Prompt #2 - "Rick Santorum, Meet My Son" - By Emily Rapp

Prompt two: “Rick Santorum, Meet My Son” by Emily Rapp

Central Argument:

            Rapp disagrees with Santorum and believes that pre-natal testing is necessary for a mother to know what her child could possibly have; and that it is up to her to decide whether she wants to abort the child due to the condition or not, and should not be looked down upon.

Essay:

            Emily Rapp’s son, Ronan, is dying of a pre-natal degenerative disorder. It hurts her to witness him paralyzed, blind, and unable to speak because all she wants to do is get to know her son better. She hesitates to wake up in the morning, as she is afraid of the things she’ll witness when she enters his room. But she knows she has to be strong; for her son, for herself, and for those other women going through the same thing. Though she had done all her prenatal tests, the doctors were still unable to detect Ronan’s degenerative disease. It shocks her to find out that there are people, like Rick Santorum, who are against prenatal testing. These people believe that prenatal testing could result in an increase in abortion numbers as women don’t want their children to suffer with a disease, like Ronan’s, that will eventually kill them. Rapp disagrees with this and believes that the quality of life should be questioned. Though she also believes that all lives are valuable, she points a finger on the “quality of life.” She believes that those who can be spared from suffering should be spared, even if it is by the means of abortion. Rapp’s argument is more valid than Santorum’s, as no one should need to suffer when they don’t have to, as there will be no emotional attachment to the child if he or she is aborted            In our history classes we’ve learnt about John Locke and his idea of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” and one can say that, we, humans, have the right to all these things. They have the right to decide whether their life is worth living, and whether their life is filled with “quality.” If they are unable to make the decision, then it is up to their loved ones to make it for them. If everyone has a right to free, and happy life according to Locke, then it is only logical to allow one to not suffer at all than suffer even a little. Everyone has a right to a full and happy life, and if something is stopping a person from having that kind of life, then it is up to the individual to decide what he or she want to do. In the case of Rapp, she stated that she would have rather given up her son than made him suffer an incurable disease that would eventually kill him. Rick Santorum is no one to say she is wrong. Though he believes that prenatal testing only causes an increase in abortion numbers, it is clearly up to her to decide whether she wants her child to suffer or not live at all. She explains that she would have decided not to let him live at all. Though it would have been difficult for her to do so, it would be in his best interests. Locke believed that people had the right to be free and live a life filled with trying to find happiness. Rapp believes that her son is no longer free and will not be able to find happiness; but she also believes that if she had aborted her child, her unborn child would have been better off without finding happiness and living freely, as he would be free from all of the obstacles.

            Though the loss of her child would have been more different type of mourning for Rapp, she believes that it would have been better for her to abort Ronan if she had the chance. Many believe that it’s the wrong thing to do, and every life is valuable, we have to think about the way the child would have lived if the child were brought into the world. The Harlow experiment done by the two husband-wife scientists, show us the emotional attachment a child has to it’s mother and the touch of it’s mother. If a touch has that much of a significant impact on the child, imagine what spending time with the mother would do to the child. Instead, think about how it would affect the mother. The mother is an adult and is more sensitive towards an intimate relationship such as this, as she has a better understanding of such things. So, if prenatal testing were done, and mothers would have decided to abort her child as she didn’t want him or her to suffer, then no intimate relationship would be formed and would be less painful to let the child go as the mother, or anyone for that matter, has not been able to get to know that child.

            Though abortion is usually looked down upon, no one ever stops to think about the reason for aborting the child. If it were a careless mistake, then it would be unethical to abort the child, as the parents should have been making the wiser decision. But if it depended on the quality of life of the child, then it would be the decision of the parents as the unborn child would not have the ability to make decisions on their own. For this reason, Rick Santorum is wrong and Emily Rapp is right. If she had taken the decision to abort her child if she had known about the degenerative disease, I believe that everyone would have supported her all the way.