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Abortion
Abortion
remains the most divisive and controversial topic on the political
landscape.
While discourse on the subject is valuable
and necessary, it has been used to divide our nation to promote political
extremism that we would not otherwise tolerate. This being the case, extremists
on both sides have little reason to resolve the problem. They use abortion
as a vehicle to deliver other extremist ideas. For example, the topic
of abortion helped many conservative Republicans get into office. While
a woman's right to an abortion still remains the law of the land, these
representatives put their efforts into dismantling Social Security, lowering
environmental safety standards, obtaining tax incentives to corporations
that outsource jobs, blocking an increase of the minimum wage, subsidizing
highly profitable oil companies, and bringing us into a questionable war
where tens of thousands of people, including Americans, have been killed.
There has to be a better way for our nation
to handle our disagreement about abortion.
First of all, it is wrong to equate abortion
across party lines. There are progressives who are Pro-Life, and conservatives
who are Pro-Choice. Unfortunately, the Right has tried to demonize the
Democratic Party as a cabal of baby-killers, while the Left has portrayed
Republicans as determined opponents of women's rights. We should not be
swayed by either of these marketing scams. All they do is sow hatred and
non-cooperation among our own people.
A better way is to expand our vision of
ourselves. If we are Pro-Life, we should also recognize that we are Pro-People,
and be concerned about the quality of life for all our citizens. If we
are Pro-Choice, we are also Pro-People, because the freedom to make choices
about one's life is fundamental to Americanism. This should place us all
on a sympathetic ground of understanding.
People on both sides of the issue, while
maintaining a healthy disagreement, can still join together to combat
the root causes of abortion: unwanted pregnancies. If conception
never occurs, there is no need for abortion. People should have the right
to pregnancy prevention if they so choose, especially when population
growth is rapidly becoming a world threat. (Thousands of children die
every day from preventable causes. Over-population leads to poverty, disease,
pollution, abuse, and sharply increases the chance for a world pandemic.)
There are fundamental disagreements that
need to be contended with. Seeds for Thought recognizes this. We
also recognize that the Pro-Life faction, despite this popular disagreement,
wants to impose their view across the nation to impact the rights of every
woman. The Pro-Choice faction, despite methodical demonization from the
Right, does not impose their view on anyone. They are not proponents for
abortion. They do not cart women away to forcibly end their pregnancies,
or promote abortion as an alternative form of birth control. They merely
recognize that there are many well-meaning opinions on the subject that
need to be respected. While a fetus is physically a human being, the capacity
for love, thought, reason and a highly developed consciousness of the
world (which makes human beings special) is not present other than in
potential. Certainly a collection of undifferentiated cells may not be
considered a full, complete human being by people who think this way.
In America, we have to at least respect their right to believe that, especially
when it is a majority belief across the nation.
Of course religion sometimes contradicts
the conclusion of well-meaning people, and we need to take this into account.
While the bible says nothing about abortion,
its prohibition on destroying human life can be confusing. The Ten
Commandments blatantly say "Thou shalt not kill." No explanations.
No thou shalt not kill unless, or but. At the same time,
there are biblical texts that advocate the killing of Philistines (Book
of Joshua) with seemingly genocidal intent, and makes killing a justifiable
punishment for a number of crimes (some of which our modern sensibilities
recoil from). Oddly enough, in Deuteronomy 21: 18-21, parents are
allowed to kill their own son for no other reason than if he acts stubborn
and rebellious!
Is it a moral contradiction to condemn abortion,
while advocating Capital Punishment? Some say yes. Others say no. What
about the killing of innocents during war? The military term "collateral
damage" fails to describe the horror of innocent suffering it
refers to. And what of spending our time investing money while thousands
of children around the world die from starvation and poor living conditions?
Seeds for Thought suggests that any
real American morality, religious or secular, cannot ethically divorce
itself from the consideration of any of these issues. Politically, that
means we need to support the party that best supports all aspects of life,
including poverty, decent wages, health coverage, positive international
relations, emergency aid to countries that need it, and proper education.
These issues are imperative to family values and the well-being of our
nation—and we all know it!
Meanwhile, the abortion argument rages on,
with both sides divided.
Seeds for Thought endorses that our
social efforts should focus on eliminating the necessity for abortion
as much as possible. History shows that economic need has a direct impact
on the number of abortions that occur. During the Clinton administration,
while the economy was strong for everyone, the abortion rate declined.
When women have the support system they need, and proper health coverage,
they tend to steer away from abortion. If we can add to that a compassionate
society which welcomes all people with peace and opportunity, things change
for the better.
Another thing that helps is prevention.
Contraception should be available to all women who wish to postpone or
avoid pregnancy.
The attitude of men also enters the equation.
We often hear from the Right that men should have a voice in deciding
about the fate of their own future child. They fail to point out that
men often pressure women to end their pregnancies, or they refuse to get
married or provide child support. Or they contribute to an abusive environment
which would be criminal to bring a child into.
When it comes to abortion, people have to
change before laws will.
In our attempt to serve as a catalyst for
progressive social change, we invite Pro-Life and Pro-Choice people to
join together to do what we can to improve things. Let's work hand-in-hand
to build a better world that greets each child with all the blessings
that are possible.
