Abortion, Brain Death, and Very Poor Thinking

Jivin Jehosaphat (a daily read for me) offered this post regarding a pastor in Minnesota and his views on abortion.  The pastor, Greg Boyd, stated in an interview on the radio that he believed first trimester abortions should be legal.  His justification for this, can be found here on his website.

I am always saddened when a pastor shows such poor thinking about this issue especially in a public forum.  I thank Pastor Boyd for his responses to JivinJ's questions, but I must respond myself to a few points in his letter.  Boyd's words are in blood red.

I have a simple idea for a compromise that I think a majority of Americans might agree to.

We will certainly never reach consensus on the metaphysical status of the unborn or on how one should balance the unborn’s rights against those of the mother (to say nothing of a host of other relevant, ambiguous considerations).

How does the good pastor know this?  Is it his "kingdom view" that gives him a special insight to the future? The truth of the matter is that there was a time in which we never thought they would reach a consensus regarding the metaphysical status of blacks or women in our culture. We now realize discrimination based on skin color and sex is wrong.  The same thing applies to level of development - I believe we will recognize that some day.  His "compromise" does nothing to advance this goal. 

But I think we could possibly reach a consensus on the latest date at which a pregnancy could be terminated.

Note the politically correct Planned Parenthood endorsed language of "pregnancy termination".  Yes, we can come to a consensus of when pregnancy can be terminated - how about the birth of a human being.  All pregnancies end at some point.  The question is whether or not the pregnancy shall end with an attempt to save a defenseless human being, or to end the pregnancy by the intentional dismemberment and death of a defenseless human being.  Politically correct language does not change this. 

My proposal – my humble, personal, non-kingdom, political view on what would be best for America at this present stage in our history – is that we take the criteria for when a person is no longer a “legal person” (the criteria for death) and simply reverse it for the unborn.

Actually, this is not necessarily a bad idea is long as it is done correctly.  for instance, the good pastor should review this article by Maureen Condic entitled Life: Defining the Beginning by the End.  Dr. Condic is a neuroscientist, and she has written an excellent article that shows that the life of an individual human being begins at conception:

What does the nature of death tell us about the beginning of human life? From the earliest stages of development, human embryos clearly function as organisms. Embryos are not merely collections of human cells, but living creatures with all the properties that define any organism as distinct from a group of cells; embryos are capable of growing, maturing, maintaining a physiologic balance between various organ systems, adapting to changing circumstances, and repairing injury. Mere groups of human cells do nothing like this under any circumstances. The embryo generates and organizes distinct tissues that function in a coordinated manner to maintain the continued growth and health of the developing body. Even within the fertilized egg itself there are distinct “parts” that must work together—specialized regions of cytoplasm that will give rise to unique derivatives once the fertilized egg divides into separate cells. Embryos are in full possession of the very characteristic that distinguishes a living human being from a dead one: the ability of all cells in the body to function together as an organism, with all parts acting in an integrated manner for the continued life and health of the body as a whole.

Linking human status to the nature of developing embryos is neither subjective nor open to personal opinion. Human embryos are living human beings precisely because they possess the single defining feature of human life that is lost in the moment of death—the ability to function as a coordinated organism rather than merely as a group of living human cells.

Now, no one knows “God’s perspective” on when exactly a person dies, when the soul leaves the body, etc…

The seems to me to be an excellent reason not to allow abortion in the first trimester. 

Yet we as a culture have agreed that when the electromagnetic activity in a brain falls beneath a certain threshold, they are to no longer be considered “legal persons.” Our criteria for death was not revealed by God. Indeed, it’s actually quite arbitrary. The people we pronounce dead continue to replicate cells and grow hair and finger nails, for example. And we could easily raise or lower the minimum threshold of brain activity necessary to remain a “legal person.” Yet, with rare exceptions, there’s no controversy in our culture surrounding when a person is no longer a “legal person.”

This is simply wrong, and the pastor is clearly ignorant about some basic truths regarding brain death.  This by itself is not surprising, but the fact that he uses this justification for his public views is frankly tragic. 

First, brain death criteria does not allow a certain amount of "electromagnetic activity in a brain" in order to determine death.  Brain death is the complete, irreversible cessation of whole brain activity.  Sometimes this is confirmed by EEG., in which electromagnetic activity is measured.  However, often other tests are used that have nothing to do with the EEG.  For instance, a brain angiogram may test for brain activity, and it is considered more sensitive then an EEG. 

Second, the criteria for brain death is in no way arbitrary.  Specific diagnostic criteria have been formulated in the medical literature to indicate when a human being ceases to integrate their bodily functions, and thus death is declared. 

My humble, personal, non-kingdom, political proposal is that we might be able to move beyond the ugly impasse we’ve hit in our culture on the abortion issue

Note how he claims his view is a "humble" one.  The implication is those whose state the scientific fact that a fetus is a human being must do so by arrogantly forcing their view on others.

– the impasse that is allowing babies to be aborted that both sides wish weren’t aborted – by stretching our consensus on the “legal loss of personhood” to cover the “legal beginning of personhood.”

Wrong again.  the declaration of brain death is not the "a legal loss of personhood".  It is the legal and medical definition of death itself.  When a human being is brain dead, he is not a live human being that has lost his personhood.  He is a dead human being.  On the other hand, if the embryo or fetus is dead, there is no reason to abort them, is there?

When the unborn’s brainwaves are above the level that constitutes the loss of legal personhood, perhaps Americans could agree they should be considered legal persons. I am told by neurologists that this occurs between the 11th and 12th week of pregnancy.

Which neurologist was that?  If you take perform an MRI on a 12 week old fetus, could you see the "personhood" part of the brain?  Could you do surgery and remove one's personhood by removing that part of their brain? 

Whew, I could spend all day refuting this guy, and I haven't even touched on the fact that his entire view is a false dichotomy.  Should we support women who make the life-affirming decision to place their children for adoption - of course.  Should we help those who decide to raise their children themselves - absolutely.  Should we compassionately share the forgiveness of Jesus Christ with those that have been effected by abortion - yes.  However, supporting the idea that the state should support abortion in the first trimester does nothing to advance these.  "Kingdom thinking" via Boyd is very poor thinking indeed.

Update: JivinJ continues the dialogue with Pastor Boyd here.  J continues to ask the right questions.  Prediction: Pastor Boyd will still fail to answer why he abhors abortion in his response.