Posted on 08/12/2019 10:28:53 AM PDT by Morgana
People of faith have as much, but no more, right as other people to engage in public deliberation on matters of law or ethics. As a Uniting church minister and teacher of ethics, I support the move from criminalisation to reproductive justice because it separates divisive questions of moral justification (for or against) from the law that applies to all citizens whatever their religious or ethical beliefs.
The ethical debates are undoubtedly divisive. Philosophers, religious leaders, lawyers, bioethicists, and feminist theorists debate the status of the foetus vis-a-vis a woman’s right to bodily integrity and self-determination. Meanwhile, moral decision-making is lived out in the real lives of women who must determine whether or not to continue an unplanned pregnancy.
Women draw on the resources of their personal values including religious beliefs, scientific and medical knowledge, and their moral wisdom. They weigh up sometimes conflicting values in the context of complex lives, giving consideration to their emotional, physical and financial capacity to parent a child; the stability and safety of their relationship with the father; their responsibility to the children they already have; risks to their physical or mental health; and the health of the foetus. While the language of rights is pivotal in the legal debate, the language of care and responsibility, toward other people and themselves, features prominently in women’s moral discernment. The Uniting church acknowledges that its members have diverse views on abortion but holds that it is unjust to criminalise women or doctors for the act of abortion. It advocates a response based on compassion and sensitivity to the complex realities of human life. I contend that recognising the moral agency of women, the capacity of women to make good decisions about whether or not to continue a pregnancy, is crucial for human flourishing, which should be...
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
That “minister” is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing, and he is going to a far worse part of hell than his misled congregants!
Multiple passages in the New Testament prove she’s no more a preacher of the Gospel than my dog.
She may well be a preacher, but not of the Christian faith.
A Satanic Church would be more realistic.
Heresy. Next.
Abortion is never a really good moral choice. Look at it! It is the killing of children who want to live. How can that be moral?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.