My friend Tim Kumpost couldn't get to sleep the other night and ended up at his computer where he typed out the following reflections. I asked him if I could post his comments here and he graciously gave his consent. Tim's insomnia thus becomes our blessing.Computers and Abortion. They don’t seem to have much in common, do they? One is an information-processing machine capable of performing a multitude of tasks, and the other is a procedure for ending a pregnancy. For me, they will always be connected. I’m a computer programmer, and it was my knowledge of computers that helped me understand the abortion issue.
Everything that computers do is based upon adding, subtracting, and comparing strings of ones and zeroes. One or zero, true or false, plus or minus: this is binary logic.
When I first started thinking about the abortion issue, I quickly became confused and overwhelmed by all the arguments made by both sides. Then, I applied the same binary logic I use when working with computers to the abortion debate. All the arguments boiled down to one simple question: Did I believe the fetus in the womb was alive or not?
I’ve heard expectant mothers say that their baby is kicking. I’ve seen sonograms of fetuses in the womb. This convinces me that the unborn child is alive. Binary logic leaves no room for “maybes” or moral ambiguities. It doesn’t care about political correctness or opinion polls. A condition is either True, or it is False. So, if — as in the cases cited above—the unborn child is alive, then the unborn child must always be alive!
Computers do not get to choose how they act; they simply execute a series of instructions—literally, precisely, and quickly. We have a choice. One or Zero, Yes or No, Life of Death. Choose Life!
