The Fetus has not Always Been King of All it Surveys


It will take a few minutes, but it is worthwhile to read the link from The New Yorker. It covers the entire gamete of thoughts from a woman who was raised in an anti-abortion sphere, had a child and now reflects of a woman's rights to abortion.  

She went to a Catholic elementary school and was taught abortion was sin done to cover up another sin. The other sin was having unapproved sex. She explained the theology taught to her this way, The moral universe was a stark battle of virtue and depravity, in which the only meaningful question about any possible action was whether or not it would be sanction in the eyes of God.

This helps me understand some anti-abortion zealots who post comments here. One wrote, "God hates abortion."  This even though "God's word," the Bible, never says this.

It helps me understand why when I ask people who criticize my blogs what rights a pregnant woman has it is met by silence. The silence means I would surmise what Judge Amy Coney Barrett said, she has one option, to give birth. A small piece taken from the link, "the only meaningful question" means posters do not understand the question of what rights does the pregnant woman have. It is not a question they have ever considered and furthermore is outside the realm of the topic of abortion. The fetus is the ruling god, all powerful and none other shall ever reign.   

 This reign of the fetus is relatively new. Before the 20th century what is called today "personhood" happened much later in pregnancies. This was because pregnancies were viewed more realistically. It was known pregnancies were dangerous. The fetus did then, as it does now, kill women. A narrative began in the 20th century pregnancy was an all-positive event. It began with fertilization and all events to follow were to be seen as positive. That a pregnancy could turn out to be a negative event was an idea to stomp out of existence. Reality is the fetus and the mother are in a battle for survival.

Current anti abortion religious beliefs and laws rule the fetus is not just a person but a superior and kinglike being. Its mother is legally compelled to accept harm, ruin and death on its behalf.

As the link explains in detail, this suffering by the woman was not the belief of Christianity for most of its history. It is, instead, a recent innovation. What today we call "choice" is closer to historical Christian orthodoxy.  


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