Morals and abortion

[mnmom467]

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice: Morals Questions and the Issue of Abortion

Written by: S. M. Clark

How Christian is it to be a Pro-Life advocate? Yes, that is a serious question that was raised in my mind after reading Liz Brown's Pro-Life or Pro-Choice: Keep Your Morals to Yourself When It Comes to Abortion. No, I am not being cheeky, sassy, bold, sarcastic or irreverent, just honestly curious. I apologize to anyone who takes this article offensively, or as a personal attack, by my questions will never be answered if I do not ask.

I do understand that Christian values and morals would exclude abortion, and also that God has given Christians the duty of spreading His word across the world. In that sense, it seems like a very clear and uprightly Christian thing to do, campaigning for abortions to become illegal, or at least more highly regulated.

My own religious views do not differ in the sense that killing is wrong, but they do limit my comfort in joining the Pro-Life movement. The belief that others should be respected, which includes showing respect for their free will and not forcing my opinions on them, is highly important to me. I do realize that this as well could be considered as much Pro-Life as Pro-Choice; after all, in the case of abortion there is a person who receives no respect, no chance to exercise their free will and no voice in the decision: the child.

It was in considering free will that I came to an odd, ironic question in my own mind. Often in the Pro-Choice movement people refer to not wanting to "play God" as their reason for not making others' decisions for them. Is this refusal to make the decision for others not actually an imitation of God?

God does not want His children to sin, and yet He did not make them incapable of sinning, though it was surely within His power to do so. Even to this day, with the atrocities being committed and with so many people turning further and further from His teachings, He has not removed free will. To me, this says that even God did not feel that it would be right to impose His morals on people. So how can we, by definition flawed, imperfect beings less right and less intelligent than He, feel comfortable imposing our morals (or our interpretation of His morals) on others?

I do realize that so far this is more questions than answers; that is what I have, questions, and unfortunately not answers. Is it worse to follow God's example than His word? Is it right for those who are not omniscient, as He is, to make decisions for people that He was unwilling to make for them? Or did God give us free will to test not only our personal actions and choices, but also the strength of our convictions and whether we would stand for Him and His values when others did not?

When it comes down to it, my position as Pro-Choice is not likely to change soon. I cannot protect every child. If I help make it difficult or impossible for a woman to have an abortion, and a woman who would have had an abortion has a child who is then neglected, abused, tortured or killed, I would not want that on my conscience. I would never dream of telling a woman that she has to have an abortion, and to me telling a woman that she cannot have one is not a whole lot different. It is not my place to make someone else's decisions for them, particularly when I do not know what the outcome will be. I cannot, in good conscience, say that I believe that abortion is always wrong, anymore than I can say that it would always be right.

We are each responsible for our own lives and our own choices. It is not my job to save the world, nor to save people from themselves, their sins, or their mistakes. Free will is a beautiful thing, moral issues are not black and white, and all our choices carry responsibility. As Liz Brown said in her article, "Human life will be valued highest when people can respect life, no matter how that person has chosen to live it". Of course, this applies just as much to women who have a choice as it does to those who wish to take away that choice. There is a certain level of hypocrisy to consider in asking someone to expect your life and your right to choose, while at the same time you are not respecting your unborn child's life, or it's right to make any choices, but it is also not my place to save people from their hypocrisy. Choose wisely, and when you can, choose life, but in the end I hope you still are allowed to choose.

For those of you who base your pro-life stance in religion and God, what do you say to this Christian person's point of views about free will and judging and playing God? This is a Christian person that I can respect.

Please come join us in the amazing new debate group, The Abortion Argument-TAA. We would love to hear all of your opinions on this post that is being debated in the group, along with many others! See you there!! :)

[Mackenzie40]

Jun. 22, 2009 at 2:16 PM

great post

[mommypip]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 7:19 AM

I'm not pro-life because of religion, but I just wanted to say you wrote a very respectful post without being rude to people who have a difference of opinion. Thank-You. I wish more people were like you.

[emf6874]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 7:33 AM

Great post!

[treystiredmommy]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 9:29 AM

EXCELLENT POST!

[Salena-xoxo]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 11:49 AM

 

 Thank God for Free will! 

I think we all should be open minded to everything and Closed minded to Nothing!  What is Right?  What is Wrong?  Each woman is different and so is the circumstances.  Getting caught up in a religious view of one person  or group could damage more then it can help anything or anyone.  I for one will be open minded nor will I judge a woman for the choices she makes, nor ever vote to take her rights away!   This subject should never be up for debate, it should be respected and left alone!  I don't understand why we feed off the hurting, instead we should be helping them out. 

[ironkitten]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 1:42 PM

Pro-Life doesn't mean Pro-Abortion.  I believe it means Pro-Life people believe that a person has the ability and right to make their own decision and not base that decision on other's opinions.

This article makes me assume that No Christians have abortions?  So not true.

Peace and Love,

[FromAtoZ]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 3:18 PM

Great post!

[JHall]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 4:31 PM

  That was a really good post...I do not know where I stand on it all I am kind of in between them both....I think if a woman keeps having abortions then she should have her rights taken away and have the baby....If the baby is thought to not make it to birth on pass not long after  why make that child suffer...

   But I believe that after seeing what my daughter went through 6 months in the NICU and 7 months at home then anothe months in the PICU before she passed,  she was put through hell  but  I would have never gone through with an abortion b/c I wanted to see the out come I wouldn't change a thing about her and the 14 months we had with her.....

  If the mother has a life threating illness and is thought to pass if she didn't have one.  There is alot of questions about abortion that have gone un answered for many years now...Why judge others for doing something that they believe in is it our place to judge??  If that is the case then what about doctors telling you that your child will not make it and tells you that you need to sign a DNR and just let nature takes its course what then???  That is what we had to do if not we wouldn't have been able to be the ones in the room with her holding her when she passed,  but what would people saw about parents doing that?? it is almost the same as an abortion the child isn't able to speak for it's self.   Oh I don't know it all confuses me sometimes..and I am still in the greif stage missing my daughter.

[LadyIsobel]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 4:39 PM

I loved this! Thanks for sharing! :-)

[Mackenzie40]

Jun. 23, 2009 at 5:32 PM

JHall I am so sorry for your loss.