The philosopher John Locke argued in his Two Treatises of Government that human beings have a natural right to life, liberty, and property. It was through him that the idea of natural rights was incorporated into the Declaration of Independence and later into the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, and it was his philosophy that inspired the Founding Fathers to craft the Declaration of Independence in the first place. Locke proposed that groups of people form social contracts and unite under a system of laws for the collective protection of the natural rights of that government’s citizens, primarily ensuring the rights to life, liberty, and property. This government is sustained by the consent of the governed which in Locke’s thought is taken to mean the position of the majority. But what happens when a significant population of the governed are voiceless? What happens when the majority rule marginalizes a dehumanized minority? It is for these people that pro-life activists advocate. It is for these people that we engage in a culture war and seek to change public policy, that the majority of the public and the representatives they elect might not continue to perpetrate the greatest human rights violation of our time.
Locke tells us that the primary purpose of the government is to protect an individual’s natural rights, the foremost of which is the right to life since it is by the preservation of this right that we are able to enjoy all others. Every human person is valuable and deserving of these natural rights by virtue of their humanity regardless of their physical appearance, age, size, disability, degree of dependency, location, circumstance of conception, or any other factor. Locke might have argued that human beings receive their natural rights at birth, but with our current understanding of embryology and genetics, it is the scientific consensus that new human life begins not at birth, but at fertilization when an individual with unique DNA begins development. In one survey of 5,577 biologists, 96% “affirmed the view that a human life begins at fertilization” (source). Our natural rights, therefore, are to be guaranteed to us from the very moment we enter into existence, which we know is at the moment of fertilization (also called conception), until the moment we pass away.
We are all developing, and a zygote, embryo, fetus, infant, or toddler are simply human beings at an early stage of development, and as growing organisms, we are just as much of a “clump of cells” as they are. Since they are so young, they are needy, defenseless, and voiceless. As members of the human family, we have a moral obligation to protect one another. The Bible tells us, “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-10). Rather than to kill the poor and the needy (or their children), we are told to defend their rights. For this reason, a government should not permit abortion: it takes the life of a human being with unique DNA and it is the direct violation of a person’s natural right to life, the first human right. This should never be permissible, and, accordingly, a nation that permits abortion in any way, such as the United States, is a nation that fails to secure freedom for all people and equal justice under the law. The abortion industry continues to take advantage of women, especially women of color, convincing and coercing them to be complicit in stripping their own child of their right to life under the guise of exercising a new and fabricated right: “choice.” Abortion is the greatest human rights violation of our time. The CDC records that 629,898 abortions were reported in 2019 alone (source). This means that the lives of 629,898 preborn human beings were legally ended by abortion in 2019 in the United States. Guttmacher Institute, a notorious pro-choice organization, recorded that number was even higher in 2017 at 862,320 abortions, meaning that on average 2,363 preborn children lost their lives per day (source). Abortion continues to be the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. No one’s “choice” to live the lifestyle they want to live should trump another person’s right to live, period.
If you would like to become a pro-life activist at Loyola and engage in the culture war against the abortion industrial complex, uplift women, and defend the rights of the poor, needy, and voiceless, join our pro-life club, called WeDignify at Loyola. It is our mission to restore dignity to those who have been dehumanized by the abortion industry, support women and men who have been affected by abortions, and advocate for all human life. You can look us up on LUCommunity and Instagram (@wedignifyatloyola). We have regular meetings to discuss current issues in our society regarding human rights violations and ways we can support pregnant and parenting women in our community. We are not religiously or politically affiliated; we welcome all who would like to join us in advocating for the right to life for all people! Feel free to reach out to our president Grace at gshallal@luc.edu for any questions about the club, or to find out about our next meeting.
Not only should abortion be unthinkable, but it should be unnecessary. Please remember that if you feel pressured or are being coerced to have an abortion, there is help, and there are resources for both pregnant and parenting women who wish to keep their children (check out aidforwomen.org and standingwithyou.org) as well as resources for counseling and healing for women and men who have had abortions in the past (check out supportafterabortion.com). The abortion industry takes particular advantage of women facing financial instability, making them believe abortion is their only option. This is not true. If you are financially able and would like to donate to a mom in need, please check out letthemlive.org or humancoalition.org.