Barack Obama told Doug Kmiec that abortion could not be outlawed in the United States because it would favor one religious tradition over another. This argument is odd not just because it is specious - we don't apply that standard to any other act, so why do we apply it to abortion - but also because it is wrong.
American law currently DOES favor one religious faith's definition over another. According to rabbinical teaching, the baby becomes ensouled only at first breath, and not before. So the idea that abortion should remain legal until birth - which is the default position of United States law - is an embodiment of peculiarly Jewish teaching.
Gabby Giffords was both Jewish and a staunch defender of abortion rights, holding that abortion needed to be legal in all circumstances. In this regard, her political stance was perfectly in line with her religious beliefs.
She not only supported abortion in all circumstances, she supported embryonic stem cell research, was strongly supported by the pro-abort Emily's List and pushed contraception like it was going out of style.
This past Saturday, a man stirred her brains with a bullet in much the same way that an abortionist stirs the brain of unborn child with a knife during a partial-birth abortion.
In this case, the only major difference between Giffords and the babies whose death she supported is that medical professionals are trying to save her life instead of end it.
Make no mistake: the act which put Giffords at death's door was evil.
But God is good - He can draw good out of even the worst evil, as the Crucifixion shows.
Let us hope that Giffords first-hand experience with partial-birth abortion, or in this case, partial-bullet assassination, gives her a little more compassion for the children who she had once willingly consigned to the very grave she now so desperately wants to avoid.
14 comments:
I thought the traditional Jewish teaching was stricter than permitting abortion before the child's first breath (see this), at least until after the 40th day, according to the Talmud.
Depends on exactly which rabbinical school is being followed. Not only are there three major Judaic ritual traditions (orthodox, reformed and conservative), there are also three major Judaic cultural traditions (Ashkenazi, from which reformed and conservative derive, Mizrhaic and Sephardic) and within each of these ritual and cultural traditions there are then different rabbinical schools.
As you might expect, different schools say different things.
See here for a different set of opinions, for example.
fuck you, steve. your comments are silly and cruel. "bullet stirred brains"? how christ-like is that? you are a Cunt.
-Andre Goulet
So, Andre, you think the bullet didn't stir her brain?
I'm not sure why you resort to profanity. It's also not clear what your point is.
If you could elaborate, that would be helpful.
Hey Andre,
What crawled up your ass and died? Do you typically use misogynistic language to defend pro-aborts? What is silly and cruel about what Steve said?
As an aside, it's funny that these liberal haters are so used to get banned and deleted that seriously asking them to express their idea in an articulate way apparently renders them speechless...
Hang on to your hat, Steve. I predict that this is going to be an interesting comment string.
I'm deeply saddened that any Christian can rejoyce in the attempted murder of another living soul as a kind of divine retribution for supporting abortion. Additionally, your visual imagery was graphic and uncalled for. If you truly believe abortion is wrong please remember that Christ tells us to help our fellow man find the truth not extinguish his light through brutal and violent acts.
Vanessa writes: "I'm deeply saddened that any Christian can rejoyce in the attempted murder of another living soul as a kind of divine retribution for supporting abortion."
No, he is rejoicing in the fact that only God is powerful enough to transform evil into good and that only God, or civil powers who derive their authority from God, can avenge wrongdoers. Both Jared Loughner and Congresswoman Giffords are wrongdoers; the former is a mass murderer and the latter is an enabler, knowingly or not, of murderers, by supporting the unjust legislation Roe v. Wade, inter alia.
His "graphic" "visual imagery" is indeed "uncalled for;" ideally there should be no violence in the world of which to speak, neither like that of the congresswoman nor of the far more gruesome and common cases of murder by dismemberment, abortion.
Also, this is an excellent piece by Bp. Tobin.
The only thing that offends me here is Andre's use of vile language - particularly the c-word. Steve, you really should consider moderating comments and not allowing trash talk of that kind.
Vanessa - forgive me, but what were you thinking?! How did he specifically "rejoice" in Gabby's present misfortune? Your words make no sense.
the only good thing about abortion is that the souls of the murdered go back to their
creator without ever knowing the evil in this world.
Dear deborahannek
I have nothing against that idea, but then again, it would make abortion a safer route to salvation than baptism itself, and that's quite disturbing, isn't it?...
@deborahannek: Their souls don't necessarily go to heaven because they still have original sin.
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