I've been seeing a lot of posts on facebook reguarding abortion and everything in between because of a little something called Measure 26 that is trying to be passed in the state of Mississippi. Basically, I can't look at my Facebook without seeing conversations centered around this issue. I sometime itch to say something, but then think better of it because people are so very opinionated. I learned that there are times when a conversation on an issue is possible, but when the conversation would turn to debate it is best to leave it a lone. Well, this is a blog and here I can voice my thoughts and hopefully feel relief from not saying anything on my many friends' status'. So here goes my opinions on abortion/measure 26.
"What more dramatic confirmation could we have of the real issue than the Baby Doe case in Bloomington, Indiana? The death of that tiny infant tore at the hearts of all Americans because the child was undeniably a live human being — one lying helpless before the eyes of the doctors and the eyes of the nation. The real issue for the courts was not whether Baby Doe was a human being. The real issue was whether to protect the life of a human being who had Down's Syndrome, who would probably be mentally handicapped, but who needed a routine surgical procedure to unblock his esophagus and allow him to eat. A doctor testified to the presiding judge that, even with his physical problem corrected, Baby Doe would have a "non-existent" possibility for "a minimally adequate quality of life" — in other words, that retardation was the equivalent of a crime deserving the death penalty. The judge let Baby Doe starve and die, and the Indiana Supreme Court sanctioned his decision.
Federal law does not allow federally-assisted hospitals to decide that Down's Syndrome infants are not worth treating, much less to decide to starve them to death. Accordingly, I have directed the Departments of Justice and HHS to apply civil rights regulations to protect handicapped newborns. All hospitals receiving federal funds must post notices which will clearly state that failure to feed handicapped babies is prohibited by federal law. The basic issue is whether to value and protect the lives of the handicapped, whether to recognize the sanctity of human life. This is the same basic issue that underlies the question of abortion. . .
Federal law does not allow federally-assisted hospitals to decide that Down's Syndrome infants are not worth treating, much less to decide to starve them to death. Accordingly, I have directed the Departments of Justice and HHS to apply civil rights regulations to protect handicapped newborns. All hospitals receiving federal funds must post notices which will clearly state that failure to feed handicapped babies is prohibited by federal law. The basic issue is whether to value and protect the lives of the handicapped, whether to recognize the sanctity of human life. This is the same basic issue that underlies the question of abortion. . .
The real question today is not when human life begins, but, What is the value of human life? The abortionist who reassembles the arms and legs of a tiny baby to make sure all its parts have been torn from its mother's body can hardly doubt whether it is a human being. The real question for him and for all of us is whether that tiny human life has a God-given right to be protected by the law — the same right we have."
President Ronald Reagan, 1983
I believe in agency: the gift of choice. I believe it is our given right to choose and make decisions for ourselves. With that said, I do not believe in abortion. At some point, there is a human life that needs and deserves to be recognized. Now, when does that human life become viable? It is one of those questions that I would love Heavenly Father to just allow the world to know the answer. In my heart I always say that it is the moment there is a heart beat. I choose to believe that life is viable when that tiny heart begins fluttering. This happens generally around 6 weeks in pregnancy.
This is a super hard thing to judge, but why? This is human life we are talking about so shouldn't it be an easier topic? Protect human life. The end. But that is not the end. There are other components to the topic that light fire into the hearts of people on both sides. Rape, incest, and complications that bring danger to the mother are the main issues that come to my mind.
The sun rises on the black and white field to reveal shades of grey.
I agree with this:
"Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer." -LDS.org
I feel blessed to be belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to know that there are true prophets and apostles today that can help shed light on various topics.
...published in the June 1972 issue of the Priesthood Bulletin:
“The Church opposes abortion and counsels its members not to submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases where, in the opinion of competent medical counsel, the life or good health of the mother is seriously endangered or where the pregnancy was caused by rape and produces serious emotional trauma in the mother. Even then it should be done only after counseling with the local presiding priesthood authority and after receiving divine confirmation through prayer.
“As the matter stands today, no definite statement has been made by the Lord one way or another regarding the crime of abortion. So far as is known, he has not listed it alongside the crime of the unpardonable sin and shedding of innocent human blood. That he has not done so would suggest that it is not in that class of crime and therefore that it will be amenable to the laws of repentance and forgiveness.
“These observations must not be interpreted to mean that acts of abortion, except under circumstances explained in a preceding paragraph, are not of a serious nature. To tamper or interfere with any of the processes in the procreation of offspring is to violate one of the most sacred of God’s commandments—to multiply and replenish the earth. Abortion must be considered one of the most revolting and sinful practices in this day, when we are witnessing the frightening evidence of permissiveness leading to sexual immorality."
Further down in the article, and something I found interesting and thought provoking:
5. No one can tell at what point a fetus is viable.
Since, at the present stage of medical achievement, a fetus cannot be kept alive outside the mother’s womb before about twenty-four weeks after conception, the new abortion laws allow life to be taken prior to this time.
Some argue that “no one knows when life begins,” so they reason, “Why not consider it at birth?” However, the argument might just as well be reversed to state that if no one really knows when life starts, why not consider it as life at the point when the life-developing processes begin.
The genetic potential that directs the development of all human life is fully established at the moment of conception when the mother’s egg is fertilized by the father’s sperm. The factors that influence temperament, physique, eye, hair, skin color, and even intellectual capacity are all present.
At four weeks the fetus has a functioning heart, before the mother is aware that she is pregnant; by eight weeks there is a central nervous system and ingestive and digestive systems; brain cells, ears, eyes, nose, toes, and fingers are also forming. The baby can even move his head and bend his body, and he is sensitive to touch.
The simple fact is that at no point during a pregnancy is any human capable of knowing when the spirit of life takes up a new abode.
The full article can be found here:
If I lived in MS, I would vote no to Measure 26. I do think something should be done, but I do not completely agree with Measure 26 in its entirety.
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