"I answered the "religious argument"
charge this way: "Wow, I thought you were going to claim my argument was bad."
The audience let out a chuckle.
That gave me an opportunity to explain to them that terms like "religious" and "secular" are adjectives that do not appropriately modify reasons or conclusions for the purpose of assessing the quality of an argument. The appropriate adjectives we apply to arguments or their parts are terms like "good," "bad," "sound," "unsound," "valid," "invalid," "strong," "weak," "true," "false," and "plausible." Asking if an argument is "religious" is like asking how tall is the number 3...
The pro-lifer should
remember that the central issue is, "What is the human community and does the
unborn belong to it?" As my friend Greg Koukl puts it: if the fetus is a
person, none of the popular arguments are relevant; if the fetus is not a
person, then none of the popular arguments is necessary. Pro-lifers make a
mistake by allowing the discussion to drift away from this central question.
Pro-lifers have to also remember that many who support abortion rights are well-meaning people who believe they are advancing a position consistent with the common good. This is why we should be patient, respectful, and careful when presenting our case. Having said that, we must also not shy away from saying that abortion is a grave evil that ultimately undermines the dignity of all human persons, including those who support abortion rights.
Pro-lifers have to also remember that many who support abortion rights are well-meaning people who believe they are advancing a position consistent with the common good. This is why we should be patient, respectful, and careful when presenting our case. Having said that, we must also not shy away from saying that abortion is a grave evil that ultimately undermines the dignity of all human persons, including those who support abortion rights.
After all, if a human being is intrinsically valuable by nature, then he or she may never lose that status as long as one is a human being. So, the reason why we affirm the intrinsic dignity of the unborn is the reason why we also affirm the intrinsic dignity of those who support abortion rights. There is a seamlessness that connects our pro-life position on abortion and the respect we ought to accord our political and moral adversaries."
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