WWJD about abortion?

[LuckyTheDog]

A lot has been said about Obama's position on abortion and whather one can be pro-choice and a Christian. Here is what I think:

The central issue regarding Roe V. Wade is not the morality or immorality of abortion. It comes down to whether we should imprison or execute women who have abortions -- or their doctors. I think Jesus would never support doing that.

I think Jesus might well say that abortion is a sin. But look at how Jesus dealt with sin.

Jesus was NOT about prescribing public policy "solutions" for the Roman Empire. He never advocated any change in the law or the political structure in order to deal with sin. He never once said that the civil legal system should be in the business of punishing sin.

What is striking about Jesus is that he was so darned non-political. He operated at the level of the individual and the individual's relationship with God.

If he was living on Earth today, Jesus might urge women not to have abortions (though there is no record that he ever did -- and abortion DID exist in those days). But I simply don't see him wading into the Roe V. Wade debate. I think he'd ask people to live each other -- knowing that many many social problems would take care of themsevles if they just did that, for once.

Jesus IS above the pay-grade of any of our politicians, after all. Politics is beneath Jesus and his mission.

[baldguy]

1. Since when do politicians - especially conservative ones - look to Jesus for advice?

They are interested in maintaining & acquiring power & money - in that order. Making noises to placate the American Taliban to draw their support is just a means to those ends.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I think you are right

However, those who say they are "Christians" and politicize morality usually neglect to look at the teachings and example of the life of their Master.

[Muttocracy]

3. I'm not taking gynecological advice from someone born via immaculate conception. nt

[Captain Hilts]

4. Or I from someone who cannot get pregnant.

I have to admit, I thought Obama's comments about women getting abortions because they were "depressed" were pretty insulting.

[LuckyTheDog]

7. He'd keep abortion legal

And McCain would appoint judges who would make rulings leading to the imprisonment of women who have abortions and the doctors who perform abortions. That's all I care about.

We elect officials to carry out public policies that are in our interests. Obama would do that. McCain would not.

[Captain Hilts]

14. It would never occur to me to vote for McCain, but it doesn't mean I didn't...

feel insulted by Obama's comments on abortion.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. can you link me to

the comments you are talking about?

I hadn't heard them-
(depression/abortion ones)

:hi:
thanks.

[napi21]

5. I don't think anyone really knows! Check out this History of Abortion.

I think LOTS of people would be very surprised to read it!

http://www.hopeclinic.com/AbortionHistory.htm

[Bad Thoughts]

6. In Judaic Law, Abortion was not a capital crime

If you want to discuss what Jesus might have thought about abortion, you need to recognize that the law did not recognize it as murder, but something more like mutilation (cutting off a limb, for instance, as the fetus was part of the mother). The law did not approve necessarily, reserving it for medical use, but the sentients of the fetus was not an issue.

[AZBlue]

8. He'd advocate working to make abortion almost non-existent.

That's my take on it.

[unfaithful_servant]

9. Why are Dems being lured

into wasting time discussing "wedge issues" during a presidential campaign?

Presidential campaign rule #2 - Don't let Republicans lure you into splitting voters by discussing irrelevant wedge issues.

Wow. I thought some of you had more political experience than this.

[Vinca]

10. I would hope, if Jesus deemed it a sin, he would place the resulting infant

with its father to be fed, clothed and reared until age 18. That would take care of all the "overturn Roe" mantras coming from the mouths of men.

[anonymous171]

11. Abortion is about women and society not trusting them.

That is the framing we should use, instead of the stupid RW "OMG BABY KILLER!" frame.

[LuckyTheDog]

13. I think we need to confront the morality issue

We need to cut the legs out of the case that "Jesus calls on us to end abortion." I think that, even if that IS what Jesus wants, he certainly does not want us to do it by jailing or executing women and doctors.

We could virtually rid our society of abortion using entirely positive means. Criminalization, on the other hand, would never work. It'd just drive the practice underground and get a lot of young women killed.

Another thing to point out: If doubt that a progressive agenda is an anti-abortion agenda? Then look at what happened to abortion rates once the "strong pro-life" GW Bush took over. Then look at the trend during the tenure of "pro-choice" Bill Clinton. And heck, Clinton wasn't even all that progressive. Think what might have happened if Clinton had enacted national health care!

[Mz Pip]

12. I know this may sound crass

but if God cared so much about every fertilized egg then there wouldn't be 60 - 70% of fertilized eggs that never make it past the first month.

Whatever concept of God I have it doesn't involve a God that micromanages the universe.

[bunkerbuster1]

15. Step one: he wouldn't throw anyone in JAIL for having one.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

16. He'd be stunned by the possibility of safe, reliable abortion.

All of the methods of abortion available 2000 years ago carried a fairly non-trivial risk to the mother's life, I'm pretty sure.

So the issue would have worn a very different complexion then.

(Not to mention the many other ways things were different, too - Jesus would have found the idea of women's rights laughable).

[Zhade]

17. Who cares? We don't base rights on what Zeus or Santa would do, either.

NT!