Translate

About Me

My photo
Texas, United States

7/16/2013

Politics & Religion Versus Abortion



George Washington also signed this treaty with Muslim interests of the times. The founding Father's had various religious affiliations and belief's but did not try to enforce them on our fledgling democracy like our 
current GOP politician's are doing. 


Kennedy was a brilliant and sensible Catholic leader.

"I don't believe abortion should be a political issue based on the reason it has become... other's religious beliefs. We don't vote politicians into office to decide what our religion or theirs dictates. Freedom of religion regarding abortion is a personal right we were given by our Constitution and verified by the United States Supreme Court. Neither the President, the Governor's, nor my neighbor has a right to decide what I can do to my female body based on my own principles...
what I feel is right for me and for all women..
FREEDOM OF CHOICE!"
Anna Maria

"You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion."
Hillary Clinton 

Abolition of a woman's right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: 

a form of rape by the State.
Edward Abbey 


                                    Perry proved on a national stage his memory is lacking.

Abortion's a private decision. 
Pat Robertson 

The issue is not abortion. The issue is whether women can make up their own mind instead of some right-wing pastor, some right-wing politician telling them what to do.
Howard Dean 


There are various reasons people oppose abortion, including ethical, moral, and scientific, but the primary basis seems to come from a religious conviction, preemptively based on biblical principles, that life starts at conception and therefore terminating a pregnancy is murder.

Do those opposing abortion on religious grounds even know that the Bible does not consider a fetus a full human life 

or the killing of a fetus murder? It was an acceptable form
of birth control in Biblical times.

It is quite ironic and hypocritical how the anti-abortion/pro-life politicians talk about a fetus being considered a full human life, when the Bible itself, based on a literal reading, does not recognize a fetus as a full human life subject to the same rights 

as a birthed person. 


******
Abortion In Biblical Times

We know abortion was practiced in biblical times from the passage in Numbers where "alleged" infidelity is tested by giving an antiabortion potion to an accused pregnant woman. The "bitter water" used to "bring on the curse" may have been quinine or several of other herbal and natural concoctions that are considered emmagogues, or drugs that bring on menstruation.(after conception)

(Goes to show you what radicals those old Biblical men really were...let's give the "accused" pregnant woman a potent nasty drug and if she loses the baby...she is guilty...and if she loses her life...well OOPS!)


And then there are the current radicals.

Abortion was recorded in 1550 B.C.E. in Egypt, in what is called the Ebers Papyrus  and in ancient China about 500 B.C.E. as well. In China, folklore dates the use of mercury to induce abortions to about 5,000 years ago . Of course, mercury is extremely toxic. So were coat hangers used in back alleys to induce abortions deadly in America just a few decades ago. 

(It is what will happen again to women if these holier than thou male politicians keep pushing legislation expressing personal religious views regarding female vagina's and a woman's right to choose.) 

Hippocrates also offered abortion to his patients despite being opposed to pessaries and potions which he considered too dangerous. He is recorded as having instructed a prostitute to induce abortion by jumping up and down. This is certainly safer than some other methods, but rather ineffective. It is also believed that he used dilation and curettage to induce abortions as well ...so doctors sworn to uphold the Hippocratic oath are not breaking ANY vow by performing an abortion.


I personally never considered abortion as an option for
me...but I firmly believe it should be a woman's choice
as to whether it's right for her at any given time.
I also believe she should have a 
safe, legal, medical facility
to go to if it becomes her choice for 
whatever her reason.

7 comments:

DMS said...

I believe in the freedom of choice. I truly enjoyed the quotes you shared. It is nice to see that throughout history there have been many politicians who realize religion and politics are two separate things.
~Jess

Anna Maria said...

Jess...thanks. It simply amazes me that so many politicians today feel they have to legislate their personal religious beliefs that are adversely affecting women.

Less than 2% of the services Planned Parenthood provides woman involve abortion and yet they are on a crusade to shut them down and deny women who need them adequate preventative healthcare such as birth control, mammograms, pap smears, and other feminine concerns.

Grundy said...

Pro-lifers feel so strongly about abortion that they hitch their entire belief system to the party that agrees with them--the Republicans. I know many pro-life people who are otherwise democrat, but can't vote as such.

Anna Maria said...

Grundy...it's strange to me that so many feel they have a right to dictate their beliefs to others, especially politicians after the Supreme Court has ruled on the issue.

oneperson said...

Thanks for this history in a nutshell. I wasn't familiar with the potion passage from Numbers.

There is another passage regarding if a fetus is killed during a physical assault, the penalty for the fetus being killed was a fine. The penalty for manslaughter was different indicating the fetus is not considered as a human.

In my former 'Christian' beliefs, I was taught and believed abortion was not murder. BUT, I also believed it was no different than having a fingernail removed. The developing zygote was just a body part, no more. (I later learned that abortions were pretty rampant in the so-called ministry I stood with. I also later learned that sexual improprieties were rampant too.)

But even if the zygote is "just a body parts"...body parts are pretty damn important. The body goes through trauma and healing is part of the process. Part of that healing may involve grieving loss of a body part.

I underwent an abortion in 1978. At the time I was a believer (but did not believe abortion was murder) and wanted to undo my deed. I did not discuss it, did not receive counsel, etc. It would be 28 years later when I would grieve that loss of life from my womb.

I think abortion should be available, but I also think it should not be taken lightly...no more lightly than any other medical procedure. A woman's body is in a hormonal avalanche and the woman needs to know what to expect, etc.

Personally, I found it helpful to grieve the life that was once in my womb. Is there a place of eternal life? If there is will that life be represented? I do not know. Part of me hopes there is.

That unborn life is an integral part of me now. For that I am thankful. I even gave that life a name, which was helpful for me during the grieving process.

To life!
~Carol

Anna Maria said...

Carol...I understand your feelings and respect you for admitting them. I was once faced with, and offered a LOT of money to get an abortion or have the baby and "give" it away...but at the time I felt it was immoral...and even more so, I felt I could never stop wondering what might have been. That was me at 17.

I've never regretted the decision to marry the father, as it resulted in my five wonderful children...even though the marriage didn't last.

As I matured and by the time my daughters were that age, I realized, if one of them had wanted an abortion, I would not have objected, I had come to believe only the woman faced with the dilemma should make the choice, as I no longer consider it a moral choice...but doing what she thinks best at the time. All the turmoil in your life has only made you a stronger, more caring person Carol, and I applaud you for that

Nancy Alborell said...

Hey Anna Maria! Good stuff! Love the biblical references. Have you read 'The Red Tent'? Bet you'd love it. Just found out that bloggers.com is gone! I really can't keep up.