This includes me. I have been too quiet, and I’m sorry. The vast majority of the noise I have heard and seen has come from women. Which makes some sense, I suppose — These oppressive laws are attempting to control WOMEN’S BODIES and WOMEN’S CHOICES… But men have to be more involved, because our silence is failing them.
Before going any further, I should mention that I have written about abortion before. When I told my wife I was writing about abortion, she said, “Again?” I wrote a post about how complex this issue is titled “Finding A Middle Ground On Abortion.” I wrote a post about how God seems to be pro-abortion in the Bible called “The Test For An Unfaithful Wife,” or “How To Perform A Biblical Abortion.” I wrote about how, since Roe v. Wade, Democratic presidents & policies have LOWERED the actual rates of abortion while Republican presidents & policies have either increased the number of abortions or kept is stagnant… It was titled “Christians ~ Want Fewer Abortions? Vote Democrat.” I also wrote a satirical post titled “Christians Should Be Rooting For As Many Abortions As Possible” about how — if saving souls from hell/getting souls into heaven is really what it’s all about — abortion is actually has a way higher success rate than evangelism. I’m not going to go over all of the points I made in those articles again, but if you’re interested, there they are.
I’m sure you’ve seen that abortion is in the news again. This oppressive “fetal heartbeat law” recently passed and signed in Georgia is not unique — there are similar laws that were passed in Ohio and Louisiana which go into effect on July 1 of this year, while Georgia’s law doesn’t go into effect until January of 2020. These laws essentially makes abortions after 6 weeks illegal, even though most women won’t even realize they might be pregnant until AT LEAST around week 4… As if all women have cycles you could set your watch to. There has been a lot of misinformation about these bills, with people saying it allows for the death penalty for women who have an abortion. This is not true. What IS true is that it DOES penalize and criminalize doctors who perform abortions, and it COULD require women who have had a miscarriage to be submitted to exams to prove that she didn’t have an abortion. The law allows for exemptions in the case of rape or incest, but only when a police report has been filed. It’s a complicated mess, and there are a bunch of places on the internet (here’s one) that can explain the specifics to you better than I can…
It is no secret that these abortion bans are designed to get the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade… And as I wrote about HERE, Roe v. Wade was and is a case about PRIVACY. It is not about making a moral judgement, but it’s about how the state shouldn’t be able to look at a woman who has been raped and say “Prove it” before allowing her to terminate her pregnancy, and how that would be an egregious violation of a person’s right to privacy. They are trying to get the SCOTUS to revisit the ruling by attempting to define an embryo at six weeks — where a sensitive transvaginal ultrasound can detect the slight flutter of what would later develop into a heart — as a “full person” with 14th Amendment protections under the constitution. But as Andrew Fleischman pointed out, that would mean that thousands of “full persons” are being being unlawfully detained in prisons that hold pregnant women.
Lawmakers in many of these republican-controlled states are even inexplicably coming after emergency contraception… Which makes about as much sense as being against fire AND fire extinguishers:
We live in a country with people who are so comfortable with cognitive dissonance that they elect lawmakers who are calling themselves “anti-abortion,” while actively making it harder for women to get birth control… They try to allow insurance companies to refuse to cover abortion procedures, while they keep shelling out money for men’s boner pills… They put groups of men in charge of of making decisions about women’s healthcare…
Banning abortions doesn’t make abortions go away… It simply makes them unsafe. Republicans seem to think that banning things will fix all the world’s problems… All of the problems other than gun violence, that is.
Anyway, NONE of this is about doing things that will actually reduce the number of abortions. This is about CONTROL. It is about controlling women’s bodies. They don’t actually want to get rid of abortions. For most republican lawmakers, the issue of abortion is about power. It is about getting elected. It is about getting people out to VOTE. The moment a woman they’re having an affair with gets pregnant, they become as Pro-Choice as anyone on the planet. Rich conservatives love the abortion fight, because it allows them to say the reason they are voting republican is for “moral reasons,” instead of having to admit that it is just because of good ol’ fashioned combination of greed and preserving white privilege. Please make no mistake: These heartbeat laws are not being passed because republicans are anything close to “Pro-Life.” They’re not. At best, they are pro-BIRTH. You know who else has a heartbeat? Migrant kids.
And in the GOP’s attempt to stop abortions from taking place, they are focusing on WOMEN, and forcing them to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term… Instead of focusing on the actual problem: MEN. If lawmakers wanted to actually get rid of abortions, they totally could. Criminalizing abortion and punishing women is not the answer. Listen — You want to pass a law that reduces the number of abortions? PASS A LAW PUNISHING MEN FOR THEIR IRRESPONSIBLE EJACULATIONS! Because, as Gabrielle Blair wrote in her absolutely amazing Twitter thread, “Men are responsible for 100% of unwanted pregnancies.” And yeah, sure, I know: “It takes two to tango,” and all that… But it takes two people for INTENTIONAL pregnancies… It only takes one man ejaculating irresponsibly to create an UNWANTED pregnancy. Please read the whole thread below…
Men: WE ARE THE ONES CAUSING ALL OF THESE UNWANTED PREGNANCIES. The very least we can do is speak up and stand with the women who are being compelled into the role of Forced Baby Incubator. What I’d REALLY like to see is more men taking up the cause of vocally opposing this push toward turning “A Handmaid’s Tale” into a reality. This is not and CANNOT be only a woman’s fight. Men have got to be loud and active in our opposition to these unjust laws, which put all of the onus on the woman as a baby incubator, and none of the blame on the men who irresponsibly cause all of these unwanted pregnancies with their selfish desire to not wear condoms & their selfish insistence on not pulling out.
Now, if we can just start getting people to READ…
We need to speak up when we hear people referring to abortion as “murder.” All of this hyperbole is so misleading and demonizing. Sperm is alive too… That doesn’t turn male masturbation into mass murder… And if it did, you can bet there would be no law passed against it. And all of this talk about “infanticide” is so utterly false. An embryo is NOT an infant. A fetus is NOT an infant. Nobody in the world is talking about having an abortion at 36 weeks… We who are Pro-Choice acknowledge that there are times when abortion is needed, and we want to keep abortions safe & legal for the women who find themselves in that difficult situation. And before anyone discusses whether an embryo is “fully human,” they need to understand that WOMEN are fully human.
- Forcing a woman who has been raped to carry her rapist’s child is cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
- Ordering a woman who has been raped to relive her trauma by insisting she press charges against her attacker in order to access a safe abortion is cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
- Compelling a young woman — pregnant as a result of incest — to publicly report that family member before being able to end her pregnancy is cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
- Requiring a woman who has gone through the trauma of a miscarriage to “prove” she didn’t have an abortion is cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
- Demanding that a woman — who, with her doctor, goes through the difficult choice of deciding that terminating her pregnancy is in her best health interest — be subjected to insurance inquiries and possible criminal charges is cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
- And men: Expecting that women fight this battle without our active & vocal support is ALSO cruelly inhumane & dehumanizing to women.
We must do better.
I’m probably going to lose some followers over this post, but I’m totally okay with that… Ten years ago, I could have NEVER seen myself writing something like this. And if you don’t agree with me right now, perhaps in ten years you will also have had your mind changed. Here’s hoping… And speaking of hope, I hope you consider BECOMING A PATRON. Or, if you like what you see here, and you want to leave a tip, you can LEAVE A TIP ON PAYPAL. Otherwise, stay in touch with me ON FACEBOOK and ON TWITTER. Or share this post with people in your life. Also, and more importantly, please use whatever platform you have to magnify the voices of the women who are doing such amazing work in this fight. Stay hopeful…
The Boeskool 
While I do not have the answers, I am troubled by this post. I understand what you are saying BUT, while a fetus is not an infant, it IS ALIVE! It IS a life. Science tells us it is a life. The argument that it isn’t an infant doesn’t hold. I can’t survive very long underwater but does that mean you kill me if I am drowning? This is a very slippery slope brother. It’s like we have to be all one way or all the other. Where we must stand is on the Word! We must love these women. We must support them. The bottom line is both the woman AND the fetus must be loved. Here is where the church, in my opinion, has failed. We no longer make ministering to the least of these a priority.
Revpappy, yes, an embryo and a fetus are no doubt alive, but they have the POTENTIAL to be human infants. These heartbeat laws are simply designed to get a case to the Supreme Court, where they will most likely overturn Roe v Wade. Everyone who voted yes on Brett Kavanaugh (and especially Sen. Collins) is complicit in this. Trump has succeeded in turning back the clock to the 1950s in so many ways. I sincerely hope he fails on this one. Besides, Trump doesn’t give a damn about “the unborn.” I’d wager my life savings that he’s responsible for dozens of unwanted pregnancies that ended in abortions.
So we then decide to tell God which life gets a chance? A life that He made and knew before it was formed in its mother’s womb? A life fearfully and wonderfully made? We decide whether it lives or not? WE become god deciding the ending of something HE made??? That embryo or fetus did not come to life by chance or do we then start removing parts of scripture? To me, this is not a Democrat or Republican problem. It isn’t a Trump problem, a Roe v. Wade problem, or any other political position. It is a heart problem. Heart for the women. Heart for the lives of the unborn. Hearts for the least of these. Hearts that are submissive to Him, our Lord, and His Word. We must follow Christ first and any other position should flow from there.
Did you read any of the other posts I linked to that I wrote, Pappy? I linked to them in the second paragraph… If God is in control of things, then God ordains way more abortions (in the form of miscarriages) than we could ever hope to commit. Also, in the Bible God gives the Israelites a test for an unfaithful wife which led to an abortion if she cheated. None of this is as clear-cut as you think it is. Sperm is alive. A zygote is more alive than sperm. An embryo is more alive than a zygote. A fetus is more alive than an embryo. And an infant is more alive than a fetus. “Life” is present in many stages and many times biologically. This does not mean we charge man with mass murder every time they masturbate. It also doesn’t mean that we can force a woman who was raped to carry that child for 1% of her life.
Just because some people believe that a baby is a fully formed human being a day after sex does NOT make it so.
Boe, I will read the other posts. Believe it or not, I do have an open mind. At the very least my beliefs are challenged and I have to really think about why I believe what I believe. At times I have changed my mind once I took at hard look at my stance. I am not posting just to be a devil’s advocate. I truly believe a healthy exchange of ideas is fruitful as long as everyone is being honest with themselves.
Several things in your last response though are troubling. Maybe it is because I’m new here but “If God is in control”? And I think we may want to define life so we are on the same page. Also, please do not think that I am somehow against these precious ladies. I wonder though how many might choose another way if they were supported by the church with love and options. Either way, it is still a slippery slope when we discount the lesser because it is not favorable to the greater. Is the woman’s life more important somehow? If so, how?
Finally, whether a fetus/embryo/otheryouwanttocallit is a fully formed human or not (it isn’t) is irrelevant in my opinion. It is alive. It IS a human being, fully formed or not. To deny that is to deny science…and scripture. It doesn’t make it less so. Jeremiah 1:5 says “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” This either true or not. If true then the question is at what point does the “known” person become part of the fetus. If false, then we have much bigger issues. We can always deny the truth but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Whoa, Revpappy… I don’t even know where to begin. “We must follow Christ”??? What about the millions of people who don’t believe in your Jesus, or your God, or ANY God? This is not a theocracy and I will NOT do something or refrain from doing something just because you or Mike Pence says it’s against your religion. Follow your religion all you want, I have no problem with that, but don’t you dare tell me that I have to live by your religious guidelines. So many conservatives scream about Muslims trying to import Sharia law to America. This is a version of Sharia law. Don’t dare tell me what I can or can’t do with MY body because of YOUR religion!
Veronica…interesting that you started and stopped there. I am not trying to push my beliefs on anyone. First, you are under the assumption that it is merely a belief system. I promise you that if you have seen what I have seen, not just the miracles but the demonic you would know that it isn’t just a belief system. Nevertheless, you are free to live however you like and believe whatever you like. I support that 100%. “We must follow Christ” is for those that believe in Him. If you don’t, that is your choice and I would be the last to tell you how to live your life, EXCEPT when it encroaches on the lives of others which is exactly what you just said you would not tolerate. You can’t have it both ways. I take it back. You can if you choose to ignore truth. Never once did I say that I agreed with one law or another. What I did say was I love both the child AND the woman and we have to do better as a society of taking care of each other.
Our biggest problem in America is we refuse to actually hear what one another is saying because we so want to believe our own narratives whatever they may be. You suppose that, as a follower of Christ, that I am against you and merely want to impose my beliefs on you. On the contrary, it is nowhere close to that. Now, I will admit that many “Christians” do many terrible things in His name but even Jesus said that “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” There are many today that called themselves Christians that clearly do not follow His ways. He said that His followers should be known by their love. Unfortunately, that is something rarely seen in this day in time.
Do I believe that life starts at conception? Yes, but I believed that before I followed Him. Science told me that and, as one who generally thinks in 0’s and 1’s for the technical or black and white, I have always felt one was alive or dead. Secondly, as a dad and now a grandfather, it is the desire of my heart to protect children whether 4 years old and hungry or two hours after conception. It’s just the way I’m made.
Bottom line Veronica is you can choose to think I am against you, and that is your choice, but it doesn’t make it so.
Thank you so much for saying this……This is the total truth of the matter and needs to be screamed far and wide. “Listen — You want to pass a law that reduces the number of abortions? PASS A LAW PUNISHING MEN FOR THEIR IRRESPONSIBLE EJACULATIONS! Because, as Gabrielle Blair wrote in her absolutely amazing Twitter thread, “Men are responsible for 100% of unwanted pregnancies.” And yeah, sure, I know: “It takes two to tango,” and all that… But it takes two people for INTENTIONAL pregnancies… It only takes one man ejaculating irresponsibly to create an UNWANTED pregnancy”
Thank u👏🏻
Revpappy, with all due respect, BULLSHIT. You are trying to impose your religious beliefs on everyone else. You wrote: “What I did say was I love both the child AND the woman and we have to do better as a society of taking care of each other.” Again, bullshit. You love both the child and the woman? Get out of my bedroom, get out of my medical choices, and get out of my life. Worry about yourself and stop patronizing women. This has nothing to do with your love of the “unborn.” It’s about controlling women, full stop.
I may be wrong but I don’t feel you really read a word I wrote. You merely heard the talking points of a society that doesn’t want to hear anyone. Sadly, it is either “you are for me or against me”. I sincerely wish all of you the best. Maybe someday we can all really talk.
I could have written that response to you. You didn’t hear a word I said about MY body, MY choice, MY life. You’re exactly right that it is “you are for me or against me” when you are choosing whether to respect my healthcare decisions. There’s not one single law that regulates what men can do with their bodies. Maybe one day we can have an intelligent conversation about abortion, but not while you insist that you have a right to control my decisions regarding my body and my healthcare.
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