Today, I was sitting in Sociology class and we were talking about religion. There was a girl who said that at their church, they put crosses in the front lawn for aborted babies. Each year, this causes a huge controversy in the town. Why?
For those of you that don't know (or have been living under a rock), the concept of abortion is a tricky one. There are two sides to this argument.
Pro Choice: It should be a woman's choice what to do with her body, not the government's. If a woman gets pregnant as a result of rape, force, or coercion, she should not have to deal with consequences that aren't her fault. If I am a girl who is 15 and I have been raped by a stranger, and I get pregnant, I should not have to stop the rest of my life to take care of his child. Also, this child will possibly grow up hated and resented, which is not right for any child. Modern abortions are safe, but if a desperate woman is denied the right to get one, she could end up getting a non-professional abortion, which is very dangerous. Even if the girl is just an irresponsible teenager that forgot to use birth control, should she really be raising a child? Also, some women do not have readily available birth control. Women need doctor's prescription to use many forms of birth control (the diaphragm, the pill, the patch, etc...) and some women do not have access to a doctor. Abortion is also a choice for parents who know that their children will be born with life-threatening conditions, such as fragile X syndrome. Some women who choose abortion don't have the financial resources to raise a child. They simply can't afford to have one. Also, motherhood should be a reward for those who are ready, not a punishment for women who have sex. No baby should have to live it's life unwanted or unloved.
Pro Life: These babies may be unborn, but they are still people, and to kill them is murder, which is against one of God's commandments. There are also some studies that say that if abortion were not available, then women would use more birth control. People argue that abortion causes psychological damage to the mothers. Some people choose to use abortion as a way of eugenically choosing what kind of child they want. There is an argument that abortion providers are not in the business of helping mothers choose what is right for them, but instead, making money. Abortion also increases the likelihood that the women will miscarry in the future.
There is a great website that can inform you of all of the facts so that you can make an informed decision for yourself. abortion.procon.org
Personally, I am pro-choice. I believe that (at it's basest) the pro-life argument is primarily a religious one, and our country was founded on the ideas of separation of church and state.
Still, whatever side you choose, I don't understand why crosses in front of a church would be such a big deal. It isn't as if these crosses are advertising for or against abortion. They are simply remarking that an abortion happen and that it is sad. It is sad that this baby couldn't make it into the world, it is sad that the mother was put in a position where she had to make that kind of decision, and it is sad that we will never get to see how that baby could have changed the world (for better or worse). How is that glorifying or demonizing abortion? Why is it becoming a bad thing to honor the dead, born or unborn? How is something as simple as a memorial making any sort of political statement that offends people? The only thing that you should think when you see something like this is, "It's too bad that things worked out the way they did." You don't know the circumstances. It is not your right or your job to judge, positively or negatively. It is not about you and your beliefs.
On another subject, someone asked me a really good question today. In this scenario, there are three people running for president. One is a Muslim, one is a Buddhist, and one is an atheist. Which candidate is most likely to get elected? -- Isn't that a great question? XD
Here is what I think:
There is no way that, right now, a Muslim could win the presidential election. And those of you that think Obama is a Muslim need to do a little Googling. There is just too much animosity between Muslims and the American people right now. Maybe in a decade or two. It's just the way it is. It doesn't mean that I am happy about it.
A Buddhist could possibly get elected. Buddhism in America is seen as less of a religion and more of a philosophy or a lifestyle. Those are much less threatening. However, this Buddhist would have to really conform in order to win. They would have to be male, white, and a Democrat. There is no way that they would win the older population any other way.
An atheist would be interesting to see. I'm imagining that a lot of extremists would call this person a devil worshipper or something, but it is a very trendy idea. I think age matters a lot in this one. If the person was young, they would be viewed as confused or directionless, but if they were older, it would be a lot easier to take them seriously. However, they would also have to be a white, male, Democrat or the Buddhist would win.
The sad thing is that, in all honesty, I don't believe that any of them would win. They might run, some of them might even get very far, if they played their cards right, but they would never be elected. America is just not ready to let go of it's ideals yet. Someday, though. We are not ready yet, but we are making our way there, slowly, but surely. People today are living through a part of history where great moral change is upon us, and America is ready to step into the dawning of a new age.
I think that is pretty awesome.
What do you think? Leave your responses in comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment