Abortion - Part 2

I believe the issue of abortion is blurred by the laws which govern our nation. In the United States, my limited understanding is that the law applies to and protects those who have rights. The debate begins with who 'those' are. Are unborn babies citizens or humans that have rights? If not, why? The second half of this aforementioned debate which helps to confuse or at least complicate the issue is that this organism--the baby--grows inside another human. This part of the debate centers around at what point does this organisms developing within her womb become a separate identity from herself? If the unborn organism threatens somehow the life of the woman, which life is the more important? I believe that yes they should be treated as a human, but that belief is not grounded in any legal definitiion of creation or life but rather my belief in God.

In my mind, because I see this as a religious belief, the issue of abortion being wrong for everyone is more nebulus in my mind. Should I force my belief on everyone else? I believe that the argument against this is that "this is murder", etc. Is it though? If one doesn't find the embryo or fetus to be a human with rights for them-the one with the different understanding of a developing fetus--it might not be murder. I believe this is not the same as just deciding that it is okay to murder someone who has been born already just because a person believes that it is okay to do so. This is not the same because under law once a person is born it is no longer ambiguous legally as to wether or not they should be treated humanely. The only near resolution to this conflict between religious beliefs and the law is for a new law to be created that defines a citizen or human at the moment of conception. Of course this would create a medical catch 22 when dealing with choosing between the mother or the baby in a situation where the life of one will only lead to the death of another. Whew! This is very tiring. I must plow forward.

Abortion

This is an issue that I have never truly processed in writing and really have tried to avoid even in discussions for obvious reasons. I am sure that at some point I may write something that later I have to recant as a result of reading others' thoughts and/or rethinking through some of my own thoughts. This is a risk I am willing to take to better understand my beliefs.

From where does the moral code against abortion derive? If one finds the Bible as the source of truth on moral issues--and I do--, I believe he/she might be hard pressed to find scripture that actually condemns literally or specifically abortion without doubt. I believe the only scriptures that might be construed to speak on the issue of abortion are the 10 commandments, specifically 'You shall not murder' (Deuteronomy 5:17) and 'You shall not steal' (Deuteronomy 5:19). Of course these were written towards people none of who I believe had the image in their minds that this law referred to unborn babies as well, especially in the context of where these commandments were given. But if I let myself assume that the spirit of the law (or all truthful intentions thereof) does include unborn babies I am assuming that the unborn baby is actually a creation of God that I should respect regardless of the activity that put the baby in the womb. I personally believe this and also believe that one cannot really define a specific point at which the fertilized egg has divided and differentiated enough to be labeled as that creation. I do believe also that one may not be totally off the charts if they don't believe that this commandment was in reference to the unborn. In a nutshell that is where I am at in regards to my moral beliefs and faith concerning abortion.

Having said this, I do believe living in a society that is both secular and religious with laws that govern a people having a wide spectrum of beliefs some of which include God some of which do not creates a situation in which this issue becomes highly blurred. My next efforts on this blog will be an attempt delineate the impact of this blurring of the issue on how I view this issue in terms of law and politics.

Never a Better Time

I realized today that the time we find ourselves in as we enter--what feels to some prematurely, I am sure--into the next presidential election can be a wonderful experiment in stating or giving form to our beliefs about political issues and candidates in a safe environment from which we can learn about different perspectives. The temptation will be to become frustrated with others but I exhort you to have confidence in this process. I believe that elections bring out the worst in many people as we tend to talk about what we dislike or don't agree with as opposed to focusing on what is it we believe and are excited about. Be excited please. Let's have fun with this since we already know ahead of time that we will not all be on the same page.