Response to Gordon's Roe v. Wade Response

by Keith Cooper

Gordon,

Just a couple notes in quick response to your last post.

1. You asked at what point my children became living souls worthy of protection.

You know that I have three children who I love very much. I cannot imagine what my life would be without them and I am constantly amazed at their individual personalities and traits. I don't know how one can be a parent without being filled with wonder as their children grow and mature. It is almost impossible to remember a time when my life was not so touched by them.

None of the pregnancies occurred according to our time schedule and though we had tried different forms of birth control we were surprised each time we first saw a positive test result. However, we were always determined to go to full term and greeted these surprises with joy and not trepidation.

That said, if I was reasonably certain that carrying a child to full term would have endangered the life of my wife (the mother of our other children), I would have considered aborting a fetus if it would have effectively avoided a threat to her life. This decision is not one I would make lightly, and in the best of all possible scenarios it would be a decision that Lori and I would make together. We would weigh the factors as best we could and come to a conclusion that we felt was best. This decision would be ours to make, not yours and not the church's.

I'm certain that you would maintain that because that decision has the potential to end a life, it is a black and white decision with only a single right conclusion. In fact, these types of life and death decisions occur all the time in situations more dire. The cop who faces down a desperate fugitive, chooses his life over that of the other and fires makes that decision in a split second. On the battlefield countless life-or-death decisions are made everyday. Twelve people often agonize over a decision that might result in a convicted person being put to death. These are difficult choices that should not be reduced to black and white. These decisions are the responsibility of those involved and should not be passed off for others to make. Just as Jeb Bush should have had no say in Michael Schiavo's decision to allow his wife to pass with dignity, George W. Bush should have no say in my decision to preserve the life of my wife.


2. On the question of the point at which women should be held responsible for their own choices:

We are all held responsible for our choices. Every time someone makes a decision. he or she is subject to the consequences of that decision. Every choice we make is like dropping a stone into a pond, the ripples wash over the surface of our surroundings exerting effects on ourselves and others.

I am curious at how these women are solely responsible for their situations. I always thought that pregnancy required the participation of the man and the woman. What role or responsibility belongs to the man here? Certainly many men abdicate their rights or obligations once the test result shows a blue 'X', but I think your tone in your AIF column and in your response post is symptomatic of the attitude from the pro-life movement blaming the women and excusing the actions of the men who are responsible for the pregnancies to begin with.

More to follow as time permits.

Keith