The Most Basic Human Right: Life
May 15, 2008 by Lillie
Bloggers are uniting today for basic human rights. There so many topics to write about: humanitarian aid to Myanmar, atrocities in Darfur, sex slavery around the world, religious persecution …
These and more are terrible violations of human rights, and I pray for all of them.
The most basic human right of all is life. People are dying from atrocities committed by governments and criminals and from starvation and diseases because humanitarian aid is denied. Most people acknowledge these are horrific human rights violations, and many people contribute, volunteer, work, and pray for an end to these evils.
However, there is one human rights violation that many people accept as good and right: the murder of millions of innocent babies before they even take their first breath.
The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform quotes statistics compiled from The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood. Approximately 126,000 abortions occur every day worldwide (about 3,700 of those in the US). The worldwide lifetime average is one abortion per woman!
You can find more information at Abortion Facts.
National Right to Life reports that there have been nearly 50 million abortions in the US since 1973, when Roe v Wade made abortion legal.
Star Parker writes on Townhall.com:
… a third of which {abortions} were black babies.
I wrote in an earlier post that slavery and abortion are moral relatives. My guess is that abortion has killed more black Americans than slavery did, though slavery certainly did a lot of physical and emotional damage that didn’t necessarily cause death.
The Bible says:
For you {God} created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. ~ Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:5 (KJV)
This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the LORD,
who has made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself. ~ Isaiah 44:24 (NIV)
Before I {God} formed you in the womb I knew you ~ Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
Thou shalt not kill. ~ Exodus 20:13 (KJV)
In 1869, One of the earliest feminists, Susan B. Anthony, said:
I deplore the horrible crime of child murder. No matter what the motive-love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent-the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed.
On the 34th anniversary of Roe v Wade, I wrote a post that linked to this powerful message: Think of Me Turning 34 Today.
Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust calls abortion “the evil of our generation.” This Christian pro-life activist organization says:
If you were born after 1972, we challenge you to consider yourself a Survivor of the Abortion Holocaust. 1/3 of your generation has been killed by abortion in America!
We must not continue to murder 1/3 of our children, children created by God in His image.
O GOD, merciful and compassionate, who art ever ready to hear the prayers of those who put their trust in thee; Graciously hearken to us who call upon thee, and grant us thy help in this our need; end the evil of abortion and let the children live. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I’m with you on this one, Lillie!
It’s staggering to think of so many people simply “gone” off the face of the earth. It’s difficult to imagine the many great and wonderful accomplishments that will never be, because the people who would have done them never had the chance.
A cure for cancer? The solution to the energy crisis? A helping hand at a pivotal moment? Only God knows what would have been, had these people been allowed to be born.
Robert Hruzeks last blog post..The Guy with the Tarzan Yell
Erm, basic human rights? Isn’t the right of a woman to choose whether or not to bear a child without others forcing her hand in either direction a basic human right? For someone who edits written material for a living, I’m astonished you haven’t spotted the massive disconnect between “blogging for human rights” and then saying that you should take away people’s right to their own choice because the Bible says so.
Sure, if you want to not have an abortion because your faith tells you not to, that’s your prerogative. But pushing that very personal life-changing decision onto others, in the name of a faith they don’t necessarily subscribe to? If anyone else did it, you’d call it tyranny. And you’d be correct.
Paul Ravens last blog post..Science fiction series that suck
You redact dissenting voices, then? You must be very certain of your moral stance. I doubt you’ll be too bothered (what with me being unSaved and all), but you just lost a subscriber.
I’m pro-abortion and I think that people should have the choice. Raising babies when they don’t have the skill to is a disaster waiting to happen.
Paul,
I guess it boils down to whether or not a person believes that there is such a thing as right and wrong rather than simply the rights of an individual to do what they want. My faith certainly gives me the belief that the world does not revolve around me, and murder is wrong under all circumstances.
But even if you don’t believe in the value of human life, you might want to do some research about the effects of abortion on women who have them. There are emotional and medical after-effects for many women that make them regret their decision.
And sometimes women make the decision because of expectations of other people. My sister was pressured heavily by doctors to have an abortion when she became pregnant after having a severely handicapped child. The doctors thought her next child might have problems as well and encouraged her to abort the baby. However, she resisted in spite of great emotional trauma over the pressure. Her next child was perfectly healthy when he was born … and still is nearly 30 years later. Many women give in to the pressure – from their partner, parents, abortion clinics, or others – and go on to regret the decision. But once the baby is dead, there is no way to change her mind and undo the damage.
I don’t know about you … but I’m sure glad my mother didn’t use her right to choose to keep me from being born!
Hi Lillie! I wrote about this issue here: http://www.renaebrumbaugh.com/?p=111
It has to do with my own personal experience, and I would love for Paul and Bape to read it, as well as your other readers.
Thank you for sharing your heart on this issue, and thank you for all the wonderful writing advice you give to so many.
Renaes last blog post..The Well-dressed Warrior: Prayer
Renae,
Thank you for sharing your story with my readers. I encourage everyone to read both the post and the comments. I was touched when I read the post at the time you wrote it, and it touched my heart when I just read it again.
Powerful! That’s all I can say.
I love your blog.
Maybe we can exchange links.
I think my readers would enjoy yours.
God bless,
Lance
http://www.lancessoulsearching.com
Lance Garguss last blog post..Not One Of Them Is Forgotten Before God
Thank you, Lance. I just subscribed to your blog and will read it some before adding to my blogroll, but it looks like a great addition to my Christian blogroll. It’s just my policy to get familiar with a blog before recommending it. I haven’t had time to read much of yours, but what I’ve seen I really like.
My apologies on the accusation of deleting comments; I wasn’t aware I was being held for moderation.
Your beliefs do not offend me – I’m a pluralist, and as far as I’m concerned anyone can believe whatever they like, on the proviso they don’t force that belief on others. Which is the same issue I have with the anti-abortion stance – I understand the arguments in favour of your side, but I cannot condone the notion that you should be able to make that choice on the behalf of others. How is it any different for you to pressure women not to abort compared to the people who pressured your sister to do so?
And to accuse me of not valuing human life is pure sophistry; I think we both value human life, or we wouldn’t be having this debate. The difference lies in the definition of human life, I think, and that takes us back to our respective personal beliefs – and which this is probably not the place for a debate upon.
My apologies again for accusing you of suppressing dissent. I am not anti-theist, but I’m afraid I remain pro-choice.
Paul Ravens last blog post..Verizon to carry Linux-powered phones
Lillie,
sorry to hear that Paul couldn’t stand the heat in the marketplace of ideas. Regarding murder of any kind, our Bible teaches us that the Lord despises the hand that sheds innocent blood. Even if you are not sure you take Him at His Word, basic ethics from nearly any faith or societal structure in the world would underscore that basic tenet–murder is wrong. Since there is no legal execution, or combat, simple logic will tell us that unrestrained abortion is murder, hence morally wrong–even outside faith in our God.
The argument of unwanted pregnancy to an unskilled parent as justification is a similar nonsequitur. Aside from involuntary physical congress, there is no reason to be pregnant except one. The simple solution is, then, apparent.
My heart–and the heart of the Lord–grieves for the unborn and the mothers who slay them, for whatever reason. They both suffer a death, regardless of the face they put on it. Research bears this out–and it is a tragedy of global proportions. So many wounded hearts.
I pray we find a more perfect solution than what pro-choice advocates tout currently. Although I think the majority of them sincerely hold their beliefs according to what they truly think is correct, from my perspective, I would challenge them to examine the issue of murder with an open mind…and open heart. I say this as kindly as possible, with the firm hope they can all allow the concept that this is morally wrong to compete in their personal marketplace of ideas.
I wish all that blog here grace and peace in their hearts.
Apology accepted. It appears we will just have to agree to disagree.
Chip+,
Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
And that one is the most neglected one too.
Unfortunately, it is not only neglected but deliberately and actively violated.
I responded to every comment when it was written. Unfortunately, when I moved my blog, all my threaded responses were lost.
[...] The Most Basic Human Right: Life is dear to my heart because I am so passionate about saving the lives of unborn babies. Other posts [...]
[...] written about the sanctity of life in The Most Basic Human Right: Life and Slavery and Abortion: Moral Relatives. In the post In Memory of 40 Million Aborted Babies, I [...]
I read that under George Bush, abortion rates dropped significantly. I think that no matter what someone’s political belief on this issue, we can all be thankful for that.
Linda´s last blog post..The Government Gave Me Grant Money! Do I Have To Pay It Back?
Linda,
Amen to that.
Let’s pray that the trend doesn’t reverse and start going up again.
[...] is the the most basic human right. Abortion is a tragedy, as powerfully described apost about the people who never lived because of [...]
For those who say it is a human right for women to choose whether to have a child or not – She HAS a choice. Pregnancy isn’t an illness you can catch. And how can anyone think adoption isn’t a better option. Then someone who want a child but can’t have one can.
Harry,
You are right. In a minuscule percentage of cases, the woman may not have had a choice if she became pregnant as a result of rape. But that is extremely rare—in almost all cases, the woman became pregnant because she chose to engage in sexual activities. That was when she exercised her choice.
Bloggers who write about human rights in their country are doing a great service to mankind and their countrymen. Unfortunately, they also face the risk of prosecution by the local government if their writings touch on some sensitive political issues.
John,
Thanks for the important reminder. In this country, we can freely express our opinions without fear, but that’s not the way it is in many places in the world. We need to appreciate our freedoms more.
I guess, The number that you have, nearly 50 million abortions, is only for US, considering that other countries also have abortion cases. This is not actally a problem on a specific state or country but a world wide problem too. I guess we, the adults, need to responsible enough in educating the young about it. Once the adults are all responsible, everything will follow. Good luck to us.
Bonnie,
Yes, as stated in the post, the 50 million is in the US. However, I did include these worldwide statistics, as you will see if you read the post completely:
Approximately 126,000 abortions occur every day worldwide (about 3,700 of those in the US). The worldwide lifetime average is one abortion per woman!
The positive aspect of “thou shall not commit murder” is that we are called to protect life.
William,
Absolutely. I have a hard time understanding why anyone would not see this.
[...] The Most Basic Human Right: Life [...]
Robert,
It’s mind-boggling and heart-breaking.
Paul,
I’m sorry to lose you as a subscriber. I regret that my beliefs offend you, but this is a personal blog and I will continue to express them. Although many of my posts are about writing, anyone can tell from reviewing the blogroll, categories, and archive that I have a strong Christian faith and that I often talk about it.
I’m not sure what you mean about redacting dissenting voices unless you think I didn’t approve your comment because I happened to be away from the computer for a few hours. Although I moderate the first comment by a commenter, I do not delete comments just because someone disagrees with me – even when the comments are insulting to me and my beliefs. I will delete comments that use language I consider offensive and those that insult other people as well as spam.
Thank you for reading my blog in the past.
I’m certainly not saying that every woman who has an unwanted pregancy must raise the baby. Adoption puts a child into a loving home with parents who want a baby. My point is that the child has the basic human right to live.