Conversation Among Friends

A couple of weeks ago BH and I went to stand, shiver, talk, and pray at the Saginaw abortion clinic.

I have prayed for an end to abortion for a long time, but never before a clinic where babies are actually being aborted.  There is a significant difference in the sense of dread that comes out of nowhere.  I think this "dread" is something that CS Lewis writes about -- asking why should we really ever have this emotion -- especially if the soul is not real.

So says the byline of an article in The Economist from last week. It makes the case that for those of us who desire to see abortion numbers drop (I think we're pretty much all in that category), legislation is not a tool that anyone should expect to be effective for achieving that outcome:

[According to] the largest global study of abortion ever...Restricting abortions...has little effect on the number of pregnancies terminated. Rather, it drives women to seek illegal, often unsafe backstreet abortions leading to an estimated 67,000 deaths a year. A further 5m women require hospital treatment as a result of botched procedures.

MK,

Let's say for example that we chose to discuss the issue of abortion.  (I'm guessing that you are in favor of abortion (?)).

Can we have an objective and intellectually honest discussion?

I am going to participate in this.  It starts on 22-Sept at the abortion clinic in Saginaw as well in about 80 other cities in the US.  I invite you to join me - to sit and pray for an end to abortion.

http://www.40daysforlife.com/tricity/custom_page.cfm?category=2&page=2&active=2

Guys,

i just came across this bbc story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6952558.stm

so what does the church recommend women do who carry the child of a rapist, or are forced to become pregnant at gunpoint? i can see it's not fair to the child, but it ain't fair on the mother, either. what to do?