The following blog post is written by 2L student staff member Stefani Goodnight.
Abortion is a human right. I repeat that statement over and over in my head. I try to think about it objectively and see if there is something I am missing.Amnesty International (AI) launched a campaign entitled “My Body, My Rights.” “My Body” refers to the mother and “My Rights” refers to her right to choose to end the life of her baby. Am I the only one who sees a disconnect here? In its report “She is Not a Criminal, the Impact of Ireland’s Abortion Law” AI declares that human rights apply only after birth and that Ireland’s constitutional recognition of the right to life for unborn children is “inconsistent with international human rights law.” [1]It is not until the baby passes through the birth canal that it is entitled to life and rights as a human?
The other day I read an article in the news about an ABC TV show I do not watch called “Scandal.” In the latest episode a woman has an abortion while Silent Night (a hymn celebrating the birth of Jesus) is playing in the background.[2] I felt angry. Is this what the leading country on human rights glorifies? Of course Planned Parenthood commended the show and said they hope that Congress and the nation are taking note.
I think we are taking note and we are saying enough is enough. I don’t believe Planned Parenthood speaks for the Nation as a whole. We have seen the evil that has come from Planned Parenthood under the guise of “women’s reproductive health.” I believe that the tide is turning on abortion. Christian or not Americans do care about human rights and we aren’t buying the lies put forth by AI or Planned Parenthood that an unborn child does not have a right to life. Neither are we persuaded by the gross irreverence of ABC.
As far as I can see, international laws are silent on the issue of abortion and it is ludicrous to claim that this silence creates a right to abortion that supersedes the rights of the unborn. [3]