Dark Ages A-Coming?

Well, I knew it was coming as soon as Alito was confirmed. The South Dakota legislature has passed a law banning all abortions, except if the life of the mother is in danger, and doctors performing them will be prosecuted ... and the governor's thinking of signing it! What is it about this issue? Do these people really want to go back to the days when abortions were done on the sly and more lives were lost and ruined as a result of the backroom procedures? *very big sigh* I just don't get it.

While I recognize that it will take time before the decision makes it to the Supreme Court, and a lot could happen along the way, it's just plain frustrating that we keep coming back to this. The decision to have an abortion is much more complex than "Oh, I don't want this baby, so I'll get an abortion." In an ideal world, it is a decision which should not be made alone, but the inability to have one if the woman determines it is necessary should not be made by legislative fiat ... and for many who have no transportation or limited income, that's what will happen in South Dakota.

In 2002, I was a Commissioner to the General Assembly where the PC(USA) revisited this issue, and served on the committee which gave the recommendation on the final report. Even within a denomination which is fairly liberal on many issues, this one generated intense discussion and had many who spoke against the grace-full language of the policy text. The final discussion on the floor of GA had a well-coordinated effort to vote down the grace-full language and insert language which was harsh, non-supportive, and declared abortion a sin. ACK!

I hate speaking in front of large groups (and there were over 1,000 people there - and, if I'd know there was also streaming video, I might have fled the room!) and there's just something slightly intimidating about speaking for the national governing body, but the issue was important enough to make me get up and speak. My fairly unique perspective was based on the experience of a skating friend of mine.

About 35 years ago, she and her husband had a severely disabled son, a child not expected to survive more than six months. He beat all of the odds and is now a 35 year old infant. They have cared for him in their home all this time, and love him dearly. Their one fear is that he will outlive them and have to go into an institution, for they don't want his younger brother to have to take over the day to day responsibility of his care. His mother said that if they'd been able to know what type of disability they might be dealing with before he was born, they would have chosen an abortion.

Of course, the Presbyterian Layman (the ultra-conservative voice of the church) chose to interpret my comments, which were written up in the GA daily news report, as advocating abortion for financial reasons, rather than the multi-layered compassionate reasons I intended.

The wisdom of the GA was that the harsh language was voted down, with about 2/3rds in favor of the grace-full language. The anti-abortion faction did not give up. The next GA the issue arose again, in mostly the same form, and again 2/3rds of the GA chose the grace-full language. Hooray, Presbyterians! The Holy Spirit seems to be consistently at work within the body of the GA ... and the majority seem to be heeding our understanding of our role as Commissioners - to listen for the guiding of the Spirit through the discussions held and then vote based on what they've discerned, not according to their preconceived opinions before the topic is addressed.

So - now we have to deal with the issue from the legislative and court perspective. I sincerely hope we don't return to the Dark Ages, but the way things are going, I'm not overly optimistic. There just seem to be too many people in positions of authority who seem determined to take us back there. *another very big sigh* ...... Let us pray!