OceanSide church of Christ
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PRESIDENT
OBAMA CALLS FOR DEBATE ON ABORTION
Wayne
Jackson, Christian Courier
On
the day following his controversial appearance at
Perhaps
a “sensible abortion debate” would be in order, since our president is clearly
conflicted on this issue. This article is not intended to be a political
assessment of the president, not to denigrate him personally. It is designed to
deal with one point—the abortion controversy.
During
the campaign, candidate Obama was asked: “When does a baby get human rights?”
His answer was: “Well, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from
a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question
with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.”
What
does pay grade have to do with the facts?
Consider
some of the things the president said in his speech at Notre Dame: “I do not
suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away.” He is
right; this controversy should not be shoved aside. It is a life-and-death
matter and someone is wrong about it—dead wrong! Mr. Obama went on to say: “No
matter how much we want to fudge it . . . the fact is that at some level, the
views of the two camps are irreconcilable.” That is precisely the case. One camp
contends a pregnant woman has a baby in her body; the other alleges it is a
non-baby—a disposable piece of tissue. It’s that simple, and any fair-minded
person knows it.
The
president protests what he calls the “caricature” of opposing views, insisting
that “fair-minded words” must be employed in the debate. A caricature is a
distortion that casts one’s opponent in a ridiculous light. Fair words are words
that accurately convey an opponent’s position.
Was
the president charging the pro-choice defenders with caricature and the
employment of unfair jargon? I don’t think so; but if so, what are some
examples? On the other hand, pro-life advocates do use strong language and feel
such is entirely warranted. A baby is killed. The practice is labeled
infanticide, or baby-murder. It appears this was the focus of the president’s
barb.
While
we are on the subject, let’s look at the vocabulary involved in this “debate.”
Words come in different packages. For example, there are synonyms and there are
antonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing; antonyms are
opposite terms. One would think that logical people could tell the
difference between the two. Let us examine a few of the chosen
descriptives.
What
is the opposite of “pro-life”? It is not “pro-choice.” “Life” and
“choice” are not opposites. It is pro-death.” But the advocates of
abortion would not dare adopt that expression. It is too dramatic, too volatile,
too loaded—too true! Such would be bad public relations. So, with obvious
obfuscation they take refuge behind the more socially acceptable “pro-choice.”
This expression calls for further amplification. “Choice” implies options;
choice to do what? This is where the vocabulary slope becomes slippery.
The choice is to eliminate, eradicate, or terminate. But this does not resolve
the problem.
The
next issue is: terminate what? Is this “thing” an “inert globule of
organic matter” (a self-conflicting descriptive), a zygote, a blastocyst, an
embryo, or a fetus? These are terms employed to describe different stages of
gestational development. But do they define whether the “it” is human or
non-human? It must be one or the other. This is about like using the words
“baby,” “child,” “teen,” “adult,” and “senior.” Do these expressions refer to
humans or non-humans?
If
those who oppose abortion are called anti-abortionists, why aren’t those in the
opposite camp labeled as pro-abortionists, instead of that euphonic pro-choice?
If President Obama’s fair-language policy is to prevail, he has considerable
work to do among his political allies.
Let’s
think about this issue from a coldly logical vantage point. Upon what core
issues can all sides agree? (1) When a male sperm and a female egg unite,
something happens. Something is henceforth there. (2) That something either is
living or non-living. Is there a third option? Clearly it is living. It takes
nourishment and receives oxygen. It exhibits movement. It undergoes cell
replication. This is undeniable. (3) This living thing either is human or
non-human. Its DNA identifies it as human. If it is non-human, the issue is
resolved. It may be eliminated at any time, at any stage, and for any purpose.
We take the lives of plants and animals, to be used for a higher good, without
hesitation. The assumption of civilized society always has been, however, that
human life constitutes an entirely different
category.
The
president clearly believes and supports the theory that the lives of pre-born
infants are subject to the choices of society’s democratic process. He obviously
chooses not to believe that a living human being is purposefully killed in the
abortion procedure.
Since
this is the case, why does he call for us to “reduce the number of women seeking
abortions”? What’s wrong with this logic?