I decided I needed to write the following poem to address a critical issue in this election, and an issue that has become increasingly divisive in American politics for at least the past 40 years. Abortion is the hottest of the hot button issues, and for those who think abortion is murder, this issue often determines their entire voting decision, trumping even economic policies that may benefit them. Obviously, however, the majority of the country believes abortion should be an individual's choice, so clearly they do not equate it with murder, which cannot be considered just a choice. So, is there any way to have a discussion on this issue?
I think this issue is not a matter of blind or unchangable belief. I think we must be able to discuss it. People who feel strongly on either side of this issue owe it to themselves to consider the facts carefully, but especially those who would condemn others and prohibit an action because they believe that action to be evil. They must make very certain they are correct. Likewise, those who take a counter position to this, must also be quite sure they are correct. Have we all really thought about the questions surrounding this issue deeply enough to be certain of our positions? Perhaps the following poem will be a quick way to cut to the heart of the matter in a way that an argument or debate could not. Here is a poem I wrote about some of the more vexing quesions on this topic.
When Your Life Begins
Some say they know when your life begins,
Egg meets sperm and soul enters in.
But what about identical twins?
When a fertilized egg splits in two,
What’s an early entering soul to do?
Does it stay in one and not the other?
Could this explain an evil brother?
No, in truth, twins, and siblings many,
Seem alive and good, like creatures any.
It’s harder than some think to know
If, or when, or how to show
That a soul has entered an embryo.
As the copies of an egg increase,
Are new souls recruited to inhabit each?
And, sometimes they merge back to one.
For extra souls, this must be no fun.
If a fertilized egg is a "fully human" being,
Is it one person, or ten, or in between?
And this judgment’s harder yet to make
As the "moment of conception" has a big mistake
About how long this process takes.
Genes are copied over many days
It’s not a moment, but a lengthy phase.
So, it’s tough to say when it begins,
And an equal puzzle where it ends.
And even when embryos are produced faithfully,
Two thirds do not implant successfully.
Thus, most embryos perish naturally.
Nature allows reproduction sparingly,
Avoiding an overpopulation tragedy.
So, if fertilized eggs are given souls, then WHY
Are so many, many doomed to die?
But, then again, if a soul’s immortal,
Why does it matter if it sheds its tiny vessel?
Maybe it goes back from whence it came,
Or perhaps will return to live again.
No one really knows when your life begins,
But the seeds of life are not its ends.
And a mother must be free within
Her body a choice to make,
When, and how, and where to take
The time and effort to not just grow her flower,
But be able to nurture it with all her power.
For motherhood’s a thing of beauty,
And it should never be just a duty.
Ok. First of all, part of the reason I wrote this poem is that I am a twin. I am actually a fraternal twin, so the arguments about identical twins do not directly apply to me. However, I remember hearing many times while I was growing up about how the Catholic church, and Thomas Aquinas in particular, used to believe that only one twin had a soul and the other one just ended up being an evil "soulless" twin. I guess octomom would give Aquinas fits. But, of course, it's an absurd argument to claim that somehow only one twin has a soul. To the extent than anybody has a soul--and I'm not convinced that we are not simply biological machines that are run by our brains, rather than some mysterious soul--twins are no different than anyone else. The idea that there is a good or evil twin is not born out by the facts...even in the case of my brother!
The real problem with a lot of this "ensoulment" talk is that it is pure speculation. It is not based on any solid evidence from either religion or science. Claims about the soul or when personhood begins seems to have frequently changed over history. In the early 20th century, it was not uncommon to believe that contraception (of virtually any kind) was murder. Why? Well, as Monty Python memorably explains, every sperm was sacred. I don't know at what point a majority of Americans stopped considering contraception murder. Catholics, of course, still consider it immoral for various convoluted reasons. They say it prevents to sex cells that have the potential for creating life to reach their potential. However, even abstinence results in eggs and sperm naturally dying if they are not used. So, they also fail to reach their potential. Unless we were to reproduce constantly, there would be no way for all our sex cells to reach their potential. And, it should be obvious that the world is amply populated already. I've heard a line that says:
"The Earth has too many children, and not enough milk."
I think that nicely sums up our unsustainable population growth. If this line is part of a larger poem, so far I have not been able to identify it. If anyone has heard this or knows where it comes from, please let me know.
Anyway, I'll stop writing for now and look at comments. I know there are anti-abortion people among liberals, conservatives, and all political groups. My goal is not necessarily convince them that they are wrong. I would just like to get them to realize that this issue is not as certain as they might have been led to believe. It is not certain enough to be putting up bloody images and screaming "murderer" at people. And, no matter how certain YOUR beliefs are, do you really have the right to impose your beliefs on someone who believes the opposite of the way you do? This seems awfully close to saying my religious beliefs are right and everybody else's are wrong. Therefore, I will pass a law saying all people need to follow my beliefs. What kind of relgious freedom, or freedom from religious imposition, is that?
I also know some people will be pissed off at any criticism I make about Catholics. I'm a Catholic escapee, so I'm not going to get into some big debate on doctrine. I don't hate Catholics. I just don't buy into any of that anymore. And the last two popes have taken such extreme positions on issues like birth control that I just don't see how those views are defensible.