"A fetus should not legally be considered a living person until it has brain activity."
Realize that there seems to be a confusion of terms here. As I see it, "personhood" is a legal status conferred by the laws of our nation. It was withheld from African slaves and their descendants until a series of Constitutional amendments and related laws were passed by the people and their Congress. It was withheld from women until similar events happened. And at this point it is withheld from unborn children.
Humanity is a scientifically defined status based on the genetic makeup of the individual in question. In this case the unborn child is human from the moment of conception, just as the unborn dog is canine from conception, the unborn cat a feline, etc.
Science can certainly validate the humanity of an unborn child, and any unbiased observer of an unborn child after, say, 2 or 3 months of gestation would say that the unborn child is certainly human. Science cannot grant personhood under the law. No observation of the child can be made to determine personhood. Just as one could look at a black slave in 1830 and say with certainty that he/she was human, one could look at the same slave and say with certainty that he/she was not a person under our laws.
Rights, under our governmental system, are granted to persons, not humans. It may seem like pure semantics, but a study of history will prove this. Pro-life advocates arguing that the unborn child has rights because it is human are barking up the wrong tree. Personhood, not humanity, is the determinant that should be discussed.
Comment of the Day
Wednesday December 3, 2008
Categories: Comment of the Day
There's a really fascinating string of comments under Tuesday's post, Are You an MIE (Multi-Issue Evangelical)? regarding abortion. It's hard to pick just one comment, but RJohnson's stood out to me as particularly thoughtful:
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About The New Christians
Tony Jones is the author of many books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. He is a leader in the emergent church movement and a renowned expert on postmodern theology and the American church landscape.
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Mike, how well has your strategy been working for you? How many unborn children has it saved? How many abortions have not happened because of that strategy? You seem quite comfortable pursuing it year after year while the dead children continue to pile up. How many more are you willing to let die before you decide something else might work better?
The GOP had the chance to bring the HLA to a vote and push the issue...they failed to even try. Why? They need dead children to win elections...primarily because of folks like you, Mike.
I would much rather save children than win elections, Mike. Which one is more important to you?
"Do you actually think, that by arguing the humanity or the personage of someone is going to change their minds? They have seen the proof of a living being inside a woman's womb, through sonograms, 3D views, botched abortions, for three decades now."
And how many years did people look at living, breathing human beings being sold as slaves or treated as second class citizens before we actually began to move towards equal rights based on race, Mike? For 35 years the pro-life movement has pushed the humanity argument...and for the most part has failed. Token victories here and there, but no real bite into the heart of the matter.
The GOP does not want to win this battle. They want to win elections. Single issue voters help them win elections but do precious little to help stop abortions.
35+ years...isn't it about time to try something new?
RJohnson,
The "humanity argument" has not failed. Most Americans get that it's murder. The rest have never looked to see if it's murder.
Next, 30 years of activism is nothing when it comes to incremental strategy. So, the Pro-Life cause has plenty of time. The legal and political recourse takes time, but it's worth it and it's peaceful. The whole deal is judges, since that's the main way political change takes place in America. (Liberal judges make anti-life decisions, Conservative judges make pro-life decisions.)
Outside of the legal system, pro-lifers have a whole networks of pregnancy shelters and clinics to reach out to pregnant women.
Any other efforts you supply are welcome!
"If we are dealing with an issue that seems to be equally divided WITHIN A DEMOCRACY and that is supported by past Supreme Court decisions, should our whole focus be on recruit a slight majority to defeat those who disagree with us, or should we address things like poverty and poor sexual education that legitimize abortion?"
And here is where the Democrats need to be held accountable. They made some decent moves in their platform, but actions speak MUCH louder than words (as 28 years of inaction on the GOP's part has shown). The Democrats said they wanted to enact programs that would help on the economic side, which could well result in a reduction in abortions. I'm all for that IF THEY FOLLOW THROUGH.
The GOP has failed miserably. Not only will they not move on their professed platform issue of the HLA, but they refuse to even consider spending a penny to help alleviate poverty, which has been shown time and time again to be a contributing factor to the abortion rate in our nation. The Democrats SAY they want to work on the poverty issue. If they do, and if abortions do decline, they deserve the credit. If they fail to try, they are no better than the GOP.
Rick Warren, in his book The Purpose Driven Life. said something that struck me profoundly. I can't quote it verbatim but it went something like this: "Long before we were concieved by our parents, we were concieved in the mind of God." This is biblical. It's too bad our law makers cut God out of the picture. If they were more concerned with what their Creator thinks, then abortion would not be a viable option. It would not exist at all. Law makers of today make up rules and laws that cater to their own wharped ways of thinking, to defend their rights, not the rights of the innocent.
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