July 29, 2010

• (UPDATED) Abortion: I Understand Your Passion Behind Your Stance

  I was recently called out by a commenter about my stance on abortion, mentioned in this post. It was my post for the Featured_Grownups topic, “What do you worship, follow, or believe in?” Admittedly, it is a touchy subject, and one I hesitated participating in. Here is the comment in full. I am not linking the commenter, but if you’re curious, you may see the comment and who posted, I have left it there:

  On #2, (Yes, I’m going to go there), I can see what you’re trying to say… but even the biblical definition of the word “quickening” is a bit ambiguous, given the fact that it’s a King James era translation of a concept that wasn’t fully understood at the time. 

   At the time when the Bible was first being published in English people believed-basically as you do- that a baby isn’t a baby until you can feel it, however, God does give us technological advances for a reason; that “clump of cells” begins to move around by 7 weeks (the time, coincidentally, when most abortions occur) so one would assume that if “quickening” was an actual phenomena, it would happen THEN and not  at 16-22 weeks when the mother can feel it.

  You have every right to post your opinions on these things–but please don’t use a mistaken understanding of God’s word and centuries out-dated medical (read: Old Wives) theory to support your stance on abortion.

  To which I responded:

  Having attended nursing school, I am very well aware of the various stages of cell separation and growth. You’re right, I am entitled to my opinion, as you are yours, but please do not presume to tell me I have a mistaken understanding of the Word of God. Perhaps I should expand upon my brief statement, but you have no understanding of the depth to which I have studied both the Bible and medicine. Thanks for your comment. Have a nice day.

  Perhaps I am right believing what I do, perhaps I am wrong. As a Christian I do not believe my stance on abortion (Freedom of Choice) will damn me to Hell. I also do not believe that having an abortion will damn me to Hell. I know, there are a lot of Christians who do believe that, and you are entitled to your beliefs.

  I do understand that we all are very passionate about beliefs we hold strongly, especially when it has to do with the possible snuffing of a potential life. I get it. But where in that does it make it okay for someone to stand in the way of someone else making a decision for themselves, whether it’s a right or wrong decision? Do you walk your own walk or do you think you can walk someone else’s walk? Is it the government’s decision what a woman can do with her body and her fetus? Or is it a decision made with careful thought and prayer? I know, some don’t think and pray at all. That is their choice, as well.

  All I can say is I have three beautiful children whom I could never have aborted. That was my choice. I could never presume to tell another woman how she should think, feel, do, or act. That is each individual’s choice. I can only make choices for myself. Where does the admonishment to not have abortions end? With the bombing of an abortion clinic, or the murder of an already born, adult abortion doctor? That’s crazy, but some feel justified doing that to save the unborn. If abortion is wrong and a sin, that’s just as wrong.

  Most, of course, take the more peaceful approach, picketing abortion clinics with placards of photos of aborted fetuses. It’s an in-your-face approach, for sure, and it does make one pause. Those photos usually show a well developed fetus, but in most cases a woman has an abortion at an earlier stage than that, as “eighty-eight percent of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.”

  I am not sure of the success rate of those picketers to stop someone who wants to have a legal abortion, but I’d say it’s not a very high percentage.

  Would it make any difference in your opinion of my stance to know that when I was 18 years old I had an abortion? I did. I had an affair with a married man. I was stupid and didn’t use protection. I was in no way ready to have a baby, as I was in college and not able to support myself, let alone another life. The “baby daddy” told me in no uncertain terms that he would not be there for me or the baby, should I choose to keep it. I could not bear to bring a baby into this world to give it up to a stranger. I just couldn’t at that time. Maybe I was selfish and immature, but I couldn’t fathom it.

  I know, the very fact that I had an affair…it was wrong. I sinned. I never did it again. I also never had another abortion. I did not take my decision lightly. I had the abortion when I was probably 2 or 3 weeks pregnant. It was horrible, and painful. It was emotionally damaging. Yet and still, if it is someone’s choice, I still believe it is between them and God. I have already asked for forgiveness a long time ago, and I know (even though it is not a license to sin) that the blood of Christ covers all.

  Do you think I will burn in Hell?

  Do you believe in God’s grace, no matter what the circumstances of a person’s sin?
  

  ---

  The commenter just left me more:

  So much the worse for you that having such knowledge at your fingertips you misuse and manipulate it to fit a conclusion you don’t want to drop.
  Producing credentials (i.e. nursing school, in this case) is usually meant to make the argument drop, but I don’t see how it’s particularly relevant here–I’m not going to turn this into a flame war, but the “gathering together” of Christians, as you mentioned, isn’t always just church or other fellowship: Sometimes, it’s the iron-sharpening-iron process of rooting out what heresies we hold on to, the duty of brothers and sisters in Christ to help each other find the truth.
  I do not doubt your study of the Bible OR your understanding of human biology, just your reasoning on this subject.
  Thank you for your time.

  My response:

  If I thought your rebuke was made in Christian love and kindness maybe I would take it differently. Heresy? Wow. Dear girl, I am far from a heretic. As you try to assert your spiritual superiority, remember that you are human and imperfect just as the rest of us. Were your comments made to make me drop the subject? Won’t happen. Run along. There will be no flames, I won’t comment you again.

  What do you think, readers? What would your response have been?
  

  • 3:30 pm
  • 31 Comments