I apologize if I passed judgement on you. It is not my intention to try and speculate what kind of person you are, but only to respond to you with facts and, if possible, reason. I'm also afraid that the more I respond to these posts, the further away I'm getting from my main argument, so let me clarify a few points:
1. I understand that abortion is a sin from a biblical standpoint.
2. I also understand that telling someone who isn't Christian that abortion is murder and a sin from a biblical standpoint is fruitless. I know, because I've had these discussions before, and the response I typically get is "it's just a clump of cells", to which I normally reply with "tell that to a woman who just had a miscarriage". Regardless, people still believe what they want to believe.
3. I am not trying to tell women who have abortions that "it was okay," I'm trying to fight for other
options so that abortion isn't the first option doctors give women in unwanted pregnancies. That way, there are less abortions, and women have more options. Everyone wins.
4. The fact that women will be harmed further by abortion is inaccurate. In professional clinics (at least in the US),
side effects are rare. And emotionally,
women typically feel relief after an abortion. Any negative feelings a woman feels after the abortion aren't usually because of the abortion itself. I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but those are the facts. That's why I find it more effective to try and find
other options, rather than just tell people it's murder and a sin.
5. "Some trauma victims (not only limited to rape trauma) abuse drugs and self mutilate to make themselves feel temporarily better, how is it love to tell them it’s ok to abuse drugs and self mutilate?" Follows the red herring and straw man fallacy. You're saying that because I apparently believe it's fine to tell women it's okay to have an abortion, it must be okay to tell people of trauma to cut and mutilate as a method of coping. I never said that I was pro-choice. And, we're not talking about people who cut or mutilate because of trauma. We're discussing abortion as a response to trauma, which, although my heart bleeds for these people, these are two very different topics. I don't support abortion. I also don't support telling people that aren't Christian that it's a sin as if that changes anything. It doesn't. If it does, then abortion should be non existent. I also don't support telling people who are aware that it's a sin that it's a sin, because that would be quite literally preaching to the choir.
6. Telling people that their committing a sin is not an act of love, it's an act of pointing the obvious, which helps no one. And it helps even less people when the people you're talking to aren't even Christian to begin with. Providing other options for these women other than abortion and trying to help them emotionally, physically, financially, etc. is, however, an act of love.
"If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:16)
If we just tell people that abortion is a sin, then what exactly are we accomplishing?
Conclusion
I don't support abortion. I think it's wrong, and I think it's sad that many people are brought to the point that they even consider it, let alone go through with it.
I've been in too many pro-choice pro-life arguments, and I can tell you that I have heard it all. Every argument and rebuttal, either Christian or secular, I've heard it all. But, in the midst of all the disagreements, I very rarely hear people talk about solutions. People are so busy pushing what they believe, that very little people are trying to actual solve the problem at its root and ask the most basic question: Why do women have abortions. When you do that, you come to a few reasons.
1. Finances.
2. Medical reasons.
3. They were forced by family.
4. Very rare, but rape/trauma.
5. Ignorance
so what could be some possible solutions.
1. Maybe financial aid?
2.
3 years ago, doctors came up with a successful artificial womb that held a lamb. Maybe
this could be a viable option for women who can't or don't want to carry the baby to full term.
3. Try to raise community efficacy through programs for these girls.
4. See number 2. Another option would be counseling, because, with the right mindset, there are
girls who went through with the pregnancy even though they had been victimized.
This feminist website agrees,
even stating that abortion as a result of rape is "misdirected anger". And I agree.
These other women share their own stories of trauma and how the results of their traumatic experience saved them.
5. A proper sex education. For goodness sakes, sex isn't something so taboo that it shouldn't be taught
professionally in middle schools, when bodies are changing and kids are hormonal like crazy.
There's a good video that talks about the problems with America's sex education system.
So do I support abortion? Not at all. Would I have an abortion, as tempting as it may be considering my situation (I'm trying to get into a male dominated career as a police officer, not the ideal place for mothers), absolutely not. My mother was told that she would die if she had my siblings, but she had them anyway and they're all happy and healthy.
But would I judge someone for having an abortion? Of course not. Would I blame them for making a tough decision and making a decision I wouldn't make? Nope. Because I'm not called to judge, or to throw in my two sense when nobody asked. All I could do is pray for them, help them as best as I could with real solutions, and hope that society can finally wake up, stop fighting with each other, and fight for a world where abortion is the last thing that doctors recommend to these women.
