On Abortion, This is a Life Meant to Be

When Life Begins…
The discussion about when life begins is moot. Life began a very long time ago, or is just plain eternal without beginning or end. That any mammalian pregnancy is in progress can be measured with modern technology, and often by a mother herself from the earliest of times in that progress. None of this is really relevant in discussions on abortion. The subject is less about whether there is life, but about how and when that life may be “ended.” Life indeed, may not end with cessation of our bios. So to the point, abortion.
The word itself means that something is going to be interrupted or completely “stopped.” So what exactly is it here that is being stopped when we speak of “abortion?” A number of things. First the bios of the individual living inside the mother will end. Second, the tenure on this planet of the soul within that bios will be prevented from enjoying and suffering the impacts of our environment. Third, the current population outside the womb, will be prevented from enjoying the company and contributions of this new individual. Fourth, those who abort or stop the progression of the pregnancy prematurely, are guilty of homicide. They will have killed a human life. Whether that human individual was in or out of the womb has no substantial bearing on this rather uncomfortable fact.      
As to the first, there are times when for known or unknown reasons, an individual within the womb may die. Nature has strange ways of this happening, sometimes we might be able to tell what went “wrong,” other times we must grieve the loss and are forced to move on. This painful fact of life does not excuse those who seem to find reason to justify their direct action in ceasing the life in utero. We are not authorized to deliberately end life out of the bounds of normal survival needs found everywhere in this world.  
Pregnancy and birth may be the opinion of nature that life should continue. So, there is intentionality to pregnancy and birth. The progress of life will continue. It is a beautiful thing. So who in the world are you to think you are authorized and by whom, that you can end, terminate, or abort that pregnancy. Whatever your intentions, they are less grand than the intention of life itself, that life should continue. Indeed, every precaution should be taken to preserve, encourage, and build the chances of this individual’s life, that can be afforded it by the parents involved. As I write this, my daughter is pregnant with her second child, and my fourth grandchild. Those terms are not accidental! Each life is so precious! We have relational terminology, built up in cultures over thousands of years, family terms, designating our place in the lives of people we love, support, nurture, and finally grieve when the causes of nature remove their presence here. Some of us even believe the life continues when the bios drops away, and we will meet again in the unseen places beyond our current reach. Insult me not with your excuses that lead you to believe you may end a human life for convenience. Life should continue.  
We enjoy new life coming into our presence, then developing into adulthood. We teach children, imparting all our wisdom learned from our shared experience to them that we possibly can. As experience, combined with intellect moves in to their future, the possibilities explode with new experiences. Who in the year 500BC, could have anticipated the flushing toilet, the electric light bulb, the trip to the moon and beyond? History is replete with stories of famous, creative exceptional people who were almost or unsuccessfully aborted. Why must this madness continue? It doesn’t have to continue. I urge you to abort the abortion industry. That’s right, industry. For many, abortion is a matter of convenience, ending an unexpected pregnancy, for the providers it is a never ending source of “test tissue” on which they can commit untold atrocities. Such people are seared in the soul to a point where there is little chance of returning to being the type of caring, nurturing, loving individuals they ought to be.  
We don’t have babies for new victims upon which to experiment. We don’t have babies to enjoy as toys. We have them as a natural process of continuing life in the context we find ourselves in, on this planet, in the here and now. Babies, in or out of the womb are to be respected as individually sovereign, just adults are.  
Homicide occurs whenever a human life is taken by another human. Sometimes, and under certain conditions, homicide is also called murder. This has to do with the context, that is the means, intent and opportunity to do so. Abortion is not the result of a car accident, a plane crash, a house fire or drowning. Those are called accidents. They are not planned. They are not opportunistic. An abortion betrays an opportunist. Indeed, the opportunity lasts less than nine months. Yes, you could wait till after the birth to murder the individual, but the law speaks to that rather clearly in most cases. Yet under the law, things are convoluted severely for the unborn. That they are not protected by law very well, does not preclude their natural rights as sovereign individuals. Abortion requires means, hence the specialized “clinics.” Abortion requires intent to kill the baby. A surgery in close proximity to a living baby in the womb, could be undertaken with little danger to the unborn child. There is no doubt in my mind that abortion is indeed, murder. The responsibility for the murder is something to be worked out by that culture in which it occurs. It is not the subject of this specific blog post.  
That young women are drawn into this “procedure” by the temptation of convenience, threats, fear of ostracism, guilt or whatever, by the cruel who promote abortion, does not justify this barbaric practice. We are in this life. It is a gift to us to be here. What we do with that gift, is our gift back to life itself, to every other person we encounter here, indeed to people we may never meet. I’ve never met Thomas Edison, but I am thankful for his contributions.  
Life Does Not End…
If you are a person suffering the aftermath of an abortion, there is hope for you. If you had an abortion, or performed abortions, There is hope. There is forgiveness. This is a deeply personal hurt and burden which must be shared to be endured and healed. There are wonderful spiritual resources available through which you may resolve issues in the aftermath of abortion. The purpose of this blog post is not to berate someone who is affected by the subject. Life is what is at stake here. Once a life has been taken from us, it cannot be brought back. It can be grieved, though, healing can come. I urge you if need be to search for these very available resources to be found in your church or synagogue or appropriate counselors.    

Author: Rodney John Tombleson

Raised in Columbia basin of Oregon. High school class of 1971. Married, 1974 BA, 1980 MDiv', 1985 Currently retired. I needed an outlet for my thoughts, so I decided to try a little blogging.