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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?
2 comments:
Hey Travis. Nice blog and great conversation starter. I thought I would throw my two cents into this conversation.
Abortion is indeed a complicated issue. I hadn't really formed a solid position on it until recently when we had a close friend choose to abort her pregnancy. Up until that point I had been trying to figure it out. As a result of our friend's situation I have taken more of a "pro-choice" stance than a "pro life" one. Here is her story and how I arrived at this.
Our friend is married with a little girl. She got pregnant last fall after trying to get pregnant with number two. Her and her husband were excited, obviously. However, when she went in to get an ultrasound to learn the sex of the baby, the doctor informed her that the baby has anencephaly - a condition in which the child has no skull. Most babies with this condition are stillborn, yet some make it to delivery and live for a few days or weeks. It is always fatal, however, after this brief period. The doctor advised her to terminate the pregnancy (to get an abortion) because of the risks involved if she did not. Our friend is not someone who otherwise felt strongly about abortion, and certainly didn't get one because of an unwanted pregnancy.
This situation made me and Emily think strongly about the issue, and the possible ramifications of a legal context that would have prevented our friend from the procedure. The law, under a pro-life context, makes an onerous decision for the mother - in a sense, telling her whom she must die for. In my opinion, the decision to lay down my life for someone should be mine and mine alone.
I understand the moral implications of abortion. I abhor decisions to abort simply because of inconvenience to the mother (the young and irresponsible type). As you mentioned, it is complicated. Those are my thoughts.
Thanks Bryan for your thoughts on this issue! The context that your friends bring to this issue really highlight the complexities of the legal issue also at hand. It also makes me think that we have to do a better job of utilizing laws that protect and serve people... for instance, our laws have to make allowances for all the special situations that occur, yet still provide consistency. What a challenging task! I struggle with this task dealing with judicials for my work. I wonder how we could change our system to feasibly accommodate specific cases?
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