Canthook

Tonight, Rick Warren asked Barack Obama and John McCain at what point a baby is entitled to human rights.

Senator Obama said that question was "above his pay grade". Senator McCain said it was at the moment of conception.

I have to say that Rick Warren did a fairly good job of asking questions, without favoring either side. The questions were fairly tough; at what point is someone "rich", was one of the questions he asked. He also asked each candidate what the greatest personal moral failing of his life had been. If that's not a tough question to answer, I don't know what would be.

Still, he didn't follow up, and that would have provided valuable information to the viewer. He didn't even insist that the candidates answer the question that was asked. One candidate consistantly ignored the questions that were asked to deliver a stump speech-ette instead, which may have served him well, or may have served him poorly, depending on how many viewers noticed that he was dodging questions.

Still, I'd like to ask a couple of follow up questions, if I may.

Senator McCain, if a baby is entitled to human rights at the point of conception, would you endorse a change to the Internal Revenue Code that grants exemptions to mothers for fetuses they are carrying at any point during the tax year?

Senator McCain, if a baby is entitled to human rights at the point of conception, would you endorse a bill requiring states to issue Certificates of Still Birth for all fetuses which spontaneously abort, and not just those who exceed a given size, such as 1 pound?

Senator McCain, identical twins occur when an egg splits after the point of conception. If the egg splits prior to conception, each half will be fertilized by a different sperm, resulting in fraternal twins. If a baby is entitled to human rights at the point of conception, should identical twins only be allowed half a vote when they reach the age of majority?

There are different answers to the question of when a baby is entitled to human rights. The Roman Catholic church believes it sinful to use birth control, causing the death of an egg that otherwise would be fertilized. Most of the mainline Protestant churches fought to make elective abortion safe and legal. Most of the fundamentalist churches agree with Senator McCain. Most of the American Indian faiths believed that a child was entitled to human rights only when its eyes opened.

It's silly to think that any one church has an exclusive on the truth, and when I ask the only authority I know on the subject, I get evasive answers. I should have five kids; God aborted all but the first. I suspect mosts couple with "infertility issues" have the same intense feelings on abortion that I do: we hate it with a passion, but we believe that abortion isn't a simple issue that should be entrusted to politicians.

For twenty years, I heard divorced women complaining that their ex-husbands weren't paying enough child support. I responded that if hubby wasn't willing to do it, I would be glad to support the kid. Let's make an appointment, I said, and I'll pick up the kid, and you can have the kid back when he's 21.

Nobody was willing to take me up on my deal. Kids aren't a burden, for which the non-custodial parent should be paying the custodial parent. They're a precious gift.

And knee-jerk, unthoughtful answers regarding abortion make children seem like an albatross around the neck instead of pearl of great price.

Other Bloggers On Related Topics:
abortion - conception - Faith Forum