Sunday, June 29, 2008

Senator Obama....when does human life begin?


As documented here, during a recent Father's Day speech at a Chicago Church where he addressed the problem of absent black fathers, Senator Barack Obama said, "We need fathers* to recognize that responsibility doesn't just end at conception."

In an ad put out by the Family Research Council, FRC President Tony Perkins responds to the Senator from Illinois by asking, "If, as you say, fatherhood begins at conception, when does life begin?"

An excellent point. If fatherhood begins at conception, so does human life. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot suggest that fatherhood begins at conception but human life does not. As Dr. & Mrs. J.C. Willke explain in their book "Why can't we love them both: questions and answers about abortion," "Biologic human life is defined by examining the scientific facts of human development. This is a field where there is no controversy, no disagreement. There is only one set of facts, only one embryology book is studied in medical school. The more scientific knowledge of fetal development that has been learned, the more science has confirmed that the beginning of any one human individual's life, biologically speaking, begins at the completion of the union of his father's sperm and his mother's ovum, a process called "conception," "fertilization," or "fecundation." This is so because this being, from fertilization, is alive, human, sexed, complete and growing."

In his Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II said that: "Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, "from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and ... modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the programme of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capacities requires time-a rather lengthy time-to find its place and to be in a position to act". Even if the presence of a spiritual soul cannot be ascertained by empirical data, the results themselves of scientific research on the human embryo provide "a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of a human life: how could a human individual not be a human person?" (No. 60).

During his Father's Day speech, Senator Obama slipped. Even though his record on abortion speaks for itself (he supports even partial-birth abortion, which amounts to infanticide), by telling his audience that fathers need to recognize their responsibility doesn't end at conception, he was admitting that at conception "a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother" but instead "the life of a new human being with his own growth" which the father is responsible for.

And, if a father's responsibility is just beginning at conception, what of the responsibility of the State to guarantee this new human being his or her rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?" (Declaration of Independence).

Senator?

Any ideas?
* Definition of father from the American Heritage Dictionary: "The begetter of a child."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post!!! Obama is being hypocritical here. What is the father responsible for if what has been conceived in the woman's womb is not a human child? If the unborn baby is just a "blob of tissue" the Senator's speech makes no sense at all. Another Democratic candidate for President who just refuses to be honest with regard to abortion.

The father is responsible because a new life has been created. The same life which Obama believes the woman should be able to dispose of through abortion right up until the time of birth.

What of the woman's responsibility? Obama has proven that he is not capable of common sense on the life issues.

Anonymous said...

I encourage those who are considering voting for Senator Obama to also consider his track record on abortion. He needs to acknowledge the fact that every conception means a separate and unique life which deserves protection. In other words, not just fathers but the State has a responsibility toward the unborn.

Sanctus Belle said...

The fact that human life begins at conception is just that, a scientific fact that is undeniable. The problem with this "argument" is that those who have embraced abortion don't care about that.

It really boils down to power and the struggle over that power. The mother has more power than the unborn helpless child, so the mother wins. A "father" only wanted his fun with the "mother", when a pregancy results, he threatens to leave her, she wants the baby, at least a little bit, but is dependant on him financially/emotionally/etc, therefore he has more power - he wins. Mr. Schiavo had more power over his mute, disabled wife - he won. Infirm elderly are abused by their care attendants every day - the nurses have more power - they win. That's in large part why we have gun rights in this country, so not all the power lies in the hands of the government. It goes on and on...

To use one's power with justice and moral righteousness is to recognize the good in the other, to act in the best interest of the other. To trample on the other is an abuse of power - and those who cry "my body, my choice" don't care about the baby, don't care about when life begins, nor do they care about whether the act is right or wrong, instead they abuse their power to do what they can want to.

Anonymous said...

Just as hypocritical: The same State which insists that a mother has a right to murder her unborn child will prosecute the murder of that same woman and her unborn child as a double-murder.

How can it be a piece of tissue when the mother chooses abortion and a child when someone else murders him or her?

Our laws are really just insane.

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