Many Facets of the Abortion Debate

"In my view, fetuses that die before they’re ever conscious really are a lot like plants: They’re living things, but there’s nothing about them that would make us think that they count morally in the way that people do.”You may be asking yourself, who could possibly compare an early human life to a plant?  This was not an off-the-cuff comment from someone on the street, but an explanation from Princeton philosophy professor Elizabeth Harman during a moderated debate on the value of early human life.Ryan T. Anderson summarized this debate a year ago.  I stumbled upon his intriguing article this week titled "The Rare Achievement of Disagreement."  The theme of the debate was, "Is it wrong to end early human life?"  Each professor who participated adheres to a very different philosophical theory, so the issue is tackled from all perspectives.What is most startling to me is the slippery slope from devaluing the unborn to devaluing human life in many other stages.  Although Professor Harman's view was among the most extreme, hers was not the only alarming opinion.  Professor Peter Singer, also of Princeton, identifies himself as a utilitarian and ultimately ends up defending infanticide under some conditions.Even Professor Don Marquis (Kansas), described as "moderately pro-life," claims that it is wrong to deprive someone of a life of value.  He does not, however, consider anencephalic babies, Terry Schiavo, or those patients in irreversible comas to hold this "future of value."  The inherent problem with this reasoning lies in the fact that determining value is subjective, and thus open to much controversy.The most important things to take away from this article are that people are pro-life or pro-choice for different reasons and to varying degrees, but these individuals are capable of civil debate.  True, no one probably left this debate with a new outlook on life, but perhaps by calmly discussing the issue, we can at least move one step closer to reason, compassion, and ultimately changing hearts.Blessings,JessicaTo read the aforementioned article, please click here.