My Focused Wandering

let's have a chat about this.

2010-03-24T10:10:39.675-04:00

let's have a chat about this.

I agree with a lot of these points, that legality ...

2010-03-23T09:36:00.375-04:00

I agree with a lot of these points, that legality of abortion is the only (or even primary) problem in this discussion, and that there are plenty of people who think too narrowly on both sides of the debate. Reducing unintended pregnancy should also be a crucial push for all people here, and there of course is common ground.

But here is where I disagree: that since people are going to do it anyway (supposedly), it is better to legalize and regulate it. Honestly, could you not then say the same thing about other activities that we think are wrong? Should we legalize cocaine dealing? Child prostitution? People will continue to participate in these things, even illegally, so should we legalize and regulate and cease to prosecute those who do them? Clearly, that's just absurd. If something is wrong, it ought to be illegal. You can argue that abortion not wrong, and then we have a different debate, but the argument to legalize it because people will do it anyway seems unfounded to me.

I also think it's very difficult to get unbiased information. The data quoted here also seem irrelevant, as there are so many differences (social, economic, medical) between Africa and Europe that it is inappropriate to just look at one number to make comparisons. I find it logically unlikely that this claim is true, that making abortion illegal will not reduce the number of abortions. I imagine that the decision to get an abortion is incredibly intense and difficult, and I can imagine that if the only option is an illegal, potentially dangerous procedure, it is logical that the woman would weigh those as costs against the abortion and be more likely to carry to term. Of course, some women will not and will pursue abortion by any means, but certainly not all (or even most). Perhaps education on other options is another thing we should throw into the mix as something we can all agree on.

I certainly agree there is common ground, but both sides are fighting for what they believe, and both sides suffer from narrow thinking.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this ...

2010-02-06T12:27:54.185-05:00

I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this little series. Very insightful, Matt. Thanks for posting.

Matt - I have been meaning to read these posts for...

2010-02-06T12:06:21.019-05:00

Matt - I have been meaning to read these posts for a while and now have time. Interesting thoughts...

and the word you were looking for with de-exaggerated was probably downplayed....

Hope you're surviving the snowstorm... isn't this the second one this winter in DC?

One more comment - who in the world is fighting fo...

2010-01-26T20:06:56.812-05:00

One more comment - who in the world is fighting for expansion of abortion???? Legalization and access to safe abortions does NOT equate to more abortions. Watch narrow thinking, it rarely leads to effective solutions....

Matthew - The facts are very clear on this issue ...

2010-01-26T17:47:09.089-05:00

Matthew -

The facts are very clear on this issue -

"Legal restrictions on abortion do not affect its incidence. For example, the abortion rate is 29 (per 1000 women of childbearing age) in Africa, where abortion is illegal in many circumstances in most countries, and it is 28 in Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds. The lowest rates in the world are in Western and Northern Europe, where abortion is accessible with few restrictions."
Sedgh G, Henshaw S, Singh S, Åhman E, Shah IH. Induced abortion: rates and trends worldwide. Lancet 2007; 370: 1338–45.

Abortion rates will not change if they are no longer legal in the United States. The number of aborted children will remain the same, the number of maternal deaths will increase, an entire network of illegal abortion providers will flourish. They will get rich, bog down our justice system with prosecution and in the end it is mostly poor women and children that will suffer. The rich will still have the means to acquire a safe, although illegal, abortion.

Abortion needs to remain legal in the United States and people on both sides need to fight the battle to stop the root cause of abortion which is unintended pregnancy. THAT IS WHAT WILL BRING THE ABORTION RATE DOWN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Elizabeth brings up some good points about steps that the individual can take but the greatest step we can work towards is education on options and proper use and access (physical and financial)to contraceptives for all men and women.

It is very frustrating to watch pro-lifers bury their heads in the sand and say, "we have solved the problem if abortion is not legal." In reality, our problems will multiply if abortion is illegal in the United States. There is a common ground on this issue for people to expend their energy on instead of marching on Washington and planting thousands of white crosses in a field. People on both sides very much want to see the number of abortions worldwide decrease to the lowest level possible. That is the cause to work for....

Hi Matt, I found your blog through a friend. Some...

2010-01-23T17:19:22.079-05:00

Hi Matt, I found your blog through a friend. Some good thoughts here. Just so you know, the Million Man March was in 1995 and was under the leadership of the Nation of Islam. I think what you meant to say was MLK Jr's March on Washington, a very, very different sort of march.

As one of the few but ever-growing number of anti-abortion Democrats, I like what you say...marches alone can't create change, but they can be an outward sign of the things we want accomplished in our country. The real question, though, is what are we doing in our day to day lives to help people realize the options before them other than abortion? Are we forming non-profits to support new mothers? Are we teaching young girls the value of their bodies? Getting on a bus and going to Washington really means nothing if you don't actually DO something when you get home. The civil rights marchers knew that, demonstrated by their civil disobedience, push for the integration of schools on a local level and various other things. What does it matter if you load on a bus and go to Washington, only to return and wait for Congress or the Supreme Court to do something?

Hey Matt! Just spent some time reading through a ...

2009-12-30T02:18:38.386-05:00

Hey Matt! Just spent some time reading through a few of your posts...very insightful! I've recently been reading Tim Keller's new book "Counterfeit Gods," and this post made me think of some of the things I've been reading about in the book. Keller talks a lot about how in today's culture one of the most common idols people have in their lives is the idol of success. He explains how from a very young age children are raised in a culture of competition, and are taught that whatever they decide to do, they must become the best at it, or else they will have failed. He coins the term "mighty achievatrons" to describe the people in our culture, explaining that many people toil and strive at their jobs to complete project after project, only to see their self-esteem gradually diminish as they fail to meet their ever increasing expectations for themselves. He explains how dangerous finding our identity in our success can be, especially since success can actually become a form of addiction (We are successful, but then crave more success, and when we don't meet our definition of success, our self-esteem plummets and we despair). He talks about how some of the most successful people according to worldly terms are also some of the unhappiest and most unfulfilled in life. It can be so easy for us to start to find our identity in our careers, our salaries, class performance, project success, promotions, etc...but it's so important that we find our identity solely in the victory we have through Christ on the cross. Any other thing we place our identity in will lead us down a path of disappointment and destruction. God doesn't view success the same way the world does. When Christ died on the cross, the world saw it as a humiliating defeat, when the reality is that it was Christ's shining moment, and His greatest victory. I think one of the most important lessons we can learn is that we may not always be successful according to the world's standards. But we serve a God who doesn't follow the world's standards, and in the moments in life when we feel like we have failed, we must remember that we serve a God who's power is made perfect in weakness, and a God who loves to use the weak, the foolish, and the humble to shame the strong, the wise, and the proud.

Interesting post, care to bring human sociology in...

2009-10-16T23:58:08.496-04:00

Interesting post, care to bring human sociology into the argument? Human beings are innately social creatures (there are studies now that show newborn babies identify with their specie and toddlers are inherently helpful and moral) and act in ways that often go in the direction of the common good. I completely agree with the last paragraph you wrote ... freedom is a made up concept as you pointed out. Laws in Cuba, China and America are all made in the same manner ... they are created by a handful of lawmakers for the well-being of the collective. Freedom and any measurements thereof are almost exclusively subjective (ie. you can have freedom and not be free and vice versa). Are you familiar with social contract theory? By the pillars of that theory, you and I ARE responsible for the laws we are subjected to by mere virtue of existence beneath them... I digress, I just liked your post and wanted to comment.

i'm re-rading surprised by joy right now too.

2009-08-13T10:20:18.627-04:00

i'm re-rading surprised by joy right now too.

Hmmm. I appreciate the follow up questions that a...

2009-06-24T15:43:43.427-04:00

Hmmm. I appreciate the follow up questions that always stem from a thought provoking original question:

What does it mean to glorify God? *Pursue Him* How do you actually do that? *ASK for His help, surround ourselves with others who want to know/who pursue, intentionally and with dedication think about Him and examine things we often take for granted~ the cross, the Lord's prayer, Communion, the Church, liturgy, our sins and weaknesses, read, write, discuss, think, pray, and Love. Do I always have to enjoy Him? *We don't HAVE to do anything, but we are at our BEST when we do... --What if I can't tell where He is? *tough- examine the personal committment and reality in experience to question 1 and 2--- Is joy, then, a command of God, implying that non-joy is sinful? *Deep. I don't think it's sinful not to be, rather to be is a result of, and only achievable through the pursuit and glorifying of Him.

I love how I can immediately draft responses and then when I review and re-question myself, seek to justify/explain my answers or ironically to play devil's advocate-- and even more so when I evaluate my own application of these things- I launch into an entirely new thought provoked state ;)

Thanks Matt! Can't wait for book club tonight were these very same topics will be the theme.

And, P.S. I agree with Dennis, the idea of memorizing or at least seriously examining the catechism is quite an idea, neat.

Interesting question. I'd be curious to see ho...

2009-06-18T23:11:01.666-04:00

Interesting question. I'd be curious to see how the discipline of memorizing that catechism works out and the impact it has.