Abortionisn'tareligiousissue

ByGarryWills
http://www.latimes.com/laopwills4nov04story.html#page=1
WhatmakesoppositiontoabortiontheissueitisforeachoftheGOPpresidentialcandidatesisthefactthat
itistheultimate"wedgeissue"itisnonnegotiable.Therighttolifepeopleholdthatitisasstrongapoint
ofreligionasanycanbe.ItisreligiousbecausetheSixthCommandment(ortheFifthbyCatholiccount)
says,"Thoushaltnotkill."ForevangelicalChristians,ingeneral,abortionismurder.Thatiswhywhat
othersthink,whatpollssay,whatlookspracticaldoesnotmatterforthem.Onemustopposemurder,
howevermuchrancororcontroversymayensue.
Butisabortionmurder?Mostpeoplethinknot.EvangelicalsmayarguethatmostpeopleinGermany
thoughtitwasallrighttokillJews.Buttheparallelisnotvalid.KillingJewswaskillingpersons.Itisnot
demonstrablethatkillingfetusesiskillingpersons.Notevenevangelicalsactasifitwere.Ifso,awoman
seekinganabortionwouldbethemostculpableperson.Sheiskillingherownchild.Buttheevangelical
communitydoesnotcallforherexecution.
About10%ofevangelicals,accordingtopolls,allowforabortioninthecaseofrapeorincest.Butthe
circumstancesofconceptionshouldnotchangethenatureofthethingconceived.Ifitisahumanperson,
killingitispunishingitforsomethingithadnothingtodowith.Wedonotkillpeoplebecausetheyhada
criminalparent.
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NordidtheCatholicChurchtreatabortionasmurderinthepast.Ifithad,latetermabortionsand
miscarriageswouldhavecalledfortreatmentofthewellformedfetusasaperson,whichwouldrequire
baptismandaChristianburial.Thatwasneverthepractice.Andnowonder.Thesubjectofabortionisnot
scriptural.Forthosewhomakeitsocentraltoreligion,thisseemsanoddomission.Abortionisnottreated
intheTenCommandmentsoranywhereinJewishScripture.ItisnottreatedintheSermonontheMount
oranywhereintheNewTestament.Itisnottreatedintheearlycreeds.Itisnottreatedintheearly
ecumenicalcouncils.
Lackingscripturalguidance,St.ThomasAquinasworkedfromAristotle'sviewofthedifferentkindsof
animationthenutritive(vegetable)soul,thesensing(animal)soulandtheintellectualsoul.Somepeople
usedAristotletosaythathumansthereforehavethreesouls.Otherssaidthattheintellectualsouliscreated
byhumansemen.
Aquinasdeniedbothpositions.Hesaidthatamaterialcause(semen)cannotcauseaspiritualproduct.The
intellectualsoul(personhood)isdirectlycreatedbyGod"attheendofhumangeneration."Thisintellectual
soulsupplantswhathadprecededit(nutritiveandsensoryanimation).SoAquinasdeniedthatpersonhood
aroseatfertilizationbythesemen.Goddirectlyinfusesthesoulatthecompletionofhumanformation.
Muchofthedebateoverabortionisbasedonamisconceptionthatitisareligiousissue,thattheprolife
advocatesareactingoutofreligiousconviction.Itisnotatheologicalmatteratall.Thereisnotheological

basisfordefendingorcondemningabortion.Evenpopeshavesaidthatthequestionofabortionisamatter
ofnaturallaw,tobedecidedbynaturalreason.Well,thepopeisnotthearbiterofnaturallaw.Natural
reasonis.
JohnHenryNewman,a19thcenturyAnglicanpriestwhoconvertedtoCatholicism,oncewrotethat"the
pope,whocomesofrevelation,hasnojurisdictionovernature."Themattermustbedecidedbyindividual
conscience,notbyreligiousfiat.AsNewmansaid:"Ishalldrinktothepope,ifyoupleasestill,to
consciencefirst,andtothepopeafterward."
Ifwearetodecidethematterofabortionbynaturallaw,thatmeanswemustturntoreasonandscience,the
realmofEnlightenedreligion.Butthatisjustwhatevangelicalswanttoavoid.Whoaretherelevant
expertshere?Theyarephilosophers,neurobiologists,embryologists.Evangelicalswanttoexcludethem
becausemostgiveanswerstheydonotwanttohear.Theexpertshaveonlysecularexpertise,notreligious
conviction.They,admittedly,donotgiveoneanswertheydifferamongthemselves,theyaretentative,
theyqualify.Theydonothavethecertitudethatthereligiousrightacceptsasthesignoftruth.
Soevangelicalstakeshortcuts.Theypineverythingonbeingprolife.Butonecannotbeindiscriminately
prolife.
Ifoneclaimed,inthemannerofAlbertSchweitzer,thatalllifedeservedmoralrespect,thenplantshave
rights,anditmightturnoutthatwewouldhavelittleifanythingtoeat.Andifonewereconsistentlypro
life,onewouldhavetoshowmoralrespectforparamecia,insects,tissueexcisedduringamedical
operation,cancercells,asparagusandsoon.Harvestingcarrots,onaconsistentprolifehypothesis,would
constitutesomethingofamassacre.
Opponentsofabortionwillsaythattheyaredefendingonlyhumanlife.Itiscertainlytruethatthefetusis
humanlife.Butsoisthesemenbeforeitfertilizes;soistheovumbeforeitisfertilized.Theyareboth
humanproducts,andbotharelivingthings.Butnotevenevangelicalssaythatthedestructionofoneorthe
otherwouldbemurder.
Defendersofthefetussaythatlifebeginsonlyafterthesemenfertilizestheegg,producinganembryo.But,
infact,twothirdsoftheembryosproducedthiswayfailtoliveonbecausetheydonotembedinthewomb
wall.Natureislikefertilizationclinicsitproducesmoreembryosthanareactuallyused.Areallthe
millionsofembryosthatfailtobeembeddedhumanpersons?
Theuniversalmandatetopreserve"humanlife"makesnosense.Myhairishumanlifeitisnotcanine
hair,anditisliving.Itgrows.Whenitgrowstoolong,Ihaveitcut.Isthatabortinghumanlife?Thesame
withmygrowinghumanfingernails.Anevangelicalmightrespondthatmyhairdoesnothavethepotential
tobecomeaperson.True.Butsemenhasthepotentialtobecomeaperson,andwedonotpreserveevery
bitofsementhatisejaculatedbutneverfertilizesanegg.
Thequestionisnotwhetherthefetusishumanlifebutwhetheritisahumanperson,andwhenitbecomes
one.Isitwhenitiscapableofthought,ofspeech,ofrecognizingitselfasaperson,orofassumingthe
responsibilitiesofaperson?Isitwhenithasafunctioningbrain?Aquinassaidthatthefetusdidnot
becomeapersonuntilGodinfusedtheintellectualsoul.Afunctioningbrainisnotpresentinthefetusuntil
theendofthesixthmonthattheearliest.
Notsurprisingly,thatistheearliestpointofviability,thetimewhenafetuscansuccessfullysurvive
outsidethewomb.
Whetherthroughserendipityorthroughsomesortofcausalconnection,itnowseemsthattheonsetofa
functioningcentralnervoussystemwithafunctioningcerebralcortexandtheonsetofviabilityoccur

aroundthesametimetheendofthesecondtrimester,atimebywhich99%ofallabortionshavealready
occurred.
Opponentsofabortionliketoshowsonogramsofthefetusreactingtostimuli.Butalllivingcellshave
electricandautomaticreactions.ThesearelikethereactionsofTerriSchiavowhenshewasinapermanent
vegetativestate.Aquinas,followingAristotle,calledtheearlystageoffetaldevelopmentvegetativelife.
Thefetushasafacelongbeforeithasabrain.Ithasanimationbeforeithasacommandcentertobeaware
ofitsmovementsortoexperienceanyreactionaspain.
Thesearedifficultmatters,onwhichqualifiedpeoplediffer.Itisnotenoughtosaythatwhateverthe
womanwantsshouldgo.Shehasaresponsibilitytoconsiderwhetherandwhenshemayhaveachildinside
her,notjustafetus.Certainlybythelatestagesofherpregnancy,achildisreadytorespondwith
miraculousceleritytoallthepersonalinterchangeswiththemotherthatshowabrainingreatworking
order.
Giventheseuncertainties,whoistomaketheindividualdecisiontohaveanabortion?Religiousleaders?
Theyhavenospecialauthorityinthematter,whichisnotsubjecttotheologicalnormsorguidance.The
state?Itsauthorityisgivenbythepeopleitrepresents,andthepeoplearedividedonthis.Doctors?They
toodiffer.Thewomanistheoneclosesttothedecision.UnderRoevs.Wade,nowomanisforcedtohave
anabortion.Butthosewhohavedecidedtohaveoneareableto.
SomeobjectedtoKarlRove'suseofabortiontocementhisecumenicalcoalition,onthegroundsthatthis
wasinjectingreligionintopolitics.Thesupremeironyisthat,properlyunderstood,abortionisnotevena
religiousissue.ButthatdidnotmattertoRove.Allhecaredaboutwasthatitworked.Forawhile.
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GarryWillsistheauthorofnumerousbooks,mostrecently"HeadandHeart:AmericanChristianities,"
fromwhichthisarticleisadapted.
Copyright2015,LosAngelesTimes