Thursday, June 04, 2009

The problem with abortion

In the wake of the Tiller killing many people have taken to demonizing the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement. One author, sadly a former priest, claimed that the Church was anti-choice and anti-woman and that it was our hate filled rhetoric that killed Tiller.

The fact of the matter is that Tiller was killed by a man who had a choice. A choice which similarly the Catholic Church and pro-life movement disagrees with. And while I would like to think that even though misguided he did what he did to save babies, I realize that in reality he probably chose his ideology over the value of a life, the same error that many pro-death people have been making for over 40 years.

The Church is not anti-choice, we just realize that to murder a 50 year old doctor or a 5 month old baby in the womb is essentially the same thing.

And she is not anti-woman no more than someone who criticizes the holocaust is anti-German.

The fundamental fact is that murder is wrong. And while Tiller may himself have been guilty of this intrinsic evil, killing someone because of anger, frustration, and ideological hate is also wrong.

I don't want to live in a country where we need to start making decisions based on who is in power, who has the means of pursuasion, about who lives or dies.

And yet if we undermine the basic protection of all human life, that is exactly the type of society we are creating. I think we see it already.

Patrick Madrid, over at his blog, posted this sad mock letter about the direction we are LOGICALLY taking. I encourage you to read this letter and then using the logic of abortion tell me how it does not follow. Sure you can say no one wants that, which is not true as one of the leading abortion advocates, a honest philosopher at Princeton, openly promotes infanticide. But just using logic what basis can we give for who ought not to be killed and who might be - is it public opinion? That is really scary! As is this letter, but it is I think our future if we don't wake up:

January 22, 2023

Dear Mom:

Can you believe it is already the year 2023? I'm still writing '22 on everything! It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the first grade and celebrating the change to a new century.

I know we really haven't chatted since Christmas, Mom, and I'm sorry. Anyway, I have some difficult news to share with you and, to be honest, I really didn't want to call or talk about this face to face.

But before I get to that, let me report that Ted just got a big promotion, and I should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in all those crazy hours. You know how I work at it. (Yes, we're still struggling to pay the bills.)

Little Timmy's been okay at kindergarten, although he complains about going. But then, he wasn't happy about the day-care center either. So what can we do?

He's been a real problem, Mom. He's a good kid, but quite honestly, he's an unfair burden on us at this time in our lives.

Ted and I have talked this through, and we have finally made a choice. Plenty of other families have made the same choice and are really better off today.

Our pastor is supportive of our choice. He pointed out the family is a system, and the demands of one member shouldn't be allowed to ruin the whole. The pastor told us to be prayerful and to consider all the factors as to what is right to make our family work. He says that even though he probably wouldn't do it himself, the choice really is ours. He was kind enough to refer us to a children's clinic near here, so at least that part is easy.

Don't get me wrong, Mom. I'm not an uncaring mother. I do feel sorry for the little guy. I think he heard Ted and me talking about this the other night. I turned and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs in his PJ's with his little teddy bear that you gave him under his arm, and his eyes were sort of welled up with tears.

Mom, the way he looked at me just about broke my heart, but I honestly believe this is better for Timmy, too. It's just not fair to force him to live in a family that can't give him the time and attention he deserves.

And please, Mom, don't give me the kind of grief that grandma gave you over your abortions. It's the same thing, you know. There's really no difference.

We've told Timmy he's just going in for a "vaccination." Anyway, they say the termination procedure is painless. I guess it's just as well that you haven't seen that much of little Timmy lately.

Please give my love to Dad.

Your daughter.

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