The other night, I watched a documentary called The Celluloid Closet, and something dawned on me! The documentary is about LGBTQ people in film history, and how their depiction mirrored the development of LGBTQ rights and acceptance.
There was a statement made in the documentary that, in films, not only LGBTQ people were punished, but also any people who participated in untraditional sexual behavior were punished. Basically, “traditional sexual behavior” was defined as “missionary position, man on top of woman.” This is (supposedly) the “godly” way: sex for procreation ONLY.
This is when it hit me! The denial of abortion rights to women is nothing more than an attempt to take away their independence! Just like the old story of Eve in the Garden of Eden, women always “lead men astray.” God was said to have punished Eve for her independent move by sentencing her to PAIN.
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:14-16 ESV)
In the recent Supreme Court hearing of the restrictive abortion law in Mississippi, Justice Thomas commented:
I understand we're talking about abortion here, but what is confusing is that we -- if we were talking about the Second Amendment, I know exactly what we're talking about. If we're talking about the Fourth Amendment, I know what we're talking about because it's written. It's there.
What specifically is the right here what we're talking about?
Of course, the right we’re talking about is the BASIC INALIENABLE RIGHT (outlined in The Declaration of Independence) to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Especially LIBERTY.
Here’s something I wrote a few years ago, while thinking about my own abortion:
In all the judgemental pontificating of the so-called "ProªLife" movement, I find very little basis for its arguments against the legality of abortion.
Three major ways of viewing the abortion issue are Logical, Emotional, and Religious. Let me address each of these from the perspective of a woman who has had an abortion--me!
1. Logical: Nature has created a process of bringing a being to life that seems to work quite well. Conception begins the process and birth ends it. Logic dictates that while the process develops in the woman's womb, it is HER process, to continue or end as she so wishes. Once the process reaches the point that life is sustainable outside the womb, the being is born into the world.
Our world is unique in that there is a population explosion in our time. It is illogical to pretend that unwanted babies should be born into our world when there are many children already here who need care and nurturance.
2. Emotional: Women and men have separate roles to play in the bringing of life into the world. Men introduce the possibility of a new being. Women can sometimes welcome the possibility and nurture the process with their own bodies. Many men seem to believe that they should have control over a woman's body. This comes from their own insecurity, their need to be in control no matter what. It also comes from the time when men ruled the economic world and a child was an economic asset for their patriarchal empire. That time is no more!
A man who has coitus with a woman who subsequently becomes pregnant sometimes feels he has a right over that woman's decision to bring the process to term, or to end it. Feelings run high if he feels his virility proves his manhood. In the same way, a man may try to force a woman into aborting the process for one reason or another. Though a man may have many emotions on this subject, the decision is the woman's. It is HER body. . .and there is no more emotional relationship than of a person for her own body.
The need for male control over the female is a sick need. The healthier attitude would be to trust that the female decision was for the best. . .and to be there when needed, whether for advice,
encouragement, or a simple hug.
3. Religious: Certain Christian sects disapprove of abortion on religious grounds. If a woman was a Catholic, for instance, her church would advise her NOT to have an abortion. It would still be her decision to obey or disobey her church's command. She might believe that she would have to follow her own conscience and do what she thought was right. If she truly based her life on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, she might find nothing in his words or actions that would forbid her to abort the life-making process within if she deemed it her choice.
Fundamental branches of established religions are patriarchal in nature and sometimes even contradict the teachings of Jesus if power is at stake.
The religious question is, essentially, "When does the incarnating soul become attached to the fetus?" Those who believe in reincarnation (as I do) have a very different point of view than the Christian fundamentalists. A woman who had such a belief might feel she was in touch with the incarnating soul. She might explain to that soul that she was not yet ready to serve as a vehicle for the incarnation. Though sad and disappointed, the incoming soul might understand, withdraw, and move on to seek another "mother." Who is to say that this sort of religious expression is any less valid than the rest?
The three views of the abortion issue (Logical, Emotional, and Religious) are at the heart of the controversy. Perhaps if we all strived to understand what was happening inside of us when we felt the intensity of our reactions, we would learn more about ourselves. To blame others and to heap abuse upon them is not a rational way of behaving.
I have had to sit quietly while people called me a murderer for having had an abortion. I challenge anyone--if you truly believe that is so, then indict me and send me to jail! Go the whole way with your beliefs! If you simply want to call me names and humiliate me, then examine your motives!
Sending doctors who perform abortions to jail is also not rational. Even if all the doctors go to jail, women will still find someone to perform abortions, or else they will try to self-abort. And the world will be robbed of the skill of the doctors!
And blaming the doctors is also a denial of a woman’s ability to decide for herself what to allow into her own body. This is definitely a matter of a woman’s right to independence!
As the Buddhists say, “May all beings be free from suffering. May all beings be liberated through the unwavering knowledge of who they truly are.”