One thing you can say for sure: President Obama is not afraid of addressing controversial issues. In his first five months in office, he has taken on socialism, torture, global warming, Middle East peace, and now abortion. His commencement speech at Notre Dame Sunday afternoon was his latest bold declaration that intelligence and eloquence can solve our world's problems.
He advocated for "fair-minded" debate and encouraged everyone to keep their hearts open to the opposing side. These are nice sentiments nicely articulated, but they miss the point of the abortion debate. The fundamental issue is when we believe human life begins, at conception or sometime after. Once that question finds resolution in someone's mind, the "fair-minded" debate gets very short. If, as many people believe, life begins at conception, abortion is murder.
Scripture makes it clear that God is the author of all human life and that life as well as human identity and purpose begin at conception. David understood that he was sinful not only from birth but even from "the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5 NIV) and that he, like all of us, was "woven together" by God who saw his "unformed body" in the womb (Psalm 139:15-16 NIV). Jesus' life, calling and ministry were ordained before He was formed in Mary's womb, and His presence was at very least spiritually palpable during the first trimester when Mary visited her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:26-45).
It's fine to debate issues with an open mind and fair words, but let's rise above the debate, as President Obama might say, and pray that our Supreme Court and elected leaders will join the majority of Americans who oppose legalized abortion and finally end this shameful practice.
