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The topic of abortion rights may be the most difficult and
most controversial issue of today. We see many of our politicians and other individuals in leadership positions struggle
with this topic. We see the courts, including the Supreme Court, asked to make social judgements based on interpretations of
prior law and the US Constitution. The reality is that there is no real constitutional basis for making judgements
on this issue. In the end this is a gut issue based on personal belief.
For many devoutly
religious people this is a simple issue. All abortions are immoral and should be illegal. Abortions are murders
of unborn children. Abortions are grievous sins in the eyes of God. It should be very difficult to argue
against this perspective if you have reasonably strong religious convictions.
There are a wide variety of views
on this topic among people that are looking for pragmatic solutions. The number of different circumstances that
must be addressed are many. What about rape? What about incest? What about the mother's health?
What about a one night stand mistake? What about a teen age pregnancy or a preteen pregnancy? What if the fetus
has major birth defects? When does a fetus become a person and not just a group of evolving cells? When does
an abortion really become a murder? Who gets to decide the fate of another person's life, both the mother's
and developing cells/fetus?
My wife, Laura, and I have a mentally retarded daughter and two healthy sons.
Our daughter is our oldest child. What would my wife have done if she had found out during her pregnancy with one of
our sons that there was a problem with the development of the fetus, already knowing that we have developmentally disabled
daughter? How would I have reacted to the news? Neither of us can look back and determine what actions we might
have taken. What we both agree on is that any decision would have been the most difficult decision of our lives.
We are thankful that we didn't have to make any decision and we have two healthy sons maturing as young adults.
I think we all wish that every conception of a child would occur in circumstances where the mother and father were physically, emotionally
and financially prepared to bring a child into the world. Unfortunately, the reality is that this is not the case a
significant percentage of the time. So what do we do? What is the underlying philosophy that we need to apply
to this extremely difficult issue?
My view is that the decision to proceed with a pregnancy must be placed in the
heart and mind of the woman that is carrying the cells/fetus. It is her body that is the host for the development of
the cells/fetus into a baby. It must be her decision as to the outcome of the conception. The rest of us must
respect her decision. If there are extenuating circumstances ,such as the woman being a minor, then there needs to counseling
from appropriate persons. However, there must be a point of no return in the decision making process
concerning abortion. At some point the fetus can survive as its own independent person with the help of medical
professionals. Any woman terminating a pregnancy must be prepared to face the long term impact of her decision including
her ultimate meeting with her God, if she believes that event will occur.
Medical technology continues to
evolve. What is impossible today may be possible tomorrow, The issue of abortion will only get more difficult
as we move into the future because more information about the health of the mother and the fetus will be known at an earlier
stage in the development process. We need to have laws and guidelines for abortion rights for women.
Any woman that desires to have an abortion within our society's rules must be prepared to live with her decision.
Copyright 2006 by TPM
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