Your Opinion: Response to Winter

Nelson Otto

Jefferson City

Dear Editor:

Mr. Winter’s letter of July 23 is a fine example for what I was expressing in my LTE of July 13, especially when he states: “Will my detractors take into their home any number of unwanted children who are in need? Of course not.” My response, would you expect a police officer who saved your life to adopt you and take you in to their home. Of course not. I pointed out how the absurdity if an argument is revealed when we take it from one stage of life and use it in a later one.

So let us do this with his claim about killing the fetus so it will automatically go to heaven. According to Christian tradition and belief, when one is baptized with water their sins are forgiven and they are cleansed, sin free. Does that mean that we should murder Christians right after they are baptized to protect them from sin because they are now sin-free and will go straight to heaven? How about Jews right after Rosh Hosanna, should someone wait outside a temple to murder Jews to make sure they go to heaven? Of course not. That would be insane, and it is just as insane to kill prenatal babies to make sure they go to heaven.

The Bible clearly states thou shall not murder, in other words forbids the unjustified taking of a human life. Killing a prenatal baby for the sake of convenience is unjustified. Whether or not they go to straight to heaven is not even in the consideration, it is the behavior and action of the perpetrator that is the key point. Besides, didn’t Jesus say, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” In all the abortion arguments don’t we always hear how the fertilized cell, fetus, etc is not quite human, is of lesser value than the mother’s right, in essence to be considered least of all our brothers and sisters? Just think, since 1973 we’ve allowed Jesus to be killed by some of the most horrific ways possible over and over again 60 million times.