Pom in Oz: Rights of unborn child need to be considered along with women’s rights in abortion debate

I don’t often write opinion pieces that I know without doubt will both divide and anger a lot of people, but this is one of those pieces. For me, the most striking thing about the “abortion debate” is that there is very little actual debating taking place. The sensitivity and intimacy of the issue and the mixed feelings of so many involved mean that most people — particularly pollies and the media — don’t like to talk about it. This issue instils distrust, anger and even malice in so many. The posts, stories and articles that have surfaced after the US Supreme Court’s ruling have for the most part been concerned about a “woman’s choice” and her rights over her body. There has been little to no mention of the child. I have seen scant articles or opinion on the rights of the unborn child and what protection they should have that may or may not override another person’s choice. I know what some of the social media comments are going to be, because I have already seen them. “No uterus — no opinion”, “Men have no right to comment” and something along the lines of suggesting I get a vasectomy. I am not fighting for “men’s rights”. I do believe the father should be part of the debate but there is a far bigger issue for me. Because I do believe fundamentally that a person should have control and a say over their own body, over their medical choices and decisions — this is a basic human right. But I also believe in the rights and protection of an unborn child. I have my opinion on when life starts, which yes is founded in my Christian faith. But I don’t believe there is any evidence to support when “life” starts? I am sure some people would think they could prove me wrong here though. But surely not knowing is enough to err on the side of caution? Please forgive me if that sounds like it’s trivialising the issue. For me, the unborn child (yes I will call it that) seems to have little to no rights as a human being. It’s one of the very rare occasions where the act of killing is ignored. The foetus or embryo is not classed as a human being with the protections of such a person in place. In every other situation our life is considered sacred, worthy of every protection there is. To take a life is a fundamental wrong, a clear sin (yes, I am a Christian man). But in the case of in utero this is for the most part ignored. It certainly is not talked about enough. I just can’t wrap my head around that. I know some reading this will be angry, but I would ask why? Do you think I am simply a sexist pig who has no respect for the right of women? Do you think I am simply trying to stir the pot? I can assure you none is true. I know how hard these decisions must be for a woman to make. I know that sometimes pregnancies are not planned and can even be harmful, both physically and psychologically. I, like many others, want an open and honest debate on this. Which involves everyone — with uteruses and without. Derek Goforth is a teacher at Geraldton Christian College