GREY AREAS IN THE ABORTION PROBLEM

Abortion has been, is and will exist in human society throughout history; and the debate about it too.

(*Disclaimer: This is not a pro-abortion article or a criticism of any religion)

In 2019, Pure Flix’s “Unplanned” suddenly exploded in its first week after its release, grossing more than $6 million at the box office just behind “Captain Marvel”. Based on Abby Johnson’s memoir of the same name, the story describes the life of someone who worked for eight years at a Texas branch clinic of the nonprofit health organization Planned Parenthood. The film depicts Abby initially believing in the good mission of the organization until one day she is asked to help with a 13-week-old abortion. This event caused her psychological transformation and became a turning point, Abby later quit her job and started a career as a pro-life activist [1].

The context becomes clearer when you know that “Unplanned” is produced by Pure Flix — a company specializing in the production and distribution of Christian films, which has previously been a huge success with 2-part drama films “God’s Not Dead”. At the same time, “Unplanned” director Cary Solomon told The New York Times that he hopes the film will trigger “the cultural moment that overturns Roe v. Wade.” [2]. The case of Roe v. Wade in 1973, a turning point in the view of the US Supreme Court. will be mentioned in the second half of the article. For now, I will continue by describing the religious perspective on abortion, which is also the reason why “Unplanned” is mentioned in this article.

1. History of the Catholic Church’s Anti-Abortion Teaching

Throughout human history, most religious traditions have held a certain view of abortion, but very few have accepted it as an absolute principle. The Buddhist view believes that life is a continuum of causes and consequences with no definite or fixed starting point, and although it views abortion as negative, exceptions are allowed [3]. Some Buddhist countries accept abortion as a matter of fact that can be justified, even though there will be negative moral and karmic consequences in reincarnations. Classical Hindu texts still strongly condemn abortion, but in fact, India, with its culture of favoring male births, sometimes rejects the religion’s ban on abortion. And some Hindu theologians may imply allowing abortion until the third month, only after which is considered to destroy the present body of the indwelling soul [4]. Most Muslim scholars agree that terminating a pregnancy after 120 days is not allowed, but if the mother’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is unwanted due to rape, abortion will be approved if it’s under 4 months of pregnancy [5]. Similar to Judaism, abortion is only allowed for serious reasons related to the mother’s life because of the view that the mother’s life is more important than the fetus. Basically, Judaism does not prohibit abortion because this practice is not explicitly mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and can only be drawn from hermeneutical conclusions, but it also does not allow abortion upon request and all cases must be consulted by an authorized cleric [6].

Meanwhile, it can be said that Christianity is almost the religion with the most staunch anti-abortion views, with the claim that abortion is always wrong because life is given by God, as well as that respecting one’s life even before the moment of birth is an unceasing doctrine of the Church. In the eyes of the Church, abortion is considered murder and goes against the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13), and the Church will argue that it is on behalf of the unborn child that it’s should be born and cared for. Under current canon law, the Catholic Church will impose excommunication [7] for those who have had successful abortions, including Catholics involved in direct and indirect collaboration.

The view of abortion has existed in doctrine since the earliest times, when Christians sought to distinguish themselves from pagans who accepted contraception and abortion. It was also during this period that Christians decided that sexual pleasure was evil, and early Church leaders began to argue about when a fetus was considered to have awareness. Many Christian thinkers have biologically accepted the writings of Aristotle (about 4th century B.C) that it takes a process of time for the matter in a woman’s womb to become an entity that can receive a human soul [8]. At this time knowledge of conception, like many other basic biological knowledge is still unknown, so despite the inaccuracy of the cited document, the general belief of the Catholic Church still considered abortion a severe felony at all stages. In the 5th century, the great bishop and theologian Saint Augustine warned against abusing the belief that the soul does not exist until a few weeks’ gestation, arguing that human knowledge of biology remains still very limited. Therefore, he once again affirmed that abortion at all stages is a felony, and will be severely punished if it is used to conceal adultery. Between the years 600–1500, illegal sex was considered a greater sin by the Church than abortion, yet Church leaders took the woman circumstances into account when it came to abortion. In the thirteenth century, Saint Thomas Aquinas, with the wide application of Aristotle’s thought, proclaimed that a fetus will have a transition between the nourishment, perception, and finally reason as the body develops. He also rejects the notion that abortion is a serious mistake at every stage, and proposes a way to divide the stages. From the 13th to the 19th centuries, a number of theologians have argued that in some special cases abortion before or after conception may be morally justified. This was discussed and refined, but overall, the Church still stands and reaffirms that abortion is intrinsically evil, and can never be morally right. In 1827, the emergence of modern embryology through Karl Ernst von Baer’s observations of mammalian ovum somewhat modified the previously accepted biological foundation among Christian thinkers. However, the scientific fact that human life begins at conception does not change the Church’s teaching on anti-abortion but emphasizes its importance. Since 1869, excommunication has been the punishment applied to all abortions [9].

It can be seen that the history of the Catholic Church’s anti-abortion policy is fierce and resolute. The Catholic Church’s position affirms that abortion is a felony equivalent to murder, just as in the catechism it says, “As early as the first century, the Church has asserted that all abortions are moral crimes. That teaching does not change and will always remain the same” [10]. However, in an article, author Molly Monk made the point that saying the above teaching is immutable may not be entirely true. Specifically, Molly agrees that it is fair to say that the Catholic Church has always leaned against abortion, but historical facts do not support that this position has remained unchanged over the past two millennia. Or more precisely, the writings of Catholic saints and the decisions of the Popes show that the Church has repeatedly adjusted its position on abortion. This inconsistency is mainly discussed on two main issues, the Church’s view of chastity (virginity) and the question of when a person’s life really begins. Sex has been a complex issue in Catholicism since the earliest times. While marriage (Sacrament of Matrimony) is a permanent conjugal union between a man and a woman through the ecclesiastical authority — which represents the power of the Church that belongs only to the men who have attached themselves to a lifelong vow of celibacy. And abortion is considered a sin because it nullifies the only acceptable reason for having sex, which is procreation in marriage. But in order to have an abortion, sexual intercourse is required first. The Catholic Church believes that procreation is the power of God and that humans only cooperate in this mission through the Sacrament of Matrimony. Contraception is therefore a form of self-rejection of God from that mission, and abortion is a form of murder.

O’Brien, president of the “Catholics for Choice” movement agrees with Molly’s follow-up view that Church teaching is not immutable, citing historical fact that the Church has repeatedly adjusted stance against abortion, which is largely based on Aristotle’s early biological observational writings. As mentioned above, Aristotle’s view that “abortion must be performed before it develops sensation and life”, this is mentioned in his “Politics” [11] ]. According to Aristotle’s thesis, once a fetus possesses a sentient soul, abortion is no longer acceptable. He also concluded that male fetuses acquire a sentient soul at 40 days and women at 90 days, and this theory has influenced a number of theologians in later periods. Aristotle’s biological views on fetal development were considered scientifically sound for more than 2,000 years and were relatively unquestioned until the seventeenth century. Thus, based on the theories of the sentient soul of Aristotle, Saint Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century argued that abortion at all stages was not necessarily a sin. Two centuries later, the eminent theologian and Archbishop of Florence, Saint Antony, argued that abortion was medically necessary as long as before the fetus possessed a soul. Everything changed at the end of 1588 when Pope Sixtus V declared that abortion at any stage of pregnancy was murder, and that excommunication would be imposed, while pardon could only be granted if the person being punished went to Rome begging for forgiveness. This tough stance lasted for three years when Pope Gregory XIV reversed the decision, declaring abortion would be murder only after a woman reached the second trimester of pregnancy. In 1869, Pope Pius IX declared abortion after conception would immediately be considered a sin. It can be seen that tracing the history of the Catholic Church’s anti-abortion policy, although repeatedly opposed to abortion as evidence of sexual sin, it is not always seen as murder because Church teaching has never been definitive about the nature of the fetus. However, this view of Molly and O’Brien also has a one-sided point when it only emphasizes the role of differences in Church doctrine and thereby claims inconsistency. From the Church’s point of view, this distinction is not used to say that abortion before or after conception — which will be approved, but rather it is used to distinguish specific penalties.

And while Catholicism is a religion with strict hierarchies and doctrines, it also has a profound respect for reason and individual choice. When faced with complex moral issues, one must first look to one’s own conscience to find the correct answer, not based on anyone’s point of view including the Church. This principle is called the “Primacy of Conscience,” and the catechism holds that people are always subject to certain judgments of conscience. The current Pope Francis has also emphasized that the primacy of conscience must be respected, and never replaced.[13] This right of preference, invisibly, creates an individual’s right to self-determination in abortion. This is also the core principle of “Catholics for Choice” (CFC), a non-profit organization of Catholics that advocates for Catholic access to abortion and contraception. The Church has rejected the organization’s activities because it believes that conscience has been misinterpreted by the CFC, or deliberately distorted. Because according to the doctrine, conscience is also divided into correct consciences or errorneous consciences, vincibly erroneous conscience and invincibly erroneous conscience — in which people must obey the voice of a true and correct conscience.

Basically, we acknowledge the fact that the Catholic Church is a very staunch anti-abortion religion. The Church’s doctrine that abortion is tantamount to murder, and those who perform abortions or assist others to do so, directly or indirectly, may face sanctions or even excommunicated. In countries where the Catholic Church has great power, the Church’s relationships with governments can contribute to a conservative political climate by exerting a distinct influence on reproduction and sexuality policies, especially those related to contraception, abortion and reproduction. Of course, the political context is also a two-way relationship, since the people in such countries are also mostly pious.

“Unplanned” is popular with Pro-life people, conservative leaders like former Vice President Mike Pence, who tweeted in support of the film. However, “Unplanned” also received a lot of criticism from both film and medical professionals, and of course Pro-choice, the opposite of all that Pro-life stands for.

The conflict between these two factions in the Western countries, though not entirely, is primarily a battle between the Christians and the rest. That’s why I spend the whole part I to investigate where the anti-abortion sentiment comes from.

2. Pro-life vs Pro-choice

“Unplanned” has once again ignited a fierce controversy that has never cooled down for a long time because of its anti-abortion related content, prompting both the Pro-life and Pro-choice movements to once again oppose vehemently head-to-head. And an anti- or pro-abortion debate will not be, and is unlikely to be, the place to find a winner because it happens on religious, legal, social, and ethical aspects. Those who represent their positions always show strong enthusiasm and can become radicalized in their cause with the desire to destroy the ideology of the opposition. Abortion is a complex topic that is often debated from a social and ethical perspective with different parties defending different points of view, and not always taking into account the wants, needs, or living conditions of women. Many agents may be involved in the debate surrounding abortion: State and executive, legislative and judicial, political organizations, health professionals, civil society groups (NGOs, associations, feminist organizations), religious organizations, international agencies, the media… And arguments and views can be expressed in many different forms, but in general all parties involved in the debate both unintentionally or intentionally put themselves in one of two movements, Pro-life (or fetal right) and Pro-choice (supporters of women’s right to terminate pregnancy), more specifically advocating abortion rights versus anti-abortion [14]. The name of each movement itself implicitly places the other side on the default side of semantic opposition. When Pro-life is the pro-life people, the other side will be what belongs to the side that doesn’t support and respect the gift of life. Or Pro-choice is respecting the decision and autonomy of women, then the opposite party is a group without freedom of reason and freedom of choice.

It is possible that both Pro-life and Pro-choice are confused as to why they are still unable to convince the other side with their seemingly convincing arguments, and of course neither side is trying to understand the other. Pro-life people will shout, “The fetus is a human being, abortion is murder”, while the Pro-choice may harshly respond, “Women are entitled to do what they want with their bodies as well as their life”.

On the Pro-life side, or those who choose pro-life would be able to envision their line of reasoning as follows:

- The fetus is a human
- Humans have the right to live
- Therefore, the fetus must have the right to life
- It is a mistake and a crime to kill someone who has the right to life
- Therefore, killing the fetus is murder

Pro-life people also sometimes believe that, except in the case of rape, the mother and father of the fetus are morally responsible for conceiving the child, and must bear the consequences of the act. If you don’t want to have children, then better precautions must be taken in the first place. And killing an innocent fetus is not the way to take responsibility. However, Pro-life also believes that in some exceptional cases, abortion can be morally permissible, such as the need to abort the pregnancy to save the mother, or the high probability that the mother will die if the fetus reaches a certain month. In more controversial cases involving an unwanted pregnancy from incest or rape, the right to life of the unborn baby may be overridden by circumstances. In this particular case, the Church is also of the opinion that the perpetrator of the rape — the father, of course is responsible for his crime, but killing an innocent child does not help erasing that crime, so the fetus should still be born. Similarly in the case of the fetus being born with the possibility of birth defects, the Pro-life people will not agree to abortion because this is a characteristic manifestation of eugenics, public discrimination, and believing that God has the power to create both the perfection and the imperfection of a person was the complementary reason for this case. For example, in the case of a fetus diagnosed with Down syndrome, Pro-life can make the assumption that people with this syndrome will actively participate in educational, vocational and recreational activities of the community, and contribute to society in many different values. In addition, Pro-life also raised a number of arguments about how abortion will cause both physical and psychological harm to women, reducing the number of newborns chosen for adoption, or even eliminating potential future contributions to society.

An adversarial argument on the Pro-choice side might be as follows:

- Humans have the right to live
- The fetus is not a complete person yet
- Therefore, the fetus does not fully have the right to live
-If a creature has no right to live, it’s not wrong to kill it
-So there’s nothing wrong with killing the fetus

However, this argument is not necessarily the values ​​​​that Pro-choice believes in, because it is very likely to lack humanity, even disregard morality and can only be applied in cases where the fetus is the result of a woman being raped, incestuous or having to save the mother’s life is in danger. So the following factors are the arguments that Pro-choice considers:

- The child has a significant potential for physical impairment or genetic disorder
- The possibility that the child will have to be born into an unstable or unloved family
- Disruption of a woman’s life plan when she has an unwanted pregnancy
- Financial difficulties when poorly prepared
- Women have the fundamental freedom to determine their future lives, as well as complete autonomy in deciding what to do with their bodies.

In general, the specific reasons Pro-choice group advocates for women’s right to abortion may be for family planning purposes, where a desire to postpone or stop having children is the most common reason women in abortion seek to give. Followed by economic reasons, women may say that they cannot afford to properly care for a child because childbirth and child care can disrupt work & schooling, that the woman or spouse is unemployed and she lacks financial support. Reasons for the fact that the boyfriend, partner is opposed to having children, or the woman is too young and does not want to get married are also quite common. Besides, the diagnosis of fetal malformations or underlying diseases is also the reason for the decision to have an abortion. One study has shown that women experience more grief and distress when they become aware of a fetal abnormality and have an intention to have an abortion, leading to fear and severe depression [15]. In addition, women who received abortions on demand expressed a desire for a better future than those who were denied abortions and had to have unwanted pregnancies in the long run. This arose a belief that access to abortion was important for providing financial stability and gender equality opportunities. Pro-choice reasons may also include that abortion has a lower rate of infection and complications than pregnancy, and the fact that more women have died of childbirth than abortions [16]. In addition, women who are denied abortions are more likely to be unemployed, deprived of public benefits, living below the poverty line and becoming victims of domestic violence.

Finally, when some fetuses have disorders so severe that they are likely to die before or shortly after birth, is denying an abortion a good choice for both mother and child? It would be cruel to force a woman to carry a fetus with a birth defect and an established death. Even in cases where a fetus is diagnosed with Down syndrome and is born with it, many parents may not be able to care for a child with a severe disability, resulting in the child being unfit for life and family relationships may be fractured. This is also one of the reasons leading to divorce in some couples.

The film “Unplanned” itself, which has been enthusiastically supported by Pro-life, has also received much criticism from the opposition Pro-choice, and from medical experts for describing abortion surgery as unsafe and even barbaric. In one key scene, Abby says she saw a 13-week-old fetus “twist and fight for life”, which is a shocking gore at the heart of the film. CGI graphics and the idea that the fetus can feel pain during an abortion is completely incorrect as most medical professionals agree that the fetus at 13 weeks is not yet cognitive. Dr Katherine McHugh, board member of the Physicians for Reproductive Health association, said the nerve cells needed to feel pain at this stage simply don’t exist. This won’t happen until the third trimester, which should be after 20 weeks. McHugh also noted that it would be inaccurate to describe the fetus pulling back, attempting to resist the probe or suction tube, and that complications would be extremely rare because abortions are mostly very safe level surgical [17]. So, while the film may add to the US government’s efforts to cut the abortion rate, the nature of the intentional spreading false informations is unscrupulous and unethical, this is what most film experts say when talking about “Unplanned”.

In addition, the case of Roe v. Wade (Roe v. Wade) was also a landmark decision in 1973 by the US Supreme Court when it ruled that the Constitution of this country protects a pregnant woman’s right to abortion without undue government restrictions. The case began in 1970 when Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) sued the state of Texas (Henry Wade represented the state). This lawsuit has contributed to the reshaping of American politics, dividing most of America into Pro-life and Pro-choice movements and triggering a series of continuing confrontational activities on both sides [18].

It is impossible not to look at the fact that abortion itself is completely unusual and not natural. However, is that a basis for immediately determining right and wrong? How many “natural” activities are people maintaining, and is “nature” a supreme guideline to follow?

Abortion has been, is and will exist in human society throughout history; and the debate about it too. Fundamental because these debates concern not only the specific issue they represent, abortion rights, but also religious faith, political order, and factional interests. Therefore, it will be difficult for it to fall overnight.

But let’s think about whether it’s important to find the right solution within this society, or to find a society where we don’t need to ask these questions.

___________

References:

[1] A. Johnson, C. Konzelman, and C. Solomon, “Unplanned,” IMDb, 29-Mar-2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9024106/. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[2] “With ‘Unplanned,’ Abortion Opponents Turn Toward Hollywood (Published 2019),” The New York Times, 2021 [Online]. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/.../unplanned-movie-abortion.html. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[3] “The Dalai Lama (Published 1993),” The New York Times, 2021 [Online]. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/.../28/magazine/the-dalai-lama.html. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

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[10] “Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant Teaching | USCCB,” Usccb.org, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.usccb.org/.../respect-for-unborn-human-life. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[11] M. Brady, “Roman Catholic Church Teaching and Abortion: A Historical View from the Early Church to Modern Day,” Tdl.org, 2020, doi: https://hdl.handle.net/2104/10945. [Online]. Available: https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/handle/2104/10945. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[12] J. Christopoulos, “Abortion and the Confessional in CounterReformation Italy,” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 443–484, 2012, doi: 10.1086/667257. [Online]. Available: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/667257.... [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[13] Francis, “Pope Francis reaffirms primacy of conscience amid criticism of ‘Amoris Laetitia,’” America Magazine, 11-Nov-2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.americamagazine.org/.../pope-francis.... [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[14] M. Medoff, “Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life: The Relationship Between State Abortion Policy and Child Well-Being in the United States,” Health Care for Women International, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 158–169, Nov. 2013, doi: 10.1080/07399332.2013.841699. [Online]. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24245932/. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[15] B. Kamranpour, M. Noroozi, and M. Bahrami, “Psychological experiences of women with pregnancy termination due to fetal anomalies: a qualitative study from the perspective of women, their spouses, and healthcare providers in Iran,” Reproductive Health, vol. 17, no. 1, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.1186/s12978–020–00959-y. [Online]. Available: https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/.... [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[16] A. Elixhauser and L. Wier, “Complicating Conditions of Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2008,” 2011 [Online]. Available: https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb113.pdf. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[17] A. Gotter, “Surgical Abortion,” Healthline, 30-Aug-2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.healthline.com/health/surgical-abortion.... [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]

[18] “Roe v. Wade | Summary, Origins, & Influence | Britannica,” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2021 [Online]. Available: https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade. [Accessed: 24-Sep-2021]