‘We should not allow the rhetoric of politicians to confuse us. With the wealth of information at our fingertips, Christians need to stay focused on the real issue — killing innocent humans is wrong’
September 26, 2022
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams stunned America recently when she claimed that there is “no such thing” as a fetal heartbeat at six weeks of gestation. Abrams stated that the sound of such fetal heartbeats is “manufactured” by men seeking to “take control” of women’s bodies. The mind-blowing statement was made in response to the recent Georgia legislation, known as the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (Life) Act, or “heartbeat” bill, that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected (typically after six weeks).
Dr. Bernard Mauser, Professor of Philosophy at Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.ses.edu), recently responded to these outlandish claims, listing three clear reasons why Abrams’ logic is flawed.
Mauser commented, “In a world where an abundance of information is at our fingertips through our devices, you still find people making bizarre claims that are easily debunked. As it relates to abortion, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams just said that ‘there is no such thing as a [fetal] heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.’ When there is such an abundance of information available to the contrary, where does she get such an idea?
“There has been a flurry of articles arguing that which exists isn’t a fully formed heart. There are three things that people should know when reading these claims.”
Mauser continued, “First, just because something is not fully matured doesn’t make it something else. For example, my daughter is not as grown up as my wife. This doesn’t make her less as a human female. She is simply a human female in an earlier stage of development. The fetal pole that is heard in an ultrasound is the earliest stage of a heart’s development. It is a heart in the beginning of its formation.
“Second, do not get caught up in irrelevant points when following this debate. It is a moral issue. The moral argument against abortion is based on the premise that killing innocent human beings is wrong. As abortion kills innocent human beings, abortion is wrong. As the unborn is definitely human (they are not plant or any other animal), they are valuable.
“Third, the fact of the matter is that we can tell people what they can or cannot do with their bodies when they use them to harm other people. You are not allowed to use your body to kill me. The unborn is not the mother’s body. Does the mother have twenty toes? Two mouths? Four ears? Just as we don’t allow people to kill their born children, so too we shouldn’t permit people to kill the unborn.”
Mauser concluded, “We should not allow the rhetoric of politicians to confuse us. With the wealth of information at our fingertips, Christians need to stay focused on the real issue — killing innocent humans is wrong. We are responsible for how we treat unborn children, undoubtably the most vulnerable in our society.”
SES will take part in the upcoming Digging Deeper Conference on October 7-8 in Burke, Virginia. The Digging Deeper Conference is a two-day event engaging today’s questions from a Christian perspective. World class speakers will help us dive into discussions around science, theology, philosophy, apologetics, and more to get at the age-old question, “What is true?” Thinkers, skeptics, men and women of faith, scientists, professionals, students, agnostics, atheists, and anyone else who is honestly seeking truth are welcome to attend.
The mission of SES is to train men and women, based on the inerrant and infallible written Word of God, for the evangelization of the world and the defense of the historic Christian faith. SES offers a range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees (along with several for-credit certificates) that uniquely integrate theology, philosophy, and apologetics to build a complete and systematic Christian worldview.
For more information on SES, visit its website at www.ses.edu or its Facebook page, follow the SES Twitter feed, @sesapologetics, or call (704) 847-5600.
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