Abortion

A lot of discussion has taken place on the subject of abortion. While the Republican Platform is opposed to abortion, there are many Republicans who consider themselves pro-choice. One big issue on this topic is that people often argue from two different perspectives and cannot see each other’s viewpoint. Some see it as a matter of self determination, others see it as destruction of a human life.

Its a tough issue, but we will attempt to discuss it here with balance. Balance is what we all strive to achieve in life. We make decision based upon the relative weight of the alternatives. For example, we decide that theft is a crime because it deprives one person of their property and society must have such rules to prevent others from stealing without restraint. We also have laws against killing each other. These laws are intended to reduce the number of deaths caused by human hands.

Our legal system is based on balance. We strive to assign a value to each side of an issue, then find the balance point between the interests.

Nobody can dispute that a person (male or female) has a right to determine their own health choices. This right is paramount to us all. Nobody wants the state to decide what they can do in a doctor’s office, or what the doctor can do for them. Yet, we do have laws that restrict many things. A doctor cannot prescribe heroin or marijuana or other narcotics without a clear, well established justification. A doctor cannot end the life of a patient. We make such laws to prevent abuse of the doctor-patient relationship.

When it comes to the question of “When does life begin?”, there are many opinions, but no clear answers. When DOES life begin? Did the Supreme Court seek the best scientists in the world to answer that question before they concluded their decision in Roe versus Wade? No. When does life begin? Some say at conception, some say at birth. Traditional jurisprudence says that when you do not know the answer, you assume the most conservative position, which would be at the time of conception.

The constitution protects our civil rights, but no right is more important than life. Without a right to life, no other rights matter.

How do we balance the right to self-determination against the right to life?