Article: Is the Abortion Debate Really About Whose Morality We Will Legislate?
It seems one of the great moral debates in America today focuses on the question of abortion or as some would prefer we call it, a woman's right to choose. You can measure the tension in the debate by looking at how offended and angry people are on both sides of the issue. Few things can light up the break room of your office or Thanksgiving dinner with the extended family like a full-on abortion rights argument.
It seems everyone views this as a morality issue. The two sides are not pointing at the same question of morality. So, in a sense they are talking past each other. But both sides are convinced the other side hold an immoral position.
The pro-life (anti-abortion) side believes those on the other side of the dividing line are immoral because they devalue life. Because we all seem to push things to the extreme, devaluing life quickly becomes hating life. That is how many pro-life advocates see those who disagree with them. They say, "If you respected and valued life, you would do everything possible to save the life of that baby. You would accept any kind of inconvenience. You would make any sacrifice. That baby's life is valuable and should be protected, supported, and celebrated!" The pro-life man or woman believes this is a moral issue.
On the other side of the controversy, the pro-choice (pro-abortion) side believes people in the first group are immoral. They are immoral because they do not care about women. They are immoral because they do not care about freedom or autonomy or privacy. They say, "If you really valued women, you would stand up and fight for a woman's right to choose. You would do whatever you could do to protect a woman's right to make private and personal decisions about her own body and her own healthcare." The pro-choice man or woman believe this is a moral issue.
Is it a moral issue?
Sure. It is a moral issue, but not in the way that either side perceives it to be.
Let me demonstrate this fact by giving you two pretty extreme examples. I know these are not at all likely scenarios, but I think the ridiculousness of these stories will serve to hammer home the point.
Scenario #1
A young adult woman is sitting at home alone watching television one night. An intruder, a man, breaks into her home. He assaults the young woman and against her will, he impregnates her.
Now, let's assess this terrible scenario from a moral perspective. Was what happened to this young woman wrong? Was the man morally wrong for doing what he did? Should we legislate against this kind of violence and this kind of action?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
There is no moral debate in a scenario like this. All reasonable people believe what this man did was morally wrong.
Now, you probably guess my next story and know where I am going with this. You are probably right, but stick to the end. I'm going to draw a different conclusion than you expect.
Scenario #2
A young single mom has a two year old. The two year old has gotten on her mother's last nerve. So, the mother cuts the child up into ten pieces and disposes of her in the trash.
Now, let's assess this terrible scenario from a moral perspective. Was what happened to this little girl wrong? Was the mom morally wrong for doing what she did? Should we legislate against against this kind of unspeakable violence?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
There is no moral debate in a scenario like this. All reasonable people believe what this man did was morally wrong.
I know these situations are far fetched. Hang with me. I'm not drawing any kind of moral equivalence with these stories and either pro-choice or pro-life views.
Clearly, both pro-life and pro-choice advocates would have full moral agreement in these scenarios. The pro-life person would say that the intruder and the mother were both morally wrong. The pro-choice person would also say that the intruder and the mother were both morally wrong.
Here is the point I'm trying to make. Often, pro-life people put pro-choice people in the shoes of the murderous mom. AND, pro-choice people put pro-life people in the shoes of the evil intruder.
Let's stop doing that. Neither of those viewpoints is accurate, fair, or helpful.
The question is really not the morality of a woman's right to control her own body. I believe pro-life people are fully in favor of a woman's right to control her own body. The question is really not the morality of whether babies or children should be murdered. I believe pro-choice people respect and value the life of a baby as much as pro-life people.
The question is... Is the fetus a baby or not?
I'm not suggesting that will be an easy question for us to come to some sort of agreement. I'm sure it will not be an easy question. But the only helpful way forward and the only hopeful way forward is for both sides to set aside their morality guns and debate the critical issue.
I have a post-script...
Some pro-life AND pro-choice people will think I am being too charitable to the other side. You will point to rhetoric you have heard and to extremists who ARE actually filled with hate and bitterness. And both sides could probably point to some pretty horrible people on the other side of the debate. I won't disagree with you. I'll just say this: Those people (on either side) will never be part of the solution. Haters will hate. Let us rise above that where we can. Let's focus our debate on the real question and the only hope for resolution.
Pastor Noel