Abbey-Roads2

This is important to consider. 

I’m publishing a comment from Lee Ann on my post, Feeding the Beast which dealt with the number of women in the UK who have had multiple abortions.  Lee Ann is responding to another commenter. 

Comment:

Newly pregnant by two months - eighteen - no means of support save my parents. Pregnant now for 16 weeks. My parents tell me I WILL go to a clinic and this “problem” will be taken care of.

Choice? What the hell are you talking about? I had no choice!

I am not a victim - I am victorious in Christ who has heard my cries, my sadness and my sorrow over the death of my baby, even though I had no idea what was going on in the medical procedure.

I have not lived one day without sadness since that day - that day that I was forced. Yes, I walked into the “clinic”, yes, I did what the doctor told me to do. I did what was demanded of me by my parents - and I won’t even go into the ways that they encouraged and sexualized me at an early age - there is just not enough space here.

I stopped thinking and feeling that day. I have lived in my own hell for years - hell of drug and alcohol abuse, hell of feeling worthless, hell of being unacceptable to myself.

What CHOICE?

No, I had no choice.

I HATE that I had an abortion - I hate to know that I was part and party to the death of my own child, but I will never understand why there are people who think that I, or any other woman who aborts felt they had a choice.

My son would have been 38 this fall - his name is Matthew Dean and you can read more on my blog about what it is like to be a post abortive woman.

For any of the readers who are post abortive, man or woman, please contact Rachel’s Vineyard, a post abortive healing ministry. RV will help you begin to heal from your abortion if you have not already done so.

Thank you for permitting me to speak out.

To God be the Glory - Lee Ann of Matthew’s Mom

Thanks Lee Ann.

Do we freely choose all the time?

If we know ourselves very well, we can understand if we have freely chosen to do this or that, or chose to be this or that.  But I don’t think we can ever say with any certainty, “she chose to do that”, or “he chose to be that.”  Not unless we have evidence, or the person tells us, “Yes, I chose to do this”, or “yes, I chose to be this.”

Without full consent of the will… 

Perhaps a choice, albeit unconscious, or constrained, or coerced, could be said to have been made in certain situations or lifestyles, albeit under duress.  In such a case I believe a moral theologian would say one’s freedom is limited, hence one’s culpability may be mitigated - although the consequences can be the same.  (Forced abortion = death of infant; freely chosen abortion = death of infant.) 

Whatever the case, it is important that we pray much for one another, since only God sees the conscience.    In such circumstances we do well to consider St. Paul’s words,  “I do not even pass judgment on myself.  The Lord is the one to judge me, so stop passing judgment before his return.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and manifest the intentions of hearts.” - 1 Corinthians 4: 3-5

Of course, St.  Paul’s admonition does not mean we are not allowed to judge between acts that are immoral and sinful, and those that are moral and good.