Abortion: The expulsion of an embryo or foetus before it can live on its own

ABORTION

The expulsion of an embryo or foetus before it can live on its own. Common use often distinguishes between abortion and miscarriage, the former being defined as the deliberate and induced emptying of a pregnant uterus, the latter being considered as the accidental and unavoidable interruption of pregnancy.

Bas relief of a massage abortion. The operator is a demon rather than a traditional birth attendant. The pregnant woman’s abdomen is darkened from being touched by pilgrims to Angkor Wat. The bas relief dates from about A.D. 1150. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The distinction between abortion and miscarriage is not made in the Bible; there the terms are used in a broader and interchangeable sense. The Hebrew sha·khalʹ, meaning “suffer an abortion” (Ex 23:26), is also rendered “bereave” (De 32:25), ‘bereave of children’ (Le 26:22), ‘miscarry’ (Ho 9:14), and “prove fruitless” (Mal 3:11). The Hebrew word yoh·tseʼthʹ, rendered “abortion” in Psalm 144:14, is from a root meaning “come out.” (Compare Ge 27:30.) The expressions “miscarriage” and “one prematurely born” (Ps 58:8; Ec 6:3) render the Hebrew word neʹphel, which comes from the root na·phalʹ, meaning “fall.”— Compare Isa 26:18.

Unavoidable abortion or miscarriage may be caused by accident, infectious disease, mental or physical stress and strain, or because of a general organic weakness on the part of the mother. The waters near Jericho were death dealing, causing miscarriages, until Jehovah’s prophet Elisha healed them.

19 In time the men of the city said to E·liʹsha: “My master can see that the city is well-situated;+ but the water is bad, and the land is barren.”* 20 At that he said: “Bring me a small new bowl and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water and threw salt into it+ and said: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘I have healed this water. No more will it cause death or barrenness.’”* 22 And the water has been healed down to this day, according to the word spoken by E·liʹsha. — 2Ki 2:19-22.

Deliberately to induce abortion or miscarriage by artificial means, by the use of drugs, or by medical operation, the sole purpose of which is to avoid the birth of an unwanted child, is an act of high crime in the sight of God. Life as a precious gift from God is sacred. Hence God’s law to Moses protected the life of an unborn baby against more than criminal abortion, for if in a fracas between men a pregnant woman suffered an accident fatal to her or the child, “then you must give soul for soul.” (Ex 21:22-25) Of course, before applying that penalty, the circumstances and degree of deliberateness were taken into consideration by the judges. (Compare Nu 35:22-24, 31.)

22 “‘But if it was unexpectedly and not out of hatred that he pushed him or threw any article at him without malicious intent,*+ 23 or if he did not see him and caused a stone to fall on him and he was not an enemy or seeking his injury, and the person died, 24 the assembly should then judge between the one who struck him and the avenger of blood, in harmony with these judgments.+ …  31 You must take no ransom for the life* of a murderer who is deserving to die, for he should be put to death without fail.+ (Numeri 35:22-24, 31)

But emphasizing the seriousness of any deliberate attempt to cause injury, Dr. J. Glenn comments:

“The viable embryo in the uterus IS a human individual, and therefore destroying it, is a violation of the sixth commandment.”—The Bible and Modern Medicine, 1963, p. 176.

Properly viewed, the fruitage of the womb is a blessing of Jehovah.

9 “‘I will direct my favor to* you and make you fruitful and multiply you,+ and I will keep my covenant with you.+  (Le 26:9)

 3 Look! Sons* are an inheritance from Jehovah;+ The fruit of the womb is a reward.+ (Ps 127:3)

Hence, in promising to prosper Israel, God gave assurance of successful culmination of pregnancy and the bringing forth of children, saying:

“Neither a woman suffering an abortion nor a barren woman will exist in your land.” (Ex 23:26)

As indicated in the prayer of the righteous, on the other hand, evidence of God’s disfavour to his enemies would be their having miscarrying wombs and their becoming like miscarriages that never see the sun.

 8 May they be like a snail that melts away as it moves along; Like a woman’s stillborn child who never sees the sun. (Ps 58:8)

14 Give them, O Jehovah, what you should give them; A womb that miscarries and dry* breasts. (Ho 9:14).

Job in his misery contemplated that it would have been better had he been “a hidden miscarriage.”

“Why from the womb did I not proceed to die?”

this tormented man cried out. (Job 3:11-16) Solomon, too, reasoned that a prematurely expelled foetus is better off than the person who lives a long time but who never comes to enjoy life.

3 If a man should become a father a hundred times and live for many years and reach old age, yet he* does not enjoy his good things before he reaches the grave,* I must say that a stillborn child is better off than he is.+ (Ec 6:3).

Contagious abortion, a disease characterized by premature birth, may occur among animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Accidental abortion due to neglect or disease of domestic animals has also been known since the days of the patriarchs Jacob and Job.

38 During these 20 years that I have been with you, your sheep and your goats never miscarried,+ and I never ate the rams of your flock. (Ge 31:38)

10 Their bulls breed without failure; Their cows give birth and do not miscarry. (Job 21:10).

+

Preceding articles:

The Risk Factors Associated with Abortions

Should I Have An Abortion

My Choice (by Jezabel Jonson)

The Real ‘Choice’

“They Told Me What I Wanted To Hear” – Real Abortion Stories

The Things We Carry, by Penny

Not an easy decision to make

Whoopi Goldberg commandments and abortion

Stop Burning Rape Survivors at the Stake

How to heal after childhood sexual abuse

“Til It Happens To You” by Lady Gaga

Abortion — Not a Trouble-Free Solution

Next: Fruitage of the womb

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Additional reading:

1. A philosophical error which rejects the body as part of the human person
2. About lions and babies
3. Westboro Baptist Church and Catholic Truth against Nelson Mandela
4. Always a choice

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Further reading:

1. Friendships
2. A little bundle of God’s Awesomeness
3. Infertility and Shame: The Body Brokenthe miracle of a mother
4. Delays…Of Course
5. The Baby I Was Never Able To Meet
6. Life After Loss – 5 Things Watching My Best Friend Survive Infant Loss Taught Me
7. Not-So-Happy Birthday
8. Dear Little One (who left too soon)
9. The Hours of LossCouple Who Suffered 4 Miscarriages Asks For Prayers After Welcoming Premature Baby Boy
10. GOP InbreedingPlanned Parenthood clinic in Appleton suspends abortion services
11. Grieving a miscarriage
12. My Miscarriage Story
13. The Spirit Baby that wanted to stay
14. Letter to our Angel
15. A Tip (or six) From Me to You.
16. The Gift within The Grief {The grief of losing a child and the gift of a receiving a church}
17. Gianna Jessen Testimony – Video
18. The Age Thing
19. Aiding the Innocent: Abortion.
20. The Tree of Life
21. Sander’s Saturday: Abortion
22. Judge rejects Roeder’s motion to bar Hard 50 sentence
23. Anti-choice groups want you to get your next pap smear at an elementary school
24. Why Catholic Hospitals are Messed Up
25. The Saturday Post(s)
26. Prostitution, porn, and abortion: three sides of the same coin
27. Anger | Forgivness | God
28. Eva and Eden
29. Sad News
30. Baby #3???
31. I Was Afraid You Wouldn’t Understand {Grieving Lost Embryos}
32. Picking up the pieces after another loss
33. Happy-Due-Date, angel baby.

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• Mothers are sharing their stories about ‘rainbow babies’ – and spreading awareness about miscarriages
• Early miscarriage guidelines should be improved, researchers say
• Huddersfield dad who lost four unborn babies sets out to raise awareness of miscarriage impacts on men
• Woman has ‘miracle baby’ naturally after 13 YEARS of heartache including failed IVF, five miscarriages and agony of losing month-old daughter
• Doctors told to delay miscarriage diagnosis to avoid risk of terminating healthy babies
• Phthalate Exposure Could Increase Risk of Miscarriage: Study
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• Major Pro-Life Vote Today in Congress!
• ‘I had eight miscarriages – pregnancy can be a scary place’

The Things We Carry, by Penny

When we go and look for help we also should look fro the priorities of that organisation by whom we knock at the door.

Having people giving endless lectures from puberty onward about the interests of boys, from a wrong viewpoint does not help either. Catholic institutions often did not help bringing up the children to be strong enough to be themselves and to be able to cope, resist and or communicate with persons of the other sex.

In many extreme religious countries we have seen fundamentalist groups and others terrorising the female sex. Often women were considered as the lower species to bring forth the next generation and to be a puppet ‘spiel’. Many boys who got that education as well used those of the other sex as their toy. They were brought up that way. Who can blame them?

At the beginning of this 21st century the West carries still many scars of the previous century where unwanted children or babies of young girls were considered as the bad in the world which had to be cast out and the girls punished. We would not like to think how many boys or man did got away unpunished, whilst they left an unhappy girl behind.

Shame and intimidation were the easiest tactics which could bring people down. But there were also many girls who came out of it much stronger and being much more aware of this precious life.
Some went looking for their child which was taken away from them at birth. Those who got an abortion had it more difficult facing the dark spot in their life. For many of them it was like an eating cancer making them rot away in grieve.

Several countries hoped to regulate and control abortions and help children who became pregnant. But shamefully we have to conclude that several organisations had other options than the well-care of those girls and looked more at the welfare of the community and politics, nor wanting to present them with some unwanted children or with children without loving parents or not being able to grow up in a stable family.

In certain groups of the community it looks cool when the man knows to dominate the woman. Certain man tiranise their partner and often use the children to set them up against the partner.

There that partner has to make certain choices and can avoid that there do come any more children. But as we can see sometimes the male part can be so dominant and so in control, that the partner still becomes pregnant. Others do find it normal to use the woman and have not the word ‘rape’ in their vocabulary.

For victims of such beings it becomes even more difficult to make certain choices. what we may not forget is that they sometimes also are forced to go to an abortion clinic. Other times they would love an abortion, but have no means or have lots of people who take care she doesn’t.

It is good to hear some witnessing from people who went through different stadia and not only became victim of rapists, wrong sex actions, but also victim of our societies attitude or certain organisations who want to regulate and control too much.

Let us not forget that those who are brought in a situation where they have to make a choice for what is inside them, it will never be an easy choice, and it will demand courage and it will demand perseverance and shall bring a turning point in the life of that person who shall never be able to be the same.

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To remember:

• On the sidewalk, the “antis” look at us
• We all have reasons for being there, unique experiences we carry up and down the sidewalk.
• bit the hand that assaulted me => scolded by the nuns for “unladylike” behavior + note sent home to parents
• endless lectures from puberty onward that “men only want one thing – that’s how they all are, they can’t help it, and so you have to protect yourself.”
• in order to receive any affection from men <=  to reduce myself to my body +  mind irrelevant in any romantic entanglements => took almost the rest of my life to unlearn this.
• body only valuable thing > had little control over what happened to it
• as sex worker > could pay my bills.
• boyfriend “rescued”
• went alone to a Planned Parenthood for an abortion
• impotent rage of fighting my way through protesters, with no escorts to assist me
• gain skills needed to survive in the nine-to-five world
• never once doubted my decision, + don’t to this day ====> I do wish that I’d been brave enough then to confide in a friend, and that I’d had escorts to run me through the gamut of shaming
• We need to draw a hard line here, because raising girls to believe that they are only their bodies – as blow up dolls, incubators, or punching bags – is dangerous
• Make any choice you want, as long as it’s yours.
• Stay brave, stay free, and may your pack be light.

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Additional reading

1. Happiness mapping and getting over gender mapping
2. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands
3. Eternity depends upon this short time on earth

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Related articles

• Infants in the Hands of Planned Parenthood: What is the Duty of Love?
• Eight Catholic schools cut ties with Planned Parenthood
• LGBT Ally Leaves Catholic School After Coworkers Fired
• Should Rapists Write Memoirs?
• Why do women need to shout about their abortions?
• Fewer US women underwent abortion for unintended pregnancies in pro-life states
• Group calls for enforcement of law on rape
• #ShoutYourAbortion: Pregnancy termination has transformed women’s lives and should be celebrated
• ‘Abortion rights an election issue’, says Clare Daly
• Rape: NGO, experts seek strict enforcement of law against culprits

Louisville Clinic Escorts

TW:  Violence, rape

On the sidewalk, the “antis” look at us, escorts as well as clients, and based on our ages, the vehicles we drive or don’t drive, the clothes we wear, the overheard snippets of friendly conversation, they’ll tailor the harassment to what they believe is the greatest effect.

“Does your mother know you’re here – you may be an outcast!”

“That’s what a real baby is supposed to look like.”

“You are not young, nearing the end of your life – repent now!” and memorably,

“Go home and put some decent clothes on!”

We immediately think through all the counter-arguments, the snappy retorts, the “you-don’t-know-me’s,” and sometimes a client or companion will voice them. Mostly we hope to avoid the added annoyance of them learning our names. I can’t help but cringe when this happens, because any acknowledgement feeds the antis. But it’s hard. It’s so hard not…

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