Abortion And The Mind Of God And Richard Mourdock (Blog)

I remember my first debate in the Iowa Legislature that centered around the issue of abortion.   I realized that  the two sides were talking completely past each other.  One side argued for the mother, the other for the baby.

I also participated (and winced) in debates when well-meaning Christian legislators would talk about the will of God.  While I daily seek the will of God for my life, I struggle with those that claim to act on behalf of the will of almighty God for others.

Of course, these thoughts are prompted by Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's answer to a question about allowing abortion in the instance of rape.   I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the thoughtful response to the controversy by the conservative National Review:

For Mourdock to invoke God’s will was not merely a political mistake. Pro-life Christians and Jews do not believe that God has told us explicitly that unborn children have the same right not to be killed that newborns, toddlers, adolescents, and adults do. We believe that God has given us the power of reason, the ability to acquire knowledge, and the obligation to do justice. Science tells us that human lives begin at conception. Reason persuades us that it is wrong to will the death of human beings, regardless of their age, location, or state of dependency; and wrong, as well, to withhold legal protection on such bases. Our argument does not, that is, proceed from any claim to special access to the mind of God.