Opinion: Do unborn children have rights

In the nearby photograph, my niece, Stephanie, is holding her youngest son, Aiden. There are two older brothers, Noah and Connor, of which Aiden is a good mix. It is all new to Aiden. He is curious about everything. As he has no language, he explains matters in ways of the heart, in wordless groans, or sighs, in smiles and tears.

In Psalms 139, a prophet, possibly King David, wrote these profound and insightful words: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me…For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well…Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Thomas Jefferson, though not a prophet, wrote these momentous words in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I like to remind friends and family and myself that when I was young and stupid, I was young and stupid. As a young adult my attitude toward abortion was essentially ambivalence. As a man, I thought it was entirely something for women to consider and I was neither a proponent nor an opponent. My heart was touched by young women who walked through shadows to unethical clinics and suffered consequences no man can fully understand. I thought abortion should be legal and accessible, but I was not passionate either way.

Time and life have a way of changing our perspective. When I looked through a wide plate glass window at Womack Army Hospital on Fort Bragg and saw my daughter, Anna, the first time, the undeniable miracle that is human life changed me in a deeply moving way.

There she was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket and held by a smiling night nurse in the middle of her shift. Dark eyes that could not see me then, would soon sparkle and tease as we danced together and sang, “I’m a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle. Here is my spout.”

Through the miracle of her life, ambivalence was replaced with indescribable joy. Our son, David, was no different, except that I was in the room at Watts Hospital in Durham when he was born. When another smiling nurse handed his little body to me and I pulled him to my chest, I was moved to tears that flowed like endless streams into a smile that could not be broken.

Each of our four grandchildren reinforced my view that the sanctity of life is indisputable and our role as humans is to protect and preserve children, born and unborn.

I still believe women of any age who chose to terminate a pregnancy by aborting their unborn child should not be relegated to alleys where danger and humiliation lurk. As a former president said, abortion should be legal, but rare.

Do unborn children have rights? Is the right to life among them? If so, only the government can protect that right and stand on behalf of the child. My view is we should advocate for laws that carefully balance the rights of the child with those of the mother.

If our hearts are in the right place, this means supporting alternatives to abortion, caring for women who need compassion and financial assistance, and offering help, not derision and ridicule.

Regarding what happens if Roe v. Wade is repealed as many believe may occur, we should celebrate this outcome. Abortion will not be unlawful. Each state will determine the path that best fits its residents. Government that is closer to the people is closer to the people.

Some states will enact more stringent laws that lean toward the rights of unborn children. Others will lean more toward the rights of the mother. This is a far better outcome than letting the federal government write rules that are “one size fits all.”

Believe it or not, residents of California see things differently from those living in Texas.

There was never any doubt that Aiden would be welcomed into a family that would greet him with endless helpings of love. All children should be so fortunate.

Do unborn children have rights? I believe they do. My prayer is that every child is blessed with abundant life and love as they grow and live in a community that offers them liberty and gives them the opportunity to pursue happiness.

Michael K. McMahan is a resident of Gastonia.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Do unborn children have rights