Michael Howard's recent commitment to vote for a more restrictive abortion law illustrates the tendency of Tory politicians to do (a little) more to respect the sanctity of human life. Being pro-life isn't just about being anti-abortion or anti-euthanasia, however. It must be about active compassion, too.
The pro-life movement argues that all lives should be protected. Once some lives are deemed too expensive or too inconvenient to protect, then a fallen society inevitably starts deciding that more ‘substandard’ or ‘chronically-dependent’ lives can also be ended. The relative who wants to inherit the house or the taxpayer fed up with healthcare bills will accelerate those decisions.
In Britain today there are already many lives that are not protected. Unborn children only receive protection once they reach 24 weeks. This protection is removed if the foetus has a disability. Joanna Jepson’s high-profile legal action has shown that a cleft palate can qualify for such a discriminatory termination.
In Holland the right-to-life has been removed from severely disabled newborns (read this). Infanticide is now a medical option. British courts are also looking kindly on ‘mercy killing’ of chronically disabled children.
If we do not define a bright line around all human life, society will start deciding that more and more lives are too expensive or ‘not worth living’. We will be living in the world of ‘Animal Farm’ where ideas of equality are abandoned and some people are ‘more equal than others’ because of their age or mental and physical capacity.
Recent Comments