Abortion: An Examination of Morality and Justice

“Overall, there have been well over a billion abortions performed around the world since 1980.” Isn’t murder unlawful? Aren’t you killing the fetus in you when you’re getting abortion? Isn’t it God’s decision to give or take life? However, many women still get abortion based on their situations. They aren’t doing something that is against the law, but still many people might not approve of it, because it may go against their golden rule or their “sense of injustice.” In the excerpt of “Who Needs God” by Harold Kushner, and the poem “First They Came for the Jews” by Martin Niemöller, both these authors talk about human nature, the golden rule and human “sense of injustice.” There are many things that may affect our human nature, our religion,

Many major religions follow this conduct, in different ways but this helps us build a conscience in us. When Kushner asked his student why was Hitler wrong, the students were outrageous at his question, “You can’t pass laws permitting the gassing of little children just because they’re Jewish.” Hitler was following the law he made, but he was still wrong. His ideas to kill someone because of their race makes us wince, and that is our “sense of injustice.” Kushner gives an example of Homer’s Iliad, where gods take sides. Much like Homer’s The Odyssey, where Poseidon wants to punish Odysseus because he blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus is however supported by the daughter of Zeus, the goddess of wisdom and battle, Athena. She disguises herself as a Mentor and guides both Telemachus and Odysseus. Odysseus displeases Poseidon but is in the protection of a stronger one, “The issue is not what is right but who has the might.” Our “sense of injustice” comes from our moral standards, when we see something wrong happening we can’t help but feel bad for the person. It is hard to see something wrong happening, but that’s what the most amazing part of human kind, what is wrong to you might not be wrong to someone

In his poem First They Came for the Jews, Martin Niemöller, talks about the golden rule. The speaker uses a remorseful tone; he creates a guilty mood. The speaker talks about how ‘they’ came for different ‘kinds’ of people but he didn’t step up for them, and when ‘they’ came for him there wasn’t anyone left to speak out for him. Wasn’t he self-preserving, he was protecting himself, even though he knew that what they were doing wasn’t fair, he didn’t spoke up. What happened to the speaker, wasn’t that karma? Isn’t that how the golden rule goes, treat others as you want to be treated. It’s very ironic what happens to the speaker, but what’s more ironic is how the readers feel. We feel a “sense of injustice,” that something wrong is happening. It’s a gut feeling, and even though the speaker doesn’t make a move for the others, he still didn’t deserve to be taken by