Are You Willing?

For the last three weeks I have read the opinion of Mary Honrud. I found her comments interesting, but I am confused by her point of the three-part series. If I understood Mary correctly, she advocates the abortion of any unwanted child, during pregnancy. Should we stop there? Peter Sager, who teaches Ethics at an Ivy League University, claims it is morally ethical to abort a baby after the fact, for up to four years, if the baby shows signs of physical or mental disabilities. Could we not also extend the four-year time limit to any child who is not wanted, say if the parents divorce in that four-year period? This would save the baby from being unwanted, or worse, from any possible abuse, which was another reason Mary advanced the abortion cause.

And what about protecting women? One in three women are raped or sexually abused before the age of 25. To save any women this degrading experience, may I suggest that we abort all women, as a means to protect them. This also would decrease the work load to the Child Help site by 20.7 percent.

Let’s look at Mary’s stance on urging women under the age of 20 to have an abortion. Not only would this decrease the possibility of birth defects (Mary claimed the rise is 50 percent higher), but the abortion would decrease the infant mortality rate.

And what about my parents? They are getting old, and very demanding. They require a lot of my time, and spending my future money. Can I claim that they are UNWANTED and have them aborted?

In the movie “The Giver,” any and all people, regardless of their age, are “released” if they do not conform to the social standards of height, weight, intelligence or usefulness to the community. Is this really what is being promoted? Are we to become mechanical in our feelings and attitudes?

Remember, Beethoven was not wanted by his parents, and Thomas Edison was not wanted by his teachers. Are you willing to sit on the Chair of Judgment, deciding who is wanted and who is not? Even a man on death row has the right to an appeal. Will your system allow for an appeal?

A society who has no life has no future. With life we have hope.

Ed Malone

Glasgow