Thursday, June 18, 2009

Materialism and Framing the Abortion Discourse

Since I've been on my employment journey I've spent a good amount of time on the internet, much the pity. And occasionally the T.V. happens to be on in the other room. Well, a couple days ago I overheard a conversation on FOX discussing the "ownership" of an unborn baby. Apparently a couple had paid another woman to have their child through some scientific method of pretending to be God. This point alone is worth discussion and necessary discussion on the using of human persons as a form of baby trafficking. I'll save that point for another date but welcome the discussion.

The point I want to discuss is that the two parties were arguing over who "owns" the unborn baby. It seems an odd statement does it not? Its not as if parents flaunt their children at the local 4H stand at the fair, "Yeah, I bought this one on sale and these two I got for a two for one deal back in '86. All in all they make a nice package." It's insulting - probably because when we talk of buying or selling persons we think of slavery and all it implies. Slavery is insulting because by saying that a person is for sale, you are in essence saying that they are not a person at all, or that they are less than fully human. When talking about owning a person, you lower them to the level of a tool or machine, which is not only insulting, it is fundamentally and naturally wrong.

Where have we heard the prediction that humans would be lowered below person hood to a level of a machine, only to serve a function as a result of unnatural crimes against human sexuality... Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI. An encyclical is a direct letter from a Pope to all Christians and indeed to all the world. In 1968, Pope Paul VI predicted that persons would be used like machines, just as this couple used another woman. If you have not read it I highly suggest it. It's essential for any Christian or educated person living in our society and times.

This rhetoric of 'owning' a baby, previously unheard of since slavery, seems to be also the result of our materialistic society. These parents may have been talking about a car or a cup of Starbucks coffee. For when everything is a commodity, for the materialistic mind it is a mere difference of degree to make humans commodities as well. And that is a grim path to take, it is the path that led to the civil war and vast human suffering.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Likely the fundamental logic as to why people think abortion is OK is related to what you have written.

Abortion is a convenience that people decide on similar to deciding about their materialistic possesions.