Preaching to the choir

 

The picture with this post is for the algorithms but also because it was such a pretty plate—slow roasted salmon, marinated cucumber and sweet onion, and fruit salad with lime, lime zest, and just a tiny bit of sugar. But it has nothing to do with the activist hat I have on tonight.

I got caught up today on a long anti-abortion thread, mostly because I am almost incapable of letting outright lies go unchallenged. This one was full of statements that there is never any medical reason for abortion, and many doctors say there is never a reason to kill the baby. These statements were followed by a long string of one-word posts: “Absolutely!” along with a few about murderers, and no abortions ever, and the like.

One rude gentleman offered to sell me swamp land, but I happened onto a woman who seemed sincere in her belief and a bit puzzled. What I discovered, exchanging messages with her, is that these are the folks who didn’t pay attention in high school biology. They seem to think doctors abort a perfect baby and stand there debating: “Should we kill this one or not?” Also they seem to think that all nine months this perfectly formed baby is in the womb. They have no idea about fetal development, fetal abnormalities, fetal death in utero, even complications that threaten the mother’s health. And I suspect they don’t want to know.

I am no medical expert, but for probably the first twenty years of my working life I worked it was in hospitals and medical schools. I am a doctor’s daughter, sister, ex-wife, aunt, and niece. I learned as they say just enough about medicine to be dangerous. But I know when someone says to me, “Many doctors say there is never a reason to kill a baby,” there aren’t many doctors and the person posting may have read that once, somewhere, on an anti-abortion post.

In another post on that site I explained that I am not pro-abortion. As an adoptive parent who could not produce babies, I think birth is a miracle. And I’m grateful that none of the girls in my family ever thought of abortion—how did they suddenly get so old they are beyond that stage? At any rate, I am not pro-abortion. I believe as many do that the decision is between a woman, her doctor, her partner, and perhaps the god of her faith.

But I am passionately opposed to Draconian laws passed by old white men with no medical knowledge that prevent pregnant women from getting adequate medical care. Today several plaintiffs are suing the State of Texas. Some were near death before being given medical care, and several have lasting effects that may prevent future successful pregnancies. You can read their heartbreaking stories here:  Women suing Texas over abortion bans give emotional testimony - ABC News (go.com)

I simply do not understand the reasoning behind making a woman carry a nonviable fetus to term at grave risk to herself. If you read the article, you will read of a woman whose fetus had encephaly (undeveloped skull and brain) but she was forced to carry the baby to term and watch it die in agony. How does that fit with the Christian principles that extremists espouse? Frankly, I’m horrified.

I also don’t understand how protestors can quote the sixth commandment— “Thou shall not kill”—but are willing to let a pregnant woman die. I suggested to one woman she read the Torah. Actually I have no idea if this is in the Torah or not, but I do know that Jewish law always placed the life of the mother first. The fetus comes into the world as Freud’s blank tablet, if you will, but the woman has a fully developed life, people who love her and whom she loves. Possibly she has other children who depend on her. She may make important contributions to society. She has her place in the world.There is not an equal equation there.

If there’s a glimmer of hope, this is it: education. Instead of confronting anti-abortionists, each of us somewhere along the line probably has a chance to educate. Maybe just a sentence or two, calmy delivered. I think we’re obligated to do that. It’s no longer good enough to say, “I didn’t want to be rude,” or “I don’t like confrontation.” We have been silent too long.

Rant over. Thanks for listening.