of you obey the speed limit? How many wear seat belts at all times? I believe that with sufficient motivation anyone reading this could buy just about any illegal drug within four hours or less. Why would a law be any more effective with abortion? A great number of people defend abortion as an unalienable right. A great number of people would find this law to be a black market business opportunity. Economics theory tells us that illegality drops the demand of a product slightly but decreases the quality considerably. What is worse than abortions? Bad abortions that kill mom as well.
Another thing to consider is the power of legality. Any activity that is illegal is by definition unregulated. Most �legitimate� abortion practitioners prize abortion�s legal status and are willing to make concessions to keep it. Examples of these concessions include counseling regarding the risks of abortion and parental consent laws. They may not be applicable everywhere but if abortion is made illegal they won�t be found anywhere.
The solution I propose is easily stated but hard to execute. Simply put, we as Christians and people of conscience must start to convince others that abortion is wrong. People are not a reflection of their laws but rather laws are a reflection of the people they govern. Even our murder laws would be much harder to enforce if the majority saw no problem with murder. If we succeed in this goal, overturning Roe v Wade would be a formality. I believe we should spend more time educating people regarding the horrors of abortion and give support to those who have an unexpected pregnancy (instead of condemning them) and less time fighting court battles. This battle is winnable; we need only continue to fight the good fight!
Feel free to visit the Rufas Rampage forums to comment on this article. The topic �abortion rumbling� will be in the general discussion forum.
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