Today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that has long been celebrated by many of my friends and peers. I get a nauseous feeling when I think about it, as a Catholic and as a scientist. I ask everyone who does not have a background in embryology or who feels unclear about when human life begins to please watch this video. I learned about this myself in a challenging and fascinating developmental biology course during my freshman year at Duke. The molecular process of fertilization is actually extremely complex, and I encourage anyone interested to read more about it here.
I will continue to respect those with opinions that differ from my own. However, I also encourage everyone to have an educated perspective. The argument that the beginning of human life is somehow unclear is scientifically untrue. There are other valid arguments that support a pro-choice position, but the defense of that position does indeed violate the rights of other human beings. Whether people believe that those human beings “deserve” rights, I cannot control, just as I cannot control when people defend the death penalty on the basis that those human beings do not “deserve” rights. I personally will always fight for those rights to be recognized by law for every human person.
While I am aware that I hold the unpopular opinion among my peers, it is unequivocally the most important belief that I hold. The sanctity of human life—in ALL circumstances—is, after all, the most basic foundation on which all moral claims, in regard to our relations to one another, rest. When people claim that they deserve rights, equality and tolerance from their community, they acknowledge—whether they know it or not—that the simple state of “being” a human organism does, should and, I pray, always will carry moral weight in our world.
Victoria Treboschi
T ‘15
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