the infinit yes

In the past I think I’ve unfairly pigeon-holed all pro-lifers as religious whack-jobs. A lot of them are, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a point. Namely that abortion is the ending of a life, is tragic, and is something that should be heavily considered and reflected on before any rash decisions are made. The sanctity and beauty of life is nothing to be scoffed at.

Well let me backtrack here and say that in no way am I saying we should make abortions illegal. People should always, always have the right to make their own decisions.  I just think my attitude towards the subject has been a little too blase. Maybe it’s from listening to too much Howard Stern but I was almost starting to think that abortions were the greatest thing we’ve ever invented (after all, we need to control the population… right?), not a tragic loss of life.

Disclaimer: I say ‘loss of life’, even ‘kill’, but I do not agree with the idea that a fetus is a ‘person’. This is not murder. What makes a us ‘people’ is our minds, our abilities to think and feel. A babies mind begins to become active around the sixth month. But embryos and fetuses are alive, and I doubt anyone would argue that. Does that mean I draw the line for abortions after the sixth month (third trimester)? Not quite. There are always extenuating circumstances. There is no black and white answer and each case needs to be determined on it’s own merit, by the people involved, with the ultimate decision, of course, being with the woman. That being said, I think that our moral responsibility to a growing, and increasingly human life increases exponentially the closer it gets to being born.

Legality. Laws are bandages for problems we don’t really know how to fix. The problem we run into legislating abortion laws is that they require a black/white decision, and as I’ve just pointed out, this situation is nothing but shades of grey. This is largely what’s divided people on the issue. The law leaves no room for grey so people have been forced to draw two distinct conclusions. Either an egg becomes a full fledged person the moment it’s been fertilized, or not until it’s born (but it’s close enough after six months that you can’t kill it unless you have a good reason). There are huge flaws with both of these arguments, and unfortunately, I think we need to accept that the change from clump of cells to human baby happens too gradually to say exactly when we’re dealing with a person. People who often think in blacks and whites don’t like this. It’s counter-intuitive, not being able to make a definite statement on this issue. I think if we take some time to reflect on this, my point becomes clear.

Equating all abortion with murder is ridiculous, insulting, juvenile, and counter-fact. Saying that abortion is nothing more than a simple medical procedure demonstrates a gross lack humanity and compassion. Again, abortion is a tradgedy, if not for the potential human’s sake, then for the mother’s. Whether she wanted the baby or not there’s no way that this experience doesn’t have some effect. It’s a heavy decision and we should have respect for anyone who has to make it. No matter what they choose.

Of course, in the end, I can only be pro-choice. Killing a two week old embyro is little closer to killing a person than masturbating (sperm cells are alive, too) and we can never accept that a woman should be told what they can and cannot do with their bodies.  Our freedom is infinite and ultimate and is something on which we cannot compromise. But just because the right to choose is necessary and beautiful, doesn’t mean we should in any way minimize what abortion is, or the toll it takes on individuals and society.