What's in a Life

The topic of abortion is a growing debate in the US right now. Texas has recently passed a bill that allows anyone to sue anyone else involved in the process of abortion. The Supreme Court just listened to oral arguments for a case that could overturn Roe v Wade. The vitriol on Capitol Hill is a clear demonstration of how divided America is over the subject. 

If you read my last piece, then you know I believe we are wrestling over the wrong issue. No longer a matter of when life begins, the battle really being waged right now is over when life begins to have value. If you aren't sure, read this piece from "First Things," published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life (which you can learn more about here). Or, read this piece, from the Washington Post archives, originally published in 1999, quoting Peter Singer's book. 

Christians have operated on the assumption that biblical values are universal values. They are not. The abortion debate, probably more than anything else, reveals the disconnect between biblical values and the current shifting sand of Western ideologies. 

According to David Livingstone Smith, human life is precious because of an "imaginary something." The absence of that imaginary something is ultimately what allows for dehumanization and inhumane treatment (Less Than Human, p. 263). 

According to David Stamos, because evolution is now generally accepted as fact (not theory), the suggestion that "our moral equality is based on the mere fact that we are human... is fundamentally arbitrary" (The Myth of Universal Human Rights, p. 31). Stamos goes on to explain that the suggestion that people are special is complicated because of how one defines the term "species." You see, "there are currently in existence upwards of 30 million species on Earth. Why would humans and only humans have those special rights called 'human rights'?" (again on p. 31 of The Myth of Universal Human Rights). Why indeed? 

Let me repeat, the issue at hand is not when life begins. It is very much a matter of when life begins to have value. The sobering reality is that, without any firm foundation for human value, David Stamos is right, any suggestion that humans are better than animals is fundamentally arbitrary. 

The reality is that evolution is not fact. The foundation for it is crumbling. Stephen Meyer's book Return of the God Hypothesis presents more than a strong argument for intelligent design. He goes so far to claim that the evidence supports the existence of a personal God! 

If, as Meyer claims, science supports the existence of a personal God, then recognizing something special about human beings is neither arbitrary nor imaginary. Our value comes from God Himself. Ann VosKamp says it so well in her children's book Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, "The whole world was made by God's word. But God's children alone were made by all of God's love. You were formed by a huddle of holy hearts" (p. 12-14). 

People, human beings (and there is no difference) are made by God's love. David, in Psalm 139, says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13, NLT). Each of us is special. We are each hand knit by God. That confers incredible value! In light of such realities, claims that human value can be measured in "meaningfulness" are revealed as ridiculous. 

Those of us who recognize the value of unborn life must take a step back and recognize that arguing over when life begins is a waste of time, energy, and effort. We can do ultrasounds and listen to heartbeats and show evidence of pain aversion in preborn babies till the cows come home. None of those realities are pertinent to this conversation! 

We need different talking points! 

1. God exists. 
2. We are not God. 
3. We have intrinsic value because we are made in God's image. 
4. That value is not diminished by or dependent on a baby's "viability." 
   
5. Any conversation about the termination of a pregnancy must start with the recognition of the full humanity of both the mother and the unborn child. 

We have to recognize that we live in a fallen, broken world. We are not in Eden any more. Too few people in America recognize that God exists or that His existence has any impact on their lives. As a pro-life follower of Jesus, I can not expect someone who is unaware of God's existence to share my moral or ethical values. I cannot. So how can we proceed? 

By recognizing the intrinsic value of those with whom we most strongly disagree; pro-choice advocates and providers. Then, by asking ourselves how we'd like to be treated if we were standing in their shoes? How can we engage in meaningful conversation, or even effective debate, if we cannot step outside our own biases and look at reality from a different angle? We cannot! Until we do, however, I'm afraid our conversations will have little effect on changing hearts towards abortion, regardless of what the Supreme Court decides to do.