The Profound Issue of Abortion

In a complete and total state of trepidation, I slowly and reluctantly stretch out my arm.  My brain keeps sending out alarm blasts telling me that I am approaching the danger zone…don’t go there…back up the truck.  My hand trembles as my fingers cautiously touch the iron that is clearly scorching hot… 

The issue of abortion is being increasingly forced upon us by such recent legislative decisions as seen in New York and Virginia.  These two states, led by their liberal Governors, have recently enacted two of the most tolerant abortion laws in the nation.  In fact, the law in Virginia, taken to its extreme, moves the needle from the area of abortion into the area of infanticide.  Like it or not, abortion is in our face.

The question of abortion brings up raw emotion like few others.  There are sincere and well-intentioned people residing at both ends of the spectrum who have firmly entrenched opinions.  Some on the extreme right of the issue submit that life begins at conception and abortion beyond that point is murder.  Some on the extreme left of the issue submit that a fetus is exclusively the product of the mother and she should have the sole determination of its future, right up until the point of dilation and delivery.  If you reside at either one of these locations, it is easy to see how your certitude might lead you to demand that your position applies to everyone else.  It is a matter of principle; not practice.  If you see abortion as murder or if you see unqualified fetal preservation as a violation of a woman’s basic rights, then the issue positions become quickly hardened and there is little, if any, room for negotiation.  For the majority of people, the certitude level is not that high.  I believe that most people prefer the right to arrive at their own decision regarding their position on abortion and would just as soon leave other people’s abortion decisions to those other people.  In other words, we each and all eventually stand accountable for our actions and decisions in this life.

To me, there are three fundamental questions that lie at the base of the abortion issue.  The first answer must come to the question of whether the issue of abortion should be regulated at the federal level or the state level.  Undoubtedly, this consideration is motivating states like New York and Virginia to move forward on their abortion initiatives, trying to get ahead of what many believe will be future SCOTUS decisions that will severely impact the ability of state governments to liberalize abortion practices.   I have always been, and remain, a strong advocate for state’s rights; but only a fool would ignore the perils posed by neighboring states having widely differing laws regulating abortions.  This may be one area where there needs to be a single principle ruling the regulation of abortion in all states, with some latitude given to each to incorporate concerns unique to their demographics.   Ultimately, the SCOTUS will grapple with this issue and render what will hopefully bring some uniformity for our citizenry. 

Secondly is the question of how do we balance the rights of a woman regarding her own physical body against those of a fetus that lies within her body?  Not to be taken lightly or ignored, it goes without saying that the father of the child certainly has some rights.  But those rights are clearly subservient to the rights of the mother, whose personal investment in the process is far greater.  Some will readily recognize a woman’s right to choose concerning the continuance of a pregnancy, but believe that right should have a time limit.  This question is complicated by the emotional, mental and physiological concerns that are interwoven with every pregnancy and which makes each one unique. 

Undoubtedly, unanticipated and significant developments in a pregnancy can occur after the first trimester and to ignore this possibility is naïve.  On the other hand, in lieu of developments that are truly unanticipated and significant, is it entirely unreasonable to demand that a decision to end a potential life be made within a specified time period that allows for careful thought and consideration?  It is difficult at best for anyone other than the injured party to understand the personal trauma resulting from a rape or incestuous relationship.  Is it fair to place a weeks-long time period on a person to make the life-altering decision arising from these heinous acts?  And what about late pregnancy developments that might bring into question threats to the mother’s life?  How in the world does one go about balancing the life of the child within them with their own?  And then there is perhaps the most difficult question of all…Should a mother have the option to abort a fetus that is deemed to be impaired or, taken to the extreme, something less than perfect or that which is desired?  Is this the kind of Pandora’s Box that we want to open in our society?

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Finally, there is the question of exactly when life begins.  Does life begin at conception or does life begin when the umbilical cord is severed and the infant is truly independent of its mother?  Or…is the beginning of life and all the rights a life entails at some point between these two moments?  Only the wisdom of God knows the future of a recently fertilized egg.  All we as humans can know with any certainty are the possibilities that arise from this moment.  One of those possibilities is undoubtedly a healthy human baby that comes into this world with limitless potential.  Is the loss any less if that potential is snuffed out in the first trimester as opposed to the third?  And how certain can we be of ourselves when we require a woman, or girl, to carry a pregnancy to full term understanding all of the potential hardships and trials that are part and parcel of that pregnancy?  In the full and natural process of childbirth, we begin with one life and end with two.  But at what point in between does that one life blend with the other and at what point do they become two distinct and different lives?

These are three questions that must be addressed in honest, compassionate, moral, ethical, and unfortunately, political terms in order to come to some agreement on the issue of abortion.    It appears that a clear majority of Americans are opposed to late, third-trimester abortions.  It also appears that that a clear majority of Americans believe that early, first-trimester abortions should be allowed.  If there can be a place for such a word in an emotionally-charged debate of this magnitude, the most practical solution to the abortion issue might be a federal law that applies universal policies across our country.  The most likely candidate for such a law would be what is commonly referred to as the “20-Week Abortion Ban” or “Pain Capable Ban”.  This law, in its various forms, is based on the idea that a fetus at 20 weeks is sufficiently developed to feel pain and should therefore, at that point in its development, be afforded the rights of an individual.  Here is a good source to research the current status of this law: https://rewire.news/legislative-tracker/law-topic/20-week-bans/

I also urge you to consider the source of this information for your own satisfaction at this site: https://rewire.news/about-us/

A day of reckoning will come to each of us.   Ultimately, we will each be judged on the content of our own lives.  The personal decisions and actions that we each make in those chapters will be a matter of record that will be indisputable.  What is not quite so clear is how much accountability we will each face in regards to how we interact with those decisions and actions that occur outside of our own control and influence.  To what extent, if any, are we required to be advocates for these moral and ethical causes and how far should that advocacy take us?  In this context, our nation must come to terms with the question of abortion.  May God be with us.