Saturday, May 27, 2006

# 148: Abortion: Solution?

This blog is a repeat of #117. Is there any spiritual guidance from the Bible on this hot-button issue? Sadly to say, without making vague assumptions from only two verses, the Bible is silent. “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For A TIME WILL COME when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts the never nursed.’" Luke 23:29. [emphasis added]. The question remains, has that time finally arrived? Is it a blessing at this time not to bear children since there is so much trouble and ungodliness in the world? No comment. Another Bible verse is Jeremiah 20:17. “For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave.” The holy prophet Jeremiah was mistreated to such a great degree by the Jews that he wished he had been killed in the womb. Does that justify abortion? I don’t think so. And still I am sure there may be some in the world who wish, at times, that they had been aborted. Does that make abortion legal in the sight of God? No. When Roe versus Wade came into existence in 1973, neither Congress, the President, nor the general voting public had a say as to that decision. The Supreme Court exclusively handed down that decision to make it law. If the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, the outcome will be the absence of legal abortions except, hopefully, under extreme conditions such as German measles in the first months of pregnancy, when a mother's life or physical health is in danger, or when the child is likely to be born gravely deformed or mentally retarded. Also, I believe it should include cases of provable rape and incest. Nevertheless, pro-life will in no way stop abortions in this country. What it will bring into existence is an era of illegal abortions. Additionally, it will be a crime for the abortionists and also for women who have abortions. They both will be classified as criminals—America will then have a new breed of law-breakers. Making it illegal will cause much harm by driving it into the “back alleys”—as it was called when abortion was illegal—without much, if any, expertise or any type of supervision to ensure the utmost sanitation. If pro-life is enacted, for certain, many more unwanted and unloved babies resulting in unhappy babies will be born, and at the same time a few women will die or have lifetime complications from illegal or self-imposed abortions. Prohibition of abortion-on-demand will most likely result in conditions possibly being worse than it was before Roe v. Wade because of all the present-day sexual promiscuity, especially among the college and school kids. Here is another condition that wasn’t around pre-1973 that will make abortion much easier to obtain: the internet. Actually, greedy Americans with criminal minds could set up Websites overseas or even Canada, or any country where abortion is legal. They, most likely, will offer self-help abortion kits with instructions and equipment whereas a female, with a little help from a friend, can perform her own abortion. Here is what an ad may look like: ABORTION KITS: SAFE, EASY, AND INEXPENSIVE. INCLUDES DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AND ALL NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AND STERILIZERS. ALL ONE NEEDS IS A LITTLE HELP FROM A LOVED ONE OR FRIEND. STATE HOW FAR ALONG YOU ARE IN YOUR PREGNANCY. SHIPPED ON SAME DAY AS ORDERED. YOUR KIT WILL ARRIVE IN 7 TO 10 DAYS. FOR FASTER DELIVERY, SEND AN EXTRA $00.00. MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT SATISFIED. COST IS ONLY $000.00 PLUS SHIPPING. Then the package will, possibly, be shipped from a secret location with a false return address from the United States, making it more difficult for the law to catch up with them. And then, just as bad as that, “professionals” (and some not so professional) will have a heyday on the internet by somehow soliciting their services in ways similar to the way child porn is done. A good example of prohibition’s failures is when a law was enacted in 1920 which prohibited the consumption of all intoxicating substances in the United States; that law was in effect until 1933. Did it work as planned? A big NO! In fact, there was just as much illegal making, smuggling and drinking of alcohol (bootlegging) as there was before the law was enacted. “The adoption of nationwide prohibition was followed almost at once by widespread violations of the federal laws. Illicit distilling increased to great proportions, and the phrase “home-brew” became very common. Many deaths were reported from drinking denatured alcohol. Flavoring extracts and medicinal preparations were used widely for beverage purposes, often with harmful or fatal effects (Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia). The same type of rejection/non-adherence of the law may result if/when pro-life is legalized. Of course, the public will never know exactly how many abortions are performed illegally, because of the secrecy, but we will hear of the ill and deadly effects. The only way we can approximate the count is by the annual birth rate. The higher the birth count, the more successful the anti-abortion law. If the birth count remains about the same as the last few years, the pro-life endeavor was a flop. How does God feel about this abortion issue? I would leave Him out of the equation, even though I believe the destroying of the embryo or fetus is killing in His sight. I believe God could remain ambiguous in this matter; for this reason, the more people on earth, the more evil he has to contend with. Additionally, unloved, unwanted, and unhappy children/adults are the best candidates for evil behavior. Am I attempting to say God approves of abortion? Absolutely not; it is just something for everyone to think about. Repeating, let me end with this thought: If abortion were prohibited—and there is a good chance it will be with John Roberts as Chief Justice and Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination almost a certainty—and a woman really wants an abortion, apart from the internet, there will ALWAYS be those who are ready to fulfill the desires of the public—demand and supply—be it an unethical doctor, nurse, or inexperienced person who wants to make a fast buck. In summary, just because the Supreme Court legislated immorality in 1973 doesn't mean it can legislate morality effectively in 2006. As ungodly as abortion is, I personally predict there will NEVER be an amiable solution to abortion, regardless of whether we end up with pro-choice or pro-life.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The torah expresses G-ds Law on Abortion perhaps we should start reading where our law from G-d came
Instead of this misguided episodic book that has been passed down through a church that has been motivated by more than the word of G-d.

JC said...

Thanks for your comment. I believe part of the Torah (the Pentateuch) is similar to the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. To my knowledge, I don’t remember anything in those books that mention anything to do with abortion or its concept. Could you tell me and others bloggers what the Torah teaches and what section it is in. If you don’t know where it is, just tell us in your own words what it says. Thanks again.

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