Ms. Evans:

Why even frame the abortion debate in view of the Jesus you “meet in the gospels.” Many (most?) of us don’t take our marching orders from Jesus, and lifting a line from the scriptures to support any position is a parlor trick used by people on all sides of any ethical issue. Doesn’t a thinking person who is opposed to abortion, and their numbers are legion, have reasons other than a pithy quote attributed to Jesus? It is unreasonable to bemoan that on the right and left “. . . positions have very little to do with faith -- and a lot to do with fear” while at the same time framing the debate on religious principles. Religious arguments by their nature lend themselves to hysterics and are inoculated against compromise.

The idea of examining the abortion issue in view of “the spiritual and physical health of the community” is interesting. I have to wonder what you mean by the “spiritual” health of a community. As an Episcopal priest, do you use “spiritual” as a synonym for the Episcopal sect; a broader view of Christianity; or does it have no religious connotation? Would the discussion be different if abortion was discussed in view of the “emotional and physical health of a community?” How is the emotional health of a woman affected by being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term? How is the community at large affected by the addition of unwanted children? These are questions that can be examined without resorting to religious doctrine. Discussing abortion as the question of terminating a pregnancy or following God’s will is yet another “false choice.”

Oh, here we go again with the abortion thing...

I would like to ask Ms. Evans how many children in foster care that she is taking care of. Or, better yet, how many unwanted babies that are brought to term then put into dumpsters is she willing to take care of? Or if she would like her taxes raised to support government sponsored pre-natal care for all pregnant women?

I'm all for cutting down the number of abortions. But it has to remain a legal medical option for a variety of reasons - including the procedure that has been mis-labeled as "partial birth" abortion, which is only done in less than 1% of the late term abortions in the US, usually in the case of the mother's life being threatened, or the fetus will not live outside of the uterus.

As for Sen. Casey, I'm glad to finally have an anti-choice politician who cares about babies AFTER they are born. The rest of the anti-choice crowd could care less about the fetus once it comes through the birth canal.

When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

See

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms

“the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.”

“Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

The Lord will give strength unto his people
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord.

the Lord will bless his people with peace

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:

which giveth the sun for a light by day
the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night

Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not

Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

the truth shall make you free

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

“Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.”
“the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice”
“when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness”
“that ye came near unto me”

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me
I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
“the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice”
“when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness”
“that ye came near unto me”

Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
“he is at my right hand”
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me”

And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water

“He shall bless thy bread”

“With him will I speak mouth to mouth”
“Thou shalt feed my people Israel”
“The lips of the righteous feed many”
“I have preached righteousness, I have not refrained my lips”

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

“He shall bless thy water”

“drinketh water of the rain of heaven”
“My doctrine shall drop as the rain”
“where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.”
“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup”
“I will take the cup of salvation”

Soul- bread= my mouth speaketh wisdom my lips righteousness
Breath- water= My doctrine my cup

the table of the covenant;

Soul- bread= my mouth speaketh wisdom my lips righteousness
Breath- water= My doctrine my cup

Faith, Hope, Love, Peace

I ask you wise men, what more do you require of me

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

“Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel”
“and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them”
“Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand”

Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

“his praise in the congregation of saints.”
“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth”
““Moses the man of God”
“a two-edged sword in their hand”
“To execute vengeance upon the heathen”
“punishments upon the people”
“execute upon them the judgment written”
“this honour have all his saints”

And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

“but will lay them upon all them that hate thee”

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

“I command you, observe to do it”

“nor diminish from it.”

And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.

“God will put all these curses upon thine enemies”
“on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.”

“Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel”
“and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them”
“Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand”
“his praise in the congregation of saints.”
“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth”
“Moses the man of God”

“I command you, observe to do it”
“whether one member suffer”
“To execute vengeance upon the heathen”
“all the members suffer with it”
“punishments upon the people”
“execute upon them the judgment written”
“but will lay them upon all them that hate thee”
“God will put all these curses upon thine enemies”
“on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.”
“nor diminish from it.”

“one member be honoured”
“this honour have all his saints”

“all the members rejoice with it”
“and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them”
“Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand”
“Praise ye the Lord.”

And yet, the Bible is pro-abortion. There are many verses where the practice is allowed. In fact, Yahweh calls for the murder of women who are with child.

I'd post the various verses here, but they never make it through the censors. You'll have to look them up yourself.

"The lack of articulate voices from the left advocating for a consistent life ethic, or the sacredness of life from conception to grave, illustrates the rampant individualism that seems so endemic to the American character."

The problem here is certain religious presuming that just because someone doesn't believe some men with books have the right to decide for all, even those not sworn to them, what constitutes a 'consistent life ethic' ...that they actually have none.

It's a Christian *religious belief* that 'human life and soul is created at conception' (or even before: at the moment of intercourse that will lead to a pregnancy a few days later.)

It's also a Christian religious belief that authorities have more right to dictate a woman's (or a future child's) future than the woman or family involved.

A fertilized egg or a blastula is not a human life. It's a cluster of cells. Souls are not created by sex, only given a form. Human life and personality grow through experience, and an abortion or morning after pill does not destroy their 'one chance at salvation,' or any such thing.

My religion sees motherhood as sacred, and bringing someone else into this world and whether or not to as a sacred and serious responsibility, not an accident or punishment for sexual 'sin' to be borne at the expense of putting someone through a lousy childhood.

As a political issue, abortion is not about whether or not life is sacred, it's about *who gets to decide for whom in what manner and by what means.*