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KATHLEEN HIERS
Director of Sanctity of Human Life, FBCH
Conner Peterson made us do it. Conner forced us to consider that unborn children are human beings and not just potential human life. Conner and his mother, Laci, were killed Christmas 2002, but Conner accomplished great things through his life. Conner awakened a giant. Across the nation people looked for them, prayed for their return and grieved after their murders.
Conner forced us to ask: if you kill a pregnant woman and her unborn child dies, how many people died? Second, should we hold the killer responsible for one murder or for two? Some say Conner was not murdered because he was not born. Marva Stark, NOW of New Jersey chapter president asserted, "if this (Conner’s death) is murder, well, then any time a late-term fetus is aborted they could call it murder."
A Fox News Poll indicates 79% of Americans believe if a pregnant woman is attacked and her baby dies, the attacker should be charged with two murders; 70% say so regardless of the child’s developmental stage. Looking at a sonogram picture or the rounded belly of a pregnant woman people know that inside is a living human baby.
The hinge of the abortion debate swings on one question: What is being aborted?
Scott Klusendorf believes the fundamental question is not about rights. The key question is: "What is the unborn?" If the unborn is an indiscriminate cell cluster then abortion removes non-descript cell tissue. If the unborn are fully human because they possess human DNA at the moment of conception then abortion is much more than cell removal.
Klusendorf uses the acrostic SLED to defend the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
Size. A person’s size does not determine his humanity. For example, Warren Sapp’s strength and stature do not make him more human than Katherine Harris. The unborn’s size does not make him any more or less human.
Level of development. Ability does not determine humanity. The unborn has gender, hair color, eye color and other unique markers of his specific physical and mental characteristics. Progression through developmental stages does not make us human; there is no point at which the child "becomes" human.
Environment. Location does not determine humanity. This morning I awakened in my bed and then I took a shower but I was still a person. The location of the child in the womb does not make him inhuman nor does the act of childbirth endow the child with humanity.
Degree of Dependency. The argument is that dependency upon the mother makes the child a potential human. Everyone is dependent on something to sustain life. We live in an atmospheric incubator and without air, water or food we die. Diabetics and dialysis patients depend on medicines or machines but that does not make them inhuman.
Scripture affirms the sanctity of human life.
The unique mix of blood cells, neurotransmitters, skin and bone do not elevate humanity above dogs and dogwood trees. God created Adam, "in our image and after our likeness" and declared, "This is very good."
The late theologian, AW Tozer clarifies the Biblical position, "We believe that God created us living souls and gave us bodies through which we can experience the world around us ... When man fell through sin, he began to think of himself as having a soul instead of being one. It makes a lot of difference whether a man believes that he is a body having a soul or a soul having a body" (AW Tozer, Echoes from Eden, pp. 10 - 11).
The Scripture declares that God is the one who opens and closes the womb. It affirms that God allows conception in order to reveal sin and at other times prevents conception because justice comes in other ways.
The Incarnation affirms the sanctity of human life. The Holy Spirit impregnated a young virgin and God became an embryo. Jesus experienced cell division and multiplication. The Word Who infused Adam with "the breath of life" also breathed amniotic fluid. The Creator who upholds the world by His right hand had measurable fingerprints nine weeks after conception. The One Who resurrects dead hearts had a heartbeat eighteen days after Mary heard, "Fear not."
Conner forced the public debate and truth is winning the day. There is still much work to be done. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban is being challenged in three federal courts. Florida’s law on Parental Notification for a minor’s intent to abort is illegal unless Floridians pass a constitutional amendment. Abortion continues to take the lives of 240+ children a day. "The morning after pill" may be sold as an over the counter medication.
The humanity of the unborn still hinges on one thing — desire. If a wanted unborn child is killed because of injury to his mother, we call it murder. If an unwanted fetus is aborted, we call it choice.
The question remains, "what is the unborn?" The answer requires our prayerful, courageous, loving and sacrificial response.