Woman versus child: whose rights are greater?

Human rights has been one of the most fought for causes in history; particularly American history. America is known throughout the world for defending the rights of their fellow men. Whether it was the rights for black people to enjoy the same privileges as their fellow white neighbors or women to have equal rights as men. Often it took one person from the “elite” to take a stand for the underdog in order to make a difference. The battle for rights has now made its way into a new arena, the womb. Many believe that an unborn child does not have the same rights as a grown woman. It’s hard to fathom that here in America such an argument could be made. The thought that one person’s rights outweigh another’s seems to go against the very belief that this country was founded upon. However, this is the topic of debate in the area of abortion. Those is the Pro-Choice community believe it is the right of a woman to decide if she wants to carry her child full term because it is her body and her life. Pro-Lifers believe it is vital to the living to protect the unborn. To take away the right to life in the womb threatens the safety of all in society.
Pro-Choice activists say that it is a woman’s right to decide what happens to her and her future. If an unplanned pregnancy gets in the way of that future she should have the right to end that pregnancy. According to Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971), an abortion-rights advocate, an unborn child is nothing more than a parasite taking advantage of the mother. Yet, in order for this argument to work the unborn child has to be dehumanized and made into nothing. Planned Parenthood teaches that what is inside a woman is merely a mass of tissue. It is not viable nor does it feel pain. If it is without feelings then it is not entitled to rights. The rights belong to the one who is grown; the one who is viable and useful to their community.
There is no question that Planned Parenthood is one of the biggest advocates for women’s rights. They say it is her right to choose what happens to her body. It is true that once the child is born it is the mother’s responsibility to take care of it. It is also true that it will be her future that is altered forever if she chooses to have this baby. Planned Parenthood states that the most common reasons women want to have an abortion is to complete school or continue working. Abortion gives her the right to make the best choice for herself and her future. Yet if abortion gives women the right to choose what becomes of the unborn child’s rights? If a child does not have rights from the moment they are conceived then when do those rights begin? When the right to life is taken away from an unborn baby because they are believed to be non-viable or imposing on the rights of a grown adult then society is in danger. When one person’s rights outweigh another’s then the weaker is in peril of losing theirs. Yet when rights are declared equal no matter who’s they are then society is free to flourish.
According to Naomi Wolf, to deny an unborn child the right to life is to deny it a right it cannot live without. If an unborn child is allowed to be stripped of its right to live it will only be a matter of time before others are in danger of theirs. In 1996, Judge Roger Miner stated in a communication with the Second Circuit, "Surely the state's interest lessens [in the life of a person with disabilities] as the potential for life diminishes."   Protecting an unborn child’s right to life is foundational for the rights of those who are already born.
As a Christian I believe in the sanctity of life from conception to death. God created man in His image making it valuable and worth defending at all levels.