Abortion is a hot-button topic in American politics. I will say however, that it seems to have taken a bit of a back seat during our day to more prominent issues. For the liberal left, abortion is a decided issue. Anyone who disagrees hates freedom and ought to be shouted down. This is the same direction the debate over homosexuality is going as well. You can marginalize those who disagree with you by coolly asserting that their opinions are not even worth responding to. In the mind of the typical American, it seems that this tactic has worked. for those who don't think often about these issues, it seems that the most discussed stances are those that people generally side with. It kind of reminds me of how advertising works.
However, just because the legality of something has been determined does not mean that the morality of said issue is decided. That debate continues on regardless of how one may respond to the subject. This is something that we must continue to keep in mind in the political battle over homosexuality as well.
It isn't often that the true issues at hand are debated over an issue. Typically what happens is that a particular stance on an issue is taken by somebody because they can see how the other stance infringes fundamentally on one of their presuppositions. This works both ways as well. What happens typically is somebody fundamentally "feels" that abortion is right or wrong. Then they try to formulate arguments supporting their feelings. This blinds people from discussing the real issues that are fundamental to the debate and discussion. They are too committed to their presuppositions to examine them critically or to try and step into somebody else's worldview to try and understand them.
It is rare to hear straight from the pro-abortion side why they so strongly support their stance. However, I was directed to an article off of facebook where somebody in great support of abortion spelled out clearly what they think the issue is about. The article spoke of actress Sarah Paulson who was challenged by somebody in a "Taco and Beer" challenge. This is a spin-off of the wildly popular ALS Ice Bucket challenge in which the challenge is in support of abortion. What Sarah Paulson said is incredibly revealing:
However, just because the legality of something has been determined does not mean that the morality of said issue is decided. That debate continues on regardless of how one may respond to the subject. This is something that we must continue to keep in mind in the political battle over homosexuality as well.
It isn't often that the true issues at hand are debated over an issue. Typically what happens is that a particular stance on an issue is taken by somebody because they can see how the other stance infringes fundamentally on one of their presuppositions. This works both ways as well. What happens typically is somebody fundamentally "feels" that abortion is right or wrong. Then they try to formulate arguments supporting their feelings. This blinds people from discussing the real issues that are fundamental to the debate and discussion. They are too committed to their presuppositions to examine them critically or to try and step into somebody else's worldview to try and understand them.
It is rare to hear straight from the pro-abortion side why they so strongly support their stance. However, I was directed to an article off of facebook where somebody in great support of abortion spelled out clearly what they think the issue is about. The article spoke of actress Sarah Paulson who was challenged by somebody in a "Taco and Beer" challenge. This is a spin-off of the wildly popular ALS Ice Bucket challenge in which the challenge is in support of abortion. What Sarah Paulson said is incredibly revealing:
“It’s about autonomy, it’s about reproductive freedom and a woman’s right to choose,”1
The first sin in the garden of Eden was autonomy. Satan tricked us into thinking that rather than submitting to God in all areas of our lives, instead we could become God. Intellectual and moral autonomy is precisely what Jesus calls us to surrender in order to die to ourselves and become his disciples. At it's core, Paulson's statement decalres that standing up for abortion is about standing up for man's most fundamental characteristic as a fallen creature. Essentially Paulson declares that the issue is about sin.
Notice also the implication of her choice term "reproductive freedom." This is ahint that the real matter is one of sexual freedom and autonomy. You see from a naturalistic or humanistic worldview sex is something that we are allowed to engage in with whomever we want whenever we want (as long as it's consensual, though even that standard is degrading). Nobody has the right to tell us what we are going to do with our bodies. Additionally, babies are simply an unfortunate result of the animalistic and sensual act that is sex. We have rationalized that because they are not born yet, they are ours for the killing.
Truly, the only grounds for any absolute standards in morality and ethics are derived from a moral Creator. Once we have abandoned many of those presuppositions, we fail to find any reasons for some of the standards that previous generations held to. For sinful man, abortion is primarily about asserting our own autonomy in this world - apart from God and his objective standard. Abortion is about rebelling against God's requirements in the area of human sexuality and doing what we see fit with our bodies. Beloved, see abortion for the slap in the face of God that it is, and do not fall prey to a compromised position of allying with the enemy.
-tanner
1 http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/watch-sarah-paulson-support-reproductive-rights-while-eating#4g69frg
Notice also the implication of her choice term "reproductive freedom." This is ahint that the real matter is one of sexual freedom and autonomy. You see from a naturalistic or humanistic worldview sex is something that we are allowed to engage in with whomever we want whenever we want (as long as it's consensual, though even that standard is degrading). Nobody has the right to tell us what we are going to do with our bodies. Additionally, babies are simply an unfortunate result of the animalistic and sensual act that is sex. We have rationalized that because they are not born yet, they are ours for the killing.
Truly, the only grounds for any absolute standards in morality and ethics are derived from a moral Creator. Once we have abandoned many of those presuppositions, we fail to find any reasons for some of the standards that previous generations held to. For sinful man, abortion is primarily about asserting our own autonomy in this world - apart from God and his objective standard. Abortion is about rebelling against God's requirements in the area of human sexuality and doing what we see fit with our bodies. Beloved, see abortion for the slap in the face of God that it is, and do not fall prey to a compromised position of allying with the enemy.
-tanner
1 http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/watch-sarah-paulson-support-reproductive-rights-while-eating#4g69frg
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