http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200608 ... onabortionWhere does God stand on abortion? By Tom Ehrich
Mon Aug 14, 6:57 AM ET
Each side of this divisiveissue claims the divineknowledge of what isright and wrong in theeyes of the Almighty.As with any hot-buttonissue, it's not that simple.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up one aspect of the abortion issue in its next term - specifically the constitutionality of a rare procedure opponents call "partial-birth" abortion - and as a result will find itself embroiled in a marathon religious duel marked by vitriol, apocalyptic visions and relentless maneuvering. Religious leaders will speak passionately on both sides of the issue, quote Scripture against each other and claim to express God's will.
A third religious constituency, however, has lost interest in the abortion debate - some because homosexuality seems more pertinent; some because other issues such as war, justice, economic distress and terrorism seem more pressing.
In the abortion battle, each religious camp thinks it has gained ground since Roe v. Wade in 1973, in which the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide. One side, calling itself "pro-life," believes that new high court Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts will tilt toward its anti-abortion position. The other side, calling itself "pro-choice," believes that public opinion has moved toward greater acceptance of legal abortion and that the court will follow the trend.
Shades of gray
So where do religions - and for that matter, people of faith - stand when it comes to whether abortion should be legal or not? Much like the secular debate over abortion, the religious debate is one best captured in shades of gray rather than how it's usually depicted by both "pro" sides - in black and white.
In fact, the religious arguments themselves haven't changed much over the past three decades. They've simply grown in volume and intensity.
The basic religious position against abortion is that human life begins at conception, not at birth, and therefore aborting a pregnancy violates the commandment against murder. The Supreme Court said in Roe that "we need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer."
To counteract that argument, those who oppose abortion have devoted much of their recent work to developing a scientific and medical basis for defining life as they see it. Supporters of abortion rights disagree with this definition of life - calling it bad science and a misreading of Scripture - and argue that women, not the state, should make their own reproductive choices.
In the point-counterpoint of the abortion debate, biblical arguments seem to have lost their zing, as partisans talk past each other and dispute the meaning of the few biblical passages that come even close to being relevant. When Psalm 139, for example, says, "You (God) knit me together in my mother's womb," is that biblical proof life begins at conception or simply symbolic language showing God's providence, based perhaps on an ancient Phoenician myth? Depends on whom you ask.
When Jeremiah 1:5 has God saying, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you," is that God's definition of conception or the author's literary description of his call as a prophet? Again, it depends on one's interpretation.
The more active weapons have become labeling and trying to convey the impression of a religious juggernaut, when in fact neither side can make an absolute case for or against abortion.
The decision ultimately comes down to individual religions and, ultimately, individuals.
Each side wants to present itself as the one true religious viewpoint on abortion. In truth, there is no single religious position on abortion. Mainline churches tilt toward allowing legal abortion, conservative churches tilt toward ending legal abortion, but each denomination - even those most publicly aligned with opposition to abortion, such as Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist - has a sizable minority that takes a differing position.
So what lies ahead? The issue of abortion had been in a lull, as gay marriage became this year's political lightning rod. But expect that to change in the fall when the Supreme Court takes it up once again. The protest signs will appear on the steps of the court, the battle lines will again be drawn and the nation will again see religion used as a wedge.
Compromise unlikely
America's religious communities show deep divisions and hardening positions on abortion. As happens when a political or cultural issue becomes a religious cause couched in absolutist language and claims of divine sanction, compromise seems unthinkable.
At the pew level, however, the situation is more fluid. Whether one attends a Southern Baptist service, a Catholic Mass, Jewish synagogue or Muslim mosque, there's a good chance that fellow congregants view the abortion debate as individuals rather than with one religious voice.
You wouldn't know that from the rhetoric - political and religious - on the national stage.
Yes, in this day and age, extreme positions command the microphones and drown out the others. Perhaps it's time for the common-sense middle to assert itself against both extremes - in abortion and in the next hot-button issue.
Tom Ehrich is an Episcopal pastor, author, teacher and writer in Durham, N.C.
