Pro-Life | Pro-Women | Pro-Children
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States across the nation are grappling with the issue of abortion. In the coming months, we can expect much turmoil around the topic of abortion, as, based on the recently leaked draft opinion, it appears likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade and make abortion availability a matter of state control, and not something considered to be a U.S. Constitutional right. Some in Oregon, the state with the most permissive abortion laws in the country, will be in an uproar. Even if Roe is overturned, unless there is a massive political shift in Oregon, abortion will be readily available in our state. It might even become more available as abortion proponents react vigorously to the overturning of Roe at the federal level.
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With an issue this controversial, if we are to sustain relationships, build community and make Oregon better, we will have to be kind, respectful, seek first to understand and speak truth in love so we don’t tear ourselves apart socially. |
While, as a practical matter, my position on abortion is likely to have relatively little political importance, as a candidate for state office in Oregon, it’s an issue that voters should rightly expect me to have carefully considered and be able to clearly articulate a position on, whether they agree with me or not.
My position will anger many, and please many others. Some will like part of my answer and not all of it. Abortion is obviously a very complex, contentious, and emotionally charged topic. It’s an issue that has probably touched every American in one way or another. One thing for sure, with an issue this controversial, if we are to sustain relationships, build community and make Oregon better, we will have to be kind, respectful, seek first to understand and speak truth in love so we don’t tear ourselves apart socially. Disagreement does not have to lead to, nor does it automatically mean, condemnation and hate for one another. Instead, it is our duty and opportunity to love one another despite our disagreements.
This article is in two parts – one short and one long. The short part is a summary of my position on the topic. The long part is Scientific, Constitutional and Biblical grounding for my position. On a life and death topic like this, we should expect well-grounded positions from one another, not just opinions, desires, feelings or rage-filled rants.
My position will anger many, and please many others. Some will like part of my answer and not all of it. Abortion is obviously a very complex, contentious, and emotionally charged topic. It’s an issue that has probably touched every American in one way or another. One thing for sure, with an issue this controversial, if we are to sustain relationships, build community and make Oregon better, we will have to be kind, respectful, seek first to understand and speak truth in love so we don’t tear ourselves apart socially. Disagreement does not have to lead to, nor does it automatically mean, condemnation and hate for one another. Instead, it is our duty and opportunity to love one another despite our disagreements.
This article is in two parts – one short and one long. The short part is a summary of my position on the topic. The long part is Scientific, Constitutional and Biblical grounding for my position. On a life and death topic like this, we should expect well-grounded positions from one another, not just opinions, desires, feelings or rage-filled rants.
Position:
1. I am pro-life and I believe a civilized society like ours must protect and champion life. There is strong Biblical and Constitutional support for this position.
2. I am pro-women, and I believe, as a state and a society we must work to provide viable and accessible alternatives to abortion, so that women have more choices, not fewer. Adoption and foster care are options for some, but both systems are broken and need immediate attention. Other possible solutions include expanded pregnancy counseling, miscarriage and abortion grief counseling and support systems, and organized community support for women who choose to parent without a partner. I believe in championing women. A civilized society like ours must allow and encourage all people to experience their highest and best life.
Championing women, once they’ve determined they’re pregnant, requires sensitivity, empathy, compassion and willingness to understand the enormity of the choices, decisions and life changes ahead. It also requires a withholding of judgment and condemnation for women who have undergone an abortion procedure. The Bible has a relevant story. When some guys wanted to condemn and stone a woman, Jesus said to them, “If there’s one of you that hasn’t ever done anything wrong, you can throw the first stone.” The men slunk away, and no stones were thrown, because none of us is perfect. And then Jesus asked the woman, “Aren’t they going to condemn you? Well neither am I.” That’s sound advice for us today.
Championing women, increasing their choices, and working to provide more pregnancy options that will save the lives of women and children is what I intend to focus on in Salem.
3. I am pro-children, and I believe, with plentiful scientific evidence to back it, that life begins at conception. The pro-choice, reproductive rights, and abortion industry argument is focused solely on the assertion of rights for women. While acknowledging the importance of women’s rights, I assert that unborn children, and children in general also have rights. Moreover, they have no voice and are unable to defend themselves. As adults, we have a duty to be the voice of our children and defend and protect them. This pro-life/pro-child stance also extends to my strong opposition to child slavery, child prostitution and child trafficking.
I intend to be a voice for all children, born and unborn, in Salem.
This is the end of my position summary. If you want to understand why I believe as I do, read on. Regardless of whether you agree with me or not, I challenge you to rigorously formulate your own well-grounded position on this issue and be prepared to discuss it, as you will most likely have the opportunity. Let’s build, not destroy, relationships in those discussions.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scientific, Constitutional and Biblical Grounding For Life
In the abortion discussion, there is much talk about wanting and deserving “rights.” Many justifying phrases have been invented: “reproductive rights,” “reproductive health,” “right to choose,” “my body, my choice,” and “bodily autonomy,” are but a few of the phrases that have been created and claimed. However, I find no scientific or Biblical support, and very little Constitutional support for abortion being morally right, or something that is legitimately recognized as “a right.”
Science and Life.
One of the challenges the Supreme Court justices faced at the time of Roe v. Wade was limited agreement on when life begins. A mass of scientific evidence and scientific position papers has since been released. It is clear now, scientifically, that Life Begins at Fertilization. The following references illustrate the fact that a new human embryo, the starting point for a human life, comes into existence with the formation of the one-celled zygote:
"Development of the embryo begins at Stage 1 when a sperm fertilizes an oocyte and together they form a zygote."
[England, Marjorie A. Life Before Birth. 2nd ed. England: Mosby-Wolfe, 1996, p.31]
"Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception).
"Fertilization is a sequence of events that begins with the contact of a sperm (spermatozoon) with a secondary oocyte (ovum) and ends with the fusion of their pronuclei (the haploid nuclei of the sperm and ovum) and the mingling of their chromosomes to form a new cell. This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being."
[Moore, Keith L. Essentials of Human Embryology. Toronto: B.C. Decker Inc, 1988, p.2]
"Embryo: the developing organism from the time of fertilization until significant differentiation has occurred, when the organism becomes known as a fetus."
[Cloning Human Beings. Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Rockville, MD: GPO, 1997, Appendix-2.]
"Embryo: An organism in the earliest stage of development; in a man, from the time of conception to the end of the second month in the uterus."
[Dox, Ida G. et al. The Harper Collins Illustrated Medical Dictionary. New York: Harper Perennial, 1993, p. 146]
"Embryo: The early developing fertilized egg that is growing into another individual of the species. In man the term 'embryo' is usually restricted to the period of development from fertilization until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy."
[Walters, William and Singer, Peter (eds.). Test-Tube Babies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 160]
"The development of a human being begins with fertilization, a process by which two highly specialized cells, the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female, unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."
[Langman, Jan. Medical Embryology. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1975, p. 3]
"Embryo: The developing individual between the union of the germ cells and the completion of the organs which characterize its body when it becomes a separate organism.... At the moment the sperm cell of the human male meets the ovum of the female and the union results in a fertilized ovum (zygote), a new life has begun.... The term embryo covers the several stages of early development from conception to the ninth or tenth week of life."
[Considine, Douglas (ed.). Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. 5th edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1976, p. 943]
"I would say that among most scientists, the word 'embryo' includes the time from after fertilization..."
[Dr. John Eppig, Senior Staff Scientist, Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine) and Member of the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 31]
"The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."
[Sadler, T.W. Langman's Medical Embryology. 7th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1995, p. 3]
"The question came up of what is an embryo, when does an embryo exist, when does it occur. I think, as you know, that in development, life is a continuum.... But I think one of the useful definitions that has come out, especially from Germany, has been the stage at which these two nuclei [from sperm and egg] come together and the membranes between the two break down."
[Jonathan Van Blerkom of University of Colorado, expert witness on human embryology before the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 63]
"Zygote. This cell, formed by the union of an ovum and a sperm (Gr. zyg tos, yoked together), represents the beginning of a human being. The common expression 'fertilized ovum' refers to the zygote."
[Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N. Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects. 4th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1993, p. 1]
"The chromosomes of the oocyte and sperm are...respectively enclosed within female and male pronuclei. These pronuclei fuse with each other to produce the single, diploid, 2N nucleus of the fertilized zygote. This moment of zygote formation may be taken as the beginning or zero time point of embryonic development."
[Larsen, William J. Human Embryology. 2nd edition. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1997, p. 17]
"Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed.... The combination of 23 chromosomes present in each pronucleus results in 46 chromosomes in the zygote. Thus the diploid number is restored and the embryonic genome is formed. The embryo now exists as a genetic unity."
[O'Rahilly, Ronan and Muller, Fabiola. Human Embryology & Teratology. 2nd edition. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1996, pp. 8, 29. This textbook lists "pre-embryo" among "discarded and replaced terms" in modern embryology, describing it as "ill-defined and inaccurate" (p. 12}]
"Almost all higher animals start their lives from a single cell, the fertilized ovum (zygote)... The time of fertilization represents the starting point in the life history, or ontogeny, of the individual."
[Carlson, Bruce M. Patten's Foundations of Embryology. 6th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, p. 3]
Constitutional Protections for Life.
As a readily available and presumably moderate resource, I quote here directly from a Wikipedia overview of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), that summarizes “a landmark decision of the Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The decision struck down many U.S. federal and state abortion laws. Roe fueled an ongoing abortion debate in the United States about whether or to what extent abortion should be legal, who should decide the legality of abortion, and what the role of moral and religious views on the political sphere should be.
The decision involved the case of Norma McCorvey - known by the legal pseudonym “Jane Roe” - who in 1969 became pregnant with her third child. McCorvey wanted an abortion but lived in Texas, where abortion was illegal except when necessary to save the mother's life. Her attorneys filed a lawsuit on her behalf in U.S. federal court alleging that Texas's abortion laws were unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas heard the case and ruled in her favor. Texas then appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In January 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision in McCorvey's favor ruling that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides a "right to privacy" that protects a pregnant woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion. It also ruled that this right is not absolute (in other words, it’s a conditional right) and must be balanced against governments' interests in protecting women's health and prenatal life.
The Court resolved this balancing test by tying state regulation of abortion to the three trimesters of pregnancy: during the first trimester, governments could not prohibit abortions at all; during the second trimester, governments could require reasonable health regulations; during the third trimester, abortions could be prohibited entirely so long as the laws contained exceptions for cases when they were necessary to save the life or health of the mother. The Court classified the right to choose to have an abortion as "fundamental", which required courts to evaluate challenged abortion laws under the strict scrutiny standard, the highest level of judicial review in the United States.
The Court's ruling in Roe was criticized by some in the legal community, and some called the decision an example of judicial activism. The Supreme Court revisited and modified Roe's legal rulings in its 1992 decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In Casey, the Court reaffirmed Roe's holding that a woman's right to choose to have an abortion is constitutionally protected, but abandoned Roe's trimester framework in favor of a standard based on fetal viability and overruled the strict scrutiny standard for reviewing abortion restrictions.”
I am not a Constitutional law expert, just a regular guy. However, I think regular citizens should be fully conversant with the US and Oregon Constitutions, since these are the foundations upon which our country and state are formed. The Bill of Rights and additional Amendments to the Constitution are especially important, and they are easy to read and understand.
I find no indication that the US or Oregon Constitutions support the termination of life of an unborn child. I have no dispute with a woman’s conditional right to privacy. However, I don’t see one person’s right to “privacy,” whether they are male or female, as overriding another person’s right to life, personal security and personal property. For example, murder, assault, rape and burglary committed privately are still wrong. I also don’t see one person’s conditional right to “privacy” overriding another person’s right to Constitutional protections under several Amendments, such as:
Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons…
Eighth Amendment: …nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Ninth Amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Fourteenth Amendment: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
For these reasons, not that I have any say in the matter, I believe the Roe decision was in error and that the current Supreme Court will likely overturn it for some of the scientific and Constitutional reasons noted above. We will see.
Again, however, the impact of an overturning of Roe will simply put the decision about abortion in the hands of the states and their respective electorates. With history as a guide, we can anticipate the state of Oregon will continue the practice.
Biblical Perspectives on Life.
As the Constitution sets the framework for what government can or can’t do, the Bible, I believe, tells us what we and it should or shouldn’t do. I do not believe there is any support for abortion in the Bible.
God, as the Creator of life, is pro-life. We are God’s most special creation. “So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Thousands of years ago, from the early days of the Judeo-Christian faith, when life was held in little value by the people God created, He commanded, “Do not murder.”
The Old Testament of the Bible is clear on the issue of life. The Bible also makes it clear when life begins and how special it is. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5
Psalm 139 says: “Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.”
In other words, from God’s perspective, spiritual life begins even before conception, but certainly upon physical conception. Spiritual life also extends beyond physical death. Eternal life is the most important life of all, and God, who is eternal, is certainly pro-eternal life.
The New Testament of the Bible records that God sent His Son so that we might have abundant life now and eternally. Jesus is the Son of God, and He said, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I believe in God and am a follower of Christ. Therefore, “my” personal perspective on abortion as an independent citizen and as an elected official is of no eternal importance. That said, here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
God has ordained that choices have consequences. Men and women have a choice (usually) about having sex. Sex, especially outside of marriage, has mental, emotional, physical and spiritual consequences. One of those “consequences” is the possibility of becoming pregnant and having children to raise. We have a dire situation in our culture in that all too many men are ready, willing and able to have sex. They are capable of breeding, but they refuse to father and parent. I do not believe this pleases God, nor is it His desire and design for humankind. In the midst of all the pressure to include “sex” education in our schools, it’s imperative to address the consequences of pregnancy, and educate young people on the opportunities and obligations of parenting children.
When I use the word “consequence” in regard to children, that is not to imply children are bad, or a negative outcome. Quite the contrary. The Bible says: “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” As a father and a grandfather, myself, I know this to be true. Children are a blessing. Children require a lot of care and work and investment, but they are a blessing that is well worth the investment.
God is pro-life. Abortion is outside the will of God. I am pro-life. I am generally anti-abortion, but sometimes the situation is complicated. One pro-life position I hold is when the life of the mother is in jeopardy from the pregnancy, then I personally would prayerfully make the sad and difficult decision to choose the mother’s life over that of the unborn child.
Some other complexities arise from time to time. Perhaps these situations do not occur as often as abortion proponents claim, but they arise none-the-less: rape, incest, disability and lack of viability of the fetus. These difficult situations require fervent prayer for God’s direction. The question is complicated by the recording of the stories in the Bible of how God’s plans and purposes were fulfilled through very imperfect people, including those born out of marriage. A number of the key figures in the Bible, such as Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson and Paul, were disabled, and yet played important roles in God’s plan. In current life, we have countless stories of people rising above ugly and challenging birth circumstances and physical disabilities. So, this is a tough one, but in the absence of clear direction from God, I personally would have to come down on the side of choosing life in these situations.
God is pro-women. The Bible is filled with stories of heroic women. Jesus was very pro-women. By its honor of women, Christianity flew in the face of cultural traditions.
God is also pro-children. Jesus taught, “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea…your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
1. I am pro-life and I believe a civilized society like ours must protect and champion life. There is strong Biblical and Constitutional support for this position.
2. I am pro-women, and I believe, as a state and a society we must work to provide viable and accessible alternatives to abortion, so that women have more choices, not fewer. Adoption and foster care are options for some, but both systems are broken and need immediate attention. Other possible solutions include expanded pregnancy counseling, miscarriage and abortion grief counseling and support systems, and organized community support for women who choose to parent without a partner. I believe in championing women. A civilized society like ours must allow and encourage all people to experience their highest and best life.
Championing women, once they’ve determined they’re pregnant, requires sensitivity, empathy, compassion and willingness to understand the enormity of the choices, decisions and life changes ahead. It also requires a withholding of judgment and condemnation for women who have undergone an abortion procedure. The Bible has a relevant story. When some guys wanted to condemn and stone a woman, Jesus said to them, “If there’s one of you that hasn’t ever done anything wrong, you can throw the first stone.” The men slunk away, and no stones were thrown, because none of us is perfect. And then Jesus asked the woman, “Aren’t they going to condemn you? Well neither am I.” That’s sound advice for us today.
Championing women, increasing their choices, and working to provide more pregnancy options that will save the lives of women and children is what I intend to focus on in Salem.
3. I am pro-children, and I believe, with plentiful scientific evidence to back it, that life begins at conception. The pro-choice, reproductive rights, and abortion industry argument is focused solely on the assertion of rights for women. While acknowledging the importance of women’s rights, I assert that unborn children, and children in general also have rights. Moreover, they have no voice and are unable to defend themselves. As adults, we have a duty to be the voice of our children and defend and protect them. This pro-life/pro-child stance also extends to my strong opposition to child slavery, child prostitution and child trafficking.
I intend to be a voice for all children, born and unborn, in Salem.
This is the end of my position summary. If you want to understand why I believe as I do, read on. Regardless of whether you agree with me or not, I challenge you to rigorously formulate your own well-grounded position on this issue and be prepared to discuss it, as you will most likely have the opportunity. Let’s build, not destroy, relationships in those discussions.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scientific, Constitutional and Biblical Grounding For Life
In the abortion discussion, there is much talk about wanting and deserving “rights.” Many justifying phrases have been invented: “reproductive rights,” “reproductive health,” “right to choose,” “my body, my choice,” and “bodily autonomy,” are but a few of the phrases that have been created and claimed. However, I find no scientific or Biblical support, and very little Constitutional support for abortion being morally right, or something that is legitimately recognized as “a right.”
Science and Life.
One of the challenges the Supreme Court justices faced at the time of Roe v. Wade was limited agreement on when life begins. A mass of scientific evidence and scientific position papers has since been released. It is clear now, scientifically, that Life Begins at Fertilization. The following references illustrate the fact that a new human embryo, the starting point for a human life, comes into existence with the formation of the one-celled zygote:
"Development of the embryo begins at Stage 1 when a sperm fertilizes an oocyte and together they form a zygote."
[England, Marjorie A. Life Before Birth. 2nd ed. England: Mosby-Wolfe, 1996, p.31]
"Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception).
"Fertilization is a sequence of events that begins with the contact of a sperm (spermatozoon) with a secondary oocyte (ovum) and ends with the fusion of their pronuclei (the haploid nuclei of the sperm and ovum) and the mingling of their chromosomes to form a new cell. This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being."
[Moore, Keith L. Essentials of Human Embryology. Toronto: B.C. Decker Inc, 1988, p.2]
"Embryo: the developing organism from the time of fertilization until significant differentiation has occurred, when the organism becomes known as a fetus."
[Cloning Human Beings. Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Rockville, MD: GPO, 1997, Appendix-2.]
"Embryo: An organism in the earliest stage of development; in a man, from the time of conception to the end of the second month in the uterus."
[Dox, Ida G. et al. The Harper Collins Illustrated Medical Dictionary. New York: Harper Perennial, 1993, p. 146]
"Embryo: The early developing fertilized egg that is growing into another individual of the species. In man the term 'embryo' is usually restricted to the period of development from fertilization until the end of the eighth week of pregnancy."
[Walters, William and Singer, Peter (eds.). Test-Tube Babies. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 160]
"The development of a human being begins with fertilization, a process by which two highly specialized cells, the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female, unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."
[Langman, Jan. Medical Embryology. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1975, p. 3]
"Embryo: The developing individual between the union of the germ cells and the completion of the organs which characterize its body when it becomes a separate organism.... At the moment the sperm cell of the human male meets the ovum of the female and the union results in a fertilized ovum (zygote), a new life has begun.... The term embryo covers the several stages of early development from conception to the ninth or tenth week of life."
[Considine, Douglas (ed.). Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. 5th edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1976, p. 943]
"I would say that among most scientists, the word 'embryo' includes the time from after fertilization..."
[Dr. John Eppig, Senior Staff Scientist, Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine) and Member of the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 31]
"The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."
[Sadler, T.W. Langman's Medical Embryology. 7th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1995, p. 3]
"The question came up of what is an embryo, when does an embryo exist, when does it occur. I think, as you know, that in development, life is a continuum.... But I think one of the useful definitions that has come out, especially from Germany, has been the stage at which these two nuclei [from sperm and egg] come together and the membranes between the two break down."
[Jonathan Van Blerkom of University of Colorado, expert witness on human embryology before the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel -- Panel Transcript, February 2, 1994, p. 63]
"Zygote. This cell, formed by the union of an ovum and a sperm (Gr. zyg tos, yoked together), represents the beginning of a human being. The common expression 'fertilized ovum' refers to the zygote."
[Moore, Keith L. and Persaud, T.V.N. Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects. 4th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1993, p. 1]
"The chromosomes of the oocyte and sperm are...respectively enclosed within female and male pronuclei. These pronuclei fuse with each other to produce the single, diploid, 2N nucleus of the fertilized zygote. This moment of zygote formation may be taken as the beginning or zero time point of embryonic development."
[Larsen, William J. Human Embryology. 2nd edition. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1997, p. 17]
"Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed.... The combination of 23 chromosomes present in each pronucleus results in 46 chromosomes in the zygote. Thus the diploid number is restored and the embryonic genome is formed. The embryo now exists as a genetic unity."
[O'Rahilly, Ronan and Muller, Fabiola. Human Embryology & Teratology. 2nd edition. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1996, pp. 8, 29. This textbook lists "pre-embryo" among "discarded and replaced terms" in modern embryology, describing it as "ill-defined and inaccurate" (p. 12}]
"Almost all higher animals start their lives from a single cell, the fertilized ovum (zygote)... The time of fertilization represents the starting point in the life history, or ontogeny, of the individual."
[Carlson, Bruce M. Patten's Foundations of Embryology. 6th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, p. 3]
Constitutional Protections for Life.
As a readily available and presumably moderate resource, I quote here directly from a Wikipedia overview of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), that summarizes “a landmark decision of the Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The decision struck down many U.S. federal and state abortion laws. Roe fueled an ongoing abortion debate in the United States about whether or to what extent abortion should be legal, who should decide the legality of abortion, and what the role of moral and religious views on the political sphere should be.
The decision involved the case of Norma McCorvey - known by the legal pseudonym “Jane Roe” - who in 1969 became pregnant with her third child. McCorvey wanted an abortion but lived in Texas, where abortion was illegal except when necessary to save the mother's life. Her attorneys filed a lawsuit on her behalf in U.S. federal court alleging that Texas's abortion laws were unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas heard the case and ruled in her favor. Texas then appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In January 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision in McCorvey's favor ruling that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides a "right to privacy" that protects a pregnant woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion. It also ruled that this right is not absolute (in other words, it’s a conditional right) and must be balanced against governments' interests in protecting women's health and prenatal life.
The Court resolved this balancing test by tying state regulation of abortion to the three trimesters of pregnancy: during the first trimester, governments could not prohibit abortions at all; during the second trimester, governments could require reasonable health regulations; during the third trimester, abortions could be prohibited entirely so long as the laws contained exceptions for cases when they were necessary to save the life or health of the mother. The Court classified the right to choose to have an abortion as "fundamental", which required courts to evaluate challenged abortion laws under the strict scrutiny standard, the highest level of judicial review in the United States.
The Court's ruling in Roe was criticized by some in the legal community, and some called the decision an example of judicial activism. The Supreme Court revisited and modified Roe's legal rulings in its 1992 decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In Casey, the Court reaffirmed Roe's holding that a woman's right to choose to have an abortion is constitutionally protected, but abandoned Roe's trimester framework in favor of a standard based on fetal viability and overruled the strict scrutiny standard for reviewing abortion restrictions.”
I am not a Constitutional law expert, just a regular guy. However, I think regular citizens should be fully conversant with the US and Oregon Constitutions, since these are the foundations upon which our country and state are formed. The Bill of Rights and additional Amendments to the Constitution are especially important, and they are easy to read and understand.
I find no indication that the US or Oregon Constitutions support the termination of life of an unborn child. I have no dispute with a woman’s conditional right to privacy. However, I don’t see one person’s right to “privacy,” whether they are male or female, as overriding another person’s right to life, personal security and personal property. For example, murder, assault, rape and burglary committed privately are still wrong. I also don’t see one person’s conditional right to “privacy” overriding another person’s right to Constitutional protections under several Amendments, such as:
Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons…
Eighth Amendment: …nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Ninth Amendment: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Fourteenth Amendment: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
For these reasons, not that I have any say in the matter, I believe the Roe decision was in error and that the current Supreme Court will likely overturn it for some of the scientific and Constitutional reasons noted above. We will see.
Again, however, the impact of an overturning of Roe will simply put the decision about abortion in the hands of the states and their respective electorates. With history as a guide, we can anticipate the state of Oregon will continue the practice.
Biblical Perspectives on Life.
As the Constitution sets the framework for what government can or can’t do, the Bible, I believe, tells us what we and it should or shouldn’t do. I do not believe there is any support for abortion in the Bible.
God, as the Creator of life, is pro-life. We are God’s most special creation. “So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Thousands of years ago, from the early days of the Judeo-Christian faith, when life was held in little value by the people God created, He commanded, “Do not murder.”
The Old Testament of the Bible is clear on the issue of life. The Bible also makes it clear when life begins and how special it is. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5
Psalm 139 says: “Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.”
In other words, from God’s perspective, spiritual life begins even before conception, but certainly upon physical conception. Spiritual life also extends beyond physical death. Eternal life is the most important life of all, and God, who is eternal, is certainly pro-eternal life.
The New Testament of the Bible records that God sent His Son so that we might have abundant life now and eternally. Jesus is the Son of God, and He said, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I believe in God and am a follower of Christ. Therefore, “my” personal perspective on abortion as an independent citizen and as an elected official is of no eternal importance. That said, here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
God has ordained that choices have consequences. Men and women have a choice (usually) about having sex. Sex, especially outside of marriage, has mental, emotional, physical and spiritual consequences. One of those “consequences” is the possibility of becoming pregnant and having children to raise. We have a dire situation in our culture in that all too many men are ready, willing and able to have sex. They are capable of breeding, but they refuse to father and parent. I do not believe this pleases God, nor is it His desire and design for humankind. In the midst of all the pressure to include “sex” education in our schools, it’s imperative to address the consequences of pregnancy, and educate young people on the opportunities and obligations of parenting children.
When I use the word “consequence” in regard to children, that is not to imply children are bad, or a negative outcome. Quite the contrary. The Bible says: “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” As a father and a grandfather, myself, I know this to be true. Children are a blessing. Children require a lot of care and work and investment, but they are a blessing that is well worth the investment.
God is pro-life. Abortion is outside the will of God. I am pro-life. I am generally anti-abortion, but sometimes the situation is complicated. One pro-life position I hold is when the life of the mother is in jeopardy from the pregnancy, then I personally would prayerfully make the sad and difficult decision to choose the mother’s life over that of the unborn child.
Some other complexities arise from time to time. Perhaps these situations do not occur as often as abortion proponents claim, but they arise none-the-less: rape, incest, disability and lack of viability of the fetus. These difficult situations require fervent prayer for God’s direction. The question is complicated by the recording of the stories in the Bible of how God’s plans and purposes were fulfilled through very imperfect people, including those born out of marriage. A number of the key figures in the Bible, such as Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson and Paul, were disabled, and yet played important roles in God’s plan. In current life, we have countless stories of people rising above ugly and challenging birth circumstances and physical disabilities. So, this is a tough one, but in the absence of clear direction from God, I personally would have to come down on the side of choosing life in these situations.
God is pro-women. The Bible is filled with stories of heroic women. Jesus was very pro-women. By its honor of women, Christianity flew in the face of cultural traditions.
God is also pro-children. Jesus taught, “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea…your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
Social Considerations.
I am pro-women. I have many wonderful women in my life. I’ve had countless women clients over the years, whom I hold in the highest regard. In order to be truly pro-women, we must look at the choices women actually have when pregnant. Men can choose to stay or walk. To support or abandon. There are consequences to those choices, but those are the choices. Women on the other hand, must carry, deliver and arrange care for a child if they choose life. However, their choices once they choose life are limited or difficult, which often causes them to feel they really have “no choice” and “must” abort, or raise a child all alone. This is a tough predicament that must be acknowledged compassionately in the abortion debate.
Families are broken, divided and scattered in our culture. Twenty-five percent of children today are living in single parent homes. That’s 19 million children, as of 2020. This is three times the level in 1960. There are 11 million single parent families in the US. 8.5 million are led by single moms.
Our adoption system is badly broken. Our foster care system is badly broken. Both are fraught with high costs, bureaucracy, hassle, stress and require much time and energy. Men are abdicating responsibility for parenting at an alarming level. Thus, for many women, putting their child up for adoption may not be simple or easy. As a society and a state, we need to go to work to make these support systems more viable, visible and accessible.
Other possible solutions include expanded pregnancy counseling, miscarriage and abortion grief counseling and support systems, and organized community support for women (and men) who choose to parent without a partner. Culturally, we also need to attend to the challenges caused by absent men.
As one interesting approach, I think we could explore establishing in our communities a program (perhaps through the churches) something we might call “Adoptive-Families.” These would be a community of families willing to lovingly and non-judgmentally support single moms (and single dads) spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially for a period of time so that they can have a legitimate choice to raise their child and not be alone in the process. The moms, dads, children, adoptive families, and our community as a whole could be blessed.
There is also a cultural view that giving birth and raising a child as a single mom is impossible or, if not impossible, that mothering destroys a woman’s opportunities for a career and life. Even happily married couples face the cultural contention that having a child keeps a mother from enjoying a successful life in the marketplace. I think this is a false premise for several reasons and argue that as a society, we need to stop telling women what they can’t do and start encouraging them to be all they can be, which certainly can include motherhood.
Therefore, as one who holds to a pro-life position, I think we have much cultural work to do to make it easier and more feasible for babies to be nurtured and cherished rather than killed. Each life we save is a blessing, and each life saved pleases God. I believe in championing women, and that a high goal of civilized society should be to design a culture that provides the opportunity for all men, women and children to experience their highest and best life.
Championing women, increasing their choices, and working to provide more pregnancy options that will save the lives of women and children is what I intend to focus on in Salem.
Closing.
In closing, nearly everyone I know has been touched by abortion in one way or another. Some of the consequences of abortion (for both men and women) include self-judgement, remorse, regret, sorrow, guilt, shame, fear of what others will think, condemnation from others, depression and despair. But there is hope.
The Bible says, “All have fallen short of the perfection of God.” So, none of us is exempt from acting in ways that are contrary to God’s design and desire. But, through His Son, Jesus, He made a way that we can be reconciled to God, to ourselves and to others. The Bible says: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
The path out of the consequences of behavior outside the will of God is found in the Word of God. It’s found in Jesus. Many will not understand this initially, many will choose not to accept it, but that does not make it false.
The problems we face in life, such as abortion, are spiritual problems more than they are social problems. Unless we address the spiritual problems, the social problems will consume us.
I pray God’s wisdom and His protection for us as we navigate the difficult times ahead and the challenging issues we’ll face. May we face them with open minds, open hearts, a seeking after Truth, and with Love for our neighbors.
I am pro-women. I have many wonderful women in my life. I’ve had countless women clients over the years, whom I hold in the highest regard. In order to be truly pro-women, we must look at the choices women actually have when pregnant. Men can choose to stay or walk. To support or abandon. There are consequences to those choices, but those are the choices. Women on the other hand, must carry, deliver and arrange care for a child if they choose life. However, their choices once they choose life are limited or difficult, which often causes them to feel they really have “no choice” and “must” abort, or raise a child all alone. This is a tough predicament that must be acknowledged compassionately in the abortion debate.
Families are broken, divided and scattered in our culture. Twenty-five percent of children today are living in single parent homes. That’s 19 million children, as of 2020. This is three times the level in 1960. There are 11 million single parent families in the US. 8.5 million are led by single moms.
Our adoption system is badly broken. Our foster care system is badly broken. Both are fraught with high costs, bureaucracy, hassle, stress and require much time and energy. Men are abdicating responsibility for parenting at an alarming level. Thus, for many women, putting their child up for adoption may not be simple or easy. As a society and a state, we need to go to work to make these support systems more viable, visible and accessible.
Other possible solutions include expanded pregnancy counseling, miscarriage and abortion grief counseling and support systems, and organized community support for women (and men) who choose to parent without a partner. Culturally, we also need to attend to the challenges caused by absent men.
As one interesting approach, I think we could explore establishing in our communities a program (perhaps through the churches) something we might call “Adoptive-Families.” These would be a community of families willing to lovingly and non-judgmentally support single moms (and single dads) spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially for a period of time so that they can have a legitimate choice to raise their child and not be alone in the process. The moms, dads, children, adoptive families, and our community as a whole could be blessed.
There is also a cultural view that giving birth and raising a child as a single mom is impossible or, if not impossible, that mothering destroys a woman’s opportunities for a career and life. Even happily married couples face the cultural contention that having a child keeps a mother from enjoying a successful life in the marketplace. I think this is a false premise for several reasons and argue that as a society, we need to stop telling women what they can’t do and start encouraging them to be all they can be, which certainly can include motherhood.
- Women are stronger, more capable and better than the limiting cultural contentions. Women are thriving as single moms (and married moms) all over the world. Is it challenging? Sure. But being a single parent is not a death sentence, nor is it a life sentence to an impoverished and miserable future. I know. I’ve been a working, single parent.
- Yes, having children constrains some options, at least for a time, but there are amazing counterbalancing blessings.
- “Careers,” job progression and short-term economic achievement are not all they are cracked up to be. There is more to life than money and career. God willing, life is long, with enough time for both family and career. I bet it’s a rare person who, on their death bed, would rather hug a checkbook than a child.
- In today’s distributed, web-based economy, women have more options than ever to participate in employment or entrepreneurial activities, producing many choices for embracing both career and family.
Therefore, as one who holds to a pro-life position, I think we have much cultural work to do to make it easier and more feasible for babies to be nurtured and cherished rather than killed. Each life we save is a blessing, and each life saved pleases God. I believe in championing women, and that a high goal of civilized society should be to design a culture that provides the opportunity for all men, women and children to experience their highest and best life.
Championing women, increasing their choices, and working to provide more pregnancy options that will save the lives of women and children is what I intend to focus on in Salem.
Closing.
In closing, nearly everyone I know has been touched by abortion in one way or another. Some of the consequences of abortion (for both men and women) include self-judgement, remorse, regret, sorrow, guilt, shame, fear of what others will think, condemnation from others, depression and despair. But there is hope.
The Bible says, “All have fallen short of the perfection of God.” So, none of us is exempt from acting in ways that are contrary to God’s design and desire. But, through His Son, Jesus, He made a way that we can be reconciled to God, to ourselves and to others. The Bible says: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
The path out of the consequences of behavior outside the will of God is found in the Word of God. It’s found in Jesus. Many will not understand this initially, many will choose not to accept it, but that does not make it false.
The problems we face in life, such as abortion, are spiritual problems more than they are social problems. Unless we address the spiritual problems, the social problems will consume us.
I pray God’s wisdom and His protection for us as we navigate the difficult times ahead and the challenging issues we’ll face. May we face them with open minds, open hearts, a seeking after Truth, and with Love for our neighbors.
