Abortion: Position Paper
...speaking of human life, a noteworthy distinction. It is developing, yes, but still human. “But” the pro-choice lobby resounds, “the fetus does not have fully developed mental capacities yet, and therefore while it is human life, it hardly bears comparison to a fully developed adult.” I will grant this statement has some credence, however one must notice that the pro-choice claim runs into a slight snag in this area, as it uses an argument which can justify infanticide. The dependence on the mother for life may no longer exist with infants, but this pro-choice argument still effectively denies any innate right to life to individuals without fully developed mental capacities. Heaven help infants and the severally mentally retarded if such a point holds sway in our society. Accordingly, the debate over whether the fetus has a right to life reflects the inability of science to provide any conclusive information which might convince either side of what rights the fetus ought to be granted under the law. We cannot know for certain whether a fetus is more akin to a human vegetable or an infant in terms of mental development. Some neural activity is detectable in a fetus early in development, but one can only speculate as to how advanced their minds are. Moreover, there is moral uncertainty in this area which has contributed to the divide which is the basis of the abortion debate. This ambiguity should give abortion rights advocates pause, as there is no certainty in this area, but rather value judgments and gut feelings. The aforementioned debate over whether a fetus has a “soul” reflects such a sentiment. Ultimately there is a great deal that is controversial in human development, with questions, which will, perhaps, never be answered. When confronted with such great uncertainty, we must ask ourselves if abortion is morally permissible when the status of the fetus is debatable. Shall we simply continue allowing abortions, even though each death could be an atrocity? My line of reasoning contends that no person has the right to take such a risk when dealing with other innocent human lives. With no doubt you never know what traits or abilities the fetus could produce, even assuming that the fetus may have few capacities and is essentially an unthinking work-in-progress, it would be improper for we as a society to take the risk with the dearth of knowledge which currently exists. Second my analysis will, no doubt, be found unacceptable by a great many abortion rights advocates. To give one self a abortion you have to have approval unless in cases were rape and incest is present. The heart of pro-choice dogma contends that women’s rights to control their own bodies extends to allowing them to have abortions, and that the fetus, regardless of its innate qualities, has no right to use the woman’s body without her approval. While I would argue any position on abortion which acknowledges a fetal right to life and subsequently argues for its violation is more of a fringe view, I am bound to provide a response to such ideas. Essentially, the pro-choice denial of the fetal use right must contend that the fetus is a parasite. This concept purports the idea that the fetus feeds off of the mother’s body yet it has no right to do so, and thus the label of parasite applies quite well. Conversely, I maintain that the fetus is hardly a parasite, having been created within the mother herself. This situation grants the fetus use rights. Yet this point, of course, merits expansion. A tapeworm may be born in a woman’s body, but that alone doesn’t furnish it the right to use her body. To counter this notion, I would assert that reproduction is a unique case, as human life is created within another human being through conception. We must do proper justice to the unique state of affairs involved in reproduction. Those in favor of abortion rights may not perceive reproduction as so exceptional, and still argue against fetal use rights on that basis. Alas, it is problematic to maintain that there is nothing exclusive to the natural process which engenders human life. Third you are put into class before you are even born, all of the way from a fetus to a senior. Beyond such concerns lies the reliance of my argument upon the notion that the comparison of a fetus to an adult in a vegetative state, and the assumption that a person in a vegetative state hasn’t any life right...