This morning, there was an article in the news about the earliest premature baby ever to survive; she was born at 21 weeks. There was a link to a related article about how some doctors appose the effort to save such premature babies. Ther was also a discussion board. This was my response:
When I first saw the link to this discussion and the one below it about doctors who say these babies shouldn't be saved, I was sickened. I have a 3-month-old daughter, and I can't imagine neglecting to do anything that could save her if she were in such a predicament. To neglect trying to save the baby because the odds of survival are low is inexcusable, unless it is because the resources dedicated to the task would be diverted from others who have a better chance at survival. I'm pretty sure that's not the case, however. As for sparing the child from a life that includes suffering (or so you predict), that justification is based on hypotheses, not fact. We do not know the future! And even if the child will experience suffering, does that give anyone the right to take its life through neglect? To answer "yes" would be to reveal a complete lack of a viable and coherent system of morals; in this state of mind, you could be convinced to do anything as long as it maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain, because feelings are your god. This makes perfect sense, though; without God, there is no moral framework that is consistently logical from beginning to end without recursive suppositions (that is, circular logic.)
If you feel convicted as you read this, my aim is not to beat you down and condemn you for your evil thoughts, rather, Jesus wants to save you. When you repent and believe that He is God and that his sacrifice on the cross atones for all of your sins, your mind and conscience will be wiped clean of not only your guilt before God, but also any shame you have ever felt in your life, because God removes your shame. He doesn't hold your sins against you, he forgets them and welcomes you! If you want to be reconciled to God today, then repent of your sinful way of life and believe that Jesus is God and that He rose from the dead. Then tell somebody about it and start reading the Bible for yourself. You can't even imagine the freedom and newness of life that awaits you in Jesus Christ.
