I woke up on Sunday morning and read an article on Huffington Post (that I now cannot find) about late term abortion. Recently, abortions – especially late term abortions – have been popular in the news. If you had asked me eons ago how I felt about abortion, I would have been very quick to give you an answer. I would have said, it’s a sin … don’t do it … it’s murder … I would never do it. And if you had asked me how I felt about late term abortion, I would have said very, very quickly that that’s even worse than the regular abortion. You’re a monster, a murderer.
But it’s 2015 and I’m older. I have not stopped thinking that it’s a sin, but I certainly will not answer as quickly or as confidently. Because honestly, I don’t know the answer anymore. I don’t know how I feel about abortion. I just know that it’s not a decision I want to ever have to make. Spiritually, I’m thinking that God does not want babies to be aborted, but I do not know for sure and without a doubt how God feels about it. I just truly don’t know.
In the article I read, the author talked about how she and her husband were happy to be expecting their second child, but that when they went for the anatomy scan at 20 weeks, they found out that the baby’s brain and heart were not developing as they were supposed to be doing. She got a second diagnosis with the same prognosis: the child would not live long after birth, and the little time that he/she does live, he/she will be in pain.
What would you have done if it was you? On one hand, you can keep your hope and faith alive and carry the baby to term and hope that both of the doctors’ reports were wrong and your baby is actually fine. Or damn the consequences and still keep the baby. Or abort it. What would you do? I don’t think there’s any winning decision here.
When we think of abortion and late term abortion, most people just think about the promiscuous girl/woman who carelessly got pregnant and has now decided that she’s not ready or willing after all. Sure, this girl does exist, but she is the single story. She does not speak for everyone else, like the woman who wrote the article I read on Huffington Post. Or the woman who was raped. Or the woman whose life is at risk for being pregnant. And even if this promiscuous girl is the one who wants to abort the baby, does that mean that I and the government get to decide if she can or not?
Speaking of the government, I wonder how much involvement they should have in a person’s life. And for me, do I have a civil or spiritual duty to stop it? Am I supposed to speak against it or pray for the people involved? Or both? I don’t know. There are many, many times in my life that I ask God to tell/show/teach me what my duty is as a child of God. Where do I fit in? What do I do, and how do I do it?
One thing that I do strongly disagree with is the notion that people who are pro life (against abortion) are hypocrites because they also support the death penalty for criminals. Uhm, how can we compare innocent babies to grown adults who commit heinous crimes like murder? How exactly can they be compared? People believe that anyone who is pro life should be pro life all the way, including sparing the lives of these criminals and also saving the trees in the forest — because you know, trees are humans, too.
Tell me seriously, how do you feel about abortion?
I quite agree with you. I think what God wants is that we hold life sacred as best as we can.
Thank you, Manny. Glad I’m not alone.
Hello Vera,
You know, I like reading your blog because I think I see plenty of my kind of writings in your writings. Soooo… you are kind of like an inspiration. 🙂
But on this one, even though you said you didn’t know how you really feel about abortion, I feel you know. I can tell from your closing paragraph.lol
However, there are different strories that lead to abortion but most people tend to choose 1-that of the promiscous and careless girl.
I agree that there are more valid reasons.