Beliefs used to justify abortion bill

To the editor:

Although state Sen. Jason Crowell claims his bill banning abortions was postulated from a review of new evidence proving the existence of a human being at the moment of conception, make no mistake that this was a previously held belief he seeks to justify using modern science.

At the moment of conception, what is produced is the potential for a human being. These cells do not contain thoughts, memories, emotions or consciousness. The belief that a human body is endowed with the absolute and true essence of a human being from the moment of conception is not strictly a Christian idea but is inherent throughout western religion. This belief is in direct contradiction to modern neuroscience. There is no part of the human body that is inherently human.

Crowell seeks to justify his personal religious beliefs while at the same time securing his position with the Christian majority in this state. The idea that this law was arrived at through an open-minded review of new evidence is ludicrous, if not an outright lie.

I urge voters to look further than religion and consider all points of view -- medical, practical and spiritual -- before voting this into law. While this bill in all reality will be passed, it will be in direct opposition to the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling and unenforceable until its constitutionality is reviewed by the Supreme Court.

CHRIS SIEBERT, Cape Girardeau