Go back to Part 1 >>

Vivian Vague
Well, that's all the intellectual arguments I have in mind for now, but the real objections some people have are the real-life examples.

Jack Practicvs
Go on, although we must keep those fundamentals in mind.

Vivian Vague
I guess the most obvious example is that the mother or the couple fear that they can't afford the child, especially if there are many children in the family already.

Jack Practicvs
I assume you mean financially and in terms of material needs.

Vivian Vague
Yes.

Jack Practicvs
Well, assuming that fear is justified and I honestly think it is, it still doesn't justify abortion. I don't just mean God promised us he would provide as no doubt it sounds hollow to some, but simply that none of us know what will happen tomorrow or even what will happen in five minutes.

Vivian Vague
I guess.

Jack Practicvs
We might as well all commit suicide because things might get bad tonight. And besides, children are meant to be a blessing even in cases where the couple are not married; there's wrongdoing on their part but the child is a blessing nonetheless. As for numerous children, a big family is a blessing too. We are told to 'be fruitful and multiple'. That's another reason why the 'unwanted child' argument is not an argument at all. Married couples are just meant to do it and have whatever God gives them. Of course, the issue of economics and its very real impact on all of us must be considered but since it is another topic in itself, I don't want to go into it now, except that if we fix the economic system, money would not be an issue. Easier said than done I admit.

Vivian Vague
Ok, well, what about a child who has a disability? It seems cruel to bring a child into the world knowing he or she has a disability, not to mention a burden on the parents.

Jack Practicvs
There are at least two points there. The first is the effect of the disability on the child, the second is that a child with a disability is a burden.

Vivian Vague
Let's consider the disability and the effect on the child then.

Jack Practicvs
Ok. Didn't we say life has intrinsic value? Is human life merely a function of our physical or biological status?

Vivian Vague
Well, our bodies are different from, say, a dog or a horse.

Jack Practicvs
True, I should have been clearer. I mean just because someone is missing an arm or a leg or is a bit slow in the head doesn't take away their value. One could say they are not quite human in the sense that they are not medically normal. But then again, where do you draw the line? Who's perfectly human anyway?

Vivian Vague
True, I guess today it's a child with Down's Syndrome who gets aborted, maybe in the future, parents will abort just because it's girl when they want a boy.

Jack Practicvs
That already happens.

Vivian Vague
Yes, in countries where they have population control. You have to admit, children with disabilities is a burden on the parents.

Jack Practicvs
To be honest, I have never been a parent - and they say you don't know what it's like to be a parent until you become one - but I can't imagine it being easy even if the child is perfectly healthy.

Vivian Vague
Probably true.

Jack Practicvs
All dependents, children, those with disabilities and those without, and the elderly are all in a sense a burden. And not just on their loved ones but on society in general. So what? Are we gonna take them all out? We were children not that long ago. And once we cross that line, there's no logical reason why we should stop. We are all meant to help each other, those who need the support and those who do the supporting.

Vivian Vague
It's still hard though. Have you met people with disabilities and their parents?

Jack Practicvs
Yes I have and yes, it's hard and frustrating even if you're not heavily involved in their lives but watching from a distance. But it doesn't change anything: a life is a life.

Vivian Vague
I agree in principle but in reality, it's just...

Jack Practicvs
Difficult. I am not saying it isn't.

Vivian Vague
I mean, I wouldn't want to live with a disability or raise a child with one.

Jack Practicvs
Me neither but then again, in the words of Lucy, that's Charlie Brown's sister: 'I didn't ask to be born either'. I can't say I like life but here I am; and since I am here, I am suppose to submit to God, save my soul and help others do the same but that's maybe beside the point.

Vivian Vague
Can't really argue with that one.

Jack Practicvs
Look at it another way: imagine growing up with parents who didn't abort you despite something being wrong with you. Actually, I can't speak from that experience as I am more-or-less medically normal so I'll use a more common example: imagine being ill and in great pain and your loved ones stuck by you instead of giving you a mercy kill, even when you asked for one. I think in those situations, you would have learnt all you need to know about true love. Or imagine growing up with parents who aborted your baby brother or sister, what would you think of your parents then?

Vivian Vague
I guess I would find their commitment to me questionable and even their commitment to each other questionable. Still, there are those who might say a mercy kill is done out of kindness and love.

Jack Practicvs
There's a difference between kindness and love. Kindness is not always a result of genuine love.

Vivian Vague
Go on.

Jack Practicvs
I have to paraphrase C.S. Lewis here but kindness without love does not always seek the good of the object, just that it does not suffer. Lewis gives the example of people whose so-called love for animals leads them to put them down just so that they don't suffer.

Vivian Vague
I suppose we are meant to fight for good even if it's hard. I suppose there is merit in suffering.

Jack Practicvs
And this might sound harsh, but you have to admit that in some cases there're people who don't want to have the child because they're irresponsible and they think the child, normal or not, as an inconvenience. To them, abortion is just backup contraception. They just want the fun divorced from responsibility. They have no regard for human dignity, neither the person they're sleeping with nor the child as a result.

Vivian Vague
I am sure that's true in some cases but regardless of who's to blame, it doesn't change the fact that support for the mother is needed. It's not just the material needs but her emotional and psychological health. Have you ever met women who had abortions or who considered it?

Jack Practicvs
Yes I have actually, and I am all for support. Abortion is not support. That's people, individually and collectively, getting rid of the responsibility instead of taking it up. In the instances of single mothers, not to belittle their responsibility and culpability, I would put the blame partly on the father if he is alive and the families of both parties. What are they doing? Why can't they support each other and help raise the child? Why is this woman in a situation where she is actually considering an abortion?! The blame is also on the rest of us as a collective since we are not supportive of family life. It's probably worse now than it ever was in human history. Again, we bring into the discussion social and economic factors. The fact we're having this conversation shows how screwed we are!

Vivian Vague
And as you say, it's another topic in itself, so let's move on for now. What about emergency situations?

To be continued...