To the Editor:
If I may, I want to comment on two letters which recently appeared in the Herald.
In the first, a writer says she cannot understand President Biden’s moral inconsistency when it comes to abortion. Neither can I. On the one hand, he professes to be a devout, practicing Roman Catholic who personally acknowledges that human life begins at conception and abortion is morally wrong. Yet on the other, he publicly promotes an aggressive proabortion agenda for our country. This does not add up.
Some politicians – Mr. Biden is not alone – say they do not want to impose their personal convictions about abortion on others. But let’s be honest. Politicians certainly do promote their personal ideas on lots of things: healthcare, gun control, racism, education, the economy and so on. So why the double standard on abortion? Suppose President Lincoln said he personally thought slavery was wrong. Yet, he did everything possible to keep it legal and expand it. It would not make sense.
In the second letter, a writer says God approves of abortion. The writer’s understanding of certain verses of the Torah (which also is in the Christian Bible) and the Quran led him to this conclusion.
May I suggest we keep religion out of arguments for or against abortion? You may read the Book of Mormon; I might read the Upanishads. You may have a God; I might not. Instead, may I recommend objective science and sound moral reasoning to guide us in this discussion? With regard to science, when does a human life begin? With regard to ethics, when, if ever, is taking a human life justified?
This proposal might prove difficult. We live in an age of relativism. People argue over facts. People dispute moral standards too. So where does objectivity lie? I pray some generation down the line can steer us back on course. However, with regard to politicians who hold one moral standard on abortion privately and another publicly, this is – in my humble opinion – incoherent and unfortunate.
– Anthony Navarra, North Cape May
