- When does human life begin?
- When does person hood begin?
- Is abortion murder?
These are the questions that are generally posed as the ultimate question in the abortion debate.
“Who has the authority to decide the issue?” is the ultimate question in the abortion debate.
- Is it God?
- Is it the government?
- Is it the greater society?
If God is the moral authority then the next question is “Which God?” There have been thousands of religions throughout history, representing an equal number of Gods or interpretations of Gods. Even Christianity, which is the world’s most popular religion, only represents about 1/3 of the world’s believers. And among themselves a large percentage interpret the bible as allowing abortions. But since religions are a function of culture rather than an actual God, their authority is simply a reflection of their own collective beliefs.
Moral authority certainly does not rest with governments because they are notorious for representing their own interests at the expense of the people.
The ultimate authority on the abortion issue is the greater society. By greater society I mean that the larger number of people who participate in a decision then the more accurately it reflects the nature of man. The source and measure of morality is human nature. Morality is a reflection of what each of us expects for ourselves. It is a function of human consciousness and our own self awareness. Without human self awareness there would be no morality.
Collective human nature and not God or governments is the ultimate moral authority.
Most people around the world feel that abortion should be legal and this is a reflection of their beliefs about the morality of abortion. This supports the conclusion that the greater society believes that abortion is morally correct.