The social contract does not exclude the unborn

Editor,

You must wear a seatbelt. You must stop at a red light. You can’t drink alcohol and drive. You can’t talk on your cell phone and drive at the same time without a hands-free device. You must be 21 years old to drink alcohol. You must be 18 years old to buy cigarettes.  You must pay for the merchandise you take out of a store. You must pay taxes on your income. You cannot hit another person, except in self-defense or defense of another. You cannot cheat on a test. You cannot rob a bank, even if you need the money.

There are so many rules we all must follow in order to maintain a civilized, just and well-ordered society, with some rules being more important than others. I remember talking to my son one day about the necessity for rules. He was in soccer at the time, so I asked him, “What would soccer be like without any rules?” He surprised me with the simplicity and clarity of his reply, saying “It would not be soccer.”

One of the bedrock rules of any civilized and just society is that you cannot intentionally kill an innocent and defenseless human being. Imagine how frightening, chaotic and evil society would be if people could freely kill each other. We would have to constantly walk around armed with weapons to protect ourselves and our families. Most of us would rarely venture outside for fear someone would kill us. This basic rule about not killing lays the foundation for a civilized society.

What many people don’t realize is that legalized abortion, which literally says you can kill, has created total chaos and injustice for unborn human beings. We have turned the first months of every person’s life into a lawless war zone.

During the first months of life, every person can be killed for any reason whatsoever. You can be killed for being sick, handicapped, unwanted, poor, the wrong sex, being unplanned for, considered an obstacle to success, an object of scientific research and so forth.

I wish people would realize the extremely dangerous, unequal and unjust situation every human being lives in before birth due to legalized abortion. What is supposed to be one of the most secure periods of life — living and growing within our mothers — has been turned into a war zone for many. 1.2 million don’t make it every year in the U.S.

This is the basic pro-life position: Life must be protected at all stages in order to secure justice for every person. In order for every person to be treated equally and justly, life must be protected from the first moment of existence.

On November 19, 2013 the people of Albuquerque have the opportunity to help secure justice for the unborn by voting to limit abortion. We need to reinforce the most basic rule of a civilized, just and good society: No one has the right to intentionally kill an innocent and defenseless human being at any stage of life.

Benjamin Sanchez
UNM alumnus