Mermaid Musings

This one blows me away. Operation Save America (which used to be Operation Rescue, Randall Terry, remember him?) is descending upon Atlanta, GA this week (Sorry Atlanta! Give ‘em Hell for me!) in their never-ending struggle to end abortion. In looking for some information about their plans for the week, I came across this treatise on what needs to be done to End All Abortion. (warning: if evangelical fundamentalists make you queasy, you might not want to read it)

Delighted I am to discover that the people most responsible for the “sin of abortion” in this country are, in fact the Christian antis themselves:

“It is only as we, who are called by His Name, humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land.” (p.5, italics in original)

Undoubtedly, this is not meant as it sounds, that Operation Save America is not in fact advocating that anti-abortion activists repent their close-minded, misogynist and anti-sex ways and opt instead to let women be the sole decision makers on what happens to their own bodies. That would be too convenient really. But it is utterly fascinating to me that the Church of Jesus Christ is saying that they are, in fact, the problem. It’s not Planned Parenthood, not the National Organization of Women, not the National Abortion Federation, but in fact the fundamentalist Christians themselves who are to blame for the existence of abortion in the United States.

Kind of arrogant really. It does, however, beg the question: if all that is needed to end abortion is for Christians to repent their wicked ways, why all the fuss outside the clinics? I mean, couldn’t these folks do their repenting privately? And why the need to descend on Atlanta, GA?

It becomes more clear with this:

“do you want to save babies or do you want to end abortion?” (p. 11)

Long have I argued that the antis are not really out to save babies, but instead to circumscribe women and, particularly, women’s sexuality. It’s not about murdering babies, or saving unborn children. It’s about ending abortion. And what will ending abortion actually do? Well, there’s lots of evidence that when abortion is difficult to come by, not only do pregnancies get terminated (ending the lives of potential babies) but many women also die from unsafe and unsanitary procedures. And then there are all the other indignities that women must suffer to obtain abortions, the harassment, sexual abuse, and being treated like a criminal.

Repent away dear Christians. Just keep your god’s laws off our bodies.