Right to life is predominant

THE EDITOR: The inalienable rights of humans are the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. An inalienable right, as defined in dictionaries, is a right that cannot be taken away or given away. Human beings have these rights by the mere fact that they are human. They are then what is termed “God given rights.”

In order to have the right of the pursuit of happiness, one must first have the right of liberty and in order to have these two rights one must first have the right of life for without life the other two cannot apply. The right of life therefore is the pre-dominant right since without it the two inalienable rights cannot be obtained. Life begins at conception and even those in ASPIRE admit to this since when the male sperm fertilises the female’s egg the DNA of the new person, the baby is established, and this DNA distinguishes the baby as a separate human being. This human being then has the inalienable right to life, which cannot be taken away. If therefore a pregnant woman aborts this life she exercises her right to liberty or freedom of choice. She however supercedes the predominant right which is the right of the baby to life. Any government which, therefore, makes abortion legal is depriving its most vulnerable citizen of its most dominant right which is the right to live. It says in effect the baby is a non-human.

ASPIRE and other pro-choice groups will argue that the baby in the womb has life but it is not human or viable. They never can say though when it becomes human and viable because to define this will place limits on their demand for abortion at any time during pregnancy. Any government which legalises abortion, says to its citizens that it has the power and right to take away the inalienable right of a human life. The Europeans did this to the Africans and indigenous people and made them slaves. The Nazis did it to the Jews and exterminated millions of them. Countries which have legalised abortions have done this and are allowing the killing of millions of babies. We cannot let our Government do this to us. Abortion must never be legalised, for what becomes legal, becomes normal and what becomes normal will soon become moral. It would, indeed be a sad day for our country if we ever allow abortion to be legalised.

JOHN  MACKAY
Port-of-Spain