On November 8, the people of Mississippi will vote on an amendment to the state’s constitution that will define personhood. Article III of its constitution would be amended to read:
“The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”
The proposed constitutional amendment is, according to Personhood Mississippi, to insure that “abortion will be outlawed in our state; cloning and other forms of medical cannibalism will be effectively stopped; and a challenge will be set up to Roe v Wade.”
The Mississippi constitutional amendment vote arises out of a national movement called Personhood USA. Personhood USA defines itself as: “… A movement working to respect the God-given right to life by recognizing all human beings as persons who are ‘created in the image of God’ from the beginning of their biological development, without exceptions.”
Personhood USA is active in all 50 states and working to eventually make Mississippi’s law, if it should pass, a model for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Personhood USA declares that its desire is, “to glorify Jesus Christ in a way that creates a culture of life…”
For this reason, it would be informative to have a clear understanding of the historical and theological development of the Christian concept of personhood. If the person of Christ is to be glorified through the actions of Personhood USA, then the Christian belief about personhood should play a role in their definition of what a person is.
The problem for Personhood USA is that they, in their desire to outlaw abortion, define personhood in biological terms alone. A person, according to the Mississippi amendment, is a human person “from the moment of fertilization." This definition is completely antithetical to development of Christian thought concerning the subject of personhood.
Christianity, early in its theological development, was forced to deal with the concept of personhood because of the belief in the Three Persons of the Trinity. The church father, Tertullian (c. 160-220 CE) in his work, 'On the Trinity,' defined personhood as one that had both an intellect and a will. Christian theology, following in the footsteps of Tertullian, recognized two types of persons: 1) the uncreated persons, eternally existing in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and 2) the created persons who are bodily human beings as well as non-bodily living spirits such as angels. All of these examples of persons are persons because they have intellect and will.
Philosophy, following in the light of Christian theological thought, expanded the definition of personhood. These philosophical criteria include: being alive with the ability to feel both physically and mentally positive and negative sensations; control over its behavior; the ability to enter into relationships with others; and is conscious of itself as a person in the world. Being a person is more than just being alive at “the moment of fertilization,” though being alive is foundational to becoming a person.
The traditional Christian understanding of personhood, along with the philosophical developments, reveals personhood to be more of a process rather than a given fact at any particular time. Human beings are conceived, they grow and mature in the womb, they enter the world and continue to become. Little by little they grow into their personhood.
As they age, and as they lose some of the criteria of personhood described above they, little by little, grow out of their personhood. There is a time, early on, when one can say that a particular human being is yet to become a person in the true sense of the meaning. There is a time for some; often late in life, but also at other times because of accident or disease, when one must wonder whether there is some sense of personhood present. We all live our lives amidst the ebb and flow of our own sense of personhood and the personhood of those around us.
Personhood, in the end, cannot be quantified. It cannot be measured. In fact, to measure and define any one particular person as a person is really to de-personalize and objectify the person in question. Personhood is a quality, and like all qualities, something of a mystery. Being in the present of a person – a real person – is mysteriously awe-inspiring.
Personhood USA, in its zealous attempt to outlaw abortions by defining a person biologically and quantitatively, destroys the quality and mystery of personhood. Every fetus, according to Personhood USA’s definition, becomes an object to be protected. The dynamic, relational aspect of personhood that includes the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the mother or the father or the family or the community of people among who the child is to be born, is ignored and considered insignificant relative to the desire of Personhood USA to stop all abortions. Any one person’s personhood cannot be separated from the context of relationship in which life is to be lived.
Personhood, as exemplified in the Three Persons of the Trinity, is understood to be more of a relationship than an entity. All three Persons are One God through the dynamic relationship of these Persons with each other and with the creation. In fact no single Person of the Trinity can be understood outside of, and separate from, the relationship of all three Persons together.
Christian belief suggests that human beings also come into their personhood as they relate to one another and to the creation. No person exists outside of these dynamic relationships. Every person comes into their fullness as they grow in relationship to others, to their world and to their God.
Personhood USA, in its desire to honor life, destroys the dynamics of relationship by focusing on only one, biological aspect of what it means to be a living person. The Personhood movement co-ops a radical individualism that is a product of our secular culture while at the same time it ignores the relational foundation of Christian belief.
Mississippi, a state with significant poverty, early infant death, poor healthcare and education, does much less than it can to enhance the relational wellbeing of its citizens. At the same time, it now proposes an amendment to its constitution that would quantify the definition of personhood into law. The establishment of such a law would continue the objectification of life that allows for the state’s lack of care for its people. Children in poverty are objective problems that can be solved or, as is too often the case, ignored; but they are not seen as persons with whom the people of the state of Mississippi must relate.
Personhood USA is not just a problem for Mississippi. It is a problem for the whole nation. Amendments such as the one proposed in Mississippi have been defeated in other states, but if Mississippi passes this constitutional change, my state or your state may be next.
Abortion is a tragedy. It is a tragedy for the mother who believes it is her best choice in the midst of the evil choices available to her. It is a tragedy for the fetus whose life is cut short and is unable to grow into his or her personhood. It is a tragedy for a society that must face the truth that it does not provide the supports that would make the need for an abortion less likely. It is all very tragic, but defining personhood down cannot alleviate the tragedy of abortion.
Life is a beautiful mystery. As it unfolds negative experiences often occur. Decisions are made, sometimes good, sometimes bad, often they are ill-advised. Occasionally, an abortion becomes the least evil choice in the midst of the available alternatives. Sometimes the choice is forced upon a person due to rape or medical issues. Sometimes it is the result of the ill-advised choices a person made. Through it all, though, our personhood grows into its fullness. This is life!
Abortions, unfortunately, are a part of the mix of life. There is much that can be done to create a society where abortions would become a less necessary decision that must be made. The worse thing we could do is to create a definition of personhood in law that would criminalize a tragic choice a woman must make, while at the same time the law destroys any meaningful understanding of what it means to be a person in the first place.
It is sad to realize the Personhood Movement, believing it acts according to Christian principles, negates the very understanding of personhood that arises out of Christian theological thought.
