The Issue That Won't Go Away
by Matt Kaufman on 01/24/2011 at 3:25 PM
Profound truths can show up in strange places. Even MTV.
Last month the network ran a special, No Easy Decision, profiling teens who'd had abortions. "MTV being MTV, the special’s attitude was resolutely pro-choice," wrote columnist Ross Douthat in The New York Times. "But it was a heartbreaking spectacle, whatever your perspective." One part in particular.
Douthat relays the story of Markai Durham, who already had one child with her boyfriend and aborted the second:
On the MTV special, the people around Durham swaddle abortion in euphemism. The being inside her is just “pregnancy tissue.” After the abortion, she recalls being warned not to humanize it: “If you think of it like [a person], you’re going to make yourself depressed.” Instead, “think of it as what it is: nothing but a little ball of cells.”
It’s left to Durham herself to cut through the evasion. Sitting with her boyfriend afterward, she begins to cry when he calls the embryo a “thing.” Gesturing to their infant daughter, she says, “A ‘thing’ can turn out like that. That’s what I remember ... ‘Nothing but a bunch of cells’ can be her.”
It's been 38 years since the U.S. Supreme Court invented a constitutional right to abortion, and the issue won't go away. In fact, pro-life views, far from fading over time, have gained ground.
Thousands of pro-life people are letting their voices be heard in Washington, D.C., today in the annual March for Life. That's just one way to do it. There are many ways to be a voice for life right where you live — to deliver a message of truth and grace to which may be, literally, a life saver. Click here and scroll down the page for examples.
1. Ronda Ray said the following at 4:42 PM on Jan 24:
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Thank God the truth is being revealed on that platform. I recently saw a show on MTV where teens were being mentored in the occult. I was appalled and heart broken at the same time. No doubt the truth will be revealed there as well.
Ronda Ray
Author of Prayer Revolution, How God Refined My Connection With Heaven. http://www.onereformationinternational.com
2. Anna said the following at 7:31 PM on Jan 24:
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Thanks for posting on this Matt. I couldn't make it down for the March for Life this year and am very disappointed now, after 5 minutes of browsing on top news websites, to find no mention of it. Shouldn't be surprised I guess.
We need to keep talking about the sanctity of life. If Christians don't speak up, who will?
3. jack said the following at 8:09 PM on Jan 24:
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No amount of industrial-strength rationalization will ever completely clear away the reality of what abortion is.
The very fact that it needs to be talked about in such careful language is further evidence. People always find a way to dress up atrocities in clinical language.
Just like the Nazis referred to the "final solution".
I feel bad for women who are seduced into having an abortion. The God-hating feminists have done a very good job of convincing these poor women that abortion is a consequence-free decision.
And in the moment of panic and fear, these women take the bait and change their souls forever.
4. Matt K Cassens said the following at 8:05 AM on Jan 25:
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I was at the 38th Annual March For Life in Washington DC, and as usual it was overflowing with pro-lifers --250,000 to 300,000 estimated, vs., around 10 so-called pro-choice people.
See my photos at http://stblogustine.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-march-for-life-in-washington-dc.html
5. Corwin said the following at 10:06 AM on Jan 25:
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The abortion debate always amazes me because there are so many people (including our politicians) who don't want to have any rational conversation about it for fear of interfering with "a woman's right to choose."
In Canada, our Parliament recently shot down legislation that would've made it a criminal offence to coerce a woman into getting an abortion, either through physical threat or economic threat (i.e. forcing her to move out of home or lose her job if she doesn't get one).
There are currently no regulations whatsoever on abortions in our country, anyone can perform an abortion any way they want at any point in the pregnancy. A woman does not have to be advised of any of the emotional or physical risks or be told what other options are available.
I am admittedly biased on this issue as I personally do not support abortion, but I can't believe anyone would think that having no laws about this whatsoever is in the best interests of women. This should cause even the most committed pro-choicer some concern, yet it doesn’t seem to…
6. Bethany said the following at 3:30 PM on Jan 25:
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Abortion is such a difficult issue, and I think, essentially no one is pro-abortion, which is a term I have heard interchanged with pro-choice, but I don't believe anyone sees abortion as an ideal situation to be celebrated.
I think we need to be especially careful in how we choose to support the sanctity of life, without alienating and discouraging others with our words. If you want someone to agree with your opinion, or to take you seriously, you need to first have their respect and that comes with kindness. I can imagine the pain a young girl who's undergone an abortion in the midst of pro-life demonstrators who also claim to love the least, last, and lost. How will that young girl feel about God if his people treat her as a murderer?
7. Anna said the following at 3:58 PM on Jan 25:
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Bethany, agreed-- we need to be sensitive. I run a women's group at my church and am always careful about how we talk about abortion because you never know someone's past.
Thank God there are some big groups in the pro-life community that reach out to post-abortive women in compassion, without judgement. I think Christian groups can do this most effectively, because we're really the only religion that believes in total forgiveness from God, no strings attached. I've seen these groups, made up of many such women, at the March for Life in years past. They are such a good witness.
8. jack said the following at 1:34 AM on Jan 26:
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Regrettably, there are some people who are actually VERY pro-abortion.
As Christians, we are not accustomed to thinking that there are such people in the world, but there are there.
There are some extremely evil people who actually like the proliferation of abortions. It suits their human pride.
9. Annika said the following at 8:38 AM on Jan 26:
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@8 Jack,
Do you have evidence for this? This is a rather inflammatory statement, if you can't cite specific pro-choice figures who believe that abortion is fun, good, or enjoyable.
Everyone I know who is pro-choice is also all about educating women to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies (even though they also feel that termination of unwanted pregnancies should be permitted). People who think abortion should be ALLOWED mostly agree that PREVENTING it would be better.
Let's extend grace and understanding to the perspectives of others, before jumping to hasty, unsupported conclusions.
10. Sara said the following at 9:37 AM on Jan 26:
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Feminists are not all "god-hating" and I really take offense at someone who says they are. Painting any groups with a broad brush is disingenuous at best.
I am a catholic married woman who oppose both abortion and the death penalty as part of respecting the sanctity of life. I also consider myself a feminist because I believe women should have equal political, economic and social rights.
11. James said the following at 12:27 PM on Jan 26:
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Annika, I do think there are people out there who could be described as pro abortion. Many here would probably say anyone who was pro choice is, and that's just an absurd and outlandish view. Most of us want to lessen abortions but have different approaches, that's fine. However I don't think we can ignore those who appear to think abortion is somehow admirable. We just had a local fund raising event called "Chocolates for Choice" for example. And I read that there is a certain group wanting to push new standards upon life choices clinics - why would anyone (pro-choice or not) have a problem with life choices clinics? There was also a Ms Magazine campaign several yrs ago that encouraged women to say they were proud of their abortions. So, they are out there... crazies on both sides.
It's times like this I'm glad to be a political moderate:) Thankfully abortion has been trending downward for the last few decades.
12. Matt C said the following at 5:03 PM on Jan 26:
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Annika @ 9, There are certainly plenty of examples who think abortion is "good." Off the top of my head, there are Dr. Warren Hern (who believes pregnancy to be a disease and abortion the treatment) and Caitlin Moran (who considers abortion to be the "ultimate motherly act.") I'm sure Google can provide you with more examples if you require them.
Though I obviously can't say for sure one way or the other, you might consider the possibility that you're accidentally missing this kind of mindset even in those you encounter. Your observation of their wanting to "reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies" is, perhaps, not the best criteria to exclude the possibility that one considers abortion good. After all, most people consider penicillin to be a good thing even though they'd also want to prevent infections in the first place. I'd certainly consider myself to be VERY pro-penicillin (to paraphrase jack); I think it's great.
13. Heather said the following at 8:29 PM on Jan 26:
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Thank you, Sara #10.
14. Samantha said the following at 9:20 AM on Jan 27:
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"I also consider myself a feminist because I believe women should have equal political, economic and social rights."
Sara (10), you're not a feminist; you're a suffragette. Modern day feminists care nothing about true equality.
Anyway, back on topic, I've never understood how anyone can advocate killing a baby. I know people whose mothers had them early, but gave them up for adoption. Instead of selfishly murdering a baby to cover-up their mistake, they put up with nine months of being uncomfortable to give the baby a chance to make the world a better place.
It's unfortunate that some people choose the first option, but they will have to explain their choice one day.
15. Prickly Pete said the following at 9:21 AM on Jan 27:
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Matt C (#12):
But surely you realize that these are exceptions that prove the rule -- that the reason you have heard of those people is because their positions are extreme and unusual. The vast majority of people who support legalized abortion still do not like abortion and would prefer it be rare.
The comparison to penicillin doesn't really work because penicillin has very few negative side effects. Abortion is invasive and has rather severe physical and emotional consequences. I think a better comparison would be to something like chemotherapy -- almost no one likes the idea of chemo, but sometimes one considers it better than the alternatives.
The fundamental question, of course, is whether abortion constitutes murder, which would make questions of alternatives and side effects irrelevant.
16. Sara said the following at 9:39 AM on Jan 27:
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Sara (10), you're not a feminist; you're a suffragette. Modern day feminists care nothing about true equality.
@ Samantha: I am sorry, but you are incorrect- the definition of femisism is as follows:
fem·i·nism /ˈfɛməˌnɪzəm/ Show Spelled
[fem-uh-niz-uhm]
–noun
1. the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
2. an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.
3. feminine character.
The media has villified femisism in much the same way all Christians are lumped together w/extremists and intolerence which we know is not true..
17. Samantha said the following at 10:31 AM on Jan 27:
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Sara (16), marriage is now defined as being between two people. The dictionary doesn't determine what a word actually means. The defination of feminist can be seen in the behavior of the majority of feminists (For example, many feminists are pro-choice. So I guess they're not for equality of all people...)
18. Heather said the following at 11:39 AM on Jan 27:
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Samantha, Sara is absolutely correct in her definition of the word "feminist". I'm proud to be one. I'm just sorry that so many people don't realize the true meaning of the word.
19. DannieA said the following at 2:18 PM on Jan 27:
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I'm a big advocate of helping mothers parent their children by buying essentials if needed. Sometimes we need to be careful that our prolife words doesn't just end with words but are evident with our actions.
20. Nancy said the following at 6:03 PM on Jan 27:
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I'm glad this young woman's comment and anguish weren't censored out by MTV. I didn't become a Christian until I was 21, but I knew instictively that no matter how you sugar-coated it, abortion meant you were killing a real person. I had no Biblical grounds to believe that -- just common sense. I pray that that woman's words sink into viewers' minds and hearts . . .
21. Matt C said the following at 6:34 PM on Jan 27:
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Pete @ 15, To be honest, I realize nothing of the sort. I don't have any relevant statistical studies on hand, and my personal experience is skewed by having spent 6 years living in Boulder, Colorado (the radically liberal city where Dr. Hern has his clinic). I merely know that both kinds of people who support legalized abortion exist and therefore make the best individual judgments I can and provide the most appropriate support/exhortations/counter-arguments I can based on the given context.
Of course, the context for my comment was (1) to bolster the claim that such people merely exist (Jack @ 8) which was falsely deemed inflammatory, hasty, and unsupported (Annika @ 9) and (2) to point out that Annika's stated criteria was insufficient for the judgments she was making. So I'm not really sure what your comment about the relative popularity of beliefs has to do with my own comment.
As to the analogy, you yourself say that the question of murder makes the question of side-effects irrelevant. An abortion technique which was less invasive and less traumatizing (like, say, some kind of abortion pill) would still be abortion, would still need to be opposed by pro-lifers, would still be tolerated by pro-choicers, and would be all-the-more celebrated by the pro-abortion (and might even blur the line between the latter two groups to a significant degree). I agree with you about the importance of side-effects, and therefore don't think nitpicking about them really adds anything to the discussion.
22. Prickly Pete said the following at 10:43 PM on Jan 27:
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Matt C (#21):
The reason I bring the point up (and I'm guessing this holds true for Annika) is to try to avoid falling into the trap of turning the "other side" on an issue into a caricature. If pro-life believers start looking at anyone who is pro-choice as a radical lover of death and cannot conceive of the idea of a thoughtful, caring individual who thinks differently about whether abortion constitutes murder, then the "debate" on abortion will continue to consist of little more than two sides yelling catch-phrases at one another.
That is what so often depresses me about the issue of abortion -- almost no one on either side seems interested in discussing the real underlying issue. When was the last time you heard an in-depth examination of the Scriptural evidence on both sides? When was the last time you heard any Scriptural discussion on the issue that went any deeper than quoting Psalm 139:13?
23. Randy said the following at 6:18 PM on Jan 28:
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Matt C
Thoughtful, caring individuals do not have questions as to whether abortion is murder. This is a question that has been closed, both through science, and through scripture. Scripture has more than just Psalm 139. In Luke chapter 2 the John the Baptist as a baby in his mother's womb, "filled with the spirit", moved in response to the impact of Christ's unborn body being brought into his presence via Mary. These unborn babies are alive. God is the creator of life, not death. God judged the nation of Israel for sacrificing their children to the god of Molech (Jeremiah). This is no different than America sacrificing our children to the god of convenience.
The issue isn't whether abortion is murder, the question is whether we will act in obedience to the direct will of our creator.
24. Prickly Pete said the following at 1:57 PM on Jan 29:
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Randy (#23):
I question whether or not to even write this response, but I think I will at least scratch the surface a bit. Wouldn't you acknowledge that the baby leaping in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:41) was an act of God? Surely your contention is not that a fetus in the womb was able to hear Mary's words, understand them, and move in response, all of his own volition. Obviously God made this happen. And because of that, that story doesn't really address whether the baby had a soul (for lack of a better phrase) at the time. Also note that it is actually Elizabeth who is filled with the Spirit in this verse.
That is pretty common for the proof-texts that are used in the abortion debate -- they may appear on first glance to support a position (particularly if you are already assuming the truth of that position), but upon further reflection, don't really address the issue. I don't want to try to convince anyone either way, I just want to try to illustrate that there really are thoughtful believers on both sides of this issue. Just because one group dominates Christian political discourse does not mean the issue is as straightforward or simplistic as some might claim.
25. James said the following at 8:38 PM on Jan 29:
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Pete, there's simply no reasoning with those who don't wish to engage in the slightest. Even just a friendly discussion seems to be out of the question for some people...not sure why that is. I think when you run into a wall like that it's best to just smile, say "ok" and move along.
26. Chris said the following at 9:03 PM on Jan 29:
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Randy writes (#23):
Thoughtful, caring individuals do not have questions as to whether abortion is murder. This is a question that has been closed, both through science, and through scripture.
So anyone who doesn't believe in your scripture (or your interpretation) and your scientific claims (which I'd like to see, especially regarding Plan B or emergency use of RU-486), is not a "thoughtful, caring" individual.
Nice way to demonize people who disagree with you. Real loving and non-judgemental. Good luck with that.
27. Jo said the following at 7:05 AM on Jan 30:
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Samantha 17:
"The defination of feminist can be seen in the behavior of the majority of feminists."
Why should 'the majority of feminists' be allowed to change the definition of feminism? I wonder, can the definition of Christian be seen in the behaviour of the majority of Christians? And if it couldn't, would that change the definition of what a Christian is?
Randy 23:
"Thoughtful, caring individuals do not have questions as to whether abortion is murder."
Really? No one who is pro-choice could possibly be thoughtful and caring? I disagree strongly with abortion, but that's a ridiculous view and Matt is absolutely right that it's massively unhelpful.
28. Aiene said the following at 1:39 PM on Jan 30:
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Does someone have to be a feminist to care about women's rights? As a woman, it's important for me to care about women's rights. But I don't think people who don't consider themselves feminists don't care about their own rights. To me, that sounds like saying, "If you're not a member of the NAACP you don't care about the rights of African Americans.
29. Charles H. said the following at 9:34 PM on Jan 30:
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@Pete #28: Fetal audition studies have gone on for decades. It's hard to clarify exactly what the typical baby can hear and understand, but evidence does suggest that things like music can produce measurable responses.
Babies hear and respond once born, and research suggests this ability begins in the fifth month of gestation. John the Baptist was in the sixth month. Did God help the unborn John the Baptist understand what he'd encountered? Sure, I believe that, just as I believe He helped Isaac's servant understand the significance of Rebekah giving him a drink of water. But this hardly argues against the humanity of the unborn, any more than it argues against the humanity of Isaac's servant.
30. Prickly Pete said the following at 9:20 AM on Jan 31:
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Charles H (#27):
My point, though, is that it doesn't argue for the humanity of the unborn either, any more than, say, Balaam's donkey's response to the words of Balaam argue for the humanity of donkeys. God can use anything in creation for His purposes, and a story of His using something does not necessitate that that thing have a soul.
You are right that the passage does not argue against the humanity of the unborn either; it doesn't really address the issue at all.
31. Martha Krienke said the following at 11:41 AM on Jan 31:
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I think one thing we can agree on is that abortion is neither thoughtful nor caring.
Hey, back to Matt's original post: "There are many ways to be a voice for life right where you live — to deliver a message of truth and grace to which may be, literally, a life saver." Tell us what you're doing to be a voice for life.