Thanks for taking the time to read by blog post and engage with it here! (Sorry I closed down the comments on that one — I probably should’ve left them open a bit longer, as I haven’t been able to write, let alone post, my follow-up on abortion … but it is coming!)

I’m looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on this (esp. because of your perspective as a medical professional and missional Christian), as well as the blog post referenced above by Akin.

Shalom,
Steve K.

The matter really is one of our humanity rather than one of legality; we have reached a point in our civilization where we believe we owe that developing child a burden of care or careful nourishment and an adjusted lifestyle.

and conclude

For all intents and purposes, an unborn child cannot have rights at conception, the person carrying that developing miracle simply owes themselves that that bundle of joy the greatest duty of care, if that is what they wished for and have settled on the idea of parenthood.

You have correctly identified one of the big problems in this debate in the West and particularly America: it is framed almost exclusively in terms of competing “rights” in which the dominent theme seems to be how the Supreme Court should judge in the case of Mother v. Unborn Child.

I’ve long had a sense that something was wrong with our debate, that the question should not hang on a semantic issue of when “life” or “personhood” begins or on a legal nicety. Rather, that as a society we should be appalled as we ponder the fact that as a culture we take the gift of human life so lightly as to see in these terms at all, rather than starting from the premise known from hearts rather than minds that, as you say, we simply owe the emerging life “the greatest duty of care.” But American law and society is largely structured in terms of the rights of the individual, and we have to live with that.

African culture works differently, with more importance and power given to the community, tradition, and authority, and with an emphasis on the importance of continuing the community through raising children. I’m not idealistic about African culture either, as it has a separate set of problems, but I can see how speaking of the rights of the unborn doesn’t make much sense in that context.

I like your analysis of the points raised concerning abortion, it is a better research article compared to one I wrote a few days ago which I titled the dishonest rights of the unborn child.

My view is that the unborn child is owed a duty of care during gestation and should be as a vulnerable creature entitled to a welcoming and conducive atmosphere from the time of indeterminate conception through childhood.

If the child is unwanted, cannot be cared for, is as a result of the violation of the body or is a serious medical risk to the mother, then within the first trimester there should be the option to terminate humanely.

It is interesting to see the perspective of moral outrage that is not supported by moral responsibility on the part of pro-life groups.

The debate would no doubt continue, one can only hope that reason with a sense of compassionate humanity prevails over extreme positions.

Regards,

Akin