Eternal Questions 1.1
Among the many things I don’t understand is the issue of the “sanctity of life.� People who oppose abortion say that life is sacred, even potential life, and that man has no right to interfere with it. But most of these people also support the death penalty, often citing the line in Exodus “He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death.� None would have any problem with having Osama Bin Laden killed.
Then there are those who oppose the death penalty, who say society has no right to kill people, regardless of the heinousness of the crimes they commit. They cite the earlier Exodus passage “Thou shalt not kill.� It makes it easier for them when a convicted killer shows remorse and seemingly mends his ways. Yet these same people say a woman has the right to abort her fetus, which is not a person until birth. And what of the woman who takes drugs during pregnancy so the child is damaged or born addicted?
Life is either sacred or it’s not: I would think those who oppose abortion should also oppose the death penalty (and there are a few who do). And it would make sense that someone who supported the right to abortion should also support the death penalty.
And then there is the question of which life forms deserve protection: Vegans oppose the taking of milk from cows or eating them, but have no problem with yanking a carrot from the ground and eating it. Are cows better than carrots? Both are living creatures.
And what of the issue of assisted suicide? The Bush administration has tried to stop the people of Oregon from allowing it, citing religious concerns. But if a person is facing death, pain and suffering, do they not have the right to end their lives? Or are they obligated to make the health care providers still richer?
And then there’s the big question: What IS life? If they can keep parts of somebody like Terri Schiavo “alive� for years, with only the barest hint of central nervous system activity, is she alive? Is that something the President or Congress should decide? Or maybe not THIS president and THIS congress.