Wow, that title felt odd even as I wrote it. This week however I was reading about different ways to frame the pro-life/pro-choice debate and this comparison to "Just War" theology really struck a cord with me. I've always considered myself pro-choice because I strongly believe that a person, even a woman, should have the right to make decisions about ones own body. However, as a person of faith I've always felt a little uncomfortable about the implied casualness of "choice" - it seems kind of whimsical, like I'm choosing which shoes to wear with this outfit or which fast food drive through to pull into. And I've always wondered if the opposite of pro-life isn't actually pro-death and that makes me REALLY uncomfortable!
Reframing pro-choice under the rubric of Just Abortion however brings the same level of gravitas to the discussion as you get with Just War. Clearly war isn't a frivolous choice and neither is abortion. But what I like best is that thinking about abortion this way requires the woman to ponder two questions: Will the value of your actions outweigh the intermediate costs? Will the ends justify the means? These are deeply personal and situational questions. One size clearly won't fit all and that is where the role of discernment and choice will enter. But I find it a very helpful way to frame the pastoral conversation and provide the decision-making support that a woman facing this very tough choice needs - and to do so in a nurturing and forward going way vs. simply offering platitudes or worse yet, pushing my values on someone else. It is thought-provoking yet non-judgmental. And it affirms that we believe that women want to do the right thing but that it isn't always so easy to figure out what the right thing is.
Just Abortion theology also elevates the seriousness of the decision by equating it with the decision to wage war. Now some may think that is a serious exaggeration given that in deciding to have an abortion only one life is threatened yet a war will cost thousands or even millions of lives. But to the woman facing an unwanted pregnancy it can feel like the same weight of the world is on her shoulders, especially if others around her judge her or trivialize the situation as "no big deal".
This feels to me like a much more faith based approach to considering the abortion debate. What do you think?
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