American Gadfly

Commentary, Critique, and Insight on Contemporary America

Monday, October 31, 2005

Something to ponder for the fetal defenders

I wonder more and more about the lunacy of the so-called right to life movement. These fetal defenders argue that human life begins at the moment of conception, and that any developing human, from embryo to birth, deserves protection against things like abortion.
The question I would pose to such zealots is this - assuming a belief in an omnipotent, omniscient God, what do they have to say about "natural" loss of fetal life, in the form of miscarriage and stillbirth?
Whenever a woman has a miscarriage or stillbirth, she has lost a "human life" by the definitions of the fetal defenders. Admittedly, many of these natural miscarriages and stillbirths occur due to severe genetic abnormalities or defects in the fetus that are not compatible with life, yet there are many of these pregnancies that might have developed into normal children. Realize that by the nature of our "design" humans will have natural pregnancy loss. When this happens, do the fetal defenders shake their fists at God and curse him, or expain such losses as the work of Satan or demons? How "sacred" can a fetus be if so many die in development in the first place?? What kind of "holy" design in humans is this? The harsh rules of nature should not be forgotten by those who feel we were magically created in a fantasy garden.
Those with a reasoned, non-fantasy approach to human life would recognize that fetal loss is a normal part of human existance. There is nothing unholy or immoral with chosing an abortion for medical reasons, especially if a human life, ie the mother, is at risk. Clearly, there are circumstances where the open choice for abortion is abhorrent - the case of gender selection, for instance, where healthy female fetuses might be aborted due to cultural preference for boys, should be outlawed. The basis for such outlawing does not have to require invoking any religous text, however.

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