Well it's 12:40am and what the Heck I am wide awake, I mine as well tackle the other biggie!
The death penalty.
I know people often are perplexed by a person being pro-choice and against the death penalty.
But, I will just take a second to clue you in to the fact that all the people I know who are anti-choice are also pro death penalty, and I assure you we are just as perplexed.
Once again, it comes down to govenment involvement for me.
Personally, I don't think the death penalty is justice rather I feel it is vengence.
And I do believe that it is said in scripture that vengence in my saith the Lord.
Speaking of scripture, I am completely baffled by Christians who are pro death penalty?
I just recently was made aware of where this position comes from. Apparently because in
the old testement God commanded men to kill other men for injustices. But, wait! I am a christian and this is one of the reasons that I do oppose the death penalty. I understand that
in the old testement things were done a certain way...it was the age of Law. Now, that Chirst
has come, he brought the Age of Grace. We no longer follow those principals, because Jesus taught us a new way. So, as a friend of mine recently said to me when we were having this discussion about the old testement, "keep reading".
So onto the secular part of this position, When a person is executed in our country, it is done by the state, "we the people". I don't want anyone executed in my name. I had this discussion with my brother, Barry, whom I have mentioned here before about this issue. He posed a question to me about a loved one being murdered and wouldn't I want that person put to death. My reply to him was a similar question, that if a loved one of ours was the murderer, would you want him put to death? He thought for a moment and replied, he would have to stand by his principals and say yes. I respect that, I really do. And with that, I replied to him, "why would he think that I wouldn't stand by mine?" Would that be one of the most horrible thing to have to deal with? Of course it would be. Would I be the first person whom had a loved one murdered but stood in a court room asking to please not have the dealth penalty sought? NO, I wouldn't. Let me finish up by saying that I am not a bleeding heart liberal, I think that violent criminals need to be kept off the street. I believe in life sentences with no chance of parole. I believe that the role of government is to protect it's citizens from those who would do us harm but not to protect us from doing harm to ourselves...but that is a subject for another day. I will leave you with one more thought that I will pick up on with my next post. That I also believe that the role of govenment is to do for the people what they can not do for themselves, such as make sure our water and food supply are safe for example...but I digress again...I will follow up on this subject soon as it is obviously timely to the upcoming election.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
I knew as the political season started heating up it would give me a chance to address a lot of issues. I guess the introduction of Sarah Palin offers the opportuinty to discuss the one HUGE political football that I am certain we will never come to any collective decision on, however I would like to express my feelings about it.
As that would of course be; Abortion.
Here is my perception of this issue. I feel that it is important to determine what issues we feel collectively as a culture should be dealth with personally or politically. First I would like to state, that I personally feel that terminating a pregnancy is a tragic and painful realization for every woman I know whom has experienced it. Finding oneself pregnant at a time when it does not come as joyful news is a horrible situation for any woman to find herself in. I remember watching an episode of Sex and the City and the character Miranda was in this situation and was consulting her friend, Carrie whom had the experience of termination a pregnancy, she asked her, "how long did it take until you got over it?" Her reply was, "I will let you know." I thought it was very true to what I have seen the women in my life whom have dealt with the feelings that go along with this experience go through. I actually have friends in my life who have made all three of these choices. I have several who had their babies and gave them up for adoption, I have had friends whom terminated pregnancies and I have friends who chose to have their babies and keep them, in very difficult circumstances. I think all three choices come with life long consequences. Ultimetely there is no easy way out, although I believe that many percieve abortion as an easy way out...that has not been my experience as I have seen it. The feelings of sadness and heartbreak that go along with ending a pregnancy or giving a child up for adoption are tremendous and life long. When a woman chooses to have a child without the maturity/resources and ability to properly care for a child or to bring a child into the world with very difficult circumstances goes without saying, come with many trials and tribulations. I know many people think the issue is weather or not it is taking a life to terminate a pregnancy and I would imagine that range of opinions will be an ongoing debate until the end of time. However, I would like to take it one step further. Ultimetely, I think the discussion should be about weather or not we want our government telling women what they can and can not do in these very personal and often agonizing circumstances. My determination is NO. Do I think it is murder? Do I think that it is ok to abort a pregnancy morally? I would answer these questions, except for the fact that I don't think my opinion matters. I think what matters is that whatever my opinion is, I don't think I have the right to make those decisions for another woman. Personally, I believe she has to feel she has control over her own life and body. I personally think it is a tragedy for all involved and morally I think it is between that woman and God. But, I no more want my government telling women they are going to be forced to carry pregnancies to term than I want my government telling women they have to terminate pregnancies, as they do in other countries. I just don't want the government involved period. I look at Sarah Palin the Republican vp canidate and I see that she made a decision to have her child with down syndrome and it appears her daughter of 17 years old has chosen to carry her pregnancy to term. I respect both of their "choices", but just for a moment think of the idea that they wouldn't have had a choice, that they both would have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term by the government...how different that would be. I know that if you are under 45-50 years old you don't remember what it was like, in fact I don't. But, I have seen enough of the stories of women being butchered in back allies by illegal abortions they sought out of desperation and being left for dead. In fact the Philadelphia Police dept. had an entire dept for these homicides. I assure anyone who wants abortion to become illegal again, that they won't stop, there will always be women desperate to terminate pregnancies for any number of reasons and women will go back to dying under horrible circumstances. This subject is deeply upsetting to people on both sides of the issue and I am sure it will be for a long time to come...but I beg of everyone to not oversimplify the subject, it is one of deep emotional, personal and moral complication and deserves more concideration than to be a cut and dry; black and white conclusion.
As that would of course be; Abortion.
Here is my perception of this issue. I feel that it is important to determine what issues we feel collectively as a culture should be dealth with personally or politically. First I would like to state, that I personally feel that terminating a pregnancy is a tragic and painful realization for every woman I know whom has experienced it. Finding oneself pregnant at a time when it does not come as joyful news is a horrible situation for any woman to find herself in. I remember watching an episode of Sex and the City and the character Miranda was in this situation and was consulting her friend, Carrie whom had the experience of termination a pregnancy, she asked her, "how long did it take until you got over it?" Her reply was, "I will let you know." I thought it was very true to what I have seen the women in my life whom have dealt with the feelings that go along with this experience go through. I actually have friends in my life who have made all three of these choices. I have several who had their babies and gave them up for adoption, I have had friends whom terminated pregnancies and I have friends who chose to have their babies and keep them, in very difficult circumstances. I think all three choices come with life long consequences. Ultimetely there is no easy way out, although I believe that many percieve abortion as an easy way out...that has not been my experience as I have seen it. The feelings of sadness and heartbreak that go along with ending a pregnancy or giving a child up for adoption are tremendous and life long. When a woman chooses to have a child without the maturity/resources and ability to properly care for a child or to bring a child into the world with very difficult circumstances goes without saying, come with many trials and tribulations. I know many people think the issue is weather or not it is taking a life to terminate a pregnancy and I would imagine that range of opinions will be an ongoing debate until the end of time. However, I would like to take it one step further. Ultimetely, I think the discussion should be about weather or not we want our government telling women what they can and can not do in these very personal and often agonizing circumstances. My determination is NO. Do I think it is murder? Do I think that it is ok to abort a pregnancy morally? I would answer these questions, except for the fact that I don't think my opinion matters. I think what matters is that whatever my opinion is, I don't think I have the right to make those decisions for another woman. Personally, I believe she has to feel she has control over her own life and body. I personally think it is a tragedy for all involved and morally I think it is between that woman and God. But, I no more want my government telling women they are going to be forced to carry pregnancies to term than I want my government telling women they have to terminate pregnancies, as they do in other countries. I just don't want the government involved period. I look at Sarah Palin the Republican vp canidate and I see that she made a decision to have her child with down syndrome and it appears her daughter of 17 years old has chosen to carry her pregnancy to term. I respect both of their "choices", but just for a moment think of the idea that they wouldn't have had a choice, that they both would have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term by the government...how different that would be. I know that if you are under 45-50 years old you don't remember what it was like, in fact I don't. But, I have seen enough of the stories of women being butchered in back allies by illegal abortions they sought out of desperation and being left for dead. In fact the Philadelphia Police dept. had an entire dept for these homicides. I assure anyone who wants abortion to become illegal again, that they won't stop, there will always be women desperate to terminate pregnancies for any number of reasons and women will go back to dying under horrible circumstances. This subject is deeply upsetting to people on both sides of the issue and I am sure it will be for a long time to come...but I beg of everyone to not oversimplify the subject, it is one of deep emotional, personal and moral complication and deserves more concideration than to be a cut and dry; black and white conclusion.
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