Heh, looks like I'm gonna be jumping headfirst into the quagmire that is politics and debate. After some very interesting readings, I've decided to focus on one general subject that seems to be the center of a mind-boggling and IQ-betraying argument on this site.
*gulp*
Abortion.
Ouch.
Let's start off on this journey, shall we?
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I don't profess to know all the answers. I'm just a freaking high-schooler; there are plenty of researchers on the subjects pertaining to this matter. I've struggled with many aspects of this personally, as people both more and less intelligent than I have dragged me into debates about abortion. I'm sure there are many bible-thumpers out there who say "God wills it" and provide no other reason for those who may not believe in any God or gods. Well, I don't mean to become one of them, but I do have to start out with a verse in the bible that is the main motivation for me in this matter.
Psalm 82: 3&4
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
Who is weaker than the unborn child? Who are more oppressed than those that are massacred without a voice by their own mothers? I believe that, as a Christian, I have a duty to raise my voice for those who have none. And so, I present my side of the story.
I am against abortion.
I believe that life begins once a being has its own unique DNA.
I believe that actively ending the life of any human being with its own DNA is murder, and has legal consequences equal to that of murder.
I believe that every unborn child has it's own right to life, and to liberty, and to its own pursuit of value, purpose, and happiness.
There are many who say that a woman has a right to decide what happens to her body. However, it's not just her own body she's dealing with if she gets an abortion.
The issue of abortion,however, is actually just a side effect. It is a side effect of what this country has become; a nation of irresponsibility and lack of self-control. We are not responsible enough to control our emotions, our hormones, our desires, our choices, our actions. I'll have to delve into this at a later time.
It is a side effect of this nation of judgments, as well. Abortion looks like the only way out for many hurting girls who should be getting the support they need instead of the condescension they get instead. Sure, they may have made some mistakes, but please, realize that they are HUMAN. Let whoever of you who has never sinned throw the first stone. Go ahead, I DARE YOU.
She should be getting the love that she needs. She should be receiving the support that she needs. These should be given by her friends, her family, and her community. She doesn't need your judgment; God is the one who will take care of that. We are supposed to show her love. Maybe then, she'll see that her child can grow to be someone spectacular, instead of something that'll just ruin her life.
Many argue the situation where a mother's life is in danger because of the birth. I have personally never heard of any such situations, and I hate to admit, I falied to do any research on the subject. How often does it actually happen? Are there any situations where a c-section birth will not remedy the problem? Maybe that is an issue better left to the courts if abortion is indeed outlawed. Maybe it's the judge's duty to decide whether or not that law applies in that particular situation. I cannot tell.
In the case of rape, well, what I have to say has probably what many others have already said. Why kill the innocent baby? If you're gonna kill anyone, let it be the rapist who caused it. The fetus may be the only good that comes from the horrible act itself. I am in no way watering down the seriosness of rape; there's a part of me that thinks that rapists should be punished severely, perhaps castration was a good idea after all those years. But every life can change the world; every person has an amazing potential that God wants them to fulfill. Maybe that little light was meant to bring happiness to a broken and sad life.
Also, if abortion is such a huge issue, there are many others that deserve just as much, if not more, of our attention. I thank one LeslieQ for reminding me of the situation surrounding harvested and fertilized embryos from fertility clinics. She asks why the thousands of embryos that go to waste and are destroyed are getting little attention compared with aborted fetuses (feti??? Someone remind me of the plurality rules, please...) and I guess I just don't know. I have my own opinions about stem-cell research, but maybe if these embryos were to be destroyed anyways, then maybe through their own forced sacrifice, many others can be saved? I hate it when utalitarian ethics seize control of my logic...
Ultimately, it has been said that all logic in this matter should be carried out without emotion. I am sorry, but that's impossible for me to do. I can't help but cry for the millions with no voice who will never have a chance to have one; I can't help but feel sorrow for the women who have to go through the incredible ordeal of murder, and I can't help but feel rage for the society that has promoted propriety over the love of others.
And, just to satisfy those that would undoubtedly ask the question, I do believe that contraceptives are OK. Active murder is a much different story than passive protection. Maybe, if you whine enough, I'll say something on that matter as well.
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I agree with your blog. But one question what would happen in the case of rape? Even though the child is already DNA what would a female do? Have this child that will never have a father and suffer the pain when telling them what happened years later? Like I said I agree with your blog 100% but what would you suggest in a case of rape?
Heh, thanks for asking. I actually just forgot to address that, and remembered it right after posting. I've updated the blog.
Thank you. And I love your optimism.
A high schooler!!! Well I must say you write better and with more thought then some of the proclaimed college students here... Kudos.
I beleive (yet do not have time for the address searching) the bible does say the life is in the blood which means that abortion before day eight...or is week 8... is not murder in the bible....Crap now I will have to go look it up and update this myself.
Abortion is wrong distatsteful week thing to do that is in by no means an easy way out. Nobody should ever choose or have to choose this option. Its is a grotesque selfish way of distrying life. NEVER NEVER NEVER!
It is not my beleif that I should enforce on everyone else...I know this because I have many crazy beliefs. ALso I am a big fan of the government not making peoples' choices for them.
Did I say you had a good blog? Stick around I would love to here what else you have to say.
~T
Some one remind me to look things up;)
All truths are easy to understand once discovered; The point is to discover them ~Galileo
Who is weaker than the unborn child? Who are more oppressed than those that are massacred without a voice by their own mothers?
How about chickens? Ants? Worms? Potatoes? If you're going to stretch Bible verses to mean things they were never intended to mean, you might as well go all the way and bemoan the oppression and massacre of poor, voiceless fruits and vegetables. No one is more oppressed than them!
I am against abortion.
I believe that life begins once a being has its own unique DNA.
I believe that actively ending the life of any human being with its own DNA is murder, and has legal consequences equal to that of murder.
One of these things is not like the other;
one of these things just doesn't belong.
Believe whatever you want, but your beliefs don't necessarily get to be the law of the land for everyone. My beliefs disagree with yours, and I have the same right to my own beliefs as you do to yours. If you don't believe in abortion, you don't have to have one. If I want an abortion, I can have one.
There are many who say that a woman has a right to decide what happens to her body. However, it's not just her own body she's dealing with if she gets an abortion.
Luckily, she has no obligation to put someone else's health over her own.
Nobody, born or unborn, has the right to hijack someone else's body and use them for personal gain against their will. This is commonly known as "slavery" or "rape." It is illegal and immoral, both for born humans and for unborn fetuses.
Every person has the right to decide what happens to his or her own body, including pregnant women, and no one can take that right away from anyone, even to avoid imminent death.
The issue of abortion,however, is actually just a side effect. It is a side effect of what this country has become; a nation of irresponsibility and lack of self-control. We are not responsible enough to control our emotions, our hormones, our desires, our choices, our actions.
And yet, you want to foist unwanted babies on people who you believe are irresponsible and out-of-control? Poor babies.
Abortion is often the most responsible way to deal with an unwanted pregnancy.
It is a side effect of this nation of judgments, as well. Abortion looks like the only way out for many hurting girls who should be getting the support they need instead of the condescension they get instead.
Baloney! People are far more judgmental of abortion than single motherhood. How many anti-single motherhood blogs do you see on ProgressiveU?
She should be getting the love that she needs. She should be receiving the support that she needs. These should be given by her friends, her family, and her community. She doesn't need your judgment; God is the one who will take care of that.
If only anti-abortion people would take this advice.
Many argue the situation where a mother's life is in danger because of the birth. I have personally never heard of any such situations, and I hate to admit, I falied to do any research on the subject.
Surprise, surprise.
In the case of rape, well, what I have to say has probably what many others have already said. Why kill the innocent baby?
Why empower the state to strip the innocent woman of her basic human right to control what happens to her own body just for being a crime victim?
I can't help but cry for the millions with no voice who will never have a chance to have one;
Do you also cry for the zillions of sperm with no voice who will never have a chance to have one because they died inside condoms?
I can't help but feel sorrow for the women who have to go through the incredible ordeal of murder,
Why can't you feel sorrow for the women who have to go through the unimaginably horrendous ordeal of unwanted pregnancy?
and I can't help but feel rage for the society that has promoted propriety over the love of others.
There's nothing loving about turning women's private parts in to public property to be used and abused by the state. It's disgusting and inhumane.
Excellant comment.
I think I love the entire anti-single mother thought...I feel my own blog coming on. I think we will force all single/teen/ druggie moms to have an abortion for the greater good. Yeah abortion down with stupid girl moms!!!
~T
All truths are easy to understand once discovered; The point is to discover them ~Galileo
Look, it's obvious that we come from two entirely opposite viewpoints here. I honestly believe that every life has sanctity; that life should be respected, nurtured, and brought forth. I believe that every single human being, from the time it is only 1 cell, has the inherent right to experience love, joy, peace, kindness, accomplishment, value, purpose, and happiness. I believe this without regard to what else I believe in.
If you honestly see no sanctity in human life; if you see us all as bumbling idiots who have no purpose in this world; if you see us as no higher than the animals who crawl alongside us, then I have no argument with you. I cannot argue against your logic if that is your starting point. All I can do is hope that maybe someday you'll be able to see how much more we can all be.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
- George Bernard Shaw
You are right....
In a perfect world we would not need abortion for any reason. Rape, disease, that abandoned to find for themselves, and poor judgment would be only in the stories around the camp fire. Everyone would be happy and safe, Unfortunately I can not find this place.
Do you actually think abortion should be illegal or just heavily restricted?
~T
All truths are easy to understand once discovered; The point is to discover them ~Galileo
Heh, you're right on that. There is no perfection here, and thus there are certain aspects of life that are evil, but also necessary.
I honestly don't know if I would make abortion illegal. There's a part of me that draws a line at murder, because I believe that depriving the world of a life is depriving the world of a chance at success; maybe the aborted baby woud have become a great national leader, or unlock the secret to fusion technology. Who knows.
But then, another part of me thinks that in no way should Christians have to work through the law. We cannot force our beliefs on anyone; otherwise they would not be true beliefs. Insteaad, we should work by example, showing the world how kindness can affect others, and change the world by love instead of force.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
- George Bernard Shaw
I honestly believe that every life has sanctity; that life should be respected, nurtured, and brought forth.
And no one is stopping you from believing that and living your life according to that belief. Have as many babies as you want. You have freedom of choice, and so do I.
If you honestly see no sanctity in human life
There is no sanctity in forcing women to have babies they don't want. That is sick and immoral.
Women are human beings, too. We deserve the right to live by our own beliefs, same as you.
The problem with your argument is that all religiously motivated arguments against legalized abortion are completely irrelevant. The Constitution of the United States, which unlike the bible represents an actual source of authority in this country, clearly forbids our Congress from passing laws that are based on your religous goals. If you cannot make your argument without referencing your religious beliefs as a basis, then you do not have a valid argument against the practice of legalized abortion.
Unfortuantely, your reference to a zygote, embryo or fetus as a "child" is both medically and legally inaccurate. You may "believe" this, but in fact there is no legal basis for this argument. The decision in Roe v. Wade(1973) speaks at great length on why this is the case. Honestly, it bothers me that so few people who are "against abortion" have ever actually read Roe, and even fewer actually understand its reasoning.
If your argument cannot be made without an appeal to emotion, then it isn't a very "good" argument.
The bottom line is actually quite simple. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled and repeatedly re-affirmed that the State may not unilaterally interfere in a woman's choice to continue or terminate a pregnancy. And, like it or not, the SCOTUS has the legal authority to decide who is "right" and who is "wrong" regarding this issue. This is a fact of settled law, and even the very conservative Bench of the current Court has indicated that it has no intention of overturning the Roe decision. If you disagree with the decision of the Court, then you are wrong, and no amount of kvetching is going to change the reality that within certain very narrow limits, abortion is and will remain legal in this country.
If you REALLY are opposed to the practice of abortion, the best option you have is to work to empower women to make a different choice. But the fact remains that the choice is their's to make.
TTFN,
Blackout
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Yes, I've changed my username from "percivale" to "Blackout." Go here if you want to know why.