As many of
you, I imagine, I have been trying to make sense of the changes of late in our
world. I have pondered and prayed and
prayed some more, but I cannot make sense of so many things that others hold as
undeniable truth. So, I have decided to
think through and record my reasonings in hopes of someday having a respectful
conversation with someone who differs from my view. Maybe, just maybe, I will then be able to
understand where our differences lie. I
will not likely agree with him/her, and he/she will not likely agree with me,
but we both may learn something new. So
here goes:
1 Right and wrong, moral and immoral,
truth and lie are not contingent upon difficulty or emotions.
Yes, I understand that there are times where a lie can be compassionate,
but it is still a lie. Breaking a
contract or a covenant is immoral regardless of the consequence. Stealing, rape, murder, etc. are still wrong
regardless of the reason. When did we,
as people, become so weak as to no longer take responsibility for our own
actions? In society, one of the changes
that I have seen is that people actually fight for the right to redefine
feelings and convenient actions as truth, right, and good. Not only this, but the same folks tend to
think it is their right to redefine the same issues for everyone as well. So, let me get this right…you have the right
to redefine all manner of concepts for yourself…which somehow means that if I
disagree with you, that makes me wrong on a moral level? Oh dear!
So here is how I see it. I am fine
with your not agreeing with me. If I
disagree with you, that will not change my character, and I do not expect it to
change yours. I will still love you,
treat you kindly, and even respect all of the things that are respectable about
you. Differing opinions do not define
people. I still expect people of
character to behave as people of character.
Additionally, please know that, as a medical professional, I will not
waver on the fact that life and death are definable and pronounceable (legally),
and that body parts and chromosomes determine gender. Feelings are real as well, but feelings
should not redefine the meaning of language.
Yes, I am a Christian, and God’s Word is the basis of my reasoning.
Proverbs 6:16-19, “There are six evils God truly hates and
a seventh that is an abomination to him:17 Putting others down
while considering yourself superior, spreading lies and rumors, spilling the
blood of the innocent,18 plotting evil in your heart toward another,
gloating over doing what’s plainly wrong,19 spouting lies in
false testimony, and stirring up strife between friends. These are entirely despicable to God!”
2. All life is defined genetically.
Our chromosomal makeup as humans is unique among all living things, just
as all other life is unique genetically.
We are genetically close to apes, but there are big differences. Tyrannosaurus Rex was genetically close to
sparrows, but there are huge differences.
3. Thing that are alive grow, develop,
or change. Things that are not alive do
not grow, develop or change. Plants, animals,
people, bacteria, viruses, etc. all changes and develop as they live. When they die, other forces take over and
cause decay.
4. Seeds have life potential.
Horticultural seeds contain the genetic instructions to produce a
specific kind of plant which will yield specific fruit or veggies or flowers,
etc. It is my assertion that a tomato
seed is not a growing tomato plant, but it has potential to be a growing tomato
plant. In order to activate the life of a
tomato seed it must be combined with a specific substance and be placed in a
specific environment. As soon as one
places a seed in the dirt and adds water, viola, the transformation
begins. Within days, one could dig it up
and see the evidence of growth and thus life.
Mix in some sunshine, and a tomato and mayonnaise sandwich in is your
future.
5. Sperm and eggs are people seeds:
Each sperm that is created within a man has the potential to provide
half of the genetic material for creating a new human. A sperm is not a person. Actual live sperm are not people either. The swimming/living part of each sperm is
actually just a vehicle for the seed portion to get to the proper mixing ground. An egg is not a person, but each egg with
which a female is born carries half of a potential person’s genetic
material. In average people, sperm and
eggs are lost on a regular basis. Women
lose at least one every month, and men lose them more often, one would
imagine. We see Biblical evidence that
God designed it that way. He encourages
married people to love each other in way which facilitates that loss. So, God does not equate the loss of an egg or
sperm to the loss of life. They are just
seeds or potential life.
6. Mix them up and the story changes:
When people seeds are mixed in the proper way and in the proper place,
they immediately begin to grow and reproduce.
The product is alive. The human
is alive. The zygote is genetically
human and living. It is constantly
developing, changing, and progressing.
7. Before a woman even knows that she is
pregnant… her baby
has a face, his own blood type, and a beating heart. No, none of it looks like it will look in a
few months, but the heart tissue is beating around 65 beats per minute and the
face is recognizably human. During that
first month since conception the placenta has formed so that Mom can supply oxygen
and nutrients to the baby, but Mom’s blood supply is her own and the baby’s
blood supply is his own. They do not
mix. They are separate human
beings. Why does the baby need oxygen? Because, he is alive.
Between the 17th and 30th days after conception the
baby’s neural tube forms. This is the
tissue that will completely differentiate into the spinal cord, spine, brain,
and skull. These are all of the tissues
which form thought, reason, feel pain, instruct the other organs, and enable
one to love, hate, and experience the gamut of human emotions. By the second month after conception, all of
this is well formed. (That’s just 8 weeks pregnant)
By the 3rd month the baby is fully formed. All of his organs are in place and starting
to function. They still need time to
mature, but the liver is making bile, the circulatory system is functioning and
the urinary tract is producing urine. By
the 4th month of pregnancy everything is fully developed: eyebrows, fingernails, hair, everything! The baby may suck his thumb, make faces,
yawn, and move around in a coordinated, purposeful manner. This is a human who simply needs time to
fully mature.
8. Abortion is the ending of a human life. Because of the science and reasoning above I
believe that abortion, at any stage, is equivalent to murder. I cannot even begin to understand the stance
that this is a choice about a woman’s own body.
Yes, the baby is being carried by the woman, but the baby’s body is in
no way a part of the woman’s body. It is
genetically separate. The blood supply
is separate. The only attachment is
through the placenta which is much like an electrical outlet and a cord. The placenta (which is at the end of the cord
attached to the baby) is temporarily plugged in to mom, and it will be expelled
as soon as the carrying is finished. Abortion
is the ending of a human life, and that is a very clear concept to my
scientific mind.
9. What about extenuating circumstances?
I have heard a number of arguments from pro-choice advocates who state
that un-wanted pregnancy creates a hardship on women who are unable to care for
the child. What about when the child is
the product of rape or incest? What
about when the pregnancy causes a woman to lose her career or her relationship?
I can certainly sympathize with anyone who finds themselves in a very difficult
situation. I cannot even imagine the emotional pain that one would endure
carrying a child of her attacker. However,
I believe that, even though this is gut wretchingly difficult, one must really
look at what is being asked.
The question that is being asked is, “Is murder alright when committing
it to avoid heartache and difficulty?”
The answer to that question is a resounding, NO! People are not allowed to kill people without
going to jail. People are not even
allowed to kill pets without going to jail.
What makes this situation different?
Please see point #1. There are
things that are right, and there are things that are wrong. A woman’s choice comes before
conception. In the case of rape or
incest the question becomes, “Does one horrific act justify another?” No.
Oh, I can hear the gasps or indignation, but torture of one innocent person
does not make it o.k. to murder another, separate, innocent life.
My last point is to answer another situation about which I have heard
from pro-choice advocates: If the fetus
is not self-sustainable or viable in the atmosphere, then it is not truly alive. I believe that I have adequately given my
stance on the definition of life, but please consider this. If a baby is born and left to fend for
himself, he will die. He cannot feed
himself, clothe himself, perform his own hygiene, or tend to his own medical
care. In this case the parents will be
charged with neglect and murder, and jailed or worse. Why? Even
in the states where abortion has few limitations (i.e.… It is legal to abort babies regardless of
gestation), there are laws which provide for an assailant to be charged with
two murders when he/she takes the life of a pregnant woman. So, which is it? Is the baby a person only if someone other
than his mother orders the killing? I
truly do not understand how the law can contain such a wide chasm as this.
I realize that I sound passionate about my stance, but that is only
because I am passionate about it. Please
know that in all of these words there is no condemnation. If you have made the choice for abortion I am
not condemning you, just as I do not expect you to condemn me for my point of
view. Let’s talk. I have laid my thoughts and reasoning out
there. It’s your turn.
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