Wellhiem wrote:
The fact is, once an embryo has been aborted, that's it. It's been done, whether you like it or not. The only question is what do you do with it. You can either flush it, or you can use the stem cells, to grow organs to be used in transplants. Your views on abortion are irrelevant. The choice is flush it, or use it to save other lives. Which would you prefer?
I've taken great interest reading through this thread. My heart is heavy not just from the topic at hand, but also from how we can be so harsh in our discussions with those with whom we may disagree.
I think that you ask a very pertinent question. But it may not be the only question. However I do think it is valid. Once a termination of life has occurred, then what? And that is a question that can have many different answers.
I am very much pro-life. So I disclose upfront that I am coming from that mindset. In this particular case (and it is hard to know all the details from the video conversation) it does seem that the women are giving their consent (which does seem to be legal). So from a purely legal standpoint, there is that.
A couple of red flags, though...why did the Planned Parenthood representative state on the video that "At the national office, we have a Litigation and Law Department which just really doesnt want us to be the middle people for this issue right now. But I will tell you that behind closed doors these conversations are happening with the affiliates." That doesn't sound completely ethical.
And this...she also states that "I think for affiliates, at the end of the day, theyre a non-profit, they just dont want tothey want to break even. And if they can do a little better than break even, and do so in a way that seems reasonable, theyre happy to do that." Isn't doing better than breaking even...making a profit?
And also...she claims that "Id say a lot of people want liver. And for that reason, most providers will do this case under ultrasound guidance, so theyll know where theyre putting their forceps. The kind of rate-limiting step of the procedure is calvarium. Calvariumthe headis basically the biggest part. Weve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so Im not gonna crush that part, Im gonna basically crush below, Im gonna crush above, and Im gonna see if I can get it all intact." That to me just doesn't seem to be treating a deceased human child with dignity. I mean, doing "this" (crushing human body parts selectively so as to do better than breaking even monetarily by "donating" to medical research) is just very unsettling to me.
With that said, however, I do feel that there IS another question that is worth asking. Just because something is legal in this country, does that make it the right thing to do? In my thinking, laws ought to be based on morals, and not the other way around.
The tissue and organs are desirable, because they are human tissue and organs. And the "things" that are being aborted are humans. While it may be legally right in this country to harvest human tissue and organs from babies who have had their lives voluntarily ended, I don't think the the action of doing such a thing is morally right.
It is my understanding that Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973. At the time, there was great discussion among the Justices of an unborn baby's viability. There was no definitive consensus on when life becomes "meaningful," and the issue of "viability" was arbitrary. My understanding is that in the Roe v. Wade decision, viability was placed at "28 weeks but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks."
I do believe that as scientific medicine advances, the point of viability will be getting younger and younger. Just because some Justices on the court have arbitrarily decided when life is viable, is meaningful, or begins...that doesn't make it so, and it doesn't make it morally right. I see 3D ultrasound pictures and videos now all the time from new moms who are expecting. Those are scientific advances that just weren't around in 1973.
Honestly, I think that Planned Parenthood is more of a symptom of a much larger issue. And that issue is a change of heart and the valuing of human life at all stages. These are difficult discussions. I know there are some very hard and painful circumstances sometimes, and I try to respond with love and care.