Culture and Abortion

Culture and Mortality, Part 1: Abortion

This is the first of four articles about Culture and Mortality

In some ways we are a culture that resorts to extremes, that resorts to terminal means of settling psycho-emotional conflicts (homicide and suicide) and that is quite self-destructive in terms of self-care (chronic disease.) We must have criteria by which we may make decisions about the moral status of our culture; and, we need some structure by which we may determine the lethality involved as we persevere living in this culture. What in the world is happening in our culture? Is this a post-truth era? Is this the age of dishonesty? Morality around the issue of abortion has to do with rights and duties and obligations between people.

So, abortion appears to be a toxic and lethal byproduct of the relativistic trend in our culture that allows extremes of boundary violations. Just what is it in the psyche of the abortion industry that allows them to terminate human life? Who do they think they are? What level of arrogance and narcissism are we dealing with here? Who are they accountable to? And, it is not just an issue of the abortion industry but also the political apparatus and the judicial apparatus that allows this to go on and on. Also, we see culpability on the part of aggressive activists who appear to be giving credence to women’s rights for a cause that is clearly psychologically and spiritually and physically very unhealthy. Many women carry with them for a lifetime the abortion decision; it becomes for many, an indelible psychological injury.

In my casual conversations with people about abortion, I see a remarkable sense of futility, I see and discuss statistics but seldom do I hear folks discussing tangible remedies. It is as if many people continue to accept this high incidence of abortion in our country as a given, as a norm, as a situation about which we can have little influence. Yes, there is a decrease in the incidence of abortion and that is a very positive statistic.

One of the initiatives that I have given a good deal of thought about is the whole issue of the man’s role in the abortion process. If we could motivate most men to stand up and be advocates for their children, for their unborn children, we may very well see a very powerful counter activist movement; but, this would require men to take a stand, to break through their denial and to quit pretending that they do not have responsibility here. And, equally important, to quit pretending like they do not care whether their child is aborted or not. Men need to be present to view their child in the womb and to allow themselves to come to grips emotionally with the fact that this is a product of their DNA. I don’t want to leave the impression that I think this is a simple process, it is certainly not that. Many of these men are terrified when they find out that their female partner or even their spouse is pregnant. But, these men need to come to grips with what it means to be resilient, to be psychologically hardy, to be responsible, and to set an example for our youth. Healthy men are able to cope with this. My hope is that as they dig themselves out from layer after layer of denial and inertia that they could then stand up for what is obviously theirs’ and, in the process set a great example for all men. Finally, I want to mention that this is not about an aggressive confrontation about women’s rights. It is about the rights of the unborn baby. If we could define fatherhood as one of the most critically important roles that men have, perhaps we could then have more intact families where we can raise children, healthy children, that can have a complete sense that both a mother and a father are essential to the development of our children.

So, as we look at options during pregnancy, adoption is (obviously) a critical issue. Adoption needs to be available, affordable, and it needs to be an industry that has integrity and the support of our communities. It is an imperative that prospective parents are screened for their ability to parent a child or another child in a responsible way. It is also very important that the amount of red-tape involved in this process be minimized, as we do not want this process to be a burden that discourages adoption.

Also, grandparents can be an incredibly positive aspect of these decisions about pregnancy, abortion, and adoption. Many grandparents are bonded eternally to their children and grandchildren; often, they can give good guidance and tangible assistance, as an integral part of the family legacy.

That we have now moved toward considering late-term abortion is not only discouraging, but it is a new and unfortunate level of moral decline. Where is our sense of basic right and wrong? Where are the boundaries?

Is abortion an appropriate task for the medical profession? Abortion appears to be a necessary medical procedure in some cases. And, we can only hope that the medical industry is using professional discretion in the decision to carry out abortions.

 And, what about trafficking in body parts? Planned Parenthood has apparently been implicated in this. This sort of behavior is at the intersection of greed and moral sickness. It reflects a lack of conscience which is an absolutely essential asset for mental health, cultural health and spiritual well-being. This illegal human organ trafficking involves an apparently insatiable demand for these body tissues. This brief article cannot go into much detail about this topic but we do need to beware that in some cases abortions are being performed in order to provide for this ongoing demand for illegal body parts.

It appears that the following statistics are accurate:

·       About 1.5% of abortions are due to rape or incest.

·       About 85% of abortions involve unmarried women.

·       About 50% involve women under the age of 24                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

·       60% of women who have abortions have at least one other child.

·       About 78% of abortions are surgically performed; about 22% are chemically induced.

·       In the past several years the incidence of abortion has decreased significantly.

·       Providing women and men with the knowledge and resources necessary to make decisions about their sexual behavior and use of contraception can help them avoid unintended pregnancies.

·        Providing contraception for women at no cost can increase use of these methods and reduce abortion rates.

References:

·        Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC): ‘Reproductive health, Data and statistics,’ published online, updated February, 2018.

·        Mohler, R. Albert: ‘Culture shift: the battle for the moral heart of America,’ Multnomah Books, 2011, Chapter 13.

·        Peipert, Jeffery F. et al.:’Preventing Unintended Pregnancies by Providing No-Cost Contraception,’ Obstetrics and Gynecology, December 2012, 120(6): 1291-1297.

·        Zahler, William A: ‘Synergy and the Dynamics of Lifestyle Change’, Create Space and KDP, published January 2019, Pgs. 200-201.

William Zahler, MSW, ACLM

November 2019