Objections to abortion can be based on science
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Regarding Herald columnist Sid Schwab’s recent column (“If abortion a religious issue, what’s it mean for law,” The Herald, Dec. 10): As a Christian, I have opinions about abortion that do not meet Scwab’s conventional perspective which attempts to make the topic a Christian versus women’s rights issue.
Schwab implies that those who oppose abortion hypocritical if they have no intention of helping impoverished children. But many opposed to abortion may not have the means to help anyone. Nevertheless, should we allow the ills of our time to rationalize abortion as a moral solution? Such a view has warranted the slaughter of millions of people. Such a view can lead us to conclude that if we are incapable of making a world where all children are guaranteed a prosperous life, why not exterminate the less fortunate in utero?
He also states that few, if any, make the choice lightly. Unfortunately, some do, and merely for convenience. Regardless, there are few restrictions, if any, based on motive. Individual freedom is the primary legal basis for abortion on demand.
Schwab makes the comment that the idea of life beginning at conception is primarily a religious concept. In a public high school, biology class, I learned that life is found in myriad forms, from the simplest single-cell organism to the most complex. It is easy to conclude that life begins at conception, Science tells us that a heartbeat can be detected as early as 3 to 4 weeks after conception. Leave religion out of the argument. Look at the science. Be guided by logic and morality, if not by God.
However, even when considering all the above, I am on the fence. If the mother opts to abort her child, a safe and sterile environment must be made available. Sadly, we live in a country where personal liberty is more valuable than life. We observe our environment declining in health, ecologically and morally. And we continue in our drug-induced apathy while things get worse. And, to safeguard this absurdity, we have the gall to rely on young men and women to die in war, in the name of freedom. In such a world, abortion becomes far less repugnant.
As Schwab observes, resources available to women do indeed reduce the likelihood of opting for abortion. The more information the mother receives, the freer she is to make a rational choice. For Snohomish County, I highly recommend the Pregnancy Resource Center in Everett.
Dan Palmer
Lynnwood
