The Worth of a Life

 Abortion has been a hot button topic over the past several years. There has been talk about the right to one's body and the right to life. There has been talk about when life begins or if a handful cells has the same value as a fully developed human. Does life start at conception? Does it start with a heartbeat? With a first breath? Or perhaps it's not that simple. Perhaps it's not a matter of when life starts but when life becomes valuable enough to consider human. At what point is a fetus worth the same as an infant? At what point is an embryo more than just a few cells? The argument grows complex and difficult rather quickly. I do not have a perfect answer to these questions, but I do believe in the value of life--and that is what I want to focus on today.

Life is difficult. But there is beauty to it too. I recall the first time I heard the song "7 Years Old" by Lukas Graham. I was in elementary school, riding the bus home from school when it came on the radio. Something about the song quickly resonated with me as the verses progressed, telling the story of someone going from a child to an adult to somewhere nearing the end of their life. It made me stop and consider the journeys that all of us are on in our lives. Recently, another song has given me similar pause.

"Falling in Love" by Matt Howard talks about being young and feeling unprepared for life but excited about what is to come. The music video highlights a young couple having a child. This resonates a lot with my own phase of life, reminding me of my siblings and their young families. They have hardships and struggles of their own, but seeing them get married and have kids has changed the way I see life. I've seen it change my siblings too, my brother crying at the birth of his first two children--two twins--as he called my mom with the song "I Saw God Today" by George Strait playing in the background. Life is meaningful. It's painful. Sometimes it's cruel or unfair. But I have to believe it is worthwhile, and I am not alone in thinking that. 

The remarkable thing about the American Revolution was not necessarily the formation of new nation, but the fundamental ideology that laid the foundation for this new nation, influencing much of the west as we now know it. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Many of us are familiar with this line from the Declaration of Independence, but I wonder how many of us truly understand its impact. Our nation is built on the idea that you have value simply because you are alive. 

In its book, "The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict", The Arbinger Institute argues that the first step towards peace is recognizing that everyone around us has lives as rich and meaningful as our own. 

I do not have all of the answers when it comes to the abortion debate. I do not know the exact moment a life begins, but I believe that life, even in its earlier stages, has value. I believe it has potential for good if fostered in a loving environment. I believe, religious or not, that life is beautiful in its own way.