Texas’s new abortion law has brought the issue back to the forefront of politics. There are broad sweeping points and a few narrow ones that arise. The first thing to do is establish ground. When discussing abortion, it is important to acknowledge the innate value of human life not based on merits. Without human life having innate value, societal norms and laws are arbitrary, subject to passing whims. Right and wrong have no value. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge the fundamental right that an individual has to their body. Humans are speaking and reasoning beings and are therefore capable of having responsibility of self. How these rights are interpreted lays the groundwork for how laws ought to be effected.

To begin broadly, it has been argued the Constitution gives a mother the right to kill her unborn child or fetus through the case law of Roe v. Wade. The argument is that a mother is sovereign over her own body and a fetus can violate a mother’s sovereignty over her body if she does not want the fetus. Such a right is absurd on its face. For how can a mostly developed fetus be less of a life if it is cocooned in a placenta and a womb? Does the location of a human convey its innate value? Nowhere else is a human valued at being less than a human simply because of where they are. Additionally, places where humans are regarded as inferior are generally viewed as bad practice. The point being, an unborn baby designated for death by abortion could often live, simply by being born, even if it is well before full term and obtain its innate right to life. Most abortions are carried out with this authority of the mother. Yet, killing a fetus violates its innate value more than it violates a mothers’ body.

“A human life’s existence is never justification for extinguishing it.”

A second, more narrow argument for abortion is in the case of rape. The case for abortion in instances of rape is not one of convenience but rather of justice because rape being evil is unjust. It is an attempt to bring relief to a woman who was raped, who was forced against her will to perform sexual acts, resulting in the conception of a fetus. While it is a noble cause, the question remains, is it just? The answer is two-fold: Is life valuable and when does life begin?

Having affirmed life is valuable, the question remaining is, “When does life begin?” Texas law defines life beginning at the detection of a heartbeat. This is too broad a definition. Life begins at one single, fertilized egg, conception. How so? Before considering medical opinion or developmental data, this standard must be true. For if human life does not begin at conception, how can it be determined at all? Or put another way, if life cannot be determined at one cell, how can it be determined at two cells? Five? 10 million? Any other determining standard is subjective and undermines the innate value of life because the innate value of life rests in the realm of opinion. There cannot be a life somewhere and not a life somewhere else.

How does this apply to cases of rape? The value of a human life inside a woman’s body is still more valuable than mitigating the consequences of rape. The question arises, what of the rapist? Is his life valuable too? Of course, and yet it is also acceptable for the rapist to accept the negative consequences of his actions, which ought to be severe. On the other hand, a fetus has done nothing except exist. A human life’s existence is never justification for extinguishing it.

The final, common argument for abortion is the impossible dilemma, both mother and fetus are fatally distressed and only one can be saved. Who do you save? Triage. Save who is savable. Wisdom and prudence are required. No two cases may be the same and no underlying guidance ought to be banned or approved other than, do the most good in the circumstances present. A standardized system of abortion widely available to the general public as it exists now, is not necessary to ensure good outcomes.

The case for legalized abortion is weak. The total abortions done in the United States due to rape and an impossible dilemma are less than 3%, sometimes less depending on year and data. It is argued, rape is under-reported. Yes, and even if cases of rape were astronomically higher than reported, it would still not near the total abortions performed in the United States. Abortion is killing generations of people. Since Roe v. Wade, 60 million babies have been aborted. It ought to cause us to blush. Passing laws like the Texas legislature has done might be the way to bring down this evil institution.