Thoughts on abortion (at work).

I am not trying to push my beliefs on you, so calm down. My co-worker, who’s directing a play on abortion and why women need the right, asked me my opinion, and I opened up to her; and I think it came out pretty clear, which doesn’t happen much with me and tough topics, and so I thought I’d just post it. I would love to hear your thoughts, though.

This is our conversation (edited down for length and readability, but not for spelling):

her: [the play is] about a woman’s right to choose abortion, and also the implications of carrying a baby to term when you physically aren’t able due to illness, etc, showing different viewpoints

me: why does it interest you so? if u dont mind me asking

her: although it goes strictly against my religious beliefs (im catholic) i do feel that it is a woman’s right to choose whether she has an abortion. it’s her body. if i was raped, for instance, and became preg. as a result of it, i don’t think i could physically carry this child knowing of which it was conceived. i solely believe its a woman’s right to choose. her church, friends or family can’t tell her otherwise.

me: spiritually speaking, since you are catholic, what do you think god’s thoughts are on it? (and im not trying to be condescening! just seeing what your thoughts are)

her: oh religion..always the toughest subject to speak of. i honestly don’t know what god woudl say. i’ve been told, growing up in church and told all through catholic school, that god frowns upon abortion. but there are just some circumstances that warrant it, i feel. if you were careless and decided, ‘oops, i can’t carry this baby’ and get it aborted, i think that’s the wrong decision. i have no tolerance for carelessness.

me: …its a very tough subject

her: it is. im sure i’ll receive a lot of support [for the play] and a lot of..well, not support. but i’m willing to take the risk 🙂 what are your thoughts? i know you have them

me: well, again, its tough 🙂
its also hard to talk to female’s about it, as men seem to come off as condescedning on the subject
but i will!
i dont like abortion

her: be/c you don’t like the thought of killing a human being?

me: well, i can see how from a viewpoint that doesnt bring god into the picture it is very justified
but i think god is here, you know, so…from a “christian” viewpoint, i dont see how its the mothers choice
she is carryign a new creation
she is sustaining it through herself, so i can see how it can be considered just a part of her body too
the problem is, we were made to have babies when we connected on a new level, where there is a mother and father both working for the same things (before the fall of man)
now, though, their is rape, and promiscuity, etc…so (let me see if i can put this into words…)
i dont think god would have us choose whether it lives or dies
it is not your fault that you got raped and got preganant (for example), but that baby is still a beautiful creation coming from the pure ugliness of mankind
which is what god is all about, i think – creating beauty from the ugliness of what weve turned this world into

her: even if the baby is created out of ..for lack of a better word, forced terms? we’ve found that when women carry babies to term that were created out of such horrible conditions, that child is more likely to be shunned, etc. by the mother be/c it is a constant reminder of what happened to her

me: again, yeah, im not a woman. but if it were to happen to me at this point in my life (where i consider god in everything) — and i were a woman, i definetly would have to pray about it.
i think, with those women, they’d have to forgive the man who raped them to be able to love their baby
and forgiveness would be very hard

her: easier said than done, though! what if you were a virgin? this man just stole your purity. your innocence, if you will

me: if i had my virginity stolen away from me, i can honestly say the only way id be able to forgive them was through god’s help
so, i would say therefore, the main objective is to introduce people to god — not laws
laws are good a lot of the time, but they don’t change people’s hearts

her: i see your point. well made.

me: and i see your point as well 🙂

So that’s it. Thoughts?