Abortion__Between_Religion_and_Ethics

Abortion: Between religion and ethics Summary • Introduction • The history of abortion throughout the world • Commitments to different stances on abortion o The « pro-life » o The « pro-choice » • Abortion, religion and ethics: a burning relationship • Conclusion [pic] Introduction: A few years ago, a desperate mother ended the life of her son, the victim of a terrible car accident that made him completely paralyzed. He wanted to die, not being able to fully live his life. He was reduced to being constantly bedridden, not able to move or even talk. After several court trials, his mother has finally been released. She carried out what was known as euthanasia. The morality on questions such as letting someone suffer, or helping someone to die who is alive against their will (euthanasia) has been asked on different occasions and the oppositions have been strong between the people for and against it. This situation deals with the problem of the possibility of a human to kill someone else without being held responsible for their murder. This has always been a burning topic between the majority of French people, who thought that this was the best thing to do in certain situations, and the Christians that strongly claim that only God has the right to decide between life and death on Earth. On the other hand, the ethics in today’s society fight for the right of each person to decide if his life is worth living or not. Generally, religion and ethics are in strong opposition on this kind of topic, where the life of human beings is in consideration. This leads us to the problem of abortion, in which the problem is of the same subject: the life of a human being. The problem is in the latter part: for some people a fetus is a “human being” while for others, it is not a “human being” until the fetus becomes a baby at its birth. In Europe, abortion has been accepted for a while in the public opinion. It is important to point out the fact that religion has a different influence in North America, and this can explain why abortion is more widely accepted in Europe than in America, where God is still part of citizen’s lives and their daily choices. This is why the subject of abortion remains the main topic of an endless war between the “pro-life” and “pro-choice” supporters. To understand this phenomenon, we will first study the history of abortion, the different opinion of groups who fight for or fight against abortion, and finally the relationship between abortion, religion, and ethics. 1 - The history of abortion: Abortion has always existed in our society, from the Middle Ages to today’s society, but of course the pattern, the legalization and the public opinion has changed drastically. At the beginning, pregnancies were terminated through a number of methods, including the administration of abortifacient herbs, the use of sharpened implements, the application of abdominal pressure, and other techniques. However, it’s needless to say that these methods were unsafe, and unfortunately also the cause of a large number of infant and mother deaths. At the time the Constitution was adopted, abortions were "quickening" (administered earlier than the initial motion of the fetus in the uterus as it is perceived or felt by the pregnant woman) and were openly advertised and commonly performed. In the mid-to-late 1800’s, states began passing laws that made abortion illegal. The motivation for anti-abortion laws varied from state to state. One opposition to anti-abortion laws was the concern that the population would be dominated by the children of newly arriving immigrants. The criminalization movement accelerated during the 1860s and by 1900, abortions were largely illegal in every state. Some states did include provisions allowing for abortion in limited circumstances, generally for protecting a woman's life or terminating pregnancies due to rape or incest. Abortions continued to occur, however, and increasingly became readily available. Illegal abortions were often unsafe, sometimes resulting in the mother’s death. [pic] Abortion laws in the U.S in the 1800’s. Illegal Legal in case of rape Legal in case of danger to woman's health Legal in case of danger to woman's health, rape or incest, or likely damaged foetus Legal on request The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade made it possible for women to get safe, legal abortions from well-trained medical practitioners. This led to dramatic decreases in pregnancy-related injury and death. As time passed, the level of anti-abortion violence escalated. Increasingly, clinic bombings, physical attacks, and even murders endangered abortion providers and created a hostile environment for women seeking abortions. Initially, the framework of Roe v. Wade was the basis by which the constitutionality of state abortion laws was determined. In recent years, however, the Supreme Court has begun to allow more restrictions on abortion. The current judicial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution regarding abortion in the United States, following the State’s 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade[1], is that abortion is legal but may be restricted by the states to varying degrees. States have passed laws to restrict late term abortions, require parental notification for minors, and mandate the disclosure of abortion risk information to patients prior to treatment. 2 – Commitments towards the abortion: It has been several centuries that two different group of people fought with each other in order to impose their point of view about abortion. The “pro-lifers” believe that women should not give up the babies they are carrying and want laws to forbid abortion, which are considered by them as a murder. On the other hand, the “pro-choicers” stand for the freedom of women: it must the choice of the future mother to decide whether or not to keep the baby. • The “Pro-life” What they believe in: Pro-life people generally believe that human life should be valued either from fertilization or implantation until natural death. The contemporary pro-life movement is typically, but not exclusively, associated with Christian morality. From that viewpoint, any action which destroys an embryo or fetus kills a human being. Pro-lifers are frequently (but not always) in opposition to certain forms of birth control, particularly hormonal contraception, which may prevent the implantation of an embryo. The movement in the United States largely began after Roe v. Wade, which basically means it has been around since 1973. The major goal of the pro-life movement is to « restore legal protection to innocent human life. »  This protection would cover fetuses and embryos, people who cannot communicate their wishes due to physical or mental incapacitation, and those who are too weak to resist being euthanized. How they fight against abortions: They try to be heard and seen by the most people but also try to defend their ideas. These people have been known to use modern technology to communicate their ideas to the world and to spread their message. First, they organized many public demonstrations throughout America, where hundreds or sometimes even thousands of people stood on a street, wearing shirts with pro-life slogans and holding up big signs. On these shirts or signs are written different pro-life messages which often have a link to religion and messages about respecting God. Some examples are: “Abortion Kills Children”,”Abortion Hurts Women”, “God Heal Our Land”, “God Bless America”, “Jesus Forgives and Heals”, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, and “Jesus Loves You”. It is common to see babies or very young children walking alongside their mothers. They sometimes have kids touch the pedestrians watching this demonstration. They want to show everybody what women give up when they have an abortion. It also represents the fact that children want to live! During these demonstrations, one specific method may be used: the “die-in”. The procedure involves having some people from the pro-life organization fall to ground in the fetal position in order to remind people that everyone has, at some point, been a fetus themselves. Above all, this enables the others in the organization to engage the startled onlookers in conversation. During this “show,” they also hand out books and pamphlets about abortion and its effects. The “rescue” is another tactic used by the “pro-life” group. It involves pro-life activists standing in front of an abortion clinic in order to prevent anyone from entering, and therefore preventing any abortions from being carried out. Generally, the police have to move these activists to allow the clinic to see its patients. This tactic can be a very effective method because many of the clinics that were “attacked” were often closed indefinitely. The activists also do sidewalk counseling where pro-life activists go up to mothers in the streets to persuade them not to have an abortion or just to reconsider their opinion about abortion if the person they meet is not against it. [pic] [pic] Lately, they developed an important number of websites like: - www.prolife.com - www.prolifeaction.org - www.prolifeunity.com On these websites, women can find a great deal of information on abortion, and more precisely, a large number of reasons not to have an abortion. These websites also have stories about women that regretted their decision, famous people that fight for abortion, books, songs, pregnancy center addresses, and links to other websites dedicated to the pro-life” organization. One of their major actions is to have counseling offices within high schools and universities through America. They try to make the students aware of what an abortion really is, and they want these students to enroll in their association to spread the word. They counsel young women about the risks of having an abortion, explain to them why it is morally wrong, and discuss with them their opinions in general. They also hand out booklets and some of them give free ultrasound scans to pregnant students who are thinking about having an abortion so that they may personally see their baby. There are also pregnancy centers and counseling centers in many cities in the United States that have the same goals and the same functions in general that those in universities or high schools have. These types of centers offer classes to future mothers, free baby supplies for these who are in need, places to stay when parents do not accept the pregnancy of their daughters, and most importantly listening to women that had an abortion that they cannot overcome. They even sometimes receive men that would like to persuade their girlfriends or women not to give up their baby. These types of centers generally fight for abstinence until marriage because in their view, if people wait until they get married to have sex, the number of abortions would decrease very significantly. This is this type of center that is led by D.H in Dallas, Texas[2]. I had an interview with her so that I could better understand her motivations to fight abortion and the mission that her center’s employees pledged their efforts under: • CA: Can you explain what your job is' What do you fight for' ➢ D.H:  My job is Executive Director and we fight against abortion.  We try to help women who are facing unplanned pregnancies by helping them make informed and educated choices and make sure that they understand the true and real risks that they themselves face if they choose abortion.  We also offer referrals to community agencies and services that may be able to help them make their situation more manageable when they feel it is impossible.  We offer material support with baby items and maternity clothes if they participate in an education program.  We also offer counseling.  Everything we do is free for the client and the agency operates 100% on donations from private individuals, corporations and churches.   • C.A : Why did you choose this specific job '   ➢ D.H : I believe in the sanctity of human life and this is an issue I have felt strongly about for a long time.  I personally watched close and dear friends suffer through the pain of an abortion and watched them make hasty decisions that affected their whole life without getting all the facts and information they needed.   Everyone thinks abortion is a "quick fix" but what they do not realize is that the after-effects and consequences are life-long.   Many women are haunted with dream and nightmares, pain and emotional distress.  Some women even lose their ability to have children in the future.   There are SO many risks and complications that women are just not aware of. • C.A : What are your main arguments against abortion'   ➢ D.H : Life begins at conception. There is no scientific body of evidence or person who disputes this.   What is in dispute is whether or not the life has a right to live or continue if it is unwanted by the host mother who is pregnant with the fetus.  I strongly believe that a life is a life, and since life begins at conception, it is only murder if someone chooses to terminate that life.     • C.A : What does the pregnancy center do to persuade women not to give up their child'  ➢ D.H: As I said before, we offer completely free counseling, referrals to community agencies that may help them, and help with baby supplies such as diapers, maternity clothes, educational courses, etc.     • C.A : In your opinion, do you think that abortion is more about religion or ethics '   ➢ D.H : I would have to say ETHICS.  I know plenty of people who are not necessarily religious but are strongly opposed to abortion simply because they believe in the right to life and that it is wrong to deliberately terminate a life. [3] DH works with different people in the pregnancy center. Many of them are volunteers who are willing to help people learn and spread their opinion around. • The “Pro-choice” What they believe in: The “Pro-choice” people are those who believe that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and pregnancy. The “pro choice” movement describes a way of thinking that is at the opposite of the “Pro-life” one: In their view, it is wrong that abortion was forbidden. They fight for every women to have reproductive rights, which includes access to sexual education; access to safe and legal abortions, contraceptives, fertility treatments, and legal protection from forced abortion. In general, they stand for the freedom of women that should have the right to give up the baby they are carrying. They fight against lawmakers who continue to impose a broad range of restrictions on women and their doctors who make abortion difficult, and in some cases, nearly impossible to obtain. It is not rare that “Pro-life” followers are also feminist. It is important to understand that “Pro-life” is not “Pro-abortion”[4] because “pro-life” activists consider abortion an issue of bodily autonomy, and find forced abortion legally indefensible. They just think that the person who is the most capable to decide whether or not it feels right to have a baby is the future mother. [pic] [pic] How they fight for abortions: “Pro-choice” activists fight for their beliefs in the same way that the “Pro-life” activists do, except that generally their activities are less violent or shocking. They carry out public demonstrations in order to make America and the rest of the world understand that society has changed and that now, women have the right to vote, to work… and also to decide if they want to give birth to a baby or if they do not. The “Pro-life” movement fights for women’s rights in general. They want women to be able to make a choice about their babies without being influenced by anyone. They have offices and associations in high schools and universities where they counsel women about abortion, freedom and self-assertion. It is not the easiest way of spreading their opinion because generally, there is also a “Pro-life” association! They listen to women that want to have an abortion done, they try to counsel them in order to make the best choice, but they also listen to women that have had an abortion. There are plenty of websites dedicated to the “Pro-choice” movement where advice, stories, and information is given. These are very useful tools which enable women to find a safe place to have an abortion if they choose to do so. 3 - Religion and ethics: a relation ship that can be complicated. What does the bible say about abortion' The problem for people on either side of the abortion debate is the fact that the Bible doesn’t specifically say anything about abortion. There are no references to women seeking to end pregnancies (for example) by using herbs or other chemicals, despite the fact that abortion must have been a known practice at the time. However, Christians hold that God sanctifies every aspect of human life starting from conception. One example of this is Jesus being equally divine and human from conception, therefore showing humanity the very sacredness in each developmental stage of gestation. Jesus, according to Christian teaching, did not become divine or human at some later date but was so from the very moment of conception [pic] Several passages in the Bible imply that God recognizes a fetus as a human being although it is never explicitly stated. Most believers pick apart verses in order to argue that some position on abortion is implied. For instance, a couple of verses suggest that a person exists already as a fetus. A passage[5] describes God knowing someone in the womb. Of course, “pro choice” activists are opposed to this method of making the Bible’s verses say what various people or groups (such as the “pro-life” activists) want it to say. What ethics says about abortion: Of course, ethics is a subjective term, so there won’t be only one response to this question. Moreover, the position of ethics regarding abortion depends on the answer that a person on each side of the controversy will give to these two questions: - Is a fetus a person' At what stage in its development does it becomes a person' At conception' 1st trimester' Birth' - Does the pregnant woman have the right to decide whether she is going to carry the baby to term or not' People who think that a fetus must be considered a human being think that abortion is immoral because it is referred to as a murder, such as it would be considered if it was someone who was already alive. On the other hand, someone who does not consider a fetus a real person would not see abortion as murder, so therefore abortion would not be immoral for him. The second question is related to the first one because the right of a women to decide to have an abortion or not depends on what the persons fetus is considered. If the fetus is considered a human being, a woman has no right to decide if she can or cannot keep the baby. In fact, it would be the “right” of the baby to live. To the contrary, if the fetus is not considered a human being, it is the right of the future mother to decide whether or not to give up the baby. To some extent, ethics doesn’t have a single stance, because each person has their own ethical consideration. It only depends on what each person believes for himself. Religion and ethics can either be opposed or not. Some people may not have a religion but may be firmly opposed to abortion, while there may be others who are Christians but think that it is right to have the right to abort. Conclusion: The topic of abortion has been a very controversial subject since consideration of laws that have been voted on to limit or to allow abortion in the United States. The “Pro-life” and “Pro-choice” supporters are still fighting an endless war with one another, trying to spread out their opinions through different, very well organized methods. Between religion and ethics, different opinions exist. However, we can take note that most people who are”Pro-life” in the United States are Christians, whereas “Pro-choice” supporters are generally Atheist or moderate Christians. This is very difficult to believe through a French woman’s eyes like mine, that some people want to prevent women from choosing what they think it is better for them. After having been raped, “Pro-life” supporters think that the best thing to do is to give the baby to adoption at its birth. Isn’t it the worst' Even if I am deeply “Pro-choice,” it is important to respect others choices, and to understand them. It was really interesting to converse with Debra Higginbotham, a strong supporter of the “Pro-life” method. The war between “Pro-life” and “Pro-choice” is far from being over, and the importance of religion in the United States can be one of the reasons for it. All we need is…Peace! Sources: Internet: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm http://www.abortionfacts.com/history/history.asp http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/abortion/legal/fathers.shtml http://atheism.about.com/od/abortioncontraception/p/AbortionBible.htm http://atheism.about.com/od/abortioncontraception/p/AbortionRights.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_aspects_of_abortion http://ethics.sandiego.edu/Applied/Abortion/index.asp http://hoad.ethicalmanifold.net/archives/000101.html http://www.naral.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-choice http://www.abortionfacts.com/life_or_choice/pro_choice.asp http://www.abortionrights.org.uk/ http://prochoiceaction.org/can/home.html http://www.prolife.com/ http://www.prochoice.com/ http://www.prolifeaction.org/links/#activism http://www.studyworld.com/moral_issues/abortion/ethics_of_abortion.htm http://www.ethicsforschools.org/abortion/index.htm Books: • Avortement, la parole confisquée (Desclée De Brouwer) De Monique HEBRARD • Avortement (Prochoix Eds) Collectif Conference report: • Abortion, An Overview of the Ethical Issues Lawrence M. Hinnman University of San Diego Others: • DH • My own experience Some “Pro-life” booklets ----------------------- [1]Roe v. Wade, (1973) was a United States Supreme Court case that resulted in a landmark decision regarding abortion. According to the Roe decision, most laws against abortion in the United States violated a constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. [2] Interview done on November 17th 207 [3] Terms which means standing for abortion [4] Psalms 139:13-15