By Megan Kay, Staff Writer, Emerson College
I’m what some would call a contradiction in terms: a pro-choice Christian. I know it’s strange to many people; like “jumbo shrimp” or “living dead.” I’m just another oxymoron. But to me, it’s a personal decision that came with lots of time and careful thought.
I didn’t grow up pro-choice. In fact, I distinctly remember scoffing at the pro-choice protesters who crowded the sidewalks outside my high school one day in tenth grade. I was a rather conservative Christian at the time, and I remember feeling superior to these pro-choicers with their disregard for human life.
But things change with time, and in the process of growing up, I found myself questioning what I had been taught, like so many people do as they mature into young adults. I became ultra-feminist, solid on all of my beliefs except for one: abortion. The little conservative voice in the back of my head would chime up every time the topic was brought up, and I felt an uncertainty looming uncomfortably in my heart.
This went on until one day I realized that I couldn't, in good conscience, be anything but pro-choice. Even though I couldn't imagine that I would ever get an abortion, I couldn't ignore that it is clear in the founding documents of our nation that there is a separation of church and state. It became obvious to me that just because I have religious beliefs does not mean that everyone has them, and I certainly had no right to force my views upon others.
I’m what some would call a contradiction in terms: a pro-choice Christian. I know it’s strange to many people; like “jumbo shrimp” or “living dead.” I’m just another oxymoron. But to me, it’s a personal decision that came with lots of time and careful thought.
I didn’t grow up pro-choice. In fact, I distinctly remember scoffing at the pro-choice protesters who crowded the sidewalks outside my high school one day in tenth grade. I was a rather conservative Christian at the time, and I remember feeling superior to these pro-choicers with their disregard for human life.
But things change with time, and in the process of growing up, I found myself questioning what I had been taught, like so many people do as they mature into young adults. I became ultra-feminist, solid on all of my beliefs except for one: abortion. The little conservative voice in the back of my head would chime up every time the topic was brought up, and I felt an uncertainty looming uncomfortably in my heart.
This went on until one day I realized that I couldn't, in good conscience, be anything but pro-choice. Even though I couldn't imagine that I would ever get an abortion, I couldn't ignore that it is clear in the founding documents of our nation that there is a separation of church and state. It became obvious to me that just because I have religious beliefs does not mean that everyone has them, and I certainly had no right to force my views upon others.
The Bible never mentions abortion in a direct sense. Many Christians’ problems with abortion lie in the fact that it is debatable as to when life actually begins. Is it at conception? Or is it when the baby is actually born? Again, the Bible provides no answers to this. God never tells us when life begins in the Old Testament or the New. Of course, he does say “thou shalt not kill.” Herein lies the problem, for if you believe that life begins when an egg and a sperm meet, then abortion is murder, an act that is very much illegal in the U.S.
Personally, I’m not sure when life begins. I think that’s one of those questions that humans quite possibly aren’t meant to know the answer to. However, I have found that among the pro-life Christians who use this argument, they are often times hypocritical. If you are to call yourself pro-life in all seriousness, then it is questionable to advocate for the death penalty, or even war for that matter, which unavoidably involves the intentional murder of masses. Now, maybe there are some pro-lifers out there who truly are against all forms of murder including abortion, war, and the death penalty, but I have yet to meet one.
Regardless of when life starts, I believe that because there is a distinct separation of church and state and the United States of America was founded on the basis of freedom and choice for all citizens, the government has no right to control a woman’s body. Quite frankly, I find that notion ridiculous and horribly sexist. My body is my body and I can control what I do with it.
And for those who question what I mean when I say that the argument in defense of abortion is sexist, I would look no further than the wise words of fake Arianna Huffington on Saturday Night Live: “If men could get pregnant, abortion clinics would be like Starbucks: there would be two on every block and four in every airport-- and the morning after pill would come in different flavors like sea salt and cool ranch.”
It’s pretty much undeniable that the U.S. government has a historical obsession with controlling women and their bodies. I mean, for crying out loud, Roe v. Wade was passed forty years ago, but for some reason we’re still debating the topic it dealt with.
And sure, as a Christian I believe that only God should have power and control over life and death. However, not everyone is a Christian and not everyone thinks this. Would I personally get an abortion? No, I don’t think I would. But then again, I’ve never been in the position where I would have to realistically consider that. If I got pregnant tomorrow, I would want to know that I could legally and safely obtain an abortion.
Today, I’m proud to be both a Christian and a firm believer that every woman has the right to choose what is done with her body. And really, that is one of the biggest problems I have with the pro-life movement; it seems that many have forgotten that being pro-choice doesn’t mean I would get an abortion personally, and it certainly doesn’t mean I love the idea of aborting fetuses. It simply means I believe in the freedom of choice. As Margaret Sanger once said, “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body.”
Megan Kay is a sophomore WLP major with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. She is currently the media and communications intern for the Massachusetts branch of the National Organization for Women, which she is wicked ecstatic about. Her life goals include being half as cool as Leslie Knope and kicking half the ass that Buffy Summers did. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Image: Tumblr
Personally, I’m not sure when life begins. I think that’s one of those questions that humans quite possibly aren’t meant to know the answer to. However, I have found that among the pro-life Christians who use this argument, they are often times hypocritical. If you are to call yourself pro-life in all seriousness, then it is questionable to advocate for the death penalty, or even war for that matter, which unavoidably involves the intentional murder of masses. Now, maybe there are some pro-lifers out there who truly are against all forms of murder including abortion, war, and the death penalty, but I have yet to meet one.
Regardless of when life starts, I believe that because there is a distinct separation of church and state and the United States of America was founded on the basis of freedom and choice for all citizens, the government has no right to control a woman’s body. Quite frankly, I find that notion ridiculous and horribly sexist. My body is my body and I can control what I do with it.
And for those who question what I mean when I say that the argument in defense of abortion is sexist, I would look no further than the wise words of fake Arianna Huffington on Saturday Night Live: “If men could get pregnant, abortion clinics would be like Starbucks: there would be two on every block and four in every airport-- and the morning after pill would come in different flavors like sea salt and cool ranch.”
It’s pretty much undeniable that the U.S. government has a historical obsession with controlling women and their bodies. I mean, for crying out loud, Roe v. Wade was passed forty years ago, but for some reason we’re still debating the topic it dealt with.
And sure, as a Christian I believe that only God should have power and control over life and death. However, not everyone is a Christian and not everyone thinks this. Would I personally get an abortion? No, I don’t think I would. But then again, I’ve never been in the position where I would have to realistically consider that. If I got pregnant tomorrow, I would want to know that I could legally and safely obtain an abortion.
Today, I’m proud to be both a Christian and a firm believer that every woman has the right to choose what is done with her body. And really, that is one of the biggest problems I have with the pro-life movement; it seems that many have forgotten that being pro-choice doesn’t mean I would get an abortion personally, and it certainly doesn’t mean I love the idea of aborting fetuses. It simply means I believe in the freedom of choice. As Margaret Sanger once said, “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body.”
Megan Kay is a sophomore WLP major with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. She is currently the media and communications intern for the Massachusetts branch of the National Organization for Women, which she is wicked ecstatic about. Her life goals include being half as cool as Leslie Knope and kicking half the ass that Buffy Summers did. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Image: Tumblr