Well, it has hit the fan. The leaked Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe V. Wade is now established as law. The decision will certainly be met with the notable affirmations and protests from right and left. Even though I know this decision will impact many on an individual basis it will also shape the culture in which we live.
That being said, there are some things that I believe will not change.
Women will still seek and get abortions
Some men will still forcibly demand that their partner has one
Sometimes abortions will be done in appropriate medical fashion
When unavailable or unaffordable they will be done in back alleys with clothes hangers
Those without financial resource, the ones with the greatest need, will continue to suffer the most from decisions of this nature
Children, the innocent, will suffer the most either by having their lives taken prior to birth or being unwanted or uncared for by being birthed.
I anticipate that an abortion travel business will begin offering affordable transportation from states with severally restricted access to those with much more liberal access. This travel business will become international in nature as can be seen from the uptick of abortions already being requested across the boarder in Mexico. Again, those being able to access this service will be those with money. The poor will suffer.
These facts underlie why I have been “Pro-choice” for years. It is not because I am against the pro-life movement. I am not. I believe life is a gift from God and needs to be seen and honored as such. But, women have, do and will make choices about the person they carry in their womb. I believe these choices need to be made in an environment where there can be good thought and loving care offered. I am not sure that much of the “Pro-life” mentality I have witnessed provides that environment.
However, I do have complaints with those who claim the title, “Pro-Choice,” namely, they are emphasizing the wrong place in the timeline of life to make that choice. I believe THE CHOICE needs to be made when a man and a woman (Sorry my LTBGQ+ friends. This is not about same sex, non-procreative sex. When you choose to bring a child into your lives you must be more thought out and therein more responsible) are choosing to have sex and do so with no contraception. Every choice we make has consequences. We need to be thinking of those consequences prior to and not in the midst of or after the act.
Why don’t people think responsibly as they approach sexual intercourse? I am sure there are many reasons and you would have to talk with each person to get the full picture. One reason people might not think responsibly before intercourse is that thinking it through beforehand might destroy the spontaneous passion of the moment. Contraception implies forethought not just foreplay. Such forethought can stand in opposition to spontaneity. I know this is particularly true the younger a couple is demographically.
Another roadblock is because we are becoming an increasingly self-centered, narcissistic culture. “My body My choice” is a present pro-choice mantra. But, as with many things, even though it is my choice I still must face the consequences. The latest statistics I have seen reveal that in the 50 years since Roe v. Wade there have been about 63.5 million choices to end the life of the fetus/baby in the US. Even though those choices have been made legally, there is a good deal of evidence that talks about the scars on a woman’s soul after having ended her child’s life. It would seem to me that the choice is often based on selfish reasons and not those in response to incest, rape, or threat to the life/health of the mother or baby. Self-centeredness seems to be a primary motivation. As one woman said in a public debate at a college, “If I became pregnant now and could not have an abortion, it would ruin my life.”
Unfortunately, an underlying philosophy of abortion, i.e., ‘I have the right to take the life of another so that my life can be preserved the way I want it,’ is the same underlying philosophy of many negative activities within our culture. Think about drug dealer, “I have the right to sell you drugs, even though it may make you an addict or take your life, so that I can have the money and freedom I want to have.” Think about gangs, “I have the right to shoot you, take your life, so I can have more territory that will increase my influence and my power.” Think Bernie Madoff, “I have the right to sell you a lie about what I will do with your money so that I can have material wealth and possessions.” Could the list go on? Yes! Does it need to? Probably not.
So, where does the Scripture fit into this discussion? I often return to the Greatest Commandments of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-39 (NRSV)
36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37 He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
If we worked to live the first command, our focus would shift outside our selves as a first priority. By choice we would abandon “Me first” and begin to learn “Thee first” living.
If we worked to live the second commandment we would have a more temporal focal point of selfless living. Would I want someone with greater power taking my life? No. I want to loved. I want to be cared for. I want to be respected. I want to be nourished….Love your neighbor….
And so, my argument is this: When engaging in sexual acts we need to be thinking of the potential consequences; When thinking of the potential consequences we need to thinking of our responsibilities; When thinking of our responsibilities we need to be thinking of love, the love we would want to receive and the love we have the responsibility to give; And if we think of love, true love for another, in this setting of life, maybe, just maybe we wouldn’t be having this discussion of abortion at all.
Paul
Thank you, Paul.
You are so wise Paul! Thank you for an approach with your words that I so deeply agree with!