If Thy Hand Offend Thee

That’s my right thumb. Not different from any other right thumb, except for that little round circle. That’s a growth of some kind. The doctor says it needs to be excised. It may not be any different from the meningiomas found in my head, but at least this one can be seen, has been an irritant and we can get rid of it.

It has my DNA, you know, even if it shouldn’t be where it is. It is made up of cells created within my body. It made me think of a specific Bible verse:

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (Mark 9:42-43 KJV)

The meningiomas are surrounded by my skull, rather hard to get to, so we won’t be cutting off those offending tissues any time soon, but we can get to this thumb spot and verify what it is – which may provide a clue to the others.

That’s not the growth I really have on my mind right now. It’s the Carnegie stages of an embryo. Click on the link to view the states and the explanation that includes:

Embryos that might have different ages or sizes can be assigned the same Carnegie stage based on their external appearance because of the natural variation which occurs between individuals.

Key word = individuals. These stages, no matter what name is given to them are the first stages of human individuals. The ones I carried did not have my DNA. They had their own individual DNA combinations of mine and my husband’s. They were, from the beginning, different from any other cell in my body.

They were the most vulnerable of humans. Which is the reason I cannot support abortion as a birth control choice.

Don’t go there – not all abortions are the result of rape or incest or needed for the life of the mother. Don’t give me the argument of most activists by saying “keep out of my body” when their hand is in my pocket book.  Pay for it without my tax money and I have no vested interest. Use my tax money, garner my interest.

I addressed part of this in a previous blog where medical ethicist were redefining abortion:

They argue that both the fetus and the new-born infant are only potential persons without any interests. Therefore the interests of the persons involved with them are paramount until some indefinite time after birth.

Is it necessary to have ‘interests’ to be considered human? Is an uninteresting life less than human?

Or does it come down to DNA, which is human, which is individually unique? Who has the right to destroy a uniquely human individual?