Is Abortion A Religious Issue?
Nov 6th, 2007 at 1:16 pm by Maya
I heard this piece on Talk of the Nation yesterday afternoon (sorry - unlike Susie I am not cool enough to embed media) discussing this excellent op-ed which rather roundly debunks the notion that abortion should be outlawed on scriptural grounds. It was especially entertaining listening to Wills correct the fundies on their biblical verses. Go hear for yourself.
My reply: Abortion IS a religious issue, but only because the religious have made it one and it is argued solely on religious grounds. Because it is being presented specifically as a religious issue, there is no place for its banning in our law books. Without religion, there is no remaining basis for argument.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
It’s that simple.
Many of these same people will whip out bible verses in support of the death penalty, though.
Even ‘absolutes’ aren’t.
Good point. I wonder how you would respond to those clergy who say the environment is a religious issue?
Questionable analogy. Environmental issues can be argued outside the scope of religion.
I heard part of Garry Wills’ interview on NPR yesterday
– he’s an impressively intelligent and well-read guy.
The fundies will reject his insights because he’s a Catholic,
which, according to too many of them, disqualifies him from
being a Christian.
“Without religion, there is no remaining basis for argument.”
How about human rights? The right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for the baby? Are there secular laws against the taking of a life? The vast majority of pregnant women (app. 97%)have a choice before conception. I realize, however that you and I probably disagree on what constitutes a “life.”
I am religious, pro-life, and anti-death penalty. I believe in the right to life for everyone. I realize you probably aren’t in a position to change your view, but I thought I’d let you know there are some of us “fundies” who really believe in life.
Baby?
Do you mean fetus?
Or blastule?
Or embryo?
So - while we’re arguing about this, how much more of our tax money is being squandered, and how much more of the Constitution is being abrogated, and how many more deals are the unholy alliance between the US gubmint, China, and big oil being made to keep these artificially high price-fixed fuel prices going upward so China can have cheap energy and foreclose on our public debt?
Helooooo????
I think I’m on the Pro-Everybody-Minding-Their-Own-Dammned-Business-and-Leaving
Each-Other-Alone-To-Do-The-Same side. So now, can we please all get back to the business of self-governance and restoration of the Constitution?
Okay - how about this - abortion *is* a religious question. And Maya is correct it is truly as simple as citing the Bill of Rights of the Constitution ““Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
It’s all right there folks.
It’s a religious issue. Is abortion murder? Yeah, it is. So what? The religious question really is: Is it murder of an animal body without a resident Soul in it, or, does the Soul enter at conception?
Well, the probably answer is: Nobody knows - *it’s a question of Faith*! Duh!
And besides, we women can replace those lives in-kind anytime we want (before menopause) - men can’t. In fact, we can replace those lives in-kind anytime we want *without* men by means of self-induced parthenogenesis. Sure, that method only throws girl-children. Ooohh - is that a problem? Only for men, I suppose.
The fact is, Women are the 800 pound gorillas on the block, and we always have been. Our mitochondrial DNA dates to *before* the last extinction event. The Y-chromosome dates to *after* the last extinction event and current studies seem to indicate that the Y-chromosome is in fact a broken and mutated X-chromosome. And, film footage has shown that the ovum *chooses* the sperm it wants, and may reject the entire fleet if it find them all wanting. The little tails that swim them up stream are mitohondrial DNA which breaks off and is discarded at the point of fertilization.
So - there you have it - *we* women choose the sperm we want, *we* women survived the last extinction event and carried the means to make more men around inside of us - and - Adam came from Eve - not the other way around.
Deal with it.
Oh yeah and BTW - our Constitution and our government have been absconded with - what say we get them back, ‘kay?