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Open Letter to First Lady Michelle Obama about Abortion and 'Womxn'

 Dear First Lady Michelle Obama,

So much discussion about abortion is in the news today in anticipation of a Supreme Court decision that is expected to return legislation on abortion to the states.  In this regard, I note with regret your comment, "State lawmakers will have the power to strip womxn [xic] of the right to make decisions about their bodies and their healthcare."  Might I briefly clarify four matters of biology?

First, a child in the womb has a different, though related, DNA from the mother.  Therefore, a choice to abort the child is not a choice about the mother's body so much as about her son's or daughter's body.  The child inherits one chromosome from each parent, making a separate individual.  Any decision to take the life of the unborn child is a decision about the child's life.  Stripping a woman from the so-called 'right' to make decisions about terminating someone else's life is hardly a decision about her own body.  Incidentally, even in the case of two persons with identical or nearly identical DNA--i.e., identical twins--the persons are not one person.  An identical twin cannot and should not be able to choose to terminate the life of his or her sibling.  Mothers share even less DNA with their children.

Second, DNA establishes gender.  A baby girl inherits an X chromosome from the father and an X chromosome from the mother.  A baby boy inherits an X chromosome from his mother and a Y chromosome from his father.  There are no other chromosomes or combinations, and so there are no other genders.  Girls have XX chromosomes, and boys have XY chromosomes.

Third, the chromosomes determine the gender, reproductive organs, and sexual characteristics of the child.  From the moment of conception, a girl with two X chromosomes has what it takes to develop into a child-bearing woman some day.  Boys have what it takes to develop into fathers.  There are no alternatives, such as your 'womxn' category.  Simply put, men do not have babies, and if someone pretending to be a man does, this only reveals that she is a woman, not a man.

Fourth, from the above, it follows that one cannot turn an intention, such as someone's sexual identity choice, into a fact, such as biological sex.  To imagine that this is so involves the same logical fallacy that, if a human being intends to identify as a dog, one actually is a dog.  One's gender identity cannot alter the fact of one's gender, that is, one's biological sex.  You need not worry about the recent invention of a 'womxn' category in all the history of humanity as it has no basis in fact.  As we read in Genesis, 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them' (1.27).

The science is both simple and marvelous.  We should follow it because there is no alternative in reality.  I trust this clears up any confusion or misunderstandings.

Sincerely,

Professor Grams


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