Is abortion child abuse?

I was passing a church today and noticed their display of 4,000 little white crosses and their sign that said "Abortion the Ultimate Child Abuse".  I had to stop and wonder why they didn't have crosses and a sign about the "murder" and "disposal" yearly of millions of fertilized eggs by the in-vitro fertilization clinics?  If one uses the reasoning that a sperm and an egg combined is "sacred" and a "human life", then shouldn't they be making couples who use in-vitro labs feel guilty?  Under this reasoning aren't in-vitro lab technicians guilty of murder and "child abuse" as well?  Have we as americans forgotten how to use reason and logic and science? Is the church peddling a heavy dose of guilt upon a woman who has made a difficult choice?  I had to comtemplate and step back and wonder about the 1/3 of all pregnancies that are "miscarried".  Whose will is it that that potential child was lost?  Is god to blame?   At the very least god is guilty for "allowing" a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy?  Is he not powerful enough to "save a life and preserve a pregnancy to full term"?  Logical "faith based" thinking would deduce that god allowed or "caused" a miscarriage and is equal in guilt to an "abortionist", or maybe more so, as far more pregnancies are lost to miscarriage than to abortion.  Has the church stopped to consider that a significant number of those abortions were performed to save the life of the mother?  Should a woman feel guilty for saving her own life?  Pregnancy causes 500,000 deaths yearly in america.  It is not a condition that is without risk.  Does a woman who is saving her own life feel guilty for "this so-called ultimate child abuse".  A fetus does not have a developed brain or nervous system and cannot feel pain before 24 weeks.  How is removing a fetus from a uterus child abuse?  A zygote and blastocyte does not have any way of "knowing, feeling, and being aware of pain"....how is removing a pregnancy in those stages child abuse?  Is any of this logical?  NO.  The display is an act of religious dogma that targets women and girls with the intention of applying a layer of guilt to their psyche and emotions.  To an ignorant populace who has expended logic and replaced dogma with guilt the anti-abortion sign will be accepted "as fact".  It isn't fact.  The dislplay is a  a display of self righteous dogma devoid of reason to force a public debate to their personal (not biblical)  positions of morality.  If they want their wives, sisters and mother's to die from an unsafe pregnancy...so be it...but leave the public well enough alone.  How many children are actually abused everyday?  As a child that was abused and risked death daily just by waking and breathing I can tell anyone who would care to listen about child abuse....I barely survived childhood.  The unwanted children of unwanted pregnancies are the real everyday potential victims of child abuse...not the act of removing a glob of cells from a woman's uterus!!!  Sperm and eggs are not sacred.  A human that is living and breathing as it's own "outside" of the mother is a human life.  Denial of food, shelter and love of a baby that is breathing and living outside the womb of a mother is child abuse....not an abortion!  Leave women alone and let them decide when a pregnancy is safe and prudent. 

The curse of the bastard child

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 23:1-2)
If someone has the misfortune of being born as a result of his mother being raped he is excluded by this edict from worship for 10 generations. This is punishing the child for something that happened between the 2 adults that parented him. It is most probably very likely his mother did not intend to have a child out of wedlock. This bible verse demonizes children out of wedlock. A bastard child does not have the same access to god as a child whose father claims him. I remember that the word bastard carried very heavy shame up to my generation. The shame of birthing and raising a "bastard" has no doubt been the cause of women for centuries risking their own life to resort to self-induced abortions to remove a pregnancy that would result in a stigmatized "bastard" child. Thankfully, the stigma has been lifted in our present culture to the point where now up to 45% of mothers birth babies out of wedlock. To take the bible literally those children would not be allowed to enter a church or a synagogue for 10 generations.

Abolishing Abortion

Sue Engle, who won the republican primary in Nevada is just the latest republican politician who would restrict abortions even in the case of incest and rape.  Her latest comment is that  pregnancy is "God's will" and therefore should not be disrupted.  Scientifically and biologically  a woman becomes pregnant when her egg is fertilized by a sperm, it is not a "spiritual" phenomenon, but a consequence of the forces of nature. Let me say it again, fertilization is a scientific, biologic phenomenon not a spiritual phenomenon.  We have no evidence that everything or anything that happens in our world is "God's will".  The ancient book of Job attritubed both his blessings and calamities to God.  Some modern day believers have adopted Job's theolgy and have come to spiritualize everything in their lives as well as acts of god.  Modern believers are looking to god for complete protection and intervention at every moment of every day.  This is certainly their right, but do they have a right to force that level spiritualization on society as a whole?  If god broke your arm should you attempt to mend it?  If god broke your hip should you intervene or accept it as god's will? If god gave you high blood pressure should you ignore it and "pray" god will take it away or should you see a doctor and take blood pressure medications.  If you are pregnant with a baby that has severe birth defects and you are 45 and cannot afford to raise a child with birth defects should you be forced by political laws to keep the pregnancy?  Difficult issues to be sure.  Does Sue Engle have the right to make that decision for the girls and women in the USA when she comes to power as a politician?  She thinks so and so do her supporters.  Sue Engle did not win the republican primary in a vacum.  Many republican men and women agree with her and are striving to get her elected just so political pressure can be applied to restricting women's rights.  In Brazil, where abortion is illegal thousands of women die from attempts to self induce abortions.  This will soon be the case in america where the pro-life politicians are crafting  state and federal laws that will make abortion obsolete without overturning Roe v. Wade.  Governor Bobby Jindal just signed a law making it illegal for an abortion provider to be sold insurance in the state of Louisiana.  Even the most passionate providers would not risk to liability of performing abortion without insurance coverage.  Every abortion provider is a target for potential assassination by rabid pro-life forces.  To put your very life at risk in order to practice medicine is something only a few brave doctors are willing to subject themselves to.  It is not easy  for women to find an abortion provider now, how many will perform abortions without malpractice insurance?  Let's be honest, Roe v Wade could be overturned.  The surpreme court has a conservative majority that were appointed by republican presidents who promised the public that they would abolish abortion.  Why has it not happened?  Because it is a dangling carrot.  Pro-life forces are the republican party's base and a very secure source of loyalists.  To get rid of Roe v Wade would be shooting themselves in the foot.  Local and state level pro-life politicians will continue to craft laws that will make abortion inaccessible thus eliminating abortion without having to overturn Roe v Wade and the conservative anti-choice female politicians  often times lead the charge to take away a woman's right to decide whether to keep a pregnancy invoking religion.  If the alarming trend of restrictive state laws continue we are not many years away from women having no choice.  Right now, wealthy girls and women can travel and  pay for an abortion.  It is the 6th grade girl in Dumas, Arkansas that does not have the funds or the ability to access a safe legal procedure that would allow her to continue her childhood.  Who is speaking up for the 13 and 14 year old girls?  Certainly not self righteous politicians like Sue Engle, Sara Palin, Michelle Bachman and Tom Coburn and Bobby Jindal.  The pro-choice voices are being silenced by elected officials who ran on a pro-life platform who would punish women with unwanted pregnancies.  1 in 3 female soldiers are raped while serving in the military and yet abortion outlawed on military bases and the military will not pay for an abortion under any circumstance.  Not only are female soldiers intimidated into not reporting their rapes, but they cannot terminate the pregnancy if they get pregnant from the rape.  Dr. Tiller wore a button that said, "Trust Women" but he was silenced for doing so.  Descent into theocracy is never good for women.

Divorce or Die Headline

Today while reading the news I came across an article about a young couple in India who are being told by the tribal elders in their village that a mistake was made in allowing them to marriage as their "castes" do not match up.  The ultimatum, as it has come down from the tribal elders to divorce or be killed by the tribe.  The couple is in the process of trying to figure out how to flee their village.

This situation is interesting to westerners who no doubt feel a sense of superiority that our culture is not ruled by tribal elders, or a caste system or a dowry system.  The article stated that in India thousands of babies are aborted each year because they are girls.  In a male dominated society of male tribal elders male children are being selected and preferred. With a strong dowry system in place young people are not free to choose their lovers and life partners.  The village elders and their parents are the ones in control of their destiny.  Before westerners become so glib,  village "elders" approving who can and cannot marry and society wanting boys as more desirable is part of the history of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  All of these religions are based on tribal lore with men participating as the central characters.  Men and women have struggled to break free of the ridiculous demands of their religions for thousands of years. I am quite frankly surprised these ancient religions based on the fables of illiterate sheep herders and fishermen still dominates modern day laws and culture and politics. Man made and male dominated religions and traditions are alive and well and thriving today...you would think at least that women would refuse to participate.