Everyone has joined the conversation this week and I thought I had had enough. I must, though, add my heart thoughts to this matter. I will try to be brief. Yes, women should have the right to their bodies. Women should have freedom of choice. At what point, though, does freedom of choice cross over the very first freedom, freedom of life?
Some people say that the sperm and egg, the fertilized egg, the embryo, or the fetus are not a person. I differ with that thought because once the male sperm with 23 chromosomes and the female egg with 23 chromosomes join together in an a cell formation, then that singular entity with 46 chromosomes, just like a born human, is a person. If you choose to biologically take a fertilized egg apart you will find all the genetic material for a person to be developed into a fetus, a baby, a teenager, an adult and then a senior adult. All this is the process of life from the point of ffertilization and God declared it as good. He did create humans in His image. So at what point of the maturing process of life is abortion not killing a person?
I think that we cannot take away a woman's freedom of life, in whatever form she wants, without giving her ethically moral options for this human being, this person, should she choose to not to want to parent and train the child maturing through the decades. What are alternatives to raising this child herself? Adoption comes to my mind immediately. There are many adults who want to have children and cannot conceive. Co-parenting with someone like the grandparents. This would have to have the permission of all those with whom she would want to coparent. Asking another member of the family to raise the child as their own. This also will require the cooperation and permission of the other family member. By doing this, the plans of the woman can go forward such as high school, college, or career ladder climbing.
I also think the woman who does become preganant and finds herself in this crisis needs a support system to help her through this 9 month period and help her with making a decision as to what is best for the child and herself. In the norm from the past and even somewhat now, women are called names and looked down upon for becoming pregnant out of wedlock. As a Christian, I do not believe a person should sleep with anyone but their spouse. However, humans are sinful and things do happen. When a woman finds herself pregnant without desiring to be, that is not a time for ostracizing her or making her feel ashamed. That is a time when we should come around her to support her and guide her to all options that are available should she not want to raise the child. The act of sex outside of marriage is wrong, see Leviticus 18, however, it has been done and a human being has come into existence because of it. the job of others is to support her and help her choose a healthy life for herself and the baby human growing within her. It is not a time to make her feel guilty.
There are two humans now who need to be nurtured and protected. When God had finished creating Adam and Eve, He gave them a charge to take care of all that is on, above, and under the earth. That includes other human beings. Also when God made Adam and Eve, He made them in His image. Nothing else God created was said to be created in His image therefore He put a high value on humans and on His relationship with them. This is why humans were created, to be in relationship with Himself. We were also given a commandment by Jesus in the New Testament to love our neighbors as ourselves alongside out love of God. If you will notice, the ten commandments are based on these two pillars. The first pillar is about our relationship with God. The second pillar of 6 commandments is about our relationship with other people. Therefore, we are to value others as God values all humans, with great care and love. We are to make sure that even the weakest in society is taken care of and not pushed to the boundary of society and life. Jesus came to "the least of these."
Abortion does not show God's love to "the littlest of these." Nor does it show God's love when we ostracize the woman who has become pregnant outside of marriage. Additionally, it does not show God's love and care when we don't help the woman who has chosen life for this little human. We must be there for all but we must be even more careful to show love to those who would be most likely to be made an outcast. If we was to make a statement that abortion is killing a person, then we must also make the statement that God through us loves the mother and child by helping them get through the pregnancy and the next years until they become stronger in Christ and can stand on their own feet.
I choose life and if I choose this, I will purposefully be available to support and love a woman and the human growing within her and then help support her as she chooses to raise or adopt out the child. I choose life. Jesus chose life for us, too, when He gave His life to be the sacrifice for our sins. If Jesus chose life, how can we do differently?
Some people say that the sperm and egg, the fertilized egg, the embryo, or the fetus are not a person. I differ with that thought because once the male sperm with 23 chromosomes and the female egg with 23 chromosomes join together in an a cell formation, then that singular entity with 46 chromosomes, just like a born human, is a person. If you choose to biologically take a fertilized egg apart you will find all the genetic material for a person to be developed into a fetus, a baby, a teenager, an adult and then a senior adult. All this is the process of life from the point of ffertilization and God declared it as good. He did create humans in His image. So at what point of the maturing process of life is abortion not killing a person?
I think that we cannot take away a woman's freedom of life, in whatever form she wants, without giving her ethically moral options for this human being, this person, should she choose to not to want to parent and train the child maturing through the decades. What are alternatives to raising this child herself? Adoption comes to my mind immediately. There are many adults who want to have children and cannot conceive. Co-parenting with someone like the grandparents. This would have to have the permission of all those with whom she would want to coparent. Asking another member of the family to raise the child as their own. This also will require the cooperation and permission of the other family member. By doing this, the plans of the woman can go forward such as high school, college, or career ladder climbing.
I also think the woman who does become preganant and finds herself in this crisis needs a support system to help her through this 9 month period and help her with making a decision as to what is best for the child and herself. In the norm from the past and even somewhat now, women are called names and looked down upon for becoming pregnant out of wedlock. As a Christian, I do not believe a person should sleep with anyone but their spouse. However, humans are sinful and things do happen. When a woman finds herself pregnant without desiring to be, that is not a time for ostracizing her or making her feel ashamed. That is a time when we should come around her to support her and guide her to all options that are available should she not want to raise the child. The act of sex outside of marriage is wrong, see Leviticus 18, however, it has been done and a human being has come into existence because of it. the job of others is to support her and help her choose a healthy life for herself and the baby human growing within her. It is not a time to make her feel guilty.
There are two humans now who need to be nurtured and protected. When God had finished creating Adam and Eve, He gave them a charge to take care of all that is on, above, and under the earth. That includes other human beings. Also when God made Adam and Eve, He made them in His image. Nothing else God created was said to be created in His image therefore He put a high value on humans and on His relationship with them. This is why humans were created, to be in relationship with Himself. We were also given a commandment by Jesus in the New Testament to love our neighbors as ourselves alongside out love of God. If you will notice, the ten commandments are based on these two pillars. The first pillar is about our relationship with God. The second pillar of 6 commandments is about our relationship with other people. Therefore, we are to value others as God values all humans, with great care and love. We are to make sure that even the weakest in society is taken care of and not pushed to the boundary of society and life. Jesus came to "the least of these."
Abortion does not show God's love to "the littlest of these." Nor does it show God's love when we ostracize the woman who has become pregnant outside of marriage. Additionally, it does not show God's love and care when we don't help the woman who has chosen life for this little human. We must be there for all but we must be even more careful to show love to those who would be most likely to be made an outcast. If we was to make a statement that abortion is killing a person, then we must also make the statement that God through us loves the mother and child by helping them get through the pregnancy and the next years until they become stronger in Christ and can stand on their own feet.
I choose life and if I choose this, I will purposefully be available to support and love a woman and the human growing within her and then help support her as she chooses to raise or adopt out the child. I choose life. Jesus chose life for us, too, when He gave His life to be the sacrifice for our sins. If Jesus chose life, how can we do differently?
