When Gray Is the Only Color
As I remember it, abortion started out as a white-hat issue on almost every front. Before 1973 we were confronted with young women who were victims of guilt and ostracism. Unwanted pregnancies were more shameful back then, because "Illegitimate" was a powerful stigma to attach to a baby. Doctors were forbidden to help without stepping outside the law. By legalizing abortions, shady practices ended and secrets no longer had to be kept so tightly. (The issue of euthanasia is today's moral equivalent -- terminal patients are made to suffer because of someone else's moral strictures, and as a result the doctors who aid them have compassion on their side but the law against them.) With Roe v. Wade on the books, however, it turned out that abortion was a black-hat issue for Catholics and right-wing fundamentalists. For them, there could be no compromise when it comes to a mortal sin.
But there never was any color except gray when you clear political animosity away. Every stand on the abortion issue leads to "Yes, but."
-- A woman has a right to say what happens to her body. Yes, but shouldn't the father of the child be given serious consideration?
-- A fetus is an unborn human being. Yes, but nobody knows when, if, or how a single fertilized cell becomes human, still less can anyone say when, if, of how the soul enters the body.
-- To many devout believers, abortion is a sin. Yes, but do they have a right to impose their concept of sin on society as a whole?
-- Abortion is generally a minor procedure with few dangers to the mother. Yes, but many young women therefore use it frivolously, as an alternative form of birth control.
-- The state has the right to police medical procedures, including abortion. Yes, but the state has limited rights to police personal morality.
However many shades of gray you want to see, the bottom line is that gray is the only color there is. At this point Roe v. Wade is rather like the plight of the Palestinians. Keeping the argument inflamed has more political value than solving it. Reversing Roe v. Wade would probably be neither a victory nor a defeat for either side. The issue would be turned over to each individual state, and there will always be a tolerant state (e.g., Massachusetts) or a liberal country (e.g., Canada) or a pill you can order online for women who want to terminate a pregnancy. If she is too poor to afford these recourses, there will no doubt be funds available through pro-choice groups.
In the end, I find myself trapped by moral absolutists who have distorted a sensitive issue. As a matter of principle, I side with the pro-choice side, as most physicians do unless their view is colored by religion. I'd rather live in a country where things are allowed unless expressly forbidden, not one where things are forbidden unless somebody expressly allows them. But that doesn't mean I'm putting on a white hat. There are no white hats in this issue.
By
Deepak Chopra
|
September 24, 2008; 5:28 AM ET
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Posted by: RAZ1 | October 1, 2008 4:35 PM
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Funny, the things that generate heat. Now, yours truly, along with the other three million Jews in exile from the Middle East, where we'd lived in some cases for millennia, don't generate anything. Odd, no? We never even generated awareness. But, then, we didn't have any oil.
We have no oil, never had, and that made us expendable. Not even talking about those Jews murdered, imprisoned, tortured in the Middle East. Not talking about them.
Sad about the DALIT, no Deepak? No power. Unlike Israeli Muslims, for instance, but like Middle Eastern Jews, the few who are left, the Dalit cannot vote. Slaves never can. Funny, you never mention the DALIT, Deepak. I guess they haven't gotten around to reading your books.
Seems some people's suffering can be ignored. Some people's can't. American women have said that their suffering can't be ignored, that they'll join together and make sure of that. They did. I don't think they're going to give up their rights easily.
Now, your American Indians, among the poorest people on earth, courtesy of the AmeriChristians, well they're another story....You haven't mentioned them either, Deepak. Funny.
Posted by: Farnaz2 | September 30, 2008 2:47 AM
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I agree that the abortion issue is alot like the Palestinean issue because the topic makes people red-faced with hysteria. Whenever the conversation lurches onto these subjects in a social setting, I wait a few minutes to see what might happen, and then usually leave.
For Jihadist, I think they want you to register here, so that if anyone is chronically offensive, they can contact them and let them know. People throw bombs, and then disappear into anonymoty, but you are not like that. You should have no worry.
Alot of these threads are really ruined on a regular basis by people who don't know how to conduct an intelligent disucssion. This is not infringing on anyone's freedom of speech or expression. It is merely seeking to establish a more orderly environment in which people may express their views.
I have tried this a few times, under this registration system already, but it always gives me the name "anonymous" so I thought I would just say,
from,
Daniel in the Lion's Den
Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2008 4:33 PM
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Dear Readers: We now require commenters to register at washingtonpost.com and sign in before posting. Your MyPost User ID, which you'll be asked to choose if you haven't done so already, will be displayed with your comment. We hope this will encourage more topical, spam-free, and respectful discussions. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions, and click here to comment.
Hello On Faith editors,
Good move actually on your part actually, to ask readers to have MyPost user ID. Just like the compulsory Malaysian ID called MyKad with an embossed microchip with all of my personal details, including address, date of birth, gender, race and religion. They want to get you easily for this and that legal transgression with that MyKad ID. And WaPo, of course, want to get readers for this and that commercial stuff too? Nothing wrong with that. Bottom lines matters.
All the same, some of us do not register nor want to register and be given a MyPost ID, moi included. I am also given to untopical and unrespectful discussion after all, including submitting silly fifth rate verses. And one thing is certain. I am spam free as I do not take Spam. Not kosher, not halal at all that spam.
Cheers and a blessed Ramadan to you dear WaPo On Faith editors.
Jihadist
Posted by: Jihadist | September 26, 2008 12:14 AM
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Seriously.
Smooth moves, 'prophetic one.'
Any more 'wisdom' to share, JJ?
Posted by: Paganplace | September 24, 2008 8:11 PM
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But, yes, JJ, this is an emergency.
The fact that it was manufactured ahead of time and you bought into the notion your biggest concern was my 'half-humanity' while I was trying to warn you about it notwithstanding.
It's actually not withstanding.
Thanks to you lot, we get to try and figure out if we're worth paying the ransom for.
I warned you.
Prophet.
Posted by: Paganplace | September 24, 2008 8:06 PM
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Distraction, anyway. Tell me babies got *food.* Then fuss about this.
Posted by: Paganplace | September 24, 2008 8:03 PM
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Vote: "COLD TURKEY" for All Robber Barons NGO Financial Institutions!
VOTE: Abolish the [NGO] FED-Reserve!:
Abolish the FED-Reserve!
Remember: Haste MaKES WASE! Do not Let the Satans [ Lame Duck Prez Bush & Co.] Push Ye to decide Now!
Vote: "COLD TURKEY" for NGO Financial Institutions! Abolish the FED-Reserve!
Vote: "COLD TURKEY" for NGO Financial Institutions!
Not Tax-Payers Money! Tell Them, "The Survival of the Fittest Applies Too!"
REMEMBER Ye History, Ye Jury & Everybody’s Biz:
The FEDERAL RESERVE (a Robber Baron Bank SYSTEM, not Secular!), was Created on HASTE on Christmas-Eve 1913! The Federal Reserve is Contrary to the U.S. Constitution that Lets CONGRESS, not Federal Reserve’ to Create Money! Please see Quasi Fed Reserve Robber Baron's SYSTEM with Parachutes here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve
Hark Democrat Party, Do not Make Haste; else waist!
Do Not Go For That 'REPUBliCAN" ROBBER-BARON & CAPTAINS of INDUSTRY" Con Job & Satanic trick , word NOW! NOW NOW!NOW!
No No No It Could Wait!!!!!!!!!! DO-NOT RUSH!
IT's Not an E-M=E=R=G=E-N-C-Y!!!!
IT's Not an E-M=E=R=G=E-N-C-Y!!!!
IT's Not an E-M=E=R=G=E-N-C-Y!!!!
VOTE: NO NO NO Bail-Out NOW! It Could Wait January 2009, not 2008!
VOTE: NO NO NO Bail-Out NOW! It Could Wait January 2009, not 2008!
VOTE: NO NO NO Bail-Out NOW! It Could Waite January 2009, not 2008!
---
The Federal so called CREDIt-System' Exageraters, is a FEDERAL RESERVER (tantamount to an ERON trick via the Chairman ben Bernanki (Bush Evangelical Fronts) & the U.S. Treasury Polson [Bush Evangelical Fronts!)
ScHAME McCain! ScSHAME Trying To Get-out of thgis F R i D A Y's Debate, via Rush to Bail-out his "FRIENDS"! (not Our Friends!)!!!!! Tryin to Get Out of a one to one genuine (religio Free) Debate!!!
WAiT for The Bail, if any, AFTER the E L E C T i O N!
Where Are Ye EVANGELiCALS?? Rick Warren, Robertson, Hagee, Huckabees et al???? We Are Waiting. STOP HiDiNg Evangelicals etc.!
W A R N I N G: Do Not Fall fot the "TELL A BiG LIE" TRick [a Political Strategy!]
Thank-A-ScHame!
Posted by: Vote: "COLD TURKEY" for All Robber Barons NGO Financial Institutions! | September 24, 2008 7:48 PM
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--
Imagine Being 'Empowered' (By Roe vs. Wade reversed) as a Defense; and sitting in a Divorce & Custody Hearing or Trial setting, and Legally can say, 3-times, "This Baby is Not Mine" (Contrary to Paternity Test/DNA & or like the Arabs do a Divorce)) and can evade the 'Paternal support Obligations!????????????
So, if Rabbi Jesus Yashua Delussional/Illusional loving Evangelicals & Catholics & Co. want to Undo something that is Not-Broken (their Religion is Broken via Bibles which needs 1st scrutiny to be Fixed, or have their own Biblio Sins & Curses god storys reversed, not Roe Vs. Wade) then let them (I.R.S. 501C3's) ) care for all 'Unwanted‘s", includes all of Earth's Unwanted, since Life is so Precious!
-----
Mr. Chopra (not Chokra) Ye sayth,
"Reversing Roe v. Wade would probably be neither a victory nor a defeat for either side. The issue would be turned over to each individual state, and there will always be a tolerant state (e.g., Massachusetts) or a liberal country (e.g., Canada) or a pill you can order online for women who want to terminate a pregnancy."
-- Wow!
Interesting TRUTH (opposite of MYTH)! It's like the 'Balloon-Effect' {in Economics, Universal Expansion or Thermal Dynamic where Cold absorbs Hot analogy’s etc... Note: It is Hotter Egg that attracts the Colder Sperm!!!!) that Demand runs towards Supply(r's of). Hence: If Ye Build, They Will Come"! So
Un-Like All Ye (not O.U.R.) "UNPREDiCTABLE" (never a Science in Fact) Pre-Apocalyptic Faiths, Beliefs aka Religions, competing for a name for god, instead of G-D, This Demand scenario is inevitable & Predictable (Technically cannot be always controlled, due to Communal Hue{mate Behaviours!)
---
WE HUE{MATE kinds develop (not Human un-kinds anymore), as Beings, from the Holy Bio-Finite Spermataozoo-Miracle-Flash-Point-effect, not via Ye Vedic (Hindu/Buddhista ...) nor Ye Abrahamic Ju/Christo/Islamica...) Effects; aka Their Pre-Apocalyptic (man-made Songs & Stories) instead of the "O.ne U.niversal R.eligion" (O.U.R.) Innate (EKLAHT + "i" = LiFE/Photon awareness) TRUTH (opposite of Myth) Songs & Stories. Where from Old, cometh NEW (not the other way around).
Attached: Please see this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatozoon
Modern-Apocalyptic " Insight & PATTERN Recognition" Holy Photonic/Photo , man-made captured Eklati at work/Job/Purpose essence of a bio-flash Hol{i} moment of YE (you & your Becoming world via awareness) or "i" doing what one must do to become what what is becoming, all over again! aka
For Another ESCHATOLOGiCAL [a Miracle, never a Moksha/Sin/Curse) POSSiBiLiTiEs of ONE-EK Sellf , via 'TiME' (hol{i}-TEMPerature; not clock) of YE [in O.U.R.] selves!
Note: This Photo & Wiki, Hol{i} Competition in Action, is worth not a 1,000 words or Heads or Faces or arms, but in priceless words! Soo,
As HUE (color) MATE kinds (as Space-Ship Earth's Crew, aka Automatic Citizenz/Denizens) justly appearing for a time via Holy TiME) kinds, we Apocalyptarian-Nationalis knowth that
LIFE takes place right at the Holy "SPERMATOZOO-EFFECT", [After Ejaculation, aka Bio-Bang, not Cosmic Bang. And surely not via ANY Maosaic/Vyasa effect et al.. except via our O.U.R. "HOL{i}-NO-MEN" Creations awareness of "iTSELF (Ishvara/Allah/YAWH/JEHOVA) , appearing in Sync with our Bio-Heart-Beats & "IT"s (Ishvara) Cosmic Heat-Beat, aka being in thee Holy-Palindrome) in and of Us-All, but also Doing what "IT" (G-D/Almighty/Lord...) must do, since the
"Holy No-Men's MANTRA" is...
[not via any Pre-Apocalyptic 1/2-Bull/Ram & 1/2 Man's statute worship, singing; "AMEN" (said by Islam & Christs) or AMON-ra-ra (said by Jews) , not via OMMM (said by Hindus) , nor Via AUMM (said by Buddhists) , or via OLLL (said by Aztecs/Incas or their AbORiGiNALs)]
...is "E-K-L-A-H-Ti" or "Hol{i}-NO-Men" Lord EC{lat+i! Meaning that "IT" (G-d, is Neither a 'He/Him/His nor is Lord EKLAHT a She/her), but a Being in "iTSELF" and thuseth hath a innate ATTiTUDE, (Determination) and or Personality (not Split Minded) and "IT" sings, like This:
HARK: "I" Ye Hol{i-No-Men, Must do thy Thing, for this is how "I" [Lord] & YE ("i") hath P-O-W-E-R, ELSE If "I" Do Not the Thing, THEN "I" (Ye CREATOR) + "i" (YE Worlds) Will Hath No POWER" ( aka no PHOTONES/LiFE Awareness/Consciousness/Kindalah!).
Suggestion: If America cannot handle 3.3Million Citizens & 14 Million Illegal aliens, then how can U.S.A. Handle 1.3 Billion People (like India or China; whom Both have heavy UN-Wanteds) as its Population. Soo
Unless them Anti-PRO-CHOiCER's (note Economics means "CHOICE", an Economic Thing, , not gods 'Chosen'-People thing), like Big mouth EVANJEALOUSiCALS Rick Warren , John McCain's & Co., want to Adopt & Pay for ALL, EVERY & ANY 'Illegitimate, or Non-Planned or not-wanted [Mongoloid] Baby's , then Pleaza, Pleas EViLGELiCAL(s);
STOP! Do Not Fix , in America (a Secular Work) what is not Broken! i.e., Roe Vs, Wade!
Note: The , Anti-Abortionist Evangelicals ORG's & Catholics, Lutherans, etc.. should Never Recieve 1-red-Copper-Cent to subsidize their Anti-abortion stance. Let their Congregants, Parishioners, Aspirants ADOPT & Care for ALL, EVERY & ANY 'Unwanted-Fetus/Baby' (Raped, Incest , medically delicate or not) on Hol{i} Cosmic Nebula Built Space-Ship Earth!
Suggestion: All Pre-Apocalyptic Religio Org's in Sweet Sweet SECUALR/STATE GOV, U.S.A, attempting to Encroach or impede or obstruct or to Profit, not prophet, from any STATE Biz, should Lock Themselves-Up in their Organized Mafiosos Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, Temples, And or Push their Beliefs in the U.N. not U.S.!
Imagine: No More Abortions on Earth Allowed!????????????? This is What CHURCH, aka THEOCRACY (Legislating from the Pulpit) wants Secular-STATE to Do [Legislating from the Bench!]!!
They, The PULPiTeers Vs. Us, The BENCHeers, vis a Vis! How about Brown Versus Board of Education et al classic Amereican STERDECiS applications, aka Precedents!
REminder: The Holy Miraculous man-made U.S. Constitution:
like a Discovery, ia An good Accident; Does give an Express Intentional & Deliberate RiGHT, to the U.S. [Juris Prudence] SUPREME Court Justice SYSTEM (the Highest Court of the Land, not the Highest Religion system on Earth or Lands on Continents) Gives the RiGHT, (not a Privilige) to our S.Ct. Justices (not Evangelicals & Co. whose I.R.S. Tax-Free Exempt Status & their Televangelical airwaves Permits, are only a Privileges & NOT/No a biblical RiGHT of any implied or Express kinds)!
THEREFORE: Because All Pre-Apocalyptic REligion sytem(s) competing for a name for god, as if goods & services (i.e., Judeo-Ju, Ju/Christ/Islam & Judeo-Hindu/Buddhist) are all iMPORTED [Not Made-In-America] THAT
Under APOCALYPTiC-NATiONAL Religion; that From now-On, It will Be Forbidden (illegal) to "Swear" or "Affirm" on ANY man-made Bible(s), but instead Only on the man-Made U.S. [Holy] CONSTiTUTiON.
HALLALUYA! Praise the Hol{i}-No-Men!
Note: Under EKLAHTi-On Government, a/ka "GRiDARiAN-DEMOCRACY", any one attempting to smuggle or sneak-in, a Bible, Quran, Gita aka "Infixus-books", in a Secular FEDERAL Presidential Swearing in, will be Excommunicated & ushered-in to a Federal [PURLIEU] Prison for 25 Years!
Posted by: Abortion: like other mamals & Animals Devour their own Young (not Pray) then | September 24, 2008 2:42 PM
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...thank you for the support and open-mindedness in this delicate matter. The truth of terminating a pregnancy is still very void of exact understanding and full of many voices saying “...but…yes…”
And I agree that either side of this issue leaves heart ache or the illusion of heart ache. You are correct in stating “There are no white hats in this issue.”
Sincerely,
RAZ