Recently, Tampa native Angie Jackson decided to post her observations regarding her abortion on Twitter. Jackson tweeted (the use of which as a verb still disturbs me, but that is irrelevant) regular updates as the RU-486 (mifiprex) pills she took worked to terminate her pregnancy.
Doing so was Jackson’s attempt to “demystify” abortion for other women. A self-proclaimed “anti-theist,” she was shocked when around one-third of the feedback she received was negative, even hostile. Sadly, portions of the so-called Christian response were not in any way befitting of ambassadors of Christ, but that is a separate issue.
In a video blog on YouTube, Jackson talks about the ordeal.
It is grossly apparent that Angie Jackson misses the crux of the debate.
Her appeal is largely to autonomy. The assumption that the unborn is not a human being is unmistakable.
“I am having an abortion…right now,” Jackson informs her audience.
“It’s basically like a miscarriage,” she says. She doesn’t clarify what she means, and such a claim demands clarification. The terms “miscarriage” and “abortion” (as she is using it) exist on starkly different sides of a fence called “deliberate.”
“It’s not that bad,” she says of the pill’s effects with a shrug. “It’s nothing compared to childbirth. Compared to labor. Compared to late-stage pregnancy.” (The last was included because Jackson’s prior pregnancy was considered high-risk. According to an ABC News article — a link to which is above — her doctor(s) told her a second pregnancy might be risky. She received an intrauterine device (IUD) to prevent a second pregnancy, but conceived anyway.)
To borrow a tactic from Scott, she’s right. It’s not that bad compared to a difficult third trimester, certainly in comparison to labor and childbirth. IF THE UNBORN ARE NOT HUMAN.”
“This is the best choice,” she says.
She’s right — if the unborn are not human.
“I just want to let everybody know that you too can have an abortion if you want one,” she says.
She’s right — if the unborn are not human.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not shameful.”
She’s right — if the unborn are not human.
“It’s not killing a child.”
She’s right — if the unborn are not human.
Jackson clearly cherishes her 4-year-old son.
“He’s my world,” she claims with a smile.
Her assumption that the unborn are not human blinds her to the realization that the differences between her 4-year-old and the 4-week-old embryo she was aborting as she made that video were only four — size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency (SLED) — none of which would justify terminating the life of the latter.
The embryo is smaller. Jackson’s 4-year-old is smaller than she is, but no less valuable.
The embryo is less developed. Jackson’s 4-year-old is less developed than an adolescent or adult male, but no less valuable.
The embryo is in the womb. Jackson’s 4-year-old no-doubt moves or is moved from room to room and place to place on a regular basis — distances that far exceed a birth canal measuring only inches. His environment does not justify taking his life.
The embryo is dependent. Jackson’s 4-year-old is no-doubt dependant on his mother or other adults for survival in his tender youth. Diabetics are dependant on insulin — but neither is less valuable because of their dependencies.
Abortion may be mystifying to some. But a mystery, by definition, only remains a mystery until more is known.
Jackson’s tweets shed some light on what an abortion via RU-486 feels like, but not on what abortion is.
No matter what it feels like, abortion is a process that either takes the life of a human being unjustly, or it does not.
The science of embryology has solved the mystery of when human life begins. The images on LTI’s web site go a long way toward solving the mystery of what kind of things the unborn are — the law of biogenesis confirms it.
In fairness, if Angie Jackson believes the unborn are not human, her actions make sense with regard to acting in accordance with her belief. Wishing to chronicle the experience so other women would know what physical changes to expect with RU-486 makes sense. But believing a thing doesn’t make it true. Wishful thinking is just that — wishful thinking.
In examining Jackson's claims, we find ourselves at a familiar crossroads. As Greg Koukl points out, if abortion does not take the life of a defenseless human being, no justification for it is necessary. If it does take the life of a defenseless human being — and it does — no justification is adequate.
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