While in New York following Eric’s arrest, we received dozens of supportive emails. However, there is always one in every crowd. This came in on June 2nd, 2003:

I just read a statement purportedly by you that claimed that Rudolph “murdered.”   What did you do?  Weren’t you involved somehow in assisting at the murder of countless helpless unborn infants?  Can you explain to me the difference?  The Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill.”  I can find no exceptions to unborn infants.

Nancy Barginear

[email protected]

Let me start by saying that unless your name is God or my name is Dear Abby, we don’t owe you an answer. The bomber had no right to judge Emily for where she worked and neither do you.

But, since you asked, here’s your answer. The first part is a matter of definitions. Murder is defined as the unlawful taking of a human life. A pregnancy termination isn’t illegal, and there is a debate as to if it is a human life. There was no doubt that the killings by the bomber in Birmingham and Atlanta were murder.

A gardener doesn’t plant unborn flowers, omelets are not made of unborn chickens, and there is no such thing as an unborn child. Between five weeks and birth, it is called a fetus.

Regardless of the definitions, the question remains of if it is wrong or not. It seems that the answer depends on when you consider it to be a human life. Of course it is human, just like a liver or a tumor or any other group of cells. It also has a beating heart, but cardiac tissue will beat without any brain input. The question is if it is yet a human life.

Some religions teach that birth control is a sin. At the other end of the scale, Eskimos used to put newborns out on the ice if they perceived them to be defective. Some people feel that life begins at conception. Others pick birth.

There are several things that point to the acceptance of birth. The dates on a tombstone are birth to death. Birthdays are celebrated, not conception days. Age is calculated from the date of birth. Driver’s licenses have the date of birth. Even the constitution says that a citizen can be born or naturalized. The bible talks about Adam’s life starting when God breathed air into him, which would indicate that there is some religious basis for a baby’s first breath starting what we consider to be life. The laws in the United States have settled on the moment of birth.

Who’s right? I don’t know. I leave that decision up to the individual. I fully respect other’s opinions, even those I disagree with. I firmly disagree with someone trying to force his or her opinion on my wife or me. The person who bombed the clinic felt that he was not only correct, but that he had the right to judge and sentence those who felt differently.

I don’t expect to change your mind, and I assure that you won’t change ours. This debate has been going on for many years and people will continue to have strong opinions for each side. Part of what makes this country great is that people who disagree can coexist. At least they can with the exception of people like the bomber.

As to the commandment that says, thou shall not kill, the problem is that it doesn’t specify what not to kill. We have to kill animals and/or plants for food, so one would assume that it means not to kill other people. However, the Bible has several exceptions where it appears to approve of killing another person. Some religions actually demand a pregnancy termination in specific situations. Again, it seems to be up to the individual and the legal system as to where to draw the line, though the murders committed by the bomber are clearly against the law.

As to Rudolph, I firmly believe in his right to a fair trial and hope to hear his side of the story. If he is guilty, then I feel that his actions were wrong regardless of what my wife did for a living. Even if you feel that abortion is wrong, I fail to see how that relates to the murder associated with the Olympics.