Message on the Beginning of Life Issues

The main question in talking about abortion is whether or not the unborn child is a distinct and valuable human person with the inalienable right to life. Without answering that question, any talk about abortion makes no sense. Unfortunately, our culture tells us that whether or not the fetus is a human person is just a matter of opinion and religion.

The goal of an acorn is to become an "oak tree." It is the goal of "oak tree" which guides the acorn to grow and change. Acorns already have "oak tree" written in their nature. Likewise, from the moment of our conception, each of us has "personhood" written into our nature. No matter our appearance, no matter our size, no matter our perceived degree of functionality, or labels given to us at each stage of development, our nature, from the very moment of conception, is personhood--a distinct and valuable human person with the inalienable right to life because of his intrinsic dignity.

Intrinsic dignity does not come from what we look like, how old we are, what we can do, born or unborn, living or dying. Intrinsic dignity comes from the fact that we are all made to be loved forever, and to love others as we love ourselves. A person's dignity is on the inside and can never be taken away. Your or my intrinsic dignity cannot be earned or determined by other people. It is ours by our fundamental nature as a unique person of God, created in His image and likeness.

Many within the culture believe that "ultimate freedom is death" or "freedom is doing what I want" (with "want" meaning "strongest momentary emotion"). The culture is, in fact, becoming more adverse to commitment. It is becoming more superficial about happiness and life purpose. Our culture is, despite our best intentions, shifting from the contributive (Happiness Level 3 & 4) to the comparative (Happiness Level 1 & 2). If we believe that every being of human origin is a person, and that contribution and commitment are essential to true happiness, then abortion can never be a moral act. This commonsense world view is also true when considering other beginning of life issues like fetal embryonic experimentation, in-vitro fertilization, human cloning, genetic selection, and genetic counseling.