Some Thoughts on the Abortion Debate
A friend of mine; dear in heart, if somewhat distant in perspective; recently wrote a post about abortion, particularly as it relates to other issues in the modern world. The following is my reply. Scattered and incomplete, but it's here.
There is indeed a discrepancy between the public's responses to abortion and AIDS; abortion and global warming; even between abortion and care for children. It's sad to see, and it's wrong, but I do see an explanation for it. We are faced with the question "What can we do?" There are two practical reasons that Americans focus on the abortion debate. 1) It is domestic 2) It is concrete. While both AIDS and global warming can be addressed in part on a national level, they are both fundamentally international, global issues. Foster care, and care for children in general, is a much more domestic concern, but it is also the most abstract. It bring up such questions as "What is good parenting?" and asks what place the government has in the family; a topic few are eager to broach. While more decisive action can be taken in the matters of global warming and AIDS (e.g. pollutant restrictions and condom air-drops) neither can be legislated.
Abortion, however, can be approached more directly. (I believe it's clear that the abortion issue is not as concrete as many would say, but since I don't intend here to state my personal views anyway, I will address that at another time.) The debate in question is in part a moral one, but with a primarily legal application, thus it is a domestic debate. It is also a question of procedure: what can or cannot be done, so it falls within the government's realistic, if not just, jurisdiction. Simply put: it can be legislated. The American people and/or their elected representatives can vote on it. If we could vote to ban AIDS, we would. If we could vote to ban global warming, we would. If we could vote to legally bind parents, foster parents, and caretakers to rightly raise their charges, we would. Unfortunately, we can't. The moral obligations on these matters are often clear, but the action seems unavailable. But when confronted with the legality of abortion, a unique chance to make a difference appears. A voter looks at his ballot and says, "I can't do anything today to stop children from dying in Africa, but I can vote to save the lives of babies here in American." A congresswoman considers legislation and knows that she can't force China to reduce emissions, but she can vote to save lives here in the States.
This doesn't mean the abortion debate is more important. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But it's more approachable for many Americans. Inevitably, sometimes tunnel vision sets in, and we lose track of everything else. That's always a threat, and it's always wrong. May God grant us perspective to protect all His children.
To respond briefly and inadequately to equality between the sexes, I have a few, more personal thoughts. More sickening to me than almost any ill in our society is the absence of fathers and fatherhood. Our men are being castrated in every sense but the physical, learning how not to feel, how not to love, how not to take responsibility for our own actions. We are very literally breeding our own demise. It is true, women are bound by nature to be the ones to bear the burden of children. Even after birth, women are equipped to nurture the child in ways that men cannot. Who can say why we have these distinctions? I assure you I cannot. But what I can say is this: Men have no more right to choose than women. No matter what the laws of the land say, fathers have at least as much responsibility to their children as have the mothers. Leaving a child and mother to go on in life unsupported financially or emotionally is a tragedy and crime far greater to me than abortion. This is the disgrace of men. Though no human law can compel a father to love his children and their mother, I believe in a Higher Law; one which has little love for loveless men.
I have not addressed all I could, or even all I might have hoped, but take this for what it is. Another perspective; a perspective traced with grace and with wrath, bound by limited experience yet astonishing arrogance. But I hope that, in it, I might have grasped some portion of my Heavenly Father's perspective.
There is indeed a discrepancy between the public's responses to abortion and AIDS; abortion and global warming; even between abortion and care for children. It's sad to see, and it's wrong, but I do see an explanation for it. We are faced with the question "What can we do?" There are two practical reasons that Americans focus on the abortion debate. 1) It is domestic 2) It is concrete. While both AIDS and global warming can be addressed in part on a national level, they are both fundamentally international, global issues. Foster care, and care for children in general, is a much more domestic concern, but it is also the most abstract. It bring up such questions as "What is good parenting?" and asks what place the government has in the family; a topic few are eager to broach. While more decisive action can be taken in the matters of global warming and AIDS (e.g. pollutant restrictions and condom air-drops) neither can be legislated.
Abortion, however, can be approached more directly. (I believe it's clear that the abortion issue is not as concrete as many would say, but since I don't intend here to state my personal views anyway, I will address that at another time.) The debate in question is in part a moral one, but with a primarily legal application, thus it is a domestic debate. It is also a question of procedure: what can or cannot be done, so it falls within the government's realistic, if not just, jurisdiction. Simply put: it can be legislated. The American people and/or their elected representatives can vote on it. If we could vote to ban AIDS, we would. If we could vote to ban global warming, we would. If we could vote to legally bind parents, foster parents, and caretakers to rightly raise their charges, we would. Unfortunately, we can't. The moral obligations on these matters are often clear, but the action seems unavailable. But when confronted with the legality of abortion, a unique chance to make a difference appears. A voter looks at his ballot and says, "I can't do anything today to stop children from dying in Africa, but I can vote to save the lives of babies here in American." A congresswoman considers legislation and knows that she can't force China to reduce emissions, but she can vote to save lives here in the States.
This doesn't mean the abortion debate is more important. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But it's more approachable for many Americans. Inevitably, sometimes tunnel vision sets in, and we lose track of everything else. That's always a threat, and it's always wrong. May God grant us perspective to protect all His children.
To respond briefly and inadequately to equality between the sexes, I have a few, more personal thoughts. More sickening to me than almost any ill in our society is the absence of fathers and fatherhood. Our men are being castrated in every sense but the physical, learning how not to feel, how not to love, how not to take responsibility for our own actions. We are very literally breeding our own demise. It is true, women are bound by nature to be the ones to bear the burden of children. Even after birth, women are equipped to nurture the child in ways that men cannot. Who can say why we have these distinctions? I assure you I cannot. But what I can say is this: Men have no more right to choose than women. No matter what the laws of the land say, fathers have at least as much responsibility to their children as have the mothers. Leaving a child and mother to go on in life unsupported financially or emotionally is a tragedy and crime far greater to me than abortion. This is the disgrace of men. Though no human law can compel a father to love his children and their mother, I believe in a Higher Law; one which has little love for loveless men.
I have not addressed all I could, or even all I might have hoped, but take this for what it is. Another perspective; a perspective traced with grace and with wrath, bound by limited experience yet astonishing arrogance. But I hope that, in it, I might have grasped some portion of my Heavenly Father's perspective.
posted by Aurenande | 2:01 AM
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