With that being said, the comment I made in support of Mr.Santorum was not absorbed. I feel compelled as a Catholic and as a Christian to at least TRY to open people's minds. I thought about how this might best be achieved and I feel a simple analogy might help. People respond to analogies. Again, I could get very intellectual with my argument but I don't feel its necessary. It needs to be simple. I don't want someone to have to read it several times to understand it.
Many people use excuses for when abortion is acceptable. Basically they are saying "Its ok to kill when....". If I remember correctly God said "Thou shall not kill". Seems simple enough, but I am going to try to refute one of the most common excuses I have found in regards to the abortion issue.
"What if the woman was raped? Should she be forced to relive that trauma every time she looks at her child?" My response? Think about this analogy....
A woman was brought into the police station for questioning. She confessed to a murder. She murdered her brother. The police officer asked her "Mam, what would bring you to murder your own brother??" The woman said "Officer, you don't understand. I was raped a week ago. The man who raped me looked just like my brother. Every single time I saw my brother I had to relive what happened to me. It was horrible. I was miserable. It ruined my life. I had no choice but to kill him. I couldn't look at him." How do you think this woman's defense would stand up in court? Do you think she would be charged with murder? I do.
In essence, how is this situation any different from abortion? You might say, "well, this is different - she could've just cut ties with her brother and chosen not to see him anymore." Ok. How is that situation different from adoption?
The basic idea is this - this woman killed her brother for just BEING. She murdered her own flesh and blood because it made her life easier.
So what's your answer to the question? "Its ok to kill when...?" When it makes your life easier? Don't think that excuse would stand up in a court of law and I don't think it will stand up when faced with God's judgement either.
Another excuse is often "the right to choose". Women should have the ability to do what they want with their own bodies. That's fine. Do what you want with YOUR body. However, abortion is not about YOUR body. Its the body of someone else. If you saw someone killing another person would you buy their defense "Its my life, I can choose to murder if I want to". Probably not.
I hate using my blog as a means of political opinion. I don't want to get into a heated debate. Its not about that. Its about desperately trying to just open people's eyes. Maybe it doesn't make a difference and maybe no one will listen, but I need to feel that I at least tried.
After this post I hope to keep the blog lighter. I hope to continue to brag about my daughter, share silly stories about my meanderings in the big city, and quote my funny husband. I was just cut deeply by a statement someone made and felt called to simplify the situation one last time. My hope is that this post has made just one person take time to really think about their stance, their arguments, and their justifications. Thanks for sticking in there with me :)
8 comments:
Ok consider this analogy:
Your daughter is 11 years old, she is raped. You rush her to the hospital to get a rap kit done, but because you now live in a state that opposes the "morning after pill" (because an anti-abortion amendment that passed) your daughter is not given a morning after pill, it’s illegal. Your daughter later becomes pregnant. Because you live in a state that opposes abortion, your 11 year old daughter is forced to have the child. YOU talk to your daughter (that already has to live with the trauma of being raped), "I'm sorry you were raped, but now you have to have the rapist’s baby. I'm sorry but you will have to face your peer’s every day, you will have to miss school, you will have to go through child birth at 11 year old, but it will be ok." Can you put your child through that?
Can you? REALLY? Think about it.
Considering my faith, I want to believe that I can, but I don’t want others to make that decision for me or my child.
Do you?
Actually yes. I would NOT allow my daughter to have an abortion. Or take the morning after pill. Killing is killing no matter the circumstance. The commandment "Thou shall not kill" didn't come with conditions, so my beliefs don't either.
Regardless of your personal feelings on the issue, it is not the job of the government to legislate morals. I find all the argument over abortion to be ridiculous as long as Americans are bombing innocent children and adults in Iraq and Afghanistan and as long as we have the death penalty. We are not a "pro-life" country and never have been.
Your analogy fails. The woman's brother is a grown, fully functioning human, living on his own. A 3-day old zygote is not; a 3-month old fetus is not. A 36-week fetus is, in my opinion, another story as that fetus could live outside the womb as a fully functioning human being, albeit a helpless one.
Too many people want to legislate their convictions. It's fine for you to follow whatever path you choose. It's fine for you to voice your opinions on your blog, FB, etc. However, your convictions are not mine or those of millions of other Americans. If you want your 11-year old to have a baby, that is your prerogative. I would not be my decision or that of thousands of others.
"Its not the job of the government to legislate morals" - really? Do you not go to prison for murder? Do you not stand trial in a federal court to let them decide how "moral" your actions are? Its absolutely the governments job to legislate morals - if they didn't we would live in a world with no laws where people ran wild!
Amen, amen, and AMEN. Personally, I am so sick of hearing arguments concerning a woman's right to choose, how abortions are ok if someone is raped, etc. It is GOD'S WILL in all of those "what if" situations--what's meant to be will be-- and I think it's time America has a Christian president that is willing to fight for life. I am still so disappointed that Initiative 26 didn't pass in MS. It's time we became a "pro-life" country. Our country has the motto "In God We Trust"--it's time to ACT LIKE we trust him and choose life, trusting God with the details. If others don't like our country with that motto and our faith in God, they can get out. That's my opinion. :)
Laws are not based on morality. No, not everyone who commits murder goes to jail for murder. There are degrees of murder - killing in war is applauded, for example. There is also self-defense, manslaughter, first degree murder, second degree murder, and third degree murder. Not all are penalized the same. Why? Because not all murder is murder. Not all murder is against the law.
Courts are not set up to determine a person's morals. Courts determine a person's actions and, as best as possible, intents. You do not necessary know a person's morals based on one act.
Along another track, governmental extensions like the FDA have laws. These are certainly not based on morals.
You feel a strong conviction for your beliefs and so do others. You might be surprised by who disagrees with you. You (and the other anti-abortion poster) might be surprised by who you know who is an atheist or agnostic. People fail to be open because of the hostility and anger they face. You should be wary of judging others since you have no idea where they have been.
AnonymousPoster2
Hi Jessica,
I enjoy reading your blog. Just want you to know I agree with you. It's YOUR blog. If the reader has issues with you, they don't have to read the blog. It's a shame when the person who disagrees attacks the person instead of having a civil exchange of ideas.
That said, I admire you for publicly standing up for your beliefs and your religion - more people need to take a stand. (And I'm proud you attended St. Joseph!) I disagree with Anonymous 1 and 2 - I have a feeling there are more people who would agree with you.
Don't let someone else keep you from sharing your views - you inspire others to stand up for what they believe in.
I have to add to your sentiments Jessica about not letting your daughter have an abortion. I have an almost 3 year old baby girl, and I cannot assure my child that just because she aborts a fetus that all of the pain from being raped would go away. In reality, I imagine that going through an abortion and then later on realizing that she ended a life would be just as traumatic as giving birth at a young age. There is no clean and neat solution to a young child being raped, but I do not believe that ending another life, whether it is 3 days old, 3 months old, or 36 weeks old, is the answer that will make everything okay again!
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