Daniel50
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Abortion-a crying shame.
Abortion-a crying shame.
ABORTION
Somehow most “discussions� about abortion tend to quickly degenerate into slogans and/or screaming matches between “pro-life� and “pro-choice.� But the issue is not actually so easily delineated.
Lots of people who personally oppose abortion might also concede that women (and men) should have the right to make their own moral and physical choices. After all, this is America where we take our freedom rather seriously. And indeed, statistics reflect that a majority of people in the United States have “serious reservations� about abortion, yet a majority are also in favor of ensuring it remains a legal right for women.
It would also be a gross overstatement to claim that everyone who favors abortion under certain circumstances should carry the implicated label of “anti-life.� It is not unheard of for those who work with very young girls who are scared and pregnant—perhaps bearing the child of a rapist or family member—to soften a prior intense opposition to abortion. After looking into thousands of these young girls’ faces, it can be difficult to take an absolute stand against abortion, even while clinging to a personal commitment to the sanctity of life. In contrast, it’s rather easy to maintain a hard-line stand if we never take a close look at the harsh realities of the problem.
Several crucial factors come into play whenever the topic of abortion is raised. One is the often-debated issue of exactly when life begins. Many Christians have a firm conviction that life begins at conception. They are fond of quoting biblical passages that reflect God’s future plans for as-yet-unborn people. Here are a few of the passages frequently used:
• “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb� (Psalm 139:13, 15).
• “The Lord gave me a message. He said, ‘I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world’ � (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
• “In a loud voice [Elizabeth] exclaimed [to Mary]: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! . . . As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy’ � (Luke 1:42, 44, NIV).
In addition to these passages are a number of prophecies that a woman would conceive a child who would be special. Such assurances were made to Sarah (Genesis 18:9-14), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:3-5), Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-3 , and others. Those who believe Scripture often come to the conclusion that each and every child to be born has a God-foreseen future and fits snugly into God’s overall plan for humanity. Abortion, therefore, is not merely the removal of a not-yet-viable embryo, but rather the loss of a very real person as well as all that that unique child of God might have done in his or her lifetime.
Advocates for abortion don’t agree that life begins at conception. It then becomes a matter of determining exactly when the fetus transforms from a growing cluster of cells into a state advanced enough to be considered a person.
The abortion issue was taken to the Supreme Court in the Roe vs. Wade case of 1973. The court ruled that during the first trimester of pregnancy, a state cannot regulate abortions at all as long as a licensed doctor oversees the procedure. During the second trimester, the state was allowed to refuse an abortion if the woman’s health was at risk. And during the third trimester, the state could refuse all abortions except for those needed in order to save the life of the mother. These determinations were made on the basis that the fetus usually becomes “viable� (capable of living outside the uterus) at about 28 weeks, but sometimes as early as 24 weeks.
The Roe vs. Wade decision initiated an increase in abortions, as well as in numerous state attempts to restrict abortions and subsequent hearings in the Supreme Court. Now 30 years later, anti- abortion advocates are still attempting to have the Roe vs. Wade decision overturned. Abortion is widespread, yet only about a third of the population desires stricter abortion laws, with 64 percent satisfied with current laws or willing to have less strict regulations.
And as should be expected, each side challenges the other in regard to its stand on the topic. Some of those who say life begins at conception and are strongly pro-life are willing to undergo in vitro fertilization in order to have children of their own. The process, however, involves fertilizing a number of eggs, some of which are eventually destroyed or used for experimentation. If life indeed begins at the initial fertilization, the disposal of single-celled eggs can be equated (by opponents) with abortion at other early stages before the fetus is fully developed.
Abortion advocates are coming under fire for callous disregard for human life when an abortion attempt results in a live birth. A nurse at a Chicago hospital recently reported how babies who were supposed to be aborted but lived were simply wrapped in a blanket and left to die. Sometimes they live for hours before dying from lack of attention. This accepted method of “treatment� seems barbaric to many who oppose abortion. Even if life doesn’t begin at conception, it certainly should begin when a baby comes out of the womb and starts breathing on its own.
The still-being-debated issue is how to determine the rights of everyone involved. No one wants to deny the rights of a pregnant woman. But abortion opponents want to consider the rights of the unborn as well. Pregnant women can speak for themselves. In addition, they frequently have powerful political lobbies behind them. Pro-life activists want to provide corresponding rights for the unborn.
And to add to the controversy is the recent approval of the “abortion pill,� also known as RU-486 or mifepristone. This pill can be prescribed to terminate “early pregnancy� (up to 49 days after the beginning of the woman’s last menstrual period). It’s too soon to determine what effect this will have on abortion numbers in the United States. Some people expect a massive increase. However, the numbers following European release of the drug, while reflecting a bit of a rise, did not skyrocket as feared.
The emotions involved in both the pro-choice and pro-life camps are so strong that the issue is never likely to be resolved to everyone’s mutual satisfaction. In most cases, Christians will oppose abortion. Yet in the zeal to promote what Christians believe, we need to be aware that the problem of abortion may have hit close to home for many people within earshot. And perhaps we should remind ourselves that we also believe in love, forgiveness, and compassion.
www.illumina.com
Abortion-a crying shame.
ABORTION
Somehow most “discussions� about abortion tend to quickly degenerate into slogans and/or screaming matches between “pro-life� and “pro-choice.� But the issue is not actually so easily delineated.
Lots of people who personally oppose abortion might also concede that women (and men) should have the right to make their own moral and physical choices. After all, this is America where we take our freedom rather seriously. And indeed, statistics reflect that a majority of people in the United States have “serious reservations� about abortion, yet a majority are also in favor of ensuring it remains a legal right for women.
It would also be a gross overstatement to claim that everyone who favors abortion under certain circumstances should carry the implicated label of “anti-life.� It is not unheard of for those who work with very young girls who are scared and pregnant—perhaps bearing the child of a rapist or family member—to soften a prior intense opposition to abortion. After looking into thousands of these young girls’ faces, it can be difficult to take an absolute stand against abortion, even while clinging to a personal commitment to the sanctity of life. In contrast, it’s rather easy to maintain a hard-line stand if we never take a close look at the harsh realities of the problem.
Several crucial factors come into play whenever the topic of abortion is raised. One is the often-debated issue of exactly when life begins. Many Christians have a firm conviction that life begins at conception. They are fond of quoting biblical passages that reflect God’s future plans for as-yet-unborn people. Here are a few of the passages frequently used:
• “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb� (Psalm 139:13, 15).
• “The Lord gave me a message. He said, ‘I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world’ � (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
• “In a loud voice [Elizabeth] exclaimed [to Mary]: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! . . . As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy’ � (Luke 1:42, 44, NIV).
In addition to these passages are a number of prophecies that a woman would conceive a child who would be special. Such assurances were made to Sarah (Genesis 18:9-14), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:3-5), Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-3 , and others. Those who believe Scripture often come to the conclusion that each and every child to be born has a God-foreseen future and fits snugly into God’s overall plan for humanity. Abortion, therefore, is not merely the removal of a not-yet-viable embryo, but rather the loss of a very real person as well as all that that unique child of God might have done in his or her lifetime.
Advocates for abortion don’t agree that life begins at conception. It then becomes a matter of determining exactly when the fetus transforms from a growing cluster of cells into a state advanced enough to be considered a person.
The abortion issue was taken to the Supreme Court in the Roe vs. Wade case of 1973. The court ruled that during the first trimester of pregnancy, a state cannot regulate abortions at all as long as a licensed doctor oversees the procedure. During the second trimester, the state was allowed to refuse an abortion if the woman’s health was at risk. And during the third trimester, the state could refuse all abortions except for those needed in order to save the life of the mother. These determinations were made on the basis that the fetus usually becomes “viable� (capable of living outside the uterus) at about 28 weeks, but sometimes as early as 24 weeks.
The Roe vs. Wade decision initiated an increase in abortions, as well as in numerous state attempts to restrict abortions and subsequent hearings in the Supreme Court. Now 30 years later, anti- abortion advocates are still attempting to have the Roe vs. Wade decision overturned. Abortion is widespread, yet only about a third of the population desires stricter abortion laws, with 64 percent satisfied with current laws or willing to have less strict regulations.
And as should be expected, each side challenges the other in regard to its stand on the topic. Some of those who say life begins at conception and are strongly pro-life are willing to undergo in vitro fertilization in order to have children of their own. The process, however, involves fertilizing a number of eggs, some of which are eventually destroyed or used for experimentation. If life indeed begins at the initial fertilization, the disposal of single-celled eggs can be equated (by opponents) with abortion at other early stages before the fetus is fully developed.
Abortion advocates are coming under fire for callous disregard for human life when an abortion attempt results in a live birth. A nurse at a Chicago hospital recently reported how babies who were supposed to be aborted but lived were simply wrapped in a blanket and left to die. Sometimes they live for hours before dying from lack of attention. This accepted method of “treatment� seems barbaric to many who oppose abortion. Even if life doesn’t begin at conception, it certainly should begin when a baby comes out of the womb and starts breathing on its own.
The still-being-debated issue is how to determine the rights of everyone involved. No one wants to deny the rights of a pregnant woman. But abortion opponents want to consider the rights of the unborn as well. Pregnant women can speak for themselves. In addition, they frequently have powerful political lobbies behind them. Pro-life activists want to provide corresponding rights for the unborn.
And to add to the controversy is the recent approval of the “abortion pill,� also known as RU-486 or mifepristone. This pill can be prescribed to terminate “early pregnancy� (up to 49 days after the beginning of the woman’s last menstrual period). It’s too soon to determine what effect this will have on abortion numbers in the United States. Some people expect a massive increase. However, the numbers following European release of the drug, while reflecting a bit of a rise, did not skyrocket as feared.
The emotions involved in both the pro-choice and pro-life camps are so strong that the issue is never likely to be resolved to everyone’s mutual satisfaction. In most cases, Christians will oppose abortion. Yet in the zeal to promote what Christians believe, we need to be aware that the problem of abortion may have hit close to home for many people within earshot. And perhaps we should remind ourselves that we also believe in love, forgiveness, and compassion.
www.illumina.com
