Thank you, Rick, for addressing this overwhelming and important moral and cultural issue. I, like you and many from our era were not paying close attention to many important issues in 1973, other than school, dating, and future job prospects.
It was not until a few years into my practice, I read an article on the significant correlation between women who suffered from depression and anxiety, and prior experiences with abortion. The "conventional wisdom" at the time, and still today, was that women would not experience any long-term negative effects to abortion, and I have since discovered that they were wrong, as well as purposely misleading. Anecdotally, I began asking women at intake, "have you ever had a pregnancy that did not go full term?" I remember initially being shocked at the significant correlation between prior abortions and mental health symptoms, especially depression.
In short, if a person does something morally wrong, whether they believe it is or not, or someone else tells them everything is fine, our body, mind, and spirit knows better. These women are emotionally and spiritually injured, and our culture gaslights them and attempts to convince them that nothing happened. They are not able to heal from this trauma or grieve their loss. Even with men, I have worked with many men over the years who have described the "gut punch" they experienced when their child was aborted, even though, at the time, they were not consciously aware this was occurring. A large instinctual part of every man is to protect their children.
I hope and pray that God is merciful, and continues to heal our world of this horrible injury to our unborn, our women, our marriages, families, and society.
Hi Rlobin. Nothing I have written suggests otherwise. My intent was to state my position on this and the reasons for that. Others are free to disagree. Rick
You state "There are, however, two parties in every pregnancy and I believe that men have a right and moral responsibility to weigh in on abortion."
I agree that men have a right to weigh in on the topic of abortion but their opinion should not trump that of the woman who is pregnant.
Perhaps it would be easier to understand if the tables were turned and the question was vasectomies instead of abortion. Since every sperm is a potential baby, should women be allowed to determine that a man should have a vasectomy even if he does not want one? Should the government set laws that decree all men must have vasectomies until a woman decides she is ready to be pregnant?
Sherry, Thanks for reading and commenting. I don't really see how mandatory vasectomies are relevant to the post. Sperm and egg cells have no potential to become a person individually, only when they come toegether in a fertilzed egg. Nature wastes countless millions of sperm cells and hundreds of eggs in the course of a man or woman's lifetime, but does not waste fertilized eggs unless the fail ti implant or the ovum/fetus/baby has a serious genetic defect. i think you have misread me. I did not say anythinng to suggest that a man's opinion should trump the woman's. If you read what I wrote carefully, while I be;lieve abortion on demand is wrong, I allow for special circumstances, and I clearly stated "women, their families, and their doctors deserve the freedom to make difficult choices without interference or judgement." What would be the objection to that? Best, Rick
I agree with you on the morality. I think the pro-abortion movement has gone way too far in separating the unborn child from the conversation— it shouldn’t be about “rights,” but rather health. I also recognize that we live in a culture that will never value life the way God does. Having said that, I think there should always be a medical reason for any abortion after 15 weeks (life of mother or child, severe deformity incompatible with living a healthy life, physical trauma during pregnancy.) I think all abortions should be in hospital and performed by doctors, not clinicians. I also think birth control should be free for women (let Planned Parenthood dispense it instead of abortions) and, while I hate the idea of “morning after” abortifacients, I think they should be legal through six weeks. It’s a moral compromise, but I think this culture is past the point of welcoming babies into the world just because they are unexpected and inconvenient.
Stephanie, I agree with you. Abortion is such a charged issue that opposing views will never be reconciled. All we can do is come up with reasonable compromises that allow for that reality and allow us to move to other important issues. No one will be totally satisfied with any compromise, which is the definition of the word. Ultimately, we should leave judgement to the ultimate Judge. I just felt I should make my position clear, explain why I hold it, and leave it at that. Best, Rick
There have always been allowances for delivering a baby early if medically required to save the mother's life, even if that child may die because it is delivered early.
Neonatal hospice is available for these situations and is a compassionate option that honors the life of the child.
I have never heard of neonatal hospice. I respect hospice for its dedication to maintaining dignity and respect at the end of life. Thanks for sharing. Rick
Thank you, Rick, for addressing this overwhelming and important moral and cultural issue. I, like you and many from our era were not paying close attention to many important issues in 1973, other than school, dating, and future job prospects.
It was not until a few years into my practice, I read an article on the significant correlation between women who suffered from depression and anxiety, and prior experiences with abortion. The "conventional wisdom" at the time, and still today, was that women would not experience any long-term negative effects to abortion, and I have since discovered that they were wrong, as well as purposely misleading. Anecdotally, I began asking women at intake, "have you ever had a pregnancy that did not go full term?" I remember initially being shocked at the significant correlation between prior abortions and mental health symptoms, especially depression.
In short, if a person does something morally wrong, whether they believe it is or not, or someone else tells them everything is fine, our body, mind, and spirit knows better. These women are emotionally and spiritually injured, and our culture gaslights them and attempts to convince them that nothing happened. They are not able to heal from this trauma or grieve their loss. Even with men, I have worked with many men over the years who have described the "gut punch" they experienced when their child was aborted, even though, at the time, they were not consciously aware this was occurring. A large instinctual part of every man is to protect their children.
I hope and pray that God is merciful, and continues to heal our world of this horrible injury to our unborn, our women, our marriages, families, and society.
Women die in childbirth, so they should have a right to avoid this
Hi Rlobin. Nothing I have written suggests otherwise. My intent was to state my position on this and the reasons for that. Others are free to disagree. Rick
You state "There are, however, two parties in every pregnancy and I believe that men have a right and moral responsibility to weigh in on abortion."
I agree that men have a right to weigh in on the topic of abortion but their opinion should not trump that of the woman who is pregnant.
Perhaps it would be easier to understand if the tables were turned and the question was vasectomies instead of abortion. Since every sperm is a potential baby, should women be allowed to determine that a man should have a vasectomy even if he does not want one? Should the government set laws that decree all men must have vasectomies until a woman decides she is ready to be pregnant?
Sherry, Thanks for reading and commenting. I don't really see how mandatory vasectomies are relevant to the post. Sperm and egg cells have no potential to become a person individually, only when they come toegether in a fertilzed egg. Nature wastes countless millions of sperm cells and hundreds of eggs in the course of a man or woman's lifetime, but does not waste fertilized eggs unless the fail ti implant or the ovum/fetus/baby has a serious genetic defect. i think you have misread me. I did not say anythinng to suggest that a man's opinion should trump the woman's. If you read what I wrote carefully, while I be;lieve abortion on demand is wrong, I allow for special circumstances, and I clearly stated "women, their families, and their doctors deserve the freedom to make difficult choices without interference or judgement." What would be the objection to that? Best, Rick
I agree with you on the morality. I think the pro-abortion movement has gone way too far in separating the unborn child from the conversation— it shouldn’t be about “rights,” but rather health. I also recognize that we live in a culture that will never value life the way God does. Having said that, I think there should always be a medical reason for any abortion after 15 weeks (life of mother or child, severe deformity incompatible with living a healthy life, physical trauma during pregnancy.) I think all abortions should be in hospital and performed by doctors, not clinicians. I also think birth control should be free for women (let Planned Parenthood dispense it instead of abortions) and, while I hate the idea of “morning after” abortifacients, I think they should be legal through six weeks. It’s a moral compromise, but I think this culture is past the point of welcoming babies into the world just because they are unexpected and inconvenient.
Stephanie, I agree with you. Abortion is such a charged issue that opposing views will never be reconciled. All we can do is come up with reasonable compromises that allow for that reality and allow us to move to other important issues. No one will be totally satisfied with any compromise, which is the definition of the word. Ultimately, we should leave judgement to the ultimate Judge. I just felt I should make my position clear, explain why I hold it, and leave it at that. Best, Rick
There have always been allowances for delivering a baby early if medically required to save the mother's life, even if that child may die because it is delivered early.
Neonatal hospice is available for these situations and is a compassionate option that honors the life of the child.
I have never heard of neonatal hospice. I respect hospice for its dedication to maintaining dignity and respect at the end of life. Thanks for sharing. Rick
agreed.
Planned Parenthood and the other "progressives" have doctors running scared of lawsuits.