An American Tragedy for the 21st Century - 10/15/08

This is my attempt to focus my thoughts onto one issue and define myself by it. I intend to do this on many issues to better know myself, but I also want it to be public, out there for review, critique, and to encourage others to think through it for themselves. My goal here is not to incite partisanship. I don't have these views to promote a political party, in fact the point of writing these out is to make clear to myself what I believe and why so that I don't lean on a party to define me. If you disagree, please, share. I want to know what you think and more importantly, why.

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What is the darkest blemish of this country's history? What stance did it hold that went against the fundamental principles of each person's unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness more than any other? I would answer, slavery. I think without question it is the single biggest atrocity we have sanctioned and the most damning ideology we have accepted. It took a civil war, a presidential demand and decades of continued government allowed abuse until the passage of Civil rights to force a change in the minds of those promoting it, yet that ideology still exists today but in a different form.

The idea behind slavery was that one race saw another as less then human. This absurd ideology allows one people group to define what a human is only to justify their abuse, their dominance, and their will over that lesser people group for their own gain and personal desire. This lesser group is denied freedom, denied a voice, and in many cases denied their very life, as the hardships they endured often killed them. All because they fall outside the bounds of one groups definition of humanity.

Today this mentality is promoted through the demand for acceptance and subsequent legalization of abortion. I argue that it is just as damning of our culture and will be seen as just as dark of a blemish on America's history as its once acceptance and legalization of slavery. Since its justification by our judicial system, millions of people defined as nonhuman by a sect of our population have been killed. Killed. They have been denied life itself let alone any other of the common rights we demand for every other organism. Politicians and political parties are quick to demand recognition and "help" for, in their terms, "the least of these" among us. I ask them, who is lesser among us than the unborn child? They have no voice. They have no ability to unify as a group. They have no way to even know they are in harms way. I find it ironic that those who have led the call for civil rights and women's rights and gay rights all under the banner of "human rights" aggressively protest against the protection and recognition of the unborn humans rights. This is hypocrisy in its purest form. To further expose the absurdity, scientists search for "life" on this planet and through out our solar system on the cell level. Yet when it comes to human embryos developing in a mothers womb we debate its classification. What that tells me is that this decision to deny the unborn baby rights is not based on a rational principle, but on politics. It certainly goes against the rallying cry that we are ALL created equal, that we must help those that cannot help themselves. So if it is not a founded principle-based decision, how is it that they have come to the conclusion that abortion is okay? Is it the inability for unborn babies to offer a vote that disqualifies their humanity? Or is it their lack of campaign contributions? To use this issue for political positioning is shameful.

So why do people have abortions? Those in support of it are quick to talk about those situations where either the mother or the child's health is in jeopardy, they talk about the situations where doctors have discovered a likelihood of the child's physical or mental handicaps, and they talk about those gruesome instances when a child is conceived out of some horrible event such as rape or incest. These are very real and very tragic situations that even the most Pro-Life advocates have to face. But it is important to have some perspective here. According to The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (www.abortionno.org ) "1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child." The conclusion that is often made is that it is such a complicated situation, who are we to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. Here is where I draw the line. The only time I would support allowing a mother to consider terminating her pregnancy is in the first tragic situation I just mentioned. When the life of the mother or the baby is in real jeopardy by allowing the pregnancy to go full term a decision has to be made. I liken it to the choice that has to be made when separating conjoined twins. Where one life can be saved with the decision. In this case allow the mother, whose life is on the line, to decide what she should do. As for pregnancies of children with potential handicaps or those conceived through tragic and illegal actions I come to a different conclusion. As horrible as these are, the life of the mother is not on the line and the baby is in NO WAY responsible for the situation. I refuse to accept that the child should be allowed to pay such a price. Slavery has been the only other practice within civilized society where an individual was allowed to decide the fate of another based on their own desires or feelings. Don't get me wrong, these situations are deplorable but we are not talking about the mothers body, we are talking about the babies life. If she can't take care of a child with handicaps or can't face the idea of raising a child conceived tragically I support allowing her to give up her child, in the hopes of finding a family who can.

While foster care and adoption is a whole other topic let me just say I am for the idea of it, and I think its worth putting the energy and resources into reforming and improving it. We must.

But the conversation doesn't end there. The real American tragedy is that most abortions aren't being performed under those pretenses, remember only 7% are. The more common act, which is almost never discussed, is the use of abortion by those who simply don't want their child, don't want that responsibility or feel like they aren't ready. 93% of all abortions in America occur for social reasons. Its almost unimaginable that someone could actually have an argument for this action. How cavalier about life. Every action has its consequence. Sex leads to conception. Its not like that's a little known fact. If you are not ready or willing to become a parent you better restrain yourself physically. The similarity here between abortion and slavery is eerie. Abuse and death of the lesser for the benefit and continued livelihood of the greater. Turning the Pro-Abortionist's argument on its head you might as well be asking "Who are we to tell that Plantation Owner what to do with his slave?

If we could forget party lines, forget talking points, forget the heated history between the two sides and see this as an issue for consideration anew, I don't see how we would end up with what we have currently. This is America's darkest blemish of the 21st century. It is a tragedy that rivals the very worst of America. One we need to get behind us for the sake of progress, humanity and truly helping the least among us.

Paul Wizikowski


Important Facts on abortions in America
Abortions skyrocketed after the ruling on Roe vs. Wade Jan. 22, 1973
Abortions leveled off in the 1980's at about 1.6 million each year
Since the early 90's there has been a steady yet slow decline in the abortions performed each year in the USA
In 2005 there were approx. 1.2 million abortions in the USA
There are approx. 42 million abortions each year worldwide

Facts based on www.abortionno.org and www.guttmacher.org