Almost everyone is aware of the raging debate over abortion in America. The country is divided along scientific, moral, ethical, gender and other boundaries. So I thought I'd jump into the discussion.
I'll start by saying that I am completely opposed to abortion. But having said that I want to present a different view about Choice.
People who do not oppose abortion use the label of "Pro-Choice" to identify themselves. Those who oppose abortion describe themselves as "Pro-Life". As a person, I completely enjoy the freedoms of choice we have in the US. That being said, let's explore the Choices...
The US Declaration of Independence (corrected) provides every US citizen the right to 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'. Of course there is more to the freedoms defined in the Declaration (same correction), the US Constitution and the Constitutional Amendments, but let's start there for now.
As a child, parents or guardians establish rules or limits by which we are expected to behave. We choose, daily (sometimes hourly) to live within those rules or to break them. In school, we are presented another choice: study, learn, succeed or not. Assuming we make it to high school, we are faced with another choice: College, Job, or whatever. Around the same time, we are faced with choosing who to hang out with, who to date, whether or not to drink or take drugs or have sex. As a young adult, we are faced with choosing to pay our bills or not. Buy or rent? There are literally thousands of choices we make in our lives! In America, we are guaranteed the right to make those choices. So you might say I am pro-choice on all these topics.
I am, without doubt, pro-responsibility. You guessed it, if we enjoy the freedoms to make choices, then we must be responsible for the outcomes of those choices. If I choose to not pay attention in class, then I (and only I) am responsible for my poor grade. If I choose to skip work repeatedly, then I am responsible for getting fired. If I drink and drive, then I am responsible for the damage done, life lost, etc. resulting from my drinking. Likewise, if I choose to have sex and a pregnancy results from that choice, then I am now responsible for the pregnancy. So do I support a woman's right to choose? You bet, but I put the decision point earlier in the process. A woman's right to choose is before she has sex.
I am all for the right to choose...I want the right to choose where my children attend school (including homeschooling if my family so chooses)...I want the right to invest the money I earn in any way I choose to...I want the right to choose to get a job or go to college...I want the right to choose whom to marry...the right to choose where we go on vacation...the right to choose my friends...the right to choose my faith...the right to choose where I eat...and the right to choose with whom I have sexual relationships. But when exercising my rights limits another person's right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness, or in some other way interferes with their freedoms, that is where my rights end.
I do not have the right to end another person's life, even if that person is unborn. We as Americans enjoy a truckload of rights and freedoms, I suggest that we use all of them but remember, choose wisely. And be responsible for our choices.
4 comments:
For the sake of constructive debate, let me take the opposing view point.
First and foremost, your quote re: "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is from the Declaration of Independence, and has nothing to do with the constitution.
It is good to see we agree on the right of choices in many things, including the right to choose to engage in sexual activity. This emphasizes the free will we all partake in on a daily basis.
You make an interesting statement: "But when exercising my rights limits another person's right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness, that is where my rights end."
In comparison, we (society) often embrace these decision when we support military actions, wars, bombing, and capital punishment with executions. I would be interested to see where you stand on these issues as well. There are certainly many instances in scripture of Godly men being involved in instances of taking other life. How do we rectify this in our decision process?
We agree on one thing for sure, God has placed free will in the world. It is by this free will that Christians of today grow in faith, spirit, and devotion. My belief is that God expected many to stumble and fall, but allowed the benefit of having others to pick them up, and guide them on along the path. God's forgiveness is never ending, and His gift is a free gift.
I would submit we have a responsibility as Christians today to work to educate, demonstrate (the love of Christ) and not legislate. Your thoughts? WWJD?
- Peter
Thanks Peter for correcting me about the Constitution vs. the Declaration of Independence. How embarrassing!!!
Regarding my statement about my rights ending where another's right to life is limited, that is my personal view.
I don't have all the answers about life or death. So here's some more of my personal thoughts. On one hand, if my family is in danger, I would forcefully defend then even if it resulted in the death of our attacker. If our country is attacked and / or remains in danger of further attacks, I support swift decisive military action to a level sufficient to prevent further incidents. On the other hand I could not be an executioner.
Sounds a bit (or a lot) two-faced, but in the case of defending my family against an immediate threat, I rationalize it in two ways: 1. God built into my genetic code the need for survival. He has given me the ability to some level to adequately defend myself or others if necessary. 2. He has also given me the Great Commission of spreading the Gospel and I cannot fulfill that commission if I am dead or consumed with grief due to the loss of a loved one.
Skipping to your last comment, I agree. We are called as Christians to be the Salt of the Earth and Light of the World. It is our job to Love God and Love Others. By doing this, we have the opportunity to enfluence others toward a personal relationship with Jesus. I am all for small government and little / no intrusion of legislation into my personal life. Additionally, when presented with a voting option, I choose to vote for laws or initiatives that honor God.
Bottome line for me was choice is a hot buzz word in our country, but the flip-side of choice is responsibility. Many people lightly use the phrase right to choose, but shirk all related responsibilities. Choose responsibily.
You comment that God has given you the ability to defend yourself. I've often pondered can a christian justify violent actions that could result in death of another individual? We of course know the story of Jesus clearing the temple, but his actions didn't seem to result in noticeable harm that we can find in scripture. Jesus tells us the greatest commandments are love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor so if we engage in some act of violence, even if in self defense, are we really practicing the things Jesus teaches?
With regards to item 2, we should examine the life of the disciples. Many lost their lives spreading the gospel. And the other disciples would surely miss their brothers in such a traumatic event such as the stoning of Stephen. I think we should remember that if by some chance God decides to take our lives, just as he did with the apostles, that our death can serve his needs often times with more benefit than our life. Look to the Disciples who have had such influence over others lives with even after their deaths. Just thoughts.
Don't get me wrong, I don't seek violence or wish harm to anyone even if they intend to hurt me or my family. I hope I never have to make that split-second decision as I described earlier.
You make some good points about living the teachings of Jesus and examining the lives of the disciples. You have certainly given me something to think about. We can combine that with Jesus' teaching about going the extra mile and turning the other cheek.
I fear that as much as I try to grow closer to Christ, the more I study, the more I pray and submit to His will, the more I realize that I am still carnal, still lacking in holiness, still trying to be Christ-like. I guess that's a journey that will likely never end this side of Heaven.
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