"Nonetheless, I wonder if some of our language as Christians can unwittingly reflect or reinforce a functional view of personhood. For example, once, when a friend held our infant daughter in his lap and observed her facial expressions, he exclaimed, "She almost looks like a little person!" (Er, she already is a person, and has been so since conception.) Or consider the ad campaigns by Pro-Life Across America ("The Billboard People"). They seek to dissuade people from abortion due to the functions of the fetus. ("Guess what? Our hearts were beating 24 days from conception!" "What! I could smile before I was born…12 weeks from conception.") We may succeed at convincing people not to have abortions on this basis, but we shouldn't be surprised if they then yawn at the idea of destroying embryos for research. Embryos simply don't play very well on billboards."
The prolife presentation of fetal development facts should also make sure to note that certain landmarks such as a beating heart or brain waves don't suddenly create living human beings. The beating of my heart at 22 days didn't give me a life or make my life worthy of protection, my life was started and was worthy of protection before my heart was created or started beating.
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I'm not against the Fetal Pain Act by any means I just feel our efforts to humanize older unborn children in the eyes of many should be very careful about dehumanizing younger unborn children.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, legislation like bans on partial-birth abortion and the fetal pain act are ways of getting a prolife foot in the door to people who might otherwise have no interest in the prolife cause.
Often times getting someone to acknowledge the humanity and value of an older unborn child can help them realize the value of all unborn children.