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Abortion: Positive?
SDA?
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Babies Having Babies |
The Epidemic of Teenage
Pregnancies |
The Epidemic of Teenage Pregnancies
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T&F?
(1981)
1. Babies making babies are
those ages of 13 to 31.
2. Some people grow older, but never grow up.
3. Spiritual Teenagers, Too? A
Epidemic in 2003? Negative? |
Giving birth at such an early age can have an enormous
impact (mostly negative) on the mother, particularly if the mother is
unmarried. The need to take care of a baby severely limits the
adolescent's ability to take advantage of opportunities that might have
changed her life for the better. In this regard, the problems posed by
births to unmarried girls are especially serious. The girl who has an
illegitimate child at the age of 16 suddenly has most of her life's
script written for her. She will probably drop out of high school, even
if someone else in the family helps to take care of the baby; she will
probably not be able to find a steady job that pays enough to provide
adequately for herself and her child; she may feel compelled to marry
someone whom she might not otherwise have chosen. Had the teenager been
able to delay her first child, her prospects might have been quite
different, assuming that she would have had the opportunity to sty in
school, improve her vocational skills, find a job, marry someone whom
she waited to marry and have a child when she and her husband were
ready...
The first psychological crisis for a pregnant teenager
occurs when she discovers that she is poignant. Her reaction to the
pregnancy may be visible in her behavior: she may become defensive,
offer reasons or excuses for the pregnancy or anything else that seems
to be wrong, lash out at family members or others, withdraw into
silence, limit interactions with family members or friends, or cry
frequently. The pregnant teenager will have to cope with her reactions
as well as the pregnancy itself.
One of the most common feelings a pregnant teenager may
experience is guilt. She my feel that it is all her fault and that the
world is against her. She may also feel that if she had been "a good
girl," she would not have become pregnant; since she did, she blames
herself. Some girls may become physically ill as a consequence of their
guilt feelings about their pregnancies...
Despite the lessening of societal disapproval of
illegitimate childbearing, pregnancy is still a disruptive event of
disastrous proportions for a teenager...
Perhaps the most important educational role you can play
is with teenagers who are not pregnant. The information,
encouragement and self-esteem you give them may prevent a difficult and
avoidable situation from occurring.-
The Journal of Practical Nursing; June, 1981.Babies
Having Badies, Minnie Allison-Tomlinson,Ph.D.
If this is true, and it is true., "Taking care of
The Baby" also means "Taking care of the Spiritual Babies.
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Abortion The ancients generally viewed abortion as a
woman’s private business, in which no man had any right to interfere. As
Hartley put it, "Each woman must be free to make her own choice: no man may
safely decide for her: she must give life gladly to be able to give it
well." But with the rise of patriarchal religions—especially among the
Greeks—came a belief that a father’s semen conveyed the soul to the fetus.
Men feared for the safety of any of their body effluvia (hair cuttings,
fingernail clippings, spittle, blood) lest sorcery might damage the living
man by damaging what was once a part of him. The fear was particularly
pronounced in the case of semen as an extension of the father’s soul. If the
fetus he conceived were destroyed, then surely the man himself would suffer
spiritual injury according to the principles of magic. St. Thomas Aquinas
held this same opinion, since he asserted that semen was the vehicle of
souls. It was a logical extension of this notion that abortion should be
outlawed, not because it was dangerous to women, but because it was thought
(magically) dangerous to men.
In the east, however, abortion was perfectly legal at any time before the
fifth month, when "quickening" was felt. After that, according to Brahman
scriptures, a woman who destroyed her fetus was held guilty of murder, but
before that time the fetus was soulless and could be destroyed with
impunity. This opinion was embodied in the Catholic church’s Doctrine of
Passive Conception, which contradicted Aquinas in order to prove that the
soul comes only from God. Up to the late 19th century, the
Doctrine of Passive Conception declared that the soul arrives in the fifth
month of pregnancy, to quicken the fetus, which was previously soulless.
In 1869 the church again revised its opinion, tacitly admitting either
that God had misinformed his church about his method of instilling the soul
into the body, or else that he had decided to alter it, Pope Pius X
announced that the soul was received at conception after all.
Actually, the church was only coming around, several decades late, to
follow some new laws made my man, not by God. Abortion was not classified as
a crime in Eurape until the 19th century. The United States first
defined abortion as a criminal offense in the year 1830.
The church now falsely pretends that it officially "always" opposed
abortion. The medieval church’s ire was aroused not by abortions per se
but by the midwives who performed them. The handbook of the Inquisition
stated: "No one does more harm to the Catholic faith than midwives." (See
Midwifery.) The church wa not averse to killing the
unborn, since it burned many pregnant women as witches. Even the pregnant
wife of a city councillor was tortured and burned at Banberg in 1630.
Recent opposition to legalization of abortion apparently stemmed from
ignorance of how recently it was illegalized; and also from male belief that
women must be controlled by forcing childbirth on them. "Male legislators
have laughed at the idea of the legalization of abortion, hinting at
unprecedented promiscuity (on the art of women, not men) if such a thing
were allowed. Meanwhile, thousands of desperate women die each year as the
direct result of male laws making abortion illegal. Women are learning the
meaning of this male laughter and indifference in the face of the most
hazardous and serious biological enterprise women undertake, willingly or
not."
The Catholic church still claims authority over women’s reproductive
functions. Catholic hospitals will refuse to abort even a fetus conceived by
rape.
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ADVICE
Daily News, Sunday, July 3, 1983
Catholic stand on abortion.
Dear Ann: I have a very dear friend who was reared a
Catholic. When she was a young woman, she had an abortion, which, as she
says, automatically excommunicated her from the church. She does not
practice any religion now and says, "If the church doesn't want me, then I
don't want the church."
I really believe she wants to belong to the church again,
and I feel that somehow she could. How does one resolve an excommunication?
Does the Pope have to give his blessing before a person can get back? I
would not suggest anything to her because she might tell me to MYOB. Will
you print some information on the subject:? I know she reads your column
every day. Please help her. ---Lost Sheep
Dear Lost Sheep: I asked Father Theodore Hesburgh,
president of the University of Notre Dame, to answer this one. Here is his
response:
It is true that there is an excommunication penalty
attached to procuring an abortion. However, the person who has the abortion
must be aware that this penalty exists and go ahead and have it anyway. The
question of prime importance: Did the young woman know about this church
law?
"In the event that she did know and had the abortion
anyway, she can be absolved of the sin by confession it to any priest. I
believe most bishops beleaguer to all their priests the power to absolve
from this excommunication, even though it is technically known as a
'reserved sin.'
"I would advise the woman to make a good confection, put
this matter behind her and start anew. It certainly is not a question of the
church not wanting her. The church exists to help everyone who needs it."
Again, Father Hesburgh has proven that he is a
compassionate, caring priest, seeking always to heal and help. What a
splendid example for all the clergy.
ANN
LANDERS
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Abortion: ETHICAL ISSUES & OPTIONS.
Edited by David R. Larson Loma Linda
University Center for Christian Bioethics Loma Linda, California (1992)
Abortion Guidelines Voted by the Annual
Council of the Seventh-day Adventists October 12, 1992.(1)
(Jt, abr.)
Many contemporary societies have faced conflict over the
morality of abortion. (Abortion, as
understood in this document, is defined as any action aimed at the
termination of a pregnancy already established. This is distinguished from
contraception, which is intended to prevent a pregnancy. The focus of
the document is on abortion.) Such conflict also has affected large numbers
within Christianity was want to accept responsibility for the protection of
prenatal human life while also preserving the personal liberty of women. The
need for guidelines has become evident, as the Church attempts to follow
Scripture, and to provide moral guidance while respecting individual
conscience. Seventh-day Adventist want to relate to the question of abortion
in ways that reveal faith in God as the Creator and Sustainer of all life
and in ways that reflect our Christian responsibility and freedom. Though
honest differences on the question of abortion exist among Seventh-day
Adventists, the following represents an attempt to provide guidelines on a
number of principles and issues. The guidelines are based on broad
biblical principles that are presented for study at the end of the document.(2)
1 Prenatal human life is a
magnificent gift of God...
2.
Abortion is one of the tragic dilemmas of our fallenness...
3. In practical, tangible ways the
church as a supportive community should express its commitment to the value
of human life.... 4. The
Church does not serve as conscience for individuals; however, it should
provide moral guidance... 5.
Christian acknowledge as first and foremost their accountability to
God... 6. Church institutions
should be provided with guidelines for developing their own institutional
policies in harmony with this statement...
7.
Church members should be encouraged to participate in the ongoing
consideration of their moral responsibilities with regard to abortion in the
light of the teaching of Scripture.
[(1)
Abortion, as understood in this document, is
defined as any action aimed at the termination of a pregnancy already
established. This is distinguished from contraception, which is intended to
prevent a pregnancy. The focus of the document is on abortion.
(2) The fundamental perspective of these
guidelines is taken from a broad study of Scripture as shown in the
following "Principles for a Christian View of Human Life."]
Introduction
"Now this is eternal life: that they may
know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John
17:3. NIV)... Life: Our
valuable gift from God..
Life: Our response to God's gift...
Life: Our right and responsibility to decide... |
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Parents and Children
Teenage parenthood means lifetime trouble. By SAUL
KAPEL. M.D.
The number of teenagers having
babies has risen alarmingly.
Consider these figures, reported a
few weeks ago at the National Conference on School-Age Parenthood in
Denver:
* Nearly one in
five American mothers today is a teenager.
*One in
every 16 girls today becomes a mother by age 17
*More than
250,000 girls of 17 and under gave birth last year, 11%of them for the
second or more time.
High divorce rate
The figures are alarming because
experience shows that adolescents in our society do not make very good
parents,. Some do surmount the difficulties of early marriage and
childbearing, of course, but for the majority, early parenthood means
lifetime trouble.
Divorce is twice as likely among
early marriages as among later ones.
Adolescent mothers attempt suicide
seven times as often as teenagers who do not have children, according to
report at the conference.
Most adolescent parents, whether
married or single, become school dropouts because child care and
financial needs usually force them to.
As a result, the lot of the
teenaged couple, more often than not, is separation, emotional disorder
and lifetime impoverishment. For the unmarried teenaged mother, life can
be as bad or worse.
It is especially dismal for the
innocent babies involved. They are more likely to suffer form parental
abuse than the children of older couples. They are more often victimized
by separation.
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They are more often made anxious and
insecure by the severe emotional and practical problems of their
parents. If the mother
is 15 or under, the predictable psychological damage to her infant may
be compounded by a lifetime of bad physical health as a consequence of
the low birth weight of then associated with such early childbearing.
Parenthood is the most important
task most of us are called upon to perform in our lives. Very few of us
are fully prepared for it, but depending upon our levels of maturity,
most adequately meet the challenges and responsibilities.
However, it is the rare adolescent
who has the maturity or even the desire to accamplish the task
adequately. It's even harder for them in the face of social and economic
pressures that tend to isolate teenaged parents and make them outcasts
among their peers.
Tragically, there are no cure-alls
for this growing problem. But I think there are two things we can do to
alleviate it.
The first and most obvious is to
intensify education in sex and family life in homes, schools and chores.
Above all, this education should include birth control advice and even
assistance where required.
They're child parents
Second, we should make sure that
community assistance to adolescen mothers doesn't begin and end with
condemnation and a welfare check. Among other community services,
many of them urgently need education in even the simple tasks of
parenthood.
We must remember that in most cases
these are child parents. Not only their infants, but they need emotional
support, understanding and help to become mature adults.
DAILY NEWS 11-4-75
Dr. Kapel welcomes comment Although
he cannot reply individually or accept phone calls, he will respond. In
his column on topics of general interest. Write to DR. SAUL KAPEL,
The News, 220 E 42d St,. New York N.Y. 10017 |
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Fetus Has No Brain Life Until 8th Month: Doc
A fetus is not "alive" until the
eighth month, according to studies reported yesterday by a New York
neuroscientist, who urged that "brain life" be used as the determinant.
"Cerebral life as defined by
neurobiological criteria emerges during the relatively brief period
between the seventh and eighth months of gestation," the scientist, Dr.
Dominick Purpura, told a meeting in the Bronx.
Scientists and physicians should
accept "brain life" as a definition for the beginning of human life just
as they have accepted brain death -- complete absence of detectable
brain waves -- as the leading indicator of death, Purpura told a
symposium held on the fifth anniversary of the Rose F. Kennedy Center
for Research in Mental Retardation and Human Development.
The center is part of the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine, where Purpura is chairman of the
department of neuroscience and where he did his research.
Purpura studied the brain waves
produced in response to flashes of light by 30 infants who were
delivered prematurely between 24 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. In nine
cases where the infants died despite all efforts to save them, detailed
studies of brain structure were also done.
Between the 24th and 28th weeks of
gestation, Purputa said, the brain structure was "immature," lacking the
organized circuits needed for human thought. The infants' "evoked
potential" -- the brain waves produced in response to flashes of light
-- were "primitive" and "disorganized," Purpura said in an interview.
"In the older premature, at about
32 weeks, we find aresponse that resembles in form the response of
full-term infants," he said. "The cortex (the section of the brain
responcible for higher functions) has circuitry characteristic of
full-term infants."
The persence of mature brain
reponses and structures at 32 weeks was a surprise, Purpura said, since
they had not been thought to appear so early in fetal life.
Asked about the bearing his studies
have on the controversy about legalized abortion, which includes an
intense debate about whether the fetus is alive, Purpura said:
"What we're trying to do, rather
than get into a controversy, is to provide data from the standpoint of
neurobiology that will try to define the meaning of brain life. There
has not been any information that allows us to get intelligent data
about that."
DAILY NEWS. MAY 9-1975 pg. 14
by Edward Edelson
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 Liberated
Christians
PO Box 32835, Phoenix Az 85064-2835
Promoting
Intimacy and Other-Centered Sexuality
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COPYRIGHTED 1997 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - MAY BE REPRINTED OR QUOTED FROM
ONLY IF CREDIT IS GIVEN LIBERATED CHRISTIANS, MAILING ADDRESS IS SHOWN
AND WE ARE SENT A COPY OF PUBLICATION. |
A fetus as only Potential Human
Life.
A Sperm and a Egg have the potential for human life. When they are
united an embryo is formed with all the DNA material etc of a human
life.
Life itself is not sacred unless you are a Hindu. All life is
sustained by killing of another life . We think nothing of killing
plants and animals for food, killing germs, tumors etc., all of which
are life Human Life is very special for two reasons, medical and
spiritual. (?)
What medically distinguishes humans from other life is the developed
outer layers of the human brain "gray matter" which is the cerebral
cortex. The cerebral cortex is the seat of human emotions,
perceptions, sensations and all other traits we consider uniquely
human. In the first trimester when 90% of all abortions are performed,
their is no functioning of the cerebral cortex clearly nothing that
distinguishes it as human. The only nero function is nothing more than
very primitive brain stem activity which control autonomic responses.
The cerebral cortex doesn't start to function until about the same
time as the outer edge of viability - 20 to 22 weeks, long after most
abortions are done.
More important is the spiritual aspect of human life. Here again from
a Christian and Jewish biblical perspective it is clear no soul till
birth. The Bible often identifies life with "breath", (Gen 2:7)
suggesting that life begins at birth, not conception. This has
traditionally been the view of Jewish Biblical scholars. For example
Ezekiel 37:1-14 suggests this which is consistent with Genesis 2:7.
Adam did not become a "living soul" until the "breath of life" entered
his nostrils AFTER his body was formed. Other examples are in Joshua
10:40, 1 Kings 15:29 and many others where "breath" is treated as a
synonym for "life". In biblical terms it seems clear that life begins
at birth, not conception.
Ex 21:22-23 makes it quite clear that the death of fetus is not
murder. Judisam clearly believes no soul till head is out of the birth
canal. The only NT scripture dealing with abortion, Matthew 26:24,
suggests that it would have been better if Judas had not been born!
Note the word is "BORN", not "conceived". The only way to have
prevented Judas from being born would have been an abortion.
So a fetus is not human life, since it has no unique human
characteristics (although it has the genetic markers to develop them)
and no soul. Therefore it is not human life only potential human life.
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