April 8, 2015

"So stupid. Giving up your own life and your baby's for a fantasy. Guess she earned a Darwin award."/"Go Darwin."

Comments at the Washington Post on an article about a woman who, as a Jehovah's Witness, refused to accept a blood transfusion, and suffered the loss of her unborn child and then the loss of her own life.

Another commenter wrote: "I hope the death certificate read suicide and murder! Stupid, superstitious people! Darwin award for sure..."

And here's WaPo:
The baby died while still in the womb, and the woman then delivered it vaginally...

“Refusal of a lifesaving intervention by an informed patient is generally well respected, but the rights of a mother to refuse such interventions on behalf of her fetus [sic] is more controversial,” [doctors at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Australia wrote in a letter published this month in the Internal Medicine Journal]. “A doctor indeed has moral obligations to both the pregnant woman, and perhaps with differing priority to the unborn fetus [sic].”
Why did the WaPo columnist — By Elahe Izadi— or WaPo editor put "[sic]" after "fetus"? The child died in utero. It seems as though somebody wants to get some distance between abortion rights and religious freedom rights. But that separation is not justified. Abortion rights — in America anyway — are premised on the woman's right to form her own beliefs:
At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.
That's religion. Face it. Should a woman's concept of the universe dominate over the life of the unborn child or not?

202 comments:

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sparrow said...

Exactly Tim,

It's the worldly politics of power over principles every time. I would not say the right is immune to this tendency though as evidence from their perennial lack of courage.

One of the most liberating things about faith I'm discovering is a detachment from this temporal world. I'm less invested in the here and now so political strife matters less: it's all vanity. All mankind's plans will fail and it doesn't matter. What matters is the love of God and neighbor. Acts of mercy done for His Glory are eternal treasures beyond corruption. Probably sounds like nonsense to you - but I believe it, thank God. I was once an agnostic and I'm amazed that I can sincerely write of faith in God today. I've been immersed in the joy of the spirit lately, since Eater. The consolations of the Lord are wondrous. I only wish I could impart them to everyone so you could partake as well, but faith is a gift only God can grant.

sparrow said...

Should read Easter (typos!!)

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