Note: This is the opinion of Bishop Michael Goings and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Dillon Herald.
With the issue of Roe versus Wade and the preliminary decision of the United States Supreme Court voting five to three to overturn it being illegally leaked to the public, it has been the hottest domestic issue that has dominated the news.
In my column today, I am going to make a bold attempt to tackle this issue from a position of neutrality in spite of my conservative convictions (that I will hold and express at the end).
Perhaps in a true sense, when I give the beliefs and concerns of those in the pro-choice camp, I am playing the devil’s advocate. However, this is necessary in order to be fair, unbiased, and balanced in allowing the pendulum to swing. With that in mind, we will present the liberal and pro-choice side of the argument.
The Woman’s Right to Choose
Though I am not a woman, some of the closest, dearest, and most cherished people in my life are.
Since this is the case, I want to make sure that I am putting forth an argument that is worthy of their best interests regardless of what the matter might be.
Every woman is first and foremost a free moral agent. Their Creator has granted them the right to choose and in perhaps every area of life.
Also, the Constitution and law of the land grants each woman the right of choice concerning the well-being of their bodies.
This right is to include whether or not they choose to have an operation to remove a malignant growth or cancer or to alter certain physical features that some may not agree with them about.
At the forefront of women’s rights that is being hotly contested presently due to the Roe versus Wade issue is the right to have an abortion.
The overwhelming majority of people in America (over 60%) agree with those on the liberal left about the woman’s right to an abortion. After all, they presume that a woman’s body is her property and as such she possesses the right to do with it as she pleases.
Furthermore, they are of the opinion that no one else, not even the government, has the right to dictate what she does with her own body.
Add to this argument and perspective the fear that some are loudly voicing that if Roe versus Wade is overturned, then what is to prevent the conservative majority on the Supreme Court from also overturning things like gay marriages, LGBT rights, open enlistment in the military, and a few other things that would be brought before them by some conservative group on the right.
The Right to be Born
In this section of my column today, I will allow the pendulum to swing to the beliefs and opinions of those on the conservative right.
Some on the left who do not share the beliefs and views of those on the right about the pro-life argument may perhaps be saying, “What is all the fuss about” or in the words of former Senator and Vice-President Walter Mondale, “Where is the beef?”
As convinced as those on the left are that they are right about women’s rights and pro-choice, the conservatives on the right are equally convinced and perhaps more so that they are fighting for a good cause that supersedes the rights of women to have an abortion.
From their perspective, it is one of the most fundamental rights in creation and humanity, the right of the unborn to be born.
With the advancement of scientific technology, both the ability to detect the heartbeat and brain activity of a fetus has proven to be from five and a half to six weeks after conception.
If this is the criteria that the scientific and medical field employs to detect and determine whether or not a person on a life support apparatus is alive or dead through their heartbeat and brain activity, it is a complete travesty of justice and miscarriage of morality for the unborn not to be classified in the same category of human life as others when they possess a fetal heartbeat and brain activity.
Little wonder that those on the conservative right have fought for decades to have Roe versus Wade overturned ever since it was made the law of the land (by a seven to two vote) by the United States Supreme Court back in 1973.
Since that time, it is estimated that over 60 million babies have been aborted.
Summary and Conclusion
In section one (The Woman’s Right to Choose) and section two (The Right to be Born), I endeavored to allow the pendulum to swing in order to present to you the crux of the argument from both the liberal left and conservative right.
I know that in some opinions from both sides, I perhaps failed to be balanced and unbiased in my attempt. Nevertheless, I tried my best to achieve that objective.
As I bring this article to its conclusion, I deem it necessary to say (without any ambiguity) that I am dogmatically and emphatically pro-life.
From both a biblical and scientific perspective, I believe that human life begins at conception through the divine orchestration of God.
Furthermore, I believe that though a woman has been given by God and the law of man the right of upkeep of her body, this right does not give her the right to take her own life through suicide or to take the life of an unborn through abortion.
Given there are many things to consider and ponder about this issue (like rape, incest, and such the like), there is an alternative for a pregnant woman or girl who considers an abortion. It is called the adoption option.
