Thoughts about Abortion
I received a letter from a relative last week, asking me to donate to an organization fighting the proposed Freedom of Choice Act, and I'm not sure how to answer it. You see, I've been on both sides of the fence. I love children dearly, and I am revolted to think anyone would choose to deny life to anything so precious, truly of priceless value. On the other hand, a dear member of my extended family was once forced to make that decision, due to a medical condition severely exacerbated by a pregnancy that was unplanned. I am also troubled that some people for religious reasons define life as beginning at conception, when in Genesis God did not call Adam and Eve "living beings" until He Himself breathed life into them. (I hesitate to mention the latter because some people will jump on this fact and use it to denigrate pre-born life, though it is as precious or nearly so as born life.)
So I guess that puts me in the Freedom of Choice category. Freedom of choice is not, as some suggest, a pro-abortion stance. It is what it says it is--the freedom to choose. I deplore the fact that abortion has become for many women a matter of convenience. Surely potential life is worth more than that! But abortion must be permitted, and in a safe manner. It has its place.
My personal position is that decisions to abort belong solely in the hands of the parents (including the oft-forgotten father of the baby) in consultation with their doctor and God or their moral conscience. Since God is the giver of life, I figure He ought to be included, but I recognize that not all prospective parents have a faith life. Everyone else should stay out of it, meaning the government and yes, even the church. This is a case-by-case matter. It ought never to be decided by a remote committee somewhere. Only those who have to live with the decision afterwards should have a say.
Loving life, children, and the God who gives us both,
Margaret
So I guess that puts me in the Freedom of Choice category. Freedom of choice is not, as some suggest, a pro-abortion stance. It is what it says it is--the freedom to choose. I deplore the fact that abortion has become for many women a matter of convenience. Surely potential life is worth more than that! But abortion must be permitted, and in a safe manner. It has its place.
My personal position is that decisions to abort belong solely in the hands of the parents (including the oft-forgotten father of the baby) in consultation with their doctor and God or their moral conscience. Since God is the giver of life, I figure He ought to be included, but I recognize that not all prospective parents have a faith life. Everyone else should stay out of it, meaning the government and yes, even the church. This is a case-by-case matter. It ought never to be decided by a remote committee somewhere. Only those who have to live with the decision afterwards should have a say.
Loving life, children, and the God who gives us both,
Margaret
