April 14, 2013
Luke 4: 14-22
Pine Valley Christian Church
Rev. David Hansen
I have never preached a sermon or given a meditation on abortion before. This is a first for me and perhaps also for you. I decided to do this today for a number of reasons.
The South Wind Women’s Center, which offers abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy and other women’s health services is now open, after months of controversy. Some Christians tried unsuccessfully to get the City Council to rezone the area to prevent this opening. Maybe you saw Deb Gruver’s article in the Wichita Eagle (April 12, 2013) in which she reported that Julie Burkhart, the Director of South Wind and the founder of the Trust Women foundation has won a “stalking protection order” against a local pastor. The pastor says that he is only exercising the right of free speech. And I will admit that there is a fine line between free speech and bullying speech. But when someone feels threatened by another person’s words and actions, that’s bullying and we need to say, “Stop it.” Threatening people’s lives is not Christian behavior; it’s bullying. And we need to say, “Stop it.”
In Topeka, Christian groups and legislators working together to enact legislation that is undermining the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.While they are having some success in their effort, I think it is important for us to remember that abortion did not begin with Roe v. Wade. When the Court handed down this decision, an estimated 17 percent of all pregnancy related deaths were caused by abortion. Women who could afford to pay for safe abortions were able to find those services. Women who did not have the money had to take their chances. The Court wanted to end that practice. And, Justice Blackmun said in his opinion, that Roe v. Wade was a step forward in the emancipation of women. So the Court was trying to deal with two concerns: women’s health and women’s rights. Obviously their decision did not settle these matters, but it is important to remember what the Court was faced with and what it was trying to do.
I decided that this is the time to talk about abortion because it is so much in the news. What does the Judeo-Christian tradition teach us about abortion? We are not the first ones to face this question. We don’t have to agree with our tradition, and we are not bound by it, but it is helpful to know what the tradition has to teach us. One reason for choosing this topic today is because it is timely to look at our tradition. A second reason that I decided to talk about this today is because I think you have a right to know what I think. I’m your pastor and you should know what my thoughts are. You don’t have to agree with me. And if you want to have talk with me and share your insights, I want to listen to what you have to say. I don’t have the last word.
I chose the reading for today because it reminds us that we are members of a community that cares for each other. That is what the church is. We don’t always agree with each other. People in the early church did not always agree with each other, but they respected each other and they learned to care for each other and to care about each other. We are members of the body of Christ. We read in the New Testament that people prayed for one another, loved one another, supported one another—the ethic of one-another was important to the early church. And it is important to us. So out of respect for one another, I want to suggest that we agree not to use language that impugns the motives or values of other people. We should not use words like “pro-life” because everyone is prolife. Nietzsche said that “life is not indifferent to life,” and he is right. We all value life, we are all in favor of life, we are all pro-life. We know that all life is precious. Let’s begin with this agreement.
When we turn to the biblical tradition there are two texts that I think are particularly important. These texts have been historically important. One is Genesis 1:28. In verse 27 we read that God has created us male and female and in verse 28 God tells the man and the woman to be fruitful and multiply. This verse is the foundation for people who, for religious reasons, oppose all forms of family planning that are not natural. I understand this tradition and respect those who practice it. But I am not bound by it. I think we have to read the text in context. Today we have multiplied. There are 7 billion of us on this planet. We know a lot about family dynamics and family planning. We respect the right of individuals to plan their families. Many of us think that family planning is a responsibility. Be fruitful and multiply is not a choice we care to make. Within the Roman Catholic tradition, Pope Francis I has recently approved the use of some forms of contraception to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs. He did not endorse contraception as a form of family planning, but this seems to me like a significant change in that tradition. It will certainly generate some conversation.
The other primary biblical text is Genesis 2:7. This text says that God created us from the dust of the earth and breathed into us the breath of life and we became living beings. Science has complicated things of us. It is not so easy to know when life begins or when life ends. Decisions about ending life are hard, difficult decisions for us, and so are decisions about when life begins. There is nothing easy about these decisions. But in the biblical tradition life begins when the breath of God enters our lungs and it ends when the breath of God departs from us.
Using this understanding of when life begins, rabbinic scholars and commentators teach that therapeutic abortion is not only allowed, it is mandated when it is necessary to save the life of the mother. One scholar, Rabbi Sofer said in the 19th century, “No woman is required to build up the world by destroying herself.” Other scholars and commentators have said that the potential life of the fetus is valuable, but not more valuable than the existing life of the woman. The Jewish tradition has been consistent on this teaching.
In the Christian tradition, Thomas Aquinas is often cited as an authority on a number of issues, but not so much on this one. Aquinas said that abortion is allowed until the fetus is “ensouled.” He said that males are ensouled at 40 days and females are ensouled at 80 days. I’m not sure why he made that distinction.
The Disciples of Christ and many other Protestant denominations are members of a national organization called the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. This coalition encourages us to think about abortion in the context of life choices. Members of the Coalition stress education. It is important to have accurate, age-appropriate, value-based education so that people can make informed and responsible choices. The Coalition and various denominations have produced a lot of good educational material for use in congregations. One goal of the Coalition is to help our society move from shaming and blaming to understanding and wholeness. A second goal is to encourage conversation that will contribute to sound decision-making.
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice also supports healthy families. Because all life is precious, adequate, affordable, accessible and honest health care should be available to everyone. It is unconscionable to think that the government would prescribe by law what a physician must tell a patient. How can this lead to good medical practices? It cannot. If we think even for a moment about the implications of having the government dictate what doctors can tell their patients, we must see that this is not a road we want to travel. This is bad law and bad medicine.
I began by saying that I think we should know what our tradition says about abortion. I also said that since I am your pastor, you have a right to know what think. I will conclude by saying that I think Governor Sebelius had it right when she said of abortion that we should keep it safe, legal and rare.
We prayer for a world guided by compassion and respect. Amen