Unparalleled: How Christianity's Uniqueness Makes It Compelling

by Jared C. Wilson

These utilitarian values are not absent from the evangelical Christian world. They pop up in a variety of ways. One of the instances that bugs me most is in the abortion discussion. You have likely heard this line of reasoning from earnest pro-lifers before: “You should be pro-life because you never know if you’ve aborted the next Einstein, the next Beethoven, the next Martin Luther King Jr., the next Pasteur or Salk, etc.” I mean, what if you aborted the curer of cancer or of AIDS? The motivation behind these kinds of statements is understandable, and the underlying reasoning is sound: abortion, which does immediate, seen harm to unborn children and many of their mothers, also does unseen future harm to families, communities, and the world. But I hate this argument against abortion and here’s why: it assigns value based on (presumed) accomplishments.