abortion - the real issue
everyone has a view on abortion...and most rank the issue near the top of their list - especially when it comes to appointing justices or electing politicians
we have anti-abortionists murdering doctors who perform abortions...we have fervent abortion supporters claiming there are no moral questions around "partial birth abortions"...polls show most of us stand somewhere near the middle of these extremes, as one would expect
first off, there are some major problems with the names thrown around in this whole debate...can we just be honest and admit that "pro-life" people are really just "anti-abortion"?...sure, they are "pro-life" - who isn't?...they are probably also "pro-family", "pro-America", and "pro-Christian", but none of these have any bearing to their position on abortion...they are just "anti-abortion" when it comes to any abortion discussion...the reason they refer to themselves as "pro-life" is politically they feel it's much better to be "pro" something than "anti" something
"pro-abortion" people probably really do exist, but most of those called "pro-abortion" by the "anti-abortion" folks are really just "pro-choice"..."pro-choice", by definition, means following through with the pregnancy is an option, or abortion is an option...obviously, people who are "pro-abortion" would think most if not all pregnant women should get abortions - and there are some anti-population growth weirdos who probably fall into this category, but most "pro-choice" people do not
regardless of how you feel about abortion, you should be honest enough to use names properly
what is missing for both sides in this quagmire is the real issue...anti-abortionists call abortion murder...pro-abortionists call abortion a choice...the real issue is: "WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?"
if you believe life begins somewhere between conception and birth, you are probably anti-abortion...if you believe life begins at birth you are probably pro-choice (or perhaps pro-abortion)...so the question really becomes "when does life begin?"
most "anti-abortion" folks are also born-again or evangelical Christians...many are also Catholic, as the Pope and the Catholic Church have been consistenly anti-abortion...although the Bible never discusses abortion, evangelical Christians are near unanimous in their opposition to abortion...I urge these Christians to consider there is Biblical support for the concept that "life begins at birth"
Genesis 2:7 "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
this clearly indicates that life begins at first breath...obviously, you can come up with rational arguments to the contrary (beating hearts, etc.), but there is no denying a logical stance for a Biblical position that life begins at birth, based on Genesis 2:7
there are a variety of other issues that should give anti-abortionists pause...birth defects, rape, and incest, just to name a few...how do people feel justified in forcing a woman, or couple, to give birth to a horribly deformed infant?
and from there we walk down that slippery gray slope of increasingly lesser birth defects...Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, Sickle cell, cystic fibrosis, cleft palate, heart defects, diabetes, the list goes on and on...about 250 birth defects can be diagnosed in a fetus...do we really want to force a woman, or couple, to have a child they feel, for whatever reasons, all concerned would be better off by not having in the first place?
these are often painful, and even horrible questions...but I don't think the remedy is a government mandate...pray you or your family are never faced with such a situation
the anti-abortion folks also need to face up to some major inconsistencies...most glaring among these is miscarriage...when a woman miscarries, do we have full blown funerals?...is there a homocide investigation?...is there an autopsy?...no, because we recognize that a fetus is not a person
in spite of the sadness when a hoped for child ends with a miscarriage, we do not treat it the same as when a person dies...even rabid anti-abortionists must concede this point in their own actions...doesn't this make is obvious that there is a difference between a fetus and a person?
but rather than both sides shouting various platitudes and insults at one another, why don't we just accept that the real problem is just our belief of one simple fact?...and that is a question that cannot be decided in this lifetime
the real issue remains: WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?
we have anti-abortionists murdering doctors who perform abortions...we have fervent abortion supporters claiming there are no moral questions around "partial birth abortions"...polls show most of us stand somewhere near the middle of these extremes, as one would expect
first off, there are some major problems with the names thrown around in this whole debate...can we just be honest and admit that "pro-life" people are really just "anti-abortion"?...sure, they are "pro-life" - who isn't?...they are probably also "pro-family", "pro-America", and "pro-Christian", but none of these have any bearing to their position on abortion...they are just "anti-abortion" when it comes to any abortion discussion...the reason they refer to themselves as "pro-life" is politically they feel it's much better to be "pro" something than "anti" something
"pro-abortion" people probably really do exist, but most of those called "pro-abortion" by the "anti-abortion" folks are really just "pro-choice"..."pro-choice", by definition, means following through with the pregnancy is an option, or abortion is an option...obviously, people who are "pro-abortion" would think most if not all pregnant women should get abortions - and there are some anti-population growth weirdos who probably fall into this category, but most "pro-choice" people do not
regardless of how you feel about abortion, you should be honest enough to use names properly
what is missing for both sides in this quagmire is the real issue...anti-abortionists call abortion murder...pro-abortionists call abortion a choice...the real issue is: "WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?"
if you believe life begins somewhere between conception and birth, you are probably anti-abortion...if you believe life begins at birth you are probably pro-choice (or perhaps pro-abortion)...so the question really becomes "when does life begin?"
most "anti-abortion" folks are also born-again or evangelical Christians...many are also Catholic, as the Pope and the Catholic Church have been consistenly anti-abortion...although the Bible never discusses abortion, evangelical Christians are near unanimous in their opposition to abortion...I urge these Christians to consider there is Biblical support for the concept that "life begins at birth"
Genesis 2:7 "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
this clearly indicates that life begins at first breath...obviously, you can come up with rational arguments to the contrary (beating hearts, etc.), but there is no denying a logical stance for a Biblical position that life begins at birth, based on Genesis 2:7
there are a variety of other issues that should give anti-abortionists pause...birth defects, rape, and incest, just to name a few...how do people feel justified in forcing a woman, or couple, to give birth to a horribly deformed infant?
and from there we walk down that slippery gray slope of increasingly lesser birth defects...Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, Sickle cell, cystic fibrosis, cleft palate, heart defects, diabetes, the list goes on and on...about 250 birth defects can be diagnosed in a fetus...do we really want to force a woman, or couple, to have a child they feel, for whatever reasons, all concerned would be better off by not having in the first place?
these are often painful, and even horrible questions...but I don't think the remedy is a government mandate...pray you or your family are never faced with such a situation
the anti-abortion folks also need to face up to some major inconsistencies...most glaring among these is miscarriage...when a woman miscarries, do we have full blown funerals?...is there a homocide investigation?...is there an autopsy?...no, because we recognize that a fetus is not a person
in spite of the sadness when a hoped for child ends with a miscarriage, we do not treat it the same as when a person dies...even rabid anti-abortionists must concede this point in their own actions...doesn't this make is obvious that there is a difference between a fetus and a person?
but rather than both sides shouting various platitudes and insults at one another, why don't we just accept that the real problem is just our belief of one simple fact?...and that is a question that cannot be decided in this lifetime
the real issue remains: WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?
posted by yesman at 5:11 PM
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