Some of you may have seen a recent post in the MSU Exponent titled “No Good Reason for the Fetal Heartbeat Law” by staff opinion writer, Tahnie Johnson. It was published in the November 9th (2017) issue of the Exponent and those who missed it can read it here.
Our president, Lindsay Langhals, wrote a response in the form of a letter to the editor and although we are unsure of whether or not this letter will be published, we wanted to post it here. Lindsay’s letter is as follows:
“When Johnson mentions the term “a woman’s right to abortion,” I am forced to ask myself about this woman’s child and his/her right to life. Johnson and other abortion advocates would likely argue that an unborn child is not a human, as a quote in her article refers to a fetus as a “yolk sac.” What those that make this point are failing to consider, however, is that at the moment of conception a human sperm cell joins a human egg cell to form an individual human being with a completely unique DNA. This is a human that only needs proper nutrition and the right environment to grow and thrive, just like the rest of us. Fetus is simply a stage of development, such as infant or toddler.
Johnson also mentions rape in her article and while it brings up quite the predicament, killing an innocent child in no way erases the actions of the offender. Abortion has actually been linked as the cause of many negative effects on women, such as decreased fertility and an increased risk of suicide. So a woman who seeks an abortion to end a pregnancy that was the result of rape likely does more harm to an already bad situation. It is also important to consider that rape is the reason for less than one percent of all abortions and as such should not be the primary basis for a law.
Johnson then goes on to discuss how abortions are most often performed on college-aged women and that being a student and a parent is daunting and difficult. While this is undoubtedly true, is terminating a pregnancy really the best alternative? Adoption is a viable option and various organizations are also actively working to make college campuses more accommodating to pregnant and parenting students nationwide. [Ahem, us with our endowment goal] Perhaps instead of creating an environment in which those that face unplanned pregnancy feel that abortion is in their best interest, we should work together to empower these students.
A final point about Johnson’s article is that when she mentions that the Fetal Heartbeat Law would take away a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body and life, she’s failing to consider the children that are not getting that right because of abortion. She concludes by claiming that a ban on abortions would cause more unsafe procedures to take place, however, the number of abortions that occurred in the United States skyrocketed after abortion was legalized in 1970, according to the CDC, suggesting that the law would help to deter women from this procedure. Rather than worrying about making abortion illegal, though, I suggest that we all work together to make this objectionable procedure unthinkable. Let us stand together to support pregnant and parenting students, and men and women, to promote and protect the value of human rights.
Students for Life at MSU 