On June 24, 2022, the leadership of the University of Hawaii’s John A Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) released a letter titled, “JABSOM Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson ruling,” which condemned the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court and voiced its full support for abortion on demand. More recently, in JABSOM’s Connection e-newsletter distributed on April 24, in an article titled “Abortion Training in Hawaii made more accessible through new Health Equity Fund,” the school’s leadership again voiced their full support for abortion.

Although the leadership of JABSOM fully supports abortion on demand, I believe that it is important for the public to know that there are divergent views on abortion among the JABSOM faculty. I, for one, oppose abortion and strongly disagree with the views expressed in these JABSOM publications.

As a physician and health-care professional who has comprehensively reviewed the scientific, ethical, philosophical and practical arguments for and against this very emotional issue, my conclusion is that abortion is wrong because it ends an innocent life. I believe it is scientifically and logically undeniable that human life starts at conception.

Human fetuses are not merely human tissue cells like skin cells, liver cells or muscle cells; instead, they are living human beings and will develop into adults if allowed to survive. Any reason for believing that a fetus is not a human life inside the womb becomes invalid when that same reasoning is applied to life outside the womb. Differences in size, stage of development, degree of dependency, or level of consciousness are not rational criteria for determining when a life becomes human and worthy of protection.

For example, newborn infants are smaller, not fully developed and totally dependent — and yet we all consider them human beings who must be protected. The only essential difference between a newborn and a fetus is their location outside or inside the womb. To me, it is illogical that a newborn is considered human and a fetus is not.

Furthermore, in my role as a surgeon, I have cared for thousands of patients who require complete life support. Often, people who are completely dependent on life support are not conscious and yet they are also never considered to be less than fully human.

While I support the right of all people to make choices regarding their health care and their bodies, I also believe we should value all human life, including the life of the unborn. As a society, we all already agree that there are limits to personal autonomy. A person’s legal right to choose ends when that choice harms another human being.

Moreover, I believe parents have an even greater responsibility to protect their children even if the children are unexpected, inconvenient or unwanted. I understand that there can be so much heartache and distress from an unwanted pregnancy, but the solution is not to end an innocent life.

As an alumni of UH JABSOM and a faculty member in the Department of Surgery, I have great respect and admiration for our leadership and my colleagues. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity that JABSOM has given me to train as a medical student here and then to return to serve my community as a physician and educator. However, on the subject of abortion, UH JABSOM does not speak for me.