Politics / 

25 Jan 2008

Better Late Than Never: Thoughts on Roe v. Wade

Although I’m obviously several days too late to participate in the whole “Blog for Choice” party – not really due to lack of interest but more because I really felt like I had nothing to add – I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pass along one link, compliments of baby_balrog on MetaFilter:

“Is Abortion Murder” by Graham Spurgeon.

I find it interesting because it’s exactly the sort of argument I’d never really try, or be able to, make. Social-utility arguments? Sure. Legal arguments? Sure. Rights-based arguments? Definitely. But religion-based arguments? I wouldn’t know where to start.

And that, I think, is part of the problem. While listening to a recent debate between the president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and some Washington flack for NRLC, it became apparent to me that each group was speaking its own language. There wasn’t even the semblance of discussion, and certainly no possibility of winning anyone over who wasn’t already convinced, because each was speaking in the language that their supporters know and understand.

When someone from Planned Parenthood, NOW, or NARAL speaks, it’s generally a pretty safe bet that they’re going to emphasize the right of an individual to control their own body, and perhaps the personal and social cost of unwanted pregnancies and children. When a pro-life advocate speaks, it’s almost always about “babies.” Occasionally there’ll be hints made at promiscuous sex and slut-punishing, but usually the emphasis is on those “unborn children” and the inherent value of potential human life.

Spurgeon’s essay bridges this gap a little. It’s a pro-choice argument, but written entirely in Biblical terms. While I can’t comment or critique his scriptural references, it’s at least a different approach.

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