Abortion: the right to terminate a pregnancy in the face of a difficult situation. Abortion: the intentional destruction of a fetus. Abortion: socially acceptable in almost every developed country. Abortion: a basic human right. It is these beliefs that uphold legalized abortion throughout the world, but what if these beliefs are wrong? What if a fetus is a person deserving of all basic human rights?
The Catholic Church has always maintained that human beings have an inherent dignity and that human life is held at a level above the rest of God’s creation. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” No other creature is created in the divine image of God. Human beings have dominion over creation as stewards and caretakers. Psalm 8:6 reiterates this reality, “You have made them (humans) little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.” Human life is sacred and must be respected because even the most lowly and dependent person bears the image of the Creator. It is not only Scripture that reveals this reality to us, so does reason.
There is an essential element that sets humanity apart from the rest of creation: the immortal soul. Intellect and free will allow one to make decisions, to understand “right” and “wrong,” and to discern the will of God. All people have the ability, and the right, to use and manipulate the objects around them as a means for their own ends. This is possible because people are greater than objects; every person is an immortal being, given stewardship over mortal objects. This raises an essential question: just as an individual has the right to use objects, should one also have the right to use another individual as the means to an end? The answer is a simple and absolute, no. This is because human beings have an immortal soul and so the innate right to determine their own ends. Not even God can use human beings as a means to an end. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “Anyone who treats a person as the means to an end does violence to the very essence of the other, to what constitutes its natural right.” Therefore, the intentional killing of an innocent human being, no matter what the reasons or circumstances, is intrinsically evil. Even if the person is merely an unwanted “pregnancy.”
The Catholic Church recognizes that human life, with full rights and dignity, begins at conception. This is not an arbitrary declaration made by old men in Rome; rather, this is a truth confirmed by biology, genetics, and nature. The miracle of life speaks for itself. Neither a woman’s egg nor a man’s sperm can feed or reproduce themselves, for these are “dead” cells. However, when these dead cells unite, they not only create life, but they create a life that is completely unique. They create a life that is wholly new. This life will have a heartbeat by 25 days, brainwaves at 43 days, and by eight weeks all body systems will be present. This life is fully living and fully human at the moment of conception. Countless numbers of doctors, biologists, and geneticists agree with this reality.
The fact that human life begins at conception is obvious; yet, there are two commonly used arguments which oppose this reality. The first argument claims that because a fetus lacks fully developed organs and functions, there is no definitive proof that it is fully “alive.” Because of this belief, the fetus can be destroyed without question. There is a major flaw in this argument, however. The fact that a fetus “may not” be fully alive implies that there is a possibility of life. Should this not give one reason to pause? A demolition crew would refuse to blow up a building unless they were certain that the building was empty. If a demolition crew will not destroy a building without first establishing with certainty that it is completely void of life, why does society arbitrarily destroy millions of fetuses without first establishing the same fact?
The second argument claims that although a fetus may be a “human being,” it is not a “person” due to a lack of consciousness, reasoning, and self-awareness. This argument is stronger than the last one because the concept of “personhood” is much broader than the concept of biological life. However, there are critical flaws with this argument as well. The first error is that it embraces the Cartesian concept of humanity. This school of thought is based on the understanding that humans are beings that think, and that it is this thinking that makes a human being a “person.” Descartes claimed, “I think therefore I am.” Although this understanding of personhood is commonly accepted in our current society, many people do not realize that this is only one of many philosophies. For instance, the Greek philosopher Aristotle claimed that the capability of rational thinking is a consequence of one’s nature. Therefore, he believed that it is not the ability to reason that makes one a person, rather, it is one’s human nature that enables him or her the power to reason. At this point a question must be raised. Should society be killing millions of human beings based on a fallible and often contradicted philosophy? There is a another flaw with using the Cartesian concept of humanity to justify abortion. Psychology has demonstrated that a human being is not self-aware until seven to nine months after birth. So if it is okay to kill a fetus because it is not self-aware, then should it not also be acceptable to kill a six month old infant? Furthermore, this concept of personhood justifies the termination of all mentally handicapped individuals that are not fully self-aware. Why do we view these actions as horrific yet continue to support abortion?
When people start defining the beginning of life as something other than conception, all they are doing is drawing arbitrary lines in the sand that do not hold any weight. The Nazis said that the Jews were “non-persons” and therefore held no rights. The United States Government said that African Americans were “non-persons” and therefore held no rights. Governments and societies are drawing these lines whenever it fits their agenda. The Nazis murdered over 8 million innocent human beings. Stalin murdered around 50 million innocent human beings. The Rwandan genocide left over 800 thousand Tutsis dead in less than 100 days. The United States, in 37 years, has murdered over 53 million innocent babies. Look at the millions of human beings who are dead because those in power have defined them as “non-persons.”
As a “civilized” society, we should be asking ourselves some serious questions. Are the ideologies of “choice” worth the lives of 53 million children? Less than 5% of abortions in the United States are performed because of rape, incest, or risk to the life of the mother. This means that over 95% of abortions happen because a baby is inconvenient. Is our convenience worth the lives of over 50 million Americans? One of those 50 million could have discovered the cure for AIDS. One of those 50 million could have predicted the earthquake in Haiti. One of those 50 million could have saved you grandma or grandpa from dying of cancer. How many people have we sacrificed on the altar of choice and freedom?
Every human being is called by his or her very nature to reach out to those who cannot help themselves. Each person is called to care for the innocent victims left behind by society. As a “civilized” society, do we want to continue drenching our hands in the blood of millions of innocent children whose only crime is being unwanted? Blessed Mother Teresa’s life should inspire us. She once said, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody. The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, the terrible indifference toward one’s neighbor.”
