A
disturbing trend seen is being seen by prolife activists who minister
to young people on college campuses, as more and more college
students are saying that they support “post-birth abortion”, that
is, the killing of an infant after they have been born, up to a
certain age. The trend goes beyond some “college students willing
to say they support post-birth abortion, but some students even
suggest children up to 4 or 5-years-old can also be killed, because
they are not yet 'self aware.'”1
Where does this trend come from? One reason cited is that “the
arguments put forth by Peter Singer and other philosophers who
support infanticide are given as reading assignments to college
students.”2
Singer himself wrote in 1979 that “'human babies are not born
self-aware, or capable of grasping that they exist over time. They
are not persons … [therefore] the life of a newborn is of less
value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee.'”3
According to a Pew Research poll, the majority of Americans “(49%)
say that having an abortion is morally wrong, while 15% think it is
morally acceptable and 23% say it is not a moral issue.”4
The interesting fact left out of this article is that according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice advocacy group, “women in their 20s account for more than half of all abortions: Women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and women aged 25-29 obtain 24%.”5 This age group certainly includes women on college campuses who have had an abortion, so it is extremely likely that they would be part of this growing trend of those who believe that children could be killed after birth. This should have been included to paint a clearer picture of why this new trend could be an issue. While groups like the Guttmacher Institute and VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood at Ohio State University are all about “reproductive choice”, they tend to shy away from admitting that killing a child in the womb is the same as killing a child out of the womb. Devin Deitsch, leader of Vox offered his opinion on the issue:
The interesting fact left out of this article is that according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice advocacy group, “women in their 20s account for more than half of all abortions: Women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and women aged 25-29 obtain 24%.”5 This age group certainly includes women on college campuses who have had an abortion, so it is extremely likely that they would be part of this growing trend of those who believe that children could be killed after birth. This should have been included to paint a clearer picture of why this new trend could be an issue. While groups like the Guttmacher Institute and VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood at Ohio State University are all about “reproductive choice”, they tend to shy away from admitting that killing a child in the womb is the same as killing a child out of the womb. Devin Deitsch, leader of Vox offered his opinion on the issue:
“As
for post-birth abortion, I would imagine that my colleagues would
think the ‘post-birth’ part was largely irrelevant, as we believe
very strongly in abortion on demand, without apology, and it’s
plain and simple that we should look to the woman’s morals and not
shove our opinions where they, frankly, don’t belong.”6
While
the article does a good job in presenting quotes from both sides of
the argument it does call the evidence put forward by pro-life
activists as merely “anecdotal”, and spends more time offering up
the ideological points made by groups like VOX, painting the pro-life
side as just merely being against something. It fails to mention why
groups are against abortion, or merely the fact that killing babies
at any age is morally contested by many Americans, Christians
included. Not being written in a religious publication, the article
stays away from what religious teachings say on the issue,
specifically, what the Bible says about abortion. Proverbs
24:11-12 instructs Christians on how they should feel about the issue
of abortion :
“Rescue
those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are
stumbling to the slaughter. If
you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the
heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know
it,
and
will he not repay man according to his work?”
The
prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah record that they were called from the
womb, and one of the most famous pro-life verses is Jeremiah 1:4-5:
“Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
(ESV) Proverbs also records in 6:17 that one of the things the Lord
hates is “the shedding of innocent blood.” (ESV) The Apostle Paul
even records in Galatians 1:15 that he was set apart before he was
born.
The
attitude of a “pro choice” society reflects the fact that
Americans have strayed away from God's Word, as the Bible is clearly
against the shedding of innocent blood, which is what happens when an
abortion takes place. The continued degradation of morals in America
have led to college aged men and women, among whom a large percentage
have participated in an abortion procedure, to allow even the thought
of killing babies outside of the womb, up to an age of four years
old, as acceptable. While it can only be speculated as to why this is
occurring, it could be argued that the Biblical position on the
sanctity of life is not being taught in homes, and the continued
shift in the gender roles of American society, telling women that
children are a burden and that they should strive to find themselves
working outside of the homes, has certainly had an impact.
1 Mairead Mcardle, “Trending: More College Students Support Post-Birth Abortion,” The College Fix, October 29, 2014, http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/19896.
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
4 Michael Lipka, “5 Facts About Abortion,” Pew Research Center, January 22, 2014, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/22/5-facts-about-abortion/.
5 Guttmacher Institute, “Fact Sheet: Induced Abortion in the United States”, July 2014, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
6 Mairead Mcardle, “Trending: More College Students Support Post-Birth Abortion,” The College Fix, October 29, 2014, http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/19896.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Guttmacher Institute, “Fact Sheet:
Induced Abortion in the United States”, July 2014,
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
Mcardle, Mairead “Trending: More
College Students Support Post-Birth Abortion.” The College Fix.
October 29, 2014, http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/19896.
Lipka, Michael. “5 Facts About
Abortion.” Pew Research Center. January 22,
2014, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/22/5-facts-about-abortion/.
