Abortion must be made unthinkable

A visiting priest at our church stated the goal of the right-to-life movement should not be to make abortion illegal but rather to make abortion unthinkable.

Unthinkable in the same way that slavery is unthinkable today.

A survey done in the 1990s concluded that 20 percent of Americans opposed abortion for any reason. Forty-five percent were opposed except for very unique circumstances such as incest, rape or the health of the mother, which incidentally account for less than five percent of abortions.

Based on this data, it can be said that 65 percent of Americans believe abortion is unthinkable 95 percent of the time.

That leaves 35 percent -- 15 percent who support abortion in most circumstances and 20 percent who support abortion in any case.

The latter can't be persuaded by logic or morality. It would require a conversion of their worldview.

Therefore, let me address the 15 percent who are on the fence on this issue.

For the most part, I would conclude they are not convinced that the unborn is a human being, at least in the early stages of pregnancy. They would then have to address the question of when does a fetus/unborn child become human.

Many might suggest not until it can survive on its own outside the womb. However, that logic will not stand scrutiny because many babies born in neonatal units depend on ventilators for days and even months.

Is it permissible to terminate those lives? Why then is it permissible to terminate life in the womb?

Is it because the unborn is hidden, so to speak, from the public view? Out of sight, out of mind is not a sound basis for forming opinions!

Our judicial system is just as inconsistent when it recognizes abortion at any stage of pregnancy and yet levels two counts of homicide when a mother and her unborn child are murdered.

Bottom line, if the 15 percent on the fence can be persuaded, then 80 percent of Americans would come to view abortion as unthinkable.

I would bet that is more than the percentage who felt that way about slavery 150 years ago.

Hopefully, when those who currently are not convinced seriously face this issue, we as a nation will see abortion in the same light as slavery.

They both are a denial of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed in our Bill of Rights.

Richard Kaiser

Elk Grove Village