Why is it even a question?

It seems odd that we need even ask if killing a member of our species is wrong. Of course, we live in a society where we question even if "wrong" exists, so perhaps it is not. I find it difficult to articulate my exact feelings when it comes to abortion. It is somewhere in the range of disgust and horror and sympathy and sadness.

I trick my mind into not focusing on the exact details of the killing. I suppose we all do that to some extent. Horror is more palatable when we think in generalities and do not let our mind wonder into what killing actually entails. When I think daily of abortion, I think of the death of the child in terms of a light switch. Now they live, now they don't. I can't look at the reality. It is too stark, and too grotesque.

Then I look and I pray.

Hating Abortionists

Abortionists are easy to hate. Even when we pray for them and claim to love them, it is easy for hateful speech to leave the mouths of the pro life community. We hate injustice, but we should not hate people.

A verse I found very telling is 1 John 3:15

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Wow. My husband hit in on the head when he said "It seems to me that the pro life community is at much at risk as the abortionists, for spiritually we are judged equally"

Now I know that as a whole the pro life community is very loving. I also know that it is very hard to remain loving when faced with murder and malice. We must. For in order to rise above the killing, we mustn't despise the executioner. For though there are many that will flaunt the death of innocents, even more do they need loving prayer.

So I am asking God to help me not let vile attacks escape my lips. Though trite, the adage of loving the sinner and hating the sin must reign in my life. For it is impossible for me to achieve anything while carrying around hatred for the people who are lost in their sin. It is my job to bring light, not to throw mud.

Christians, Birth Control, and Abortion

Have you used birth control in your Christian life to prevent pregnancy?

I have. I'm willing to bet every married women in my "non-denominational" church has as well. We're either the least fertile people on the planet, or we've bought into the worldly view of family planning.

Does your pastor talk about birth control on the pulpit? Has he ever?

Neither has mine, though he does talk about abortion.

What's my point? The body of Christ has accepted birth control. The next post will discuss the reality of contraception within Christianity.

And then she killed her child.

Over at abortionclinicdays, lou has a post about what students want to know when she gives speeches on her "life's work". She gives case studies to these impressionable young lads to show the reality of the aborting women.

one woman, age 25, already raising two children on her own, barely making it. just recently, her mom, her aunt, her uncle died, pretty much wiping out her support system. what she wanted, longed for, was to give life, but felt that she could not do it and raise her two children, so with tears, she put herself in god's hands and prayed for understanding.

And then she killed her child

a younger woman, whom you would never imagine was over a year in recovery from a very serious heavy drug problem. in order to get clean and stay clean, she had to leave her family and friends behind, because all of them are addicts. that was the only life she has ever known but she wants a different life for herself. for her, as for many, abortion is about just that, hopes and dreams for a better life. this particular young woman still needs to go to daily NA meetings and does not feel strong enough to not use in times of stress. she's proud of her recovery but not assuming that she can yet stay clean and sober. what she wants more than anything in the world, is to someday feel confident in her ability to withstand the stresses of pregnancy and parenting, with a strong enough support system that she can have the children she longs for.

And then she killed her child.

After these stories of hope and wonder, Lou explains sending a girl home with a decision packet after realizing that a boyfriend was pressuring the girl to abort. While it's good to see that not everyone passes through the doorway to kill her child, it is disheartening that this pass is only blocked by coercion and not by the horrific fact of the murder that lies on the other side.

Let's Talk About Sex ->Baby

Though the topic makes some a bit squeamish, it is ridiculous for me to blog about abortion without mentioning a bit about how babies appear in the womb.

We all know of the birds and the bees, and the basics of human reproduction, but it seems like more and more society has forgotten what meaningful sex actually entails. While browsing my archives I found the following statement in response to a post about why certain men "heart" birthcontrol.

I am female and love BC. I enjoy having sex with my husband without the worry of pregnancy. I don't mind being a sex object for him, as long as the favor is returned. Thank goodness for tubal ligations!

I think this comment sums up the worldly view of sex. Sex becomes something where we are both taking from each other, and giving nothing. When sex becomes nothing more than an act of self gratification, it is easy to edge responsibility out of the equation.

When sex is viewed as something where each partner is giving of themselves in order to share the pleasures of the act, there is a mindset of cooperation and love. Sex where both partners are using the other as a way to physical satisfaction, however, leads only to emptiness at the end of the act.

Neither party has given any of themselves willingly, but rather allowed themselves to be used as some sort of strange deal in which both parties become willing sex toys. While there is cooperation at some level, there is no love. One does not love, nor respect a Real Doll.

This respectless sex, the norm in extramarital relations, is punctuated by the fact that there is biological giving of self is obstructed by some means. This hollow experience leads people searching for more meaningful sex, but ultimately leads to nothing but more of the same type of emptiness.

Though we try, it is impossible to separate sex from reproduction, and occasionally a man gives more of himself than he intended. The woman, who never respected the man she used, naturally thinks very little of this reproductive predicament. The man, never respecting the woman, feels quite cheated that his sperm betrayed him and impregnated someone he saw as only a tool for his own needs.

A child is never a welcome addition to a union of selfishness. If a man views his wife as only a tool to his own enjoyment, how can see a child as a blessing of their union. In his mind, the child is an unwelcome third party incompatible with the idea that sex is an individual act with a warm body.

A child highlights the truth that sexual union must involve selfless giving. Carrying a child during pregnancy and caring for her later development are acts of selfless love. If we can not show this to our partners, how in the world could we show it to our children?

Abortion and Impaired Future Fertility

Planned Parenthood seems to believe that abortion doesn't impair future fertility.

Their Claim:

"Safe, uncomplicated abortion should not affect your ability to have a child in the future. In future pregnancies, it does not

* cause birth defects
* cause premature birth or low infant birth weight
* make ectopic (not in the uterus) pregnancy more likely
* make miscarriage more likely
* make the risk of infant death more likely

Having more than one abortion also should not affect future pregnancies."

Oh really?

"Epidemiological findings indicate that the two principal risk factors for EP(ectopic pregnancy) as reproductive rather than contraceptive failure are a history of genital infection or tubal surgery and smoking. Quantitatively, their role in the risk of EP is similar: each explains approximately one-third of EP. They have a causal role in EP risk. The other risk factors are the woman's age and her history of spontaneous or elective abortion. These risk factors together explained 76% of EP"

Fernandez H, Gervaise A. Ectopic pregnancies after infertility treatment: modern diagnosis and therapeutic strategy. Human Reproduction Update 2004;10(6):503-13.

" Women whose pregnancy is terminated by dilatation and evacuation may have an increased risk of subsequent premature delivery and a low birthweight baby. Very little has been published and no conclusions can be made regarding the effects of instillation procedures and repeat abortions on future reproduction."

The effect of pregnancy termination on future reproduction. (eng; includes abstract) By AtrashHK, Baillière's Clinical Obstetrics And Gynaecology [Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol], 1990 Jun; Vol. 4 (2), pp. 391-405; PMID: 2225607

"Birth weight most strongly determined infant mortality"

The Apgar score and its components in the preterm infant.
Thomas Hegyi, Tracy Carbone, Mujahid Anwar, Barbara Ostfeld, Mark Hiatt, Anne Koons, Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Nigel Paneth. Pediatrics. Jan 1998 v101 n1 p77(5).


Now let's look at how man complication's actually occur:

" Three percent (3%) of the women who underwent a dilation-and-evacuation procedure developed complications, compared to 5% of the women who underwent suction curettage. Two percent (2%) of the women who underwent a second trimester abortion developed an infection, the most common complication, compared to 3% of the women who underwent a first trimester abortion."

A five-year experience with second-trimester induced abortions: no increase in complication rate as compared to the first trimester.
Francis R.M. Jacot, Claude Poulin, Alain P. Bilodeau, Martine Morin, Suzie Moreau, Francoise Gendron, Dominique Mercier. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Feb 1993 v168 n2 p633(5).



Ok, so let's look just at abortion rates in America.

"In 2002, a total of 854,122 legal induced abortions were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 90% of these abortions were performed before 13 weeks' gestation. Of these induced abortions, 91% were completed surgically by dilation and evacuation."

John M. Thorp, Jr., MD, Carol J. Rowland Hogue, PhD, MPH
Contemporary OB/GYN

So let's see. 90% of 854,122 is 768,709.8 We'll go with 768,710.
10% of 854,122 is 85412.2 We'll go with 85,412

3% of the 768,710 abortions prior to 13 weeks result in complication. That number is 23,061
5% of the 85,412 abortions after 13 weeks result in complication. That number is 4, 270


Of course, this does not take into account how many of these post 13 week abortions are third trimester abortions that carry much greater risk. We are using conservative estimates.

So 23,061 + 4,270 = 27,331 women a year suffer abortion complications. That is 75 women a day. In the United States.


With complication:

"Reproductive potential after a postabortal infection may be compromised by Asherman's syndrome, pelvic adhesions, or incompetent cervix. Tubal infertility is a concern after postabortal infections caused by N gonorrhoeae or C trachomatis."

Postabortion infections
Mar 1, 2001
By: A. Karen Kreutner, MD
Contemporary OB/GYN


Asherman's Syndrome:Asherman's syndrome is the presence of intrauterine adhesions that typically occur as a result of scar formation after uterine surgery, especially after a dilatation and curettage (D&C). The adhesions may cause amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods) and/or infertility.

"We believe women contemplating abortion would benefit from this knowledge and that providers of abortion procedures have an autonomy-based obligation to make women aware of the potential future reproductive harm. "

John M. Thorp, Jr., MD

It's obvious that even uneventful abortions may impair future reproduction. When we throw complication into the mix, it's little wonder so many infertile women have a history of induced abortion. Please, spread the word. Don't buy into the lie.

Abortion, Delayed Parenting, and Infertility

I've been wandering about some infertility blogs lately. It's heartbreaking to read of women so desperate for a child. Before I go further, I want to make it clear that I'm not condemning anyone. This post is about society, not any individual's choice.

The overwhelming majority of infertility bloggers are older women(from a reproductive standpoint) who have been sold a bill of goods about modern medicine being able to extend fertility indefinitely.

These women are outraged(and rightfully so) that they were mislead their entire lives with the message that "you can have it all" or "you can have children whenever you want". Now entering their 40's these women are realizing that this was a lie. They were had.

This isn't shocking. It's easy to imagine that someone would be outraged that they were not told that fertility weans. We all agree that the myth of the 40 year old mother is far from an everyday reality. What shocks me is how many of these women have had prior abortions.

They make comments like "I was pregnant before, but I had to terminate for X reason, perhaps God is punishing me now". No! God isn't punishing you, you were lied to! Those same people who told you that having a baby at 40 was as plausible as having one at 20 also told you that having an abortion now would not affect future fertility.

They lied. They are still lying. Please, if you've stumbled upon this site by typing in infertility and you've had a prior abortion, get the word out that abortion is a MAJOR risk factor for later infertility and miscarriage.

Women deserve the truth, even if it is inconvenient.

On personhood

I started a debate on personhood over at Christina's blog ( here in the comment section). Because of issues with Haloscan, and also because I figured it would make a good topic for discussion here, I've decided to post my argument for personhood here. If you've read my posts in Christina's blog, this is mostly the same thing I said there, but with a bit of clarification in the realm of capacity.

Personhood.

Central to the abortion debate (though some claim that it is inconsequential due to the overwhelming right of Bodily Domain) is the concept of personhood. What makes a "person"? Who qualifies as a person? Is it what we can do or what we are?

My view of personhood is that humans at the youngest stages are indeed persons. This is because they are members of our species and thus have the capacity to affect change. We gain our personhood not because of the achievements of one (for alone we would never be able to access our capacity-see Feral children) but because we posses the capacity to unite as a species in a way that is far superior to any other animal.

Together we can create language, which seasons our view of the world and enables higher thought. Together we can defend ourselves from the elements in ways that would be impossible if we never experienced socialization. Unlike other animals, humans do not have the physical defenses to fight of predators, we do however have the capacity to learn from our community how to use our advanced mind to overcome this.

In light of the fact that our own ability to access our capacity is based on a group, what makes us "persons" can not be the actual achievement of the capacity. It must then be the capacity itself that gives us our humanity. Although some members of our group may never be able to fully reach the highest potential of humanity, (because of mental retardation, physical handicaps, whatever) they are equally human because they posses the innate capacity that sets all humans apart from all lower species.

Because this capacity is innate, it is with us from the very earliest moment of our existence. Since the earliest of blastocysts posses this capacity they must be members of our "group" and thus must be "people".