Abortion

I try not to think too much about this subject. In other words, I’m not a fanatic one way or the other. I do have an opinion about it, though. As I do about everything else. At any rate, here goes nothing.

I just read an article written by a Wiccan on her view of abortion (I will not link to it nor will I quote it directly). She is for it. Her feeling is that children don’t have souls until they become viable outside of their mothers. She has had two abortions herself. That is the short part.

She also mentioned that some theorize (I suspect she does) that children that are lost to SIDS and even mentally disabled children (such as those that are autistic) do not have souls and that is why their bodies malfunction. This is where I have the most problem with this particular essay. Though I’m not going to go into that just yet.

I think that abortion used as a method of birth control is wrong. I think that the people involved will be punished according to the laws of Karma. I think that these women, especially, will feel the pain in their own souls, in one way or the other. They will not be immune simply because they tell themselves that they aren’t hurting anyone. They are hurting themselves. They are extinguishing life. However, I believe that the soul that was inhabiting that life form will move on. They will learn something and, in being what they were, will teach something. It is ironic that with all the knowledge we have to prevent pregnancy we still use that method to prevent parenthood.

I know that some people will say “Well, what about rape and incest?” That is another story. I am not saying that abortion should be outlawed. And there are specific reasons for that. I don’t even know if there should be restrictions. I don’t think that most abortions are done because of rape or incest, however. I think they are done by women who made the wrong choice at the wrong time and regret that choice and don’t want to be faced with the consequences. It is often times the result of a rash act. One that could have been avoided, ultimately. That is why most abortions are performed. And that, in my opinion is wrong. If a woman is unable to handle the responsibility of parenting then that woman (girls with babies are women) should find someone who is able to be a parent, but unable to conceive a child. Then they can move on with their lives and the life they created will be able to flourish. Why isn’t that a viable “choice”? Because then the mother is faced with knowing that this child, the one who didn’t matter originally, is out there and she is afraid of the future. Selfishness, ultimately. These are my feelings. They won’t change. I would never have a voluntary abortion because I laid down with a man and did the act that oftentimes creates a life. Unless to do so would benefit the life I’ve created.

Let me explain. When I was 5 months pregnant with my son I found out that he had a fatal birth defect. See Potter’s Syndrome. There was no amniotic fluid surrounding him. He could live inside of me, but he was in a lot of pain. No one could tell me differently. I knew that he could see light, hear sounds, taste, but not feel? I wanted to end his suffering. That meant ending my pregnancy early. No one would do that for me or for my son. He was born three months later with dislocated hips and shoulders, bruises all over his body, and other minor physical deformaties. He died 36 minutes later. I wanted to do what someone who had a child on life support after a terrible accident would do, I wanted to end my son’s suffering, before he had to endure it for too long. That is an example when abortion isn’t so bad. When it benefits the child. I would have given my life for my son, but I couldn’t, so I wanted to make sure he didn’t suffer. He did. There is a fine line here. And it didn’t extend to me in this situation. It was along the lines of euthenasia. I wonder if these people would stand so tall for that?

I have issues with the soulless babies part, too. I think that the soul enters the body at the point of viability. I don’t think that any child who is born and lives for even 5 minutes is born without a soul. I don’t believe in soulless children. Ask any mother that has one of these children, or worse, has lost one of these children. And she will tell you how beautiful her child is/was. And she will be telling the truth.

The author of this particular article claims to be a Wiccan High Priestess. I think that before she ministers to her coven she should rethink her stance on certain subjects. I think she should allow her mind to grow beyond the machinism that she used to make herself feel better for having those abortions. There’s a reason we feel guilty when we do bad things.

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