By Frank Machek, Stevensville
I read with interest Dennis Hicks’ letter regarding the legal and moral issues relative to abortion. His references to the Lincoln-Douglas debate and the Dred Scott ruling, which denied the rights of citizenship to the black race, were particularly relevant to his thesis and conclusion that Roe v. Wade is abortion’s Dred Scott ruling: legal, but not moral.
However, could we not use his argument to arrive at the opposite conclusion, that Roe v. Wade is, in fact, morally as well as legally correct? For wouldn’t the government’s taking control of a woman’s body by forcing her to carry a fetus against her will create a form of slavery? Doesn’t Roe v. Wade prevent that form of slavery?
Dennis Hicks says
Frank, I believe you have done a fine job of illustrating my point that the abortion issue is decided on the basis of one’s moral values. On one side of the abortion argument are those who believe that abortion is immoral, the other side does not.
In your rebuttal to my letter, you suggested the possibility that “Roe v Wade is, in fact, morally as well as legally correct.” That simply puts you on the side of the argument that abortion is not immoral. Therefore you imply there is a moral equivalency between freeing a slave and killing an unborn child.
The slave did not choose slavery, but the mother did choose to become pregnant in most cases. Hardly a moral equivalency there.
Dennis Hicks
Dennis Hicks says
Frank, I believe you have done a fine job of illustrating my point that the abortion issue is decided on the basis of one’s moral values. One one side of the abortion argument are those who believe that abortion is immoral, the other side does not.
In your rebuttal to my letter, you suggested the possibility that “Roe v Wade is, in fact, morally as well as legally correct.” That simply puts you on the side of the argument that abortion is not immoral. Therefore you imply there is a moral equivalency between freeing a slave and killing an unborn child.
The slave did not choose slavery, but the mother did choose to become pregnant in most cases. Hardly a moral equivalency there.
Dennis Hicks
Clark Lee says
“…in most cases…” Hmmm ….Only a dude would say that.