On Tim Tebow and the Ethics and Politics of Abortion
The recent controversy surrounding the Tebow Super Bowl advertisement has given me reason to reflect on the ethics of abortion and I feel motivated to share my thoughts on the subject.
Before doing so, however, I feel it necessary to disclose my absolute disdain for James Dobson and Focus on the Family. Dobson’s anti-gay rhetoric and activities are dangerous and unchristian. I want to be very clear that I do not, in any way, support, endorse, or condone Dobson and his Focus on the Family organization. Of course, my dislike of Dobson goes well-beyond the gay issue as he has shown his religious intolerance by excluding Mormons from supposedly ecumenical prayer activities because, much like Matt Slick, Dobson does not deem Mormons worthy of the name Christian. Jesus ate dinner with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners but Dobson won’t pray with Mormons. Go figure.
You can find the Tebow ad here.
The Ethical Question
When approaching the question of abortion I believe we must separate the moral question from the political question. We must first examine if abortion is indeed unethical and only then, can we discuss how the matter is to be dealt with in the public square.
It seems that the central relevant issue to the moral question of abortion regards the definition of life, when it begins, and under what circumstances it is morally justifiable to end it with purpose and intent. In the case of abortion, or course, we are dealing with at least two lives: that of the mother and that of the unborn child.
Reasonable people would agree that life has value in itself and as such, is something to be protected and preserved under normal circumstances. Life is unique, it has meaning, and at least in the case of human beings, is self-aware.
The first problem then, when considering the question of abortion is defining the term “life” and then determining, as best we can, when it begins. In the case of a pregnant mother this question is easily answered. She is alive. Her life has value and thus, we have a moral duty to protect her life as best we can.
Determining if an unborn fetus is indeed a “life” is a much more difficult question to address. Both sperm and egg separately represent potential life and when they come together they can eventually produce life, which is easily recognized and valued. However, at what point does this potential life become actual life? I contend that there is no objective and definitive answer to this question. Thus, any conclusion drawn is the result of a subjective definition.
However, we can clearly see the development and growth of the human fetus as it matures inside its mother’s womb. We can observe it becoming less dependent on its mother as it progresses towards birth. At some point, well before birth, the human fetus is capable of surviving outside the mother’s womb – albeit with the miraculous aid of modern medicine. Given these facts, I propose that if a fetus is capable of surviving outside its mother’s womb, it is, for all practical purposes a life and as such, has value.
For the sake of simplicity let us only consider the first three months of a mother’s pregnancy. In this case we have both the life of the mother, and the life – or potential life – of the unborn fetus. As has been mentioned above, it is impossible to determine if the fetus represents life or potential life without introducing subjective definitions. Therefore, it is morally imperative that we give preference in this situation to the life and well being of the mother because we know, without question, that she is “a life.” Given the subjective nature defining “life” it is impossible to employ a universal ethical framework in this type of situation. There are simply too many potential variables at play. Thus, the decision to abort, or not abort, must remain solely with the mother and those whom she chooses to involve in the decision-making process.
Having said that, I am troubled by so-called late-term abortion simply because these aborted fetuses can survive and sustain independent life separate from their mother. But again, I am reluctant to state unequivocally that late-term abortions are universally immoral. There are too many variables at play and this type of difficult choice must remain with the mother, her close associates, and her doctor.
The Political Question
Before continuing, it must be stated that we must operate – in terms of ethics and morality – within the world as it actually is and not as we wish it were. In the real world women seek out abortions. Some, if not most of us would prefer that if a woman is not ready to be a mother, that she not become pregnant. But, life is unpredictable. Teens have sex – too often unsafely. Condoms break. Sometimes birth control pills don’t work. I know of women who, with their tubes tied have become pregnant. I know of men with vasectomies who have impregnated women. Despite our best planning, things don’t always play out the way we hope they would. Again, whether we approve of it or not, some women will always seek out abortions.
Given 1) that we value not only life but quality of life and 2) women will seek out abortions whether legal or not I fully support legal access to medically safe and regulated abortion. I do so for several reasons. First, If a woman chooses to have an abortion, I would rather that she do so in a manner that protects her health and life. My academic advisor taught at Vanderbilt during the 1970’s and was a close associate of the Dean of the Medical school. He taught both pre and post Roe v. Wade and told me that before the Roe v. Wade decision botched “back alley” abortions were one of the most common emergencies seen in the hospital. Post Roe v. Wade, these emergencies all but disappeared. Granted, this is purely anecdotal evidence but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of the account.
It seems to me then, that those who oppose abortion universally fail to fully account for the value and well being of the mother. They promote a lose-lose situation wherein both the fetus and the mother experience incredible harm. Legal abortions – at the very least – protect the life and well being of the mother. If the goal is to protect and cherish life, it is better to protect the known life of the mother rather than harm both known and potential life by forcing women to seek abortion in unsafe conditions.
I believe there are a few things we can all agree on:
1) Women will seek abortions whether legal or not.
2) Abortion as a form of birth control is morally ambiguous at best.
3) It is in the best interest of both mother and fetus to promote an environment where abortions occur less frequently.
So, how do we achieve this? I have a few thoughts:
1) We educate young people (and adults) about safe sex and promote both abstinence and the proper use of birth control.
2) We promote alternatives to abortion by making adoption a viable option. We streamline the adoption process and provide counseling and care for both the birth mother and the adoptive parents. We eliminate the prohibitive costs of adoption.
3) We avoid the extremes and employ a more balanced approach to the issue by dropping the “us vs. them” rhetoric that so often characterizes this debate.
4) We allow states to regulate abortion procedures to ensure that they are safe and that mothers are fully aware of the risks, both physical and psychological of participating in an abortion. Also, it is absurd to allow teenage girls to obtain abortions without parental notification. Parents have a right to know if their child is going to undergo a major medical procedure. Of course, there are circumstances such as incest where such notification is problematic but this is why we have a judicial system. Laws can be written in such a way as to protect both parental rights and the interests of pregnant minors.
Seth – interesting take. One thing that stands out to me is a statement that one of my professors used to say when referring to the debate, and that is that the two sides on the abortion debate are fighting different battles. One is fighting the “Pro-Life” debate and the other is fighting the “Pro-Choice” debate. Nobody (nobody!) is fighting for the “Anti-Choice” or “Anti-Life” sides. Thus, there will never be a “solution” to the problem until people argue the same argument. Of course, we can’t expect people to agree even if the argument is the same (or similar).
Yup, To me it is really simple. There is a real good chance that I would not be alive today if my paternal mother received the pressure that is forced on young women today. Pressures that can be define as a “its not your fault ” and “its fine and acceptable to quietly walk away”. I think many abortion advocates have not experienced or even seen first hand the process that brings a living being out of a tiny hole and rearing it to maturity. That is why they get super defensive when simple truths are presented as educational tools to help young women see this miracle. Having been adopted I will always have a horse in this race and I will let this bias fester and verbally strike at anyone who gets in the way of small children entering this Biosphere. When compared to the animal kingdom, I hope abortion advocates are comfortable with the distinct parallels they have in common with male lions and bares who slaughter small helpless cubs just for opportunity to mate with the mother and pass there genes on. I would submit that these are the same people who would intervene in this situation and rescue the cubs. The following day they will hold the closet door shut as a infant screams helplessly in a garbage container until death. Hope they sleep well.
The link to you vid was removed.
I found this one for now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejNt_BQY7iw&NR=1
Perry
“Both sperm and egg separately represent potential life and when they come together they can eventually produce life,”
“can eventually” is probably not very accurate, as a very large number of fertilizations, planned and unplanned, spontaneously abort.
If we make decisions based on potential, rater then reality, statistics and reason then we join Monty Python’s Circus of “Every Sperm is Sacred”.
You can’t have it both ways that everything that could turn out needs to be protected that it should turn out.
A malformed fetus is an individual anomaly, where the ethics of the human carrying a non-viable “human” embryo is the choice to continue growing a “tumor” inside your body is your choice, not that of people attending a church of which you are not a member.
Is it true the Tebow’s Mother was in the Philippines and abortion was illegal, there, then and now, so what Dr’s would be offering her illegal abortion advice?
Is this story true and how critical was her medical condition?
Perry L. Porter
Seth, I am guessing that a dialog is something you are interested in having, otherwise it would not be posted in an interactive blog.
I am breaking disparate comments into separate responses to allow specific discussion.
You said: “I propose that if a fetus is capable of surviving outside its mother’s womb, it is, for all practical purposes a life and as such, has value.”
I did touch on this a bit but all fetai (fetuses) are not created equal.
Some are non viable,
some are as a result of incest,
some are the result of rape,
some are the result of sloppy birth-control,
some are the results of inconsistency of the body’s reaction to birth-control hormones,
some are the result of lack of knowledge of what kind of activities (that feel good) can result in something un-planned,
some are the result of miss-communication,
but in all these cases it is a fetus that is un-wanted, at THAT POINT IN TIME.
Why do we want to bring a child into the world that is genetically bound to two people into the world?
Who would want to be that child?
Why did Tim Tebow’s mother or Tim not die during that pregnancy?
Because God was preparing Tim for the Florida Gators?
Really ????
Was God preparing Catholic Jim McMan for the Mormon BYU Cougars?
Did God create the NFL to showcase the greatest quarterback of all time, Mormon Steve Young to bring a message to the world which church was true?
So if Tebow never becomes as good as McMan or Young, does that mean that the true Christian church is the Mormon church and God Favors BYU and Mormons over Fundamentalist Christians?
If God wants Tebow to be his spokesman, where was God when the Gators were playing Bama????
The false implication is that that Tim is GREAT and a righteous man, and the world is blessed that his mother did not abort him????
So Tim is better than any of my children? hummmm better at football, yet, but better?
Will Tim be a virtuous virgin, when he marries, will his wife also be without sin?
Was Tim Haggard not seen as a virtuous man, up until he fell.
Both Tims are in the entertainment industry, and if neither had ever been born, some other Tim would have taken their place and we would never be the wiser.
BTW if God is so important to Tim, why didn’t he play for Moody Bible College instead of Florida?
I guess the glory of Tvo is more important than the glory of God.
Perry L. Porter
“Some, if not most of us would prefer that if a woman is not ready to be a mother, that she not become pregnant. But, life is unpredictable. Teens have sex – too often unsafely. Condoms break. Sometimes birth control pills don’t work. I know of women who, with their tubes tied have become pregnant.”
Everything you talk about with Teens, also happens with adults.
If it is about allowing or not allowing abortion as a form of birth-control, why stereo-type it as a teen thing?
Married adults can not be ready to have another child, such as age 40 with 6 previous children, or lack of money or lack of a supporting spouse or depression or over worked or under paid or just warn out, or even run out of love?
It is easy for us to say…. Gee you need to step up to the plate and love this child as much as the previous 6 children.
After all you had the “Joy of Sex” for 10 miniatures, now you are pregnant, you are going to pay dearly for those 10 minutes both financially and emotionally for the next 20 years.
As the last of 7 children, I know that parents can get burned out and run out of patience and love for the last child. I know.
People assume that abortion is the last and worst option, well being unloved is the worst option!
Let us take care of the children that ARE wanted and worry less about “saving” those that are not even children yet.
Perry L. Porter
“2) Abortion as a form of birth control is morally ambiguous at best.”
The dwindling, food and energy supply puts us in a new world, the world of the 1950′s when a ban on all birth control sounded like God’s plan, looks like God could not see even into the 1960′s let alone the 2060′s.
“Also, it is absurd to allow teenage girls to obtain abortions without parental notification.”
In all cases????
What if the father is a drunk and physically abusive, and the pregnancy, may have been from her brother, and if the father finds out, both children will be physically harmed?
While that case is extreme, in many cases informing the parents is likely to start emotional abuse.
If the relationship of the daughter and parents are so bad that she does not share this problem with them, the State being a tattle tale is not likely to improve that relationship.
It may be best to tell children that they will have to tell their parents if they get pregnant and that the State is forcing their hand.
I am just saying that it is complex, and to say something is “absurd” does not allow for all the shades of gray that exist.
Perry L. Porter
Hi Perry,
Thanks so much for your insight and thoughts. They are very much appreciated. I think my statement that “Both sperm and egg separately represent potential life and when they come together they can eventually produce life” is an accurate one. After all, every human being is the result of this process. You are, of course, correct in stating that many do spontaneously abort; an example of Mother nature at work.
I am not a moral relativist, nor am I an moral absolutist. My position, speaking strictly from an ethical viewpoint, is that potential life should be given due consideration before being aborted. As I noted in my post, I support legal abortions, still believe that the issue should be approached seriously and somberly. As I mentioned, we can’t objectively say that a fetus is in fact, “a life”, and thus, speaking generally, preference should be given to the health and well-being of the mother. In the case or Mrs. Tebow, she obviously faced a difficult situation. I am not fully aware of all circumstances surrounding her case. However, based on the myriad of factors — including religious beliefs — she decided not to abort even while knowing that carrying her baby full term presented significant risk. This was her choice to make and, I would hope that she was able to make that choice in an informed and thoughtful manner.
Seth
You are quite correct that all fetuses are created equal and, in some cases, I’m sure late-term abortions represent the best option for both mother and child. My point here is that when we are talking about fetuses that can survive outside the womb, this opens up an entirely new moral dimension to be considered. Now, rather than dealing with an early-term fetus which may, or may not, be “a life” — we are not talking about a self-sustaining and self-existent life. Again, I am hesitant to label all late-term abortions as immoral as I’m sure there circumstances where such abortions represent the best option. Of course, my views are colored by my personal experience. I, myself, was 2 months premature but, due to modern medicine (well, 1977 medicine) I was able to spend relatively little time in the hospital before coming home to my adoptive parents.
To respond to your comment that ” in all these cases it is a fetus that is un-wanted, at THAT POINT IN TIME” I disagree. Some mothers may be carrying late-term fetuses which they do in fact want to keep, but may have to consider aborting for a plethora of reasons.
In any case, my position is that this very personal decision must remain with the mother, her doctor, and her trusted family and friends.
I think God has more to worry about than plays well in college football — although I have heard rumors that he is a Notre Dame fan
Seth
Hi Perry,
My poor sentence structure has given you the impression that I am talking of teens only. I am not.
Again, my position is that abortion is a difficult moral issue that should be dealt with by the individuals facing the consequences of pregnancy. I’ve not made the claim of what any individual should or should not do. However, I would encourage individuals to consider this decision seriously.
Seth
Perry,
I’m less concerned about what “God’s plan” may be — as if I could really know — and I’m more concerned with what we see, in reality. Dealing with issues of poverty, resource distribution etc… should not preclude us from considering other ethical and moral issues. I don’t see this as a zero-sum game.
Seth
Hi Perry,
I think you missed my caveat about the importance of the judicial system. In fact, I think I even used an example of an abusive parent to make this point. In any case, this type of hyperbole is not constructive as I have to wonder how many pregnant teen girls were raped by their fathers, or whose father’s are abusive etc… I would imagine that proportionally speaking, the percentage would be quite small. However, regardless of the number of young girls in this situation, there must be legal avenues available to circumvent the general rule that parental notification is required.
I’m not a parent but I can’t imagine that I would be at all pleased were my daughter able to undergo major surgery without my knowledge. Even though teenages may not believe it, they do need their parents and, in most cases, parents want to help their children through difficult challenges. Of course there are exceptions but, as I mentioned in my post, this is why we have a judicial system. Judges make exceptions to general rules.
Seth
The best and only safe contraception is still the oral method.
Just say NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and use a pepper or mace spray if the guy is not listening.
Matt Slick is an odious little man who loves to ban people who disagree with him on religious matters and then remove mountains of accurate scriptural references from his sick little site where he pats himself on the back a lot.
On the topic of abortion. I understand the Church position and have prayed about it. The position is correct as the Spirit confirmed the will of the Lord.
The second coming will be delayed, according to the Jerusalem Bible and what greater quest to delay it further would be the case for mindless and needless abortions. Read the footnotes to said Bible in 2 Thess. 2.
The taking of an anborn child from its mother’s womb is not an act that anyone should take lightly. And the “Its my body” argument is as foolish as the person who has sexual encounters without realising that one day, a child will be on its way.
Celibate outside marriage and fidelity therein.
It is folly to disagree even in principle to deity.
Goodnight and may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you.
And by the way Seth, you never did teach me that bow tie thing.