Women's Rights, Abortion, and Legislation

This subject has come up again, as so-called social conservatives seek to restrict women's access to abortion in the United States Congress and in the laws of various states. Women often see this as a bunch of old white men seeking to control their bodies; men don't often see the issue in those terms because their bodies are seldom the subject of legislation, at least what goes on inside their bodies. Perhaps they would feel different if the law required them to get their wives permission before they could buy viagra, get a tatoo, or get a vasectomy, Indeed, what if a woman could order her husband to get one, under the law?

I have two beliefs that come to bear here: 1)that when we marry, our bodies are no longer our own, as the two become one flesh, ie one organism; and 2)that once a child is conceived, it deserves full recognition as a natural person. These are my beliefs, and that's what this web site is for, discussion of beliefs. Okay, so far it's only about my beliefs, but I really do hope others will join in. Anyway, this is an issue where differing beliefs cause a big political controversy.

As I try to write about this, I keep getting sucked into the political dispute; but nobody really needs to hear my legal opinions. I want to try to stay focused on the spiritual issues here. Many people, Christian or not, fail to see the impact of "the two shall become one flesh", or try to apply it only in that women's bodies belong to their husbands and not the other way around. It's clear to me that oneness has to work both ways. And I don't need no piece of paper from the city hall (thank you Joni Mitchell) to recognize a marital commitment.

Oh, and what about unmarried women who become pregnant? Should a man who has sex without marital commitment have any input in this decision? Maybe, but I don't think so.

Still, I don't think a woman should make this decision alone. That really would be murder, when one person arbitrarily decides to kill another. A woman distressed enough to be thinking about it should be required to talk to a doctor about the medical issues, a social worker about the social issues, and the father of the child (if appropriate) about the personal issues. Ultimately though, I end up coming down on the woman's side on this one. If there is an irreconcilable difference with her advisors, the woman's decision must be the final answer. She will have to live with it more than anyone else. As with the matter of divorce, I see this legal process being necessitated by the hardness of our hearts.

So in a nutshell, I think that we could all avoid a lot of pain by agreeing on a few principles:

• A child is a person from the moment of conception.
• In our society, we do agree to kill people from time to time, after some due process.
• In an effort to limit the imposition of other people's beliefs, we need to respect the decision of the woman, as long as she has access to appropriate advice.

It's not a perfect world out there, and I believe that trying to legislate beyond this only leads to more oppression and sorrow for women. This is not a social problem that can be solved with mere legislation, so we must act to preserve liberty under the law.