Abortion - "I Don't Know"

I posted the below response to an honest "I don't know" comment regarding whether abortion is right or wrong.

I appreciate the honesty of your, "I don't know" on abortion  However, there are times the gravity of a situation compels us to act on the best evidence we have.  Consider this story:

You are the foreman on a demolition crew about to collapse a ten story parking garage. It also happens to be "Bring your kids to work day", so you brought your 8 year-old daughter, Suzie, and 6 year-old son, Mike, to work so they can see what you do.

You've just completed a bottom to top walkthrough of the structure and are about to give the "Blow it" command when you realize your daughter and son are missing.  You last saw them when they were walking with you through the structure. 

Would you go ahead and give the "Blow it" command given the uncertainty of the location of your children and the possibility they might be playing in the structure?  Of course not.  You know the explosions and the collapse of the building on them would be certain death if they are in there.  You would hold the demo and go look for your children.


What would you call the person who would give the "Blow it" command not knowing where their children were?  I would call that person, "Harry Blackmun".

There is a lot negative to be said legally about the Rowe vs Wade decision, but here's just one aspect related to the above story.  Justice Harry Blackmun, who authored the majority opinion wrote: "The judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to… resolve the difficult question of when life begins… since those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus."

Justice Blackmun is actually saying that since we do not know when life begins (implying that there definitely is a beginning), it's ok to kill the unborn.  In other words, I don't know where my children are but let's go ahead and blow the structure.

Let's look at Justice Blackmun's qualifier, "at this point in the development of man’s knowledge."  In the intervening 45 years we have learned a lot about the unborn - to the point that nearly every Embryology textbook affirms that "life begins at conception."  That is settled science now.  We now know the unborn is a separate and distinct human being from the mother.

Many people say abortion is a complex issue, and it is true there can be many hard issues.  However, if we are to deal consistently with thorny issues like rape or incest (which might account for 2% of abortions) as well as "normal" abortions, we must first have a firm grasp on just what abortion is and how to understand it.

Abortion can be resolved to a single question, "What is the unborn?"  If it is just a mass or growth (like a wart), then go ahead and kill it; no excuse is needed.  But if it is a human being, almost no excuse is acceptable for taking the life of the innocent human being.

Below are some links to get more details on the scientific and the philosophical case for life:
http://www.caseforlife.com/
https://www.newyorkapologetics.com/its-false-to-claim-that-no-one-knows-when-life-begins/

When I argue for life, I almost never make a religious case though there is a good case to be made for life.  It seems the pro-abortion religious cases I've seen all end up denying current science and philosophy.  I would rather be able to make the case for life by appealing to good science and philosophy so there is no religious "buy-in" required.  My case is accessible even to the non-religious and cannot be dismissed as "mere religious belief".  My view may be informed by my religious beliefs, but the argument for life stands alone on fact and reason.

Is there still some degree of uncertainty and difficult cases?  Yes, but I think there is more than sufficient evidence from science, philosophy, and religion that the unborn is a human being from conception and with a right to life.  I think this compels us to give an answer contrary to the one Justice Blackmun reached.  Stop the demolition!  There's a precious human person in there!