Abortion and the Beginning of Life

Abortion is wrong. It is sinful. It is just plain wrong.

But a woman has a right to choose. Who are you to tell me what to do with my own body?

Honorable right thinking men certainly disagree on the whole abortion issue.

In the good old days when I was young, things were simple. They were black and white. Abortion was wrong. Life begins at birth. Some things we didn't question, and these were among those things. It's not that we weren't curious or questioning or stupid or ignorant; it's just that some things were obvious. Just plain obvious. Matters of abortion and the beginning of life and even sex outside of marriage were among those things that were just obvious, and everyone knew it.

Oh, sure, some folks did the sex before marriage thing. Probably lots of folks. But it didn't creep into the mainstream of acceptability. The struggle between morals and youthful hormones has been around since morals were invented. Sex, of course, has been around for a lot longer than that. I know this tome is titled Abortion and the Beginning of Life and does not mention sex, but without sex, the other issues don't really present themselves.

Before we discuss abortion, we really have to understand the question and possible answers to “When does life begin?” Historically, the legal answer has always been that life begins at birth. To be sure, the life of a pregnant mother-to-be always seemed somehow to be “a bit more valuable” than the life of the rest of us, but the expectant life still began at birth.

Some believe and loudly profess that life begins at conception. I think that this position emanates from a need for simplicity.

Earl Franklin © 2009