A Person is a Person

Abortion is a tough issue... For some reason this issue has come up a lot in my life in conversations with other or through related media in the last six months of my life. As a result I have been forced to think critically about this issue and the complexity of the problem that exists. I say complexity because I believe that when discussing abortion there are actually two competing issues that are being addressed. 

The most prominent issue is certainly about the rights of a child vs the rights of the mother/parents. Who's rights take precedence? How are these rights awarded? Is the very notion of rights a social construction, or are they imbued or granted by an external? If they are innately a part of some one's life, then when does life begin? Does life begin at conception, does it begin at some point of consciousness, or does life begin in a theoretical way at possibility or potentiality of life? As of this issue isn't complex enough we now add another issue that is inextricably tied to this one. Despite where you come down on the issue of priority of rights, a separate question is whether or not it should be the government or public's role to limit in any way the rights of any party? In my opinion I find this question easier to tackle... and perhaps it is through first handling this issue that informs my decision on the primary issue of rights. I believe that one of the primary and most foundational responsibility of Government (and hence the public) is to protect the rights of those that cannot protect themselves. In this case, through no fault of their own by through the decisions of others a fetus is conceived. This fetus, which I believe has life at the very least at the point of conception, I believe does have rights. I believe that it is the government's job to consider how and seek to protect that life from the harm of others.

What about a mother who is wrongly taken advantage of and thus has had pregnancy imposed upon her for some reason other than her own decisions (such as rape)? We can address this in our legal system! All laws have caveats and particularities. By the way, instants of abortion related to these causes are about 1% o all the abortions that occur. This percentage is certainly manageable and not a viable cloak for others to hide behind to maintain their oppression of others.

So, back to our question of who's rights should be exonerated? I have to side with the child in this case. Clearly this is a tough issue no matter how you come at it. But I think that abortion for many has become another way for people, especially young adults or children, to disengage with the reality of their actions. While carrying a child to birth can be a very impacting process for any woman research has shown considerable damage or impact up on participants of abortion, both physical and moreover emotional. The option of adoption is certainly a better choice for all involved. I think that at this point in time there are others that can give more information and justification for this point of view... and in fact I have a short clip to show how one incredibly thoughtful and engaging twelve year old has done that. Check out her clip:

Even though you can't hear them or see them at all, a Person is a Person no matter how small.   ~ Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who

What do you think?

New Generation

Thank YOU!

Hey blog buddies! I know it's been a while since my last post when I get a friendly reminder from my mom saying that I need to post. (By the way thank Mom!) So i looked back at my last blog thinking it's probably been a few weeks. WRONG!

Yeah, my last blog was right after MLK day! Sorry I suck at keeping this thing updated. So often I feel like its not a big deal if I don't post because for some reason I think no one reads my post. But then I hear from wonderful friends who encourage me to blog more. So this Blog is really a little thank you note! I was recently talking to a friend over dinner and she and I were discussing the development of gratitude in people. She made a comment about keeping a "grateful journal" (basically a journal where you commit to writing down something your grateful for everyday. I can barely remember to pray every day, so I'm not ready to start this venture! But her mentioning did remind me of one of my professor's wives at Geneva who did this. She said it was really easy at first because there are so many big things we are grateful for like our family and stuff; but after the first month she said that she really had to think about things and then she started noticing that she was looking for things throughout her day that she was grateful for. This attention began disciplining her thought life into noticing all things in her day to day life that she was truly grateful for.

In that spirit, I would like to say that I am grateful to my blog encouragers. In an attempt to really show you my gratitude, I am going to make a bold and dangerous move by naming you: Jan (aka Mom), Danny Clapp, Christian Lorey (MFU), Rachel Menke (BT), Rachel Hundley (even though you encourage me more to reply on facebook), April Emery, and YOU! Okay, Before I go any further, please, please, please... If I have left you out, I am deeply sorry! My biggest deterrent to mentioning people directly was the fear that I would forget important encouragers like you. So, if you're reading this and thinking, "That jerk, what about me!" You are the YOU at the end of the list. And the fact that you are even reading my blog is a HUGE encouragement to me! So feel free to comment, subscribe, or just keep reading, because I am grateful for your prescence here.