Abortion Debate: Pro-life

Anne Slagill / The USD Vista

“The first inalienable right discussed by Thomas Jefferson was the right to life. Abortion violates the natural law because it denies an unborn child’s right to live. At the moment of fertilization, a zygote begins to grow. It has a sex; it is human; it is alive and it is innocent. What is the duty of government if not to protect the innocent?
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Title 18, Section 1841 of the United States Code) states that anyone who murders or harms a child in-utero can be charged with “intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being.” The law goes on to state that it should not be interpreted so as to allow the prosecution “of any woman with respect to her unborn child.”? Simply put, the law upholds an unborn child’s right to life so long as its mother is not the killer.

This is an atrocious contradiction in values. If we admit that the unborn are “human beings,” we should also agree that they are endowed with those inalienable rights. The only difference between the “unborn victim of violence” and the “legally aborted fetus” is the desire of the mother. The law essentially implies that an unborn child is not a person unless the mother wants it to be. But what if a woman desires that her unborn child be considered a person one day but changes her mind the next? Has the child been transformed from person to non-person by sheer power of its mother’s will? If so, does this magical power cease once the child is born? Those who forget to call home on a regular basis should cross their fingers.

Some say maintaining the legality of abortion protects the civil liberties of women. It is true that the government should protect personal freedoms, but only so long as they do not infringe on the natural rights of others. An unborn child is a human being with a right to life protected in its mother’s womb.

Another exhausted argument from the pro-choice crowd is if abortion is outlawed, then women will continue to terminate pregnancies illegally. Therefore, abortions should remain legal. It is true, abortions would continue to be performed. However, this does not make abortion moral. Our society condemns other morally reprehensible acts such as homicide and rape. These acts are committed despite their illegality, but we recognize they are wrong. Why does our society overlook the depravity of killing unborn children?

Proponents of Roe v. Wade are upset because issues related to abortion continue to appear on the ballot, but Americans should be allowed to vote on this if they so choose. Democracy requires that the voice of the majority be heard. If the majority feel that the rights of the unborn should be upheld, then their will must be honored. Even so, a majority ruling in favor of abortion rights does not imply that the practice is moral.