What does it mean to protect life?

This blog post was written by CGJ Student Staff Member Moriah Schmidt

I am working on a project involving abortion, specifically looking at the structures Uganda has in place to protect the life of the unborn. Much of Africa has retained more of a faith-based ideology than the Western world, often choosing to keep abortion illegal because of a desire to protect life at all stages. Others do not agree with this policy and strive to change it.

One of the reasons that people argue for abortion is because of the high maternity mortality rate, alleging that providing abortion access will cut down on this death rate. However, there are some problems with this argument. First, the biggest need in developing countries in order to cut down on the maternity rate is probably better healthcare and better access to doctors and hospitals for those living in rural areas – not access to abortions. As Christians, to advocate for life and protect the unborn, we should do our best to develop these and show that we do care about the health of the mothers and the unborn, by fighting to protect them throughout the whole pregnancy.

Second, abortion destroys lives. When much of Africa has decided that they want to protect their citizens, born or unborn, that decision should be respected. Legalizing abortions carries many risks; e.g., that people will de-value their children, that sex-selective abortions will rise, and that women will receive abortions without being aware of the risks.

I love being able to work on international law projects, embracing the cultural diversity of other countries. In my human trafficking class, often my cultural perspective is shattered and built up again. Some cultural practices are harmful, but not all are; for instance, some countries primarily get married by arranged marriages and that has been effective (in some countries, it seems arranged marriages are more resilient, with fewer divorces than the United States).

Uganda has protections for human life in their Constitution, and that decision should not be attacked. Other ways of protecting mothers and the unborn should be used and encouraged, because abortion does not simply end the risk of a woman dying in childbirth – it ends a life.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.