Episcopalian Priest calls abortion a “blessing,” would break law to help a minor get one
March 13, 2012 36 Comments
At a Congressional hearing an Episcopalian Priest, who had previously called abortion a “blessing,” said she would break the law if it was ever illegal to transport a minor to abort her child. She recalled one time transporting a minor, a young mother (age 15) who she never knew, to get an abortion.
If that’s not enough to ruffle your feathers she (the “very reverend” Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale) even went further, in a previous speech to call abortion, “a joyful relief” and “freedom from slavery to our reproductive systems.”
In a way I’m a bit speechless, but then at the same time what do you expect. Either abortion is an act of violence against a preborn person or it’s not. At least she is willing to take a stand for what she believes in. Will you?
Rock For Life 
A “slave” to our reproductive systems? A “slave” implies you are controlled by it, and have no control over it. Can she not say “no” or close her legs? Does she think women are such animals that we just cannot control ourselves? Who does she think gave us our reproductive systems? Or our self control?
Great points Jazmine, thanks for speaking out!
Slut-shaming = not cool. Not cool at all.
Who called who a slut?
The woman above me who is shaming women for having sex. Telling women to “close their legs” is slut-shaming. it’s not acceptable.
No one called anyone a slut. Please don’t put those words in other people’s mouths. Its unnecessary, and character assassination. Katie was making a point, if you are mature enough to have sex the responsibility and maturity of taking care of your own child should come with it as well. Sex is fine in the right circumstance. If you and your partner aren’t committed to taking care of the child you might conceive then you should avoid it all together. Just a thought and a point I think she was trying to make.
Shaming a woman for having sex is not okay Erik. Why is it all the woman’s responsibility? People tell women to “keep their legs closed” why are there no comments towards men about sex like that? A person does not need to be in a committed relationship to have sex. A person does not need to be married to have sex. A person does not need to be willing to take care of a child to have sex. Some people just like having sex. Agreeing to sex is not agreeing to parenthood. There are plenty of married people who have abortions. In fact, most abortions are done on married women who already have children.
By shaming someone for having sex, it’s the same thing as calling someone a whore, a slut, a harlot. Why? Because all those words are used for one reason and one reason only: to shame a woman for having sex.
There are many ways to prevent pregnancy, but sometimes the methods just don’t work. Even having a guy get a vasectomy can fail because the vas deferens that are severed during the surgery can grow back together. Sometimes women get raped. Sometimes women can’t afford to pay for the pregnancy, let alone the child after the pregnancy is over. Sometimes women are in abusive situations in which having a child is not an option. There are SO many situations and reasons that women get abortions that I cannot even cover them all. You cannot tell me that all those reasons are not acceptable reasons to get an abortion. And before you say something like, “well if a woman is raped she can get an abortion” think about this: How would you check to make sure the woman was raped? Would you question her endlessly about what happened to her and make her relive that pain again and again just to prove she isn’t lying? Would you make her bring in evidence that she was raped? How would you prove it? The bottom line is that you couldn’t. You wouldn’t be able to go through all the women that want abortions and decide which ones were raped and which ones weren’t.
no one shammed anyone. and no one said its just the woman’s responsibility. unfortunately this is typical pro-abortion argueing tactics. Since you don’t have any facts to stand on lets throw out hyperbowl and charchter assasination. Stick with the facts. All forms of “birth control” are faulty and fail. So what happens to that “unplanned” baby. More likely than not abortion. What happens to “planned” babies? Most often let to live / birth.
No reason is acceptable to abort your child. Why? Abortion is a direct act of killing another human person. That is a fact that you cannot deny. I don’t think killing someone else, let alone your own child should be an answer to any of life’s problems.
The best place for a child to be raised in is a loving home with both parents. When two people engage in sexual behaviour and they are not married they are more likely to abort that child or bring that child up in a broken home.
You are incorrect about abortions. Most are done on women under the ages of 25. That would be mostly single, unmarried women.
Erik: By judging someone for having sex and “not keeping their legs closed” as Miss Michele said, that is shaming. That is shaming a person for having sex. I have plenty of facts to stand on thank you. There have been studies done on abortion, there have been books and articles written, and the information points to abortions being a good option for women to have.
“All forms of “birth control” are faulty and fail. So what happens to that “unplanned” baby. More likely than not abortion. What happens to “planned” babies? Most often let to live / birth.” Yes, all forms of birth control can fail, and some unplanned pregnancies may be aborted. Some planned pregnancies may be aborted. I don’t know what that statement has to do with whether abortion should be legal or not. I’m not arguing with you on the fact that birth control can fail.
“No reason is acceptable to abort your child.” So it’s not acceptable to abort the fetus if you were raped? It’s not acceptable to abort the fetus is you will die by carrying it? It’s not acceptable to abort the fetus if it’s a product of incest? Or there is a severe birth defect that will not allow the fetus to survive long after birth? That’s ridiculous.
Jazmine, you are judging me and Miss Michele. Not that I think Judging is wrong but at least be consistent, ok. If you have problems with Michele go take it up with her.
50% of abortions are performed on mother’s currently taking birth control. birth control fails and leads to abortion.
Of course all abortions are wrong. You need to ask yourself what is an abortion. And answer it honestly. Factually it directly and violently kills a preborn human person. A Fetus is a term for development and begs the question. Is it a bear fetus, a monkey fetus, a cow fetus or a human fetus. No in my opinion, and most people, it is wrong to kill another human. So, yes all abortions are wrong because all abortions kill a person. A mother who is raped, yes horrible. But that is still a baby. And biologically the mothers child.
Erik, I am, in fact, not judging you or Michele. I don’t know you or Michele so I could not possibly judge you. I DISAGREE with your views on abortions, but that is fair from judging you. Now, Michele’s comment about how women should just “say no” or “close her legs” is judging. It’s judging every women that has sex without wanting to have a child. It is slut-shaming. “Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s “about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior” (Alon Levy, Slut Shaming). It is damaging not only to the girls and women targeted, but to women in general an society as a whole. It should be noted that slut-shaming can occur even if the term “slut” itself is not used.” I did bring this up to Michele. I commented on HER comment. She is not reply back. Instead, you decided to get involved (which is fine, but don’t tell me that I need to take it up with Michele because I did).
“50% of abortions are performed on mother’s currently taking birth control. birth control fails and leads to abortion.” That also means that 50% of abortions are not caused by birth control failure. You also have to ask yourself: did the birth control fail, or were the women just not using the birth control correctly? That seems more likely. Which doesn’t mean that abortion is wrong, but instead that people should be better educated on how to use birth control correctly.
Depending on when an abortion is performed, the fetus is just a clump of cells. It doesn’t even have brain activity. Brain activity starts shortly before the 3rd trimester. And no, a heartbeat does not constitute life. People can be brain-dead and have a heartbeat. They are not alive. Now, I am not saying that abortion should be available all through the pregnancy. The longer the pregnancy continues, the more dangerous an abortion is for the woman. The only time 3rd trimester abortions should be performed is if there is something very wrong with the pregnancy (such as the women’s life is in danger).
Saying that a woman should not be able to have an abortion if her life is in danger is unreasonable. Should women be able to get abortions when they have ectopic pregnancies? Women that are raped do not deserve to carry that reminder around with them for 9 months (and a lifetime after the birth) and have their bodies subjected to severe changes just because she was attacked. That is forcing a woman to go through incredible physical and emotional pain. That is punishing a woman for being attacked.
so because a woman has sex she wants to have a baby? birth control can fail. if my birth control ever fails i will abort
Good for her! I applaud her! And quite honestly, I would too if it was illegal. If abortion was illegal, I’d find safe illegal abortionists for people that want them and I’d help the women that want abortions to get to the people performing them!
“safe” abortionists? since when is aborting a child safe for the child?
Since it’s not a child being aborted. It’s a fetus. And I can go through all the facts with you, but the bottom line is that most abortions are performed in the 1st trimester. Definitely not a child.
me too jazmine. i will help too
This woman is utterly disgusting !
This woman is amazing. All the respect to her!
And isn’t it ironic that the firt person to comment is a man. Go figure.
Jessica, Do you have something against men?
I agree completely Jessica! There should be more women like this priest willing to help! (: Ignore that guy.
I am a 17 year old Christian girl with a purity ring. Forget the fact that abortion goes against Christian principles. How does this help a person? My sister got pregnant by her boyfriend when she was like 19. Instead of taking the easy way out, she decided to take on the responsibility of being a parent. And even though her kid has Autism, I wouldn’t trade the world to have him for a Nephew. If the girl is old enough to take on the responsibility of sex, then she should take on the responsibility of having a kid.
Abortion is just another way to say teens/adults can do whatever they want and get away with it. I know that a LOT of woman regret their decision of abortion. If you believe you indeed are too young for a kid, give them up for adoption.
We can disagree all we want on the fact that it’s a human being or a fetus. We can ignore Bible Verses that talk about God knowing us in the womb. But we need to set a higher example. An example that means we shouldn’t dress and act like Miley Cyrus and others who think less is best. Be who YOU are, not what the world tells you to be. Stand out from the crowd. 🙂
P.S sorry if I went overboard. I don’t mean to start an argument. And it’s late at night so, sorry for typos. 🙂
Katie, Very Well said. Thank you for taking a stand and don’t worry about going “overboard.” you were fine, that was this blog is for 🙂
Katie: I’m not sure why your age matters, but I’m happy for your sister. She was able to have the CHOICE to have her child. Women who do not want children should not be forced to have them when they get pregnant. There are so many people that aren’t Christian. If you’re saying that abortion should be illegal because it goes against Christian principles, then you should also remember that this is not a Christian nation. There are plenty of people that enjoy sex, that want to know their partners in that intimate way and do not want to have children. There are plenty of married people that do not want to have children or they want to be able to plan their pregnancies. Agreeing to have sex is not agreeing to be a mother.
Abortion is an actual medical procedure and there are so many valid reasons why people choose to have an abortion. Some women do regret their decision, but the majority of women who choose to have an abortion do not regret the decision (Crooks and Baur, “Our Sexuality” pg. 322). Giving a child up for adoption can be more emotionally damaging than ending the pregnancy. Also, many children in adoption programs never get adopted or end up in very bad situations.
There are so many different people in the world with different likes and different ideas and different styles of fashion. No one should dictate how another person dresses or what medical decisions a person makes for themselves.
The way you stated your views were a lot more polite than many other pro-lifers I’ve encountered and I thank you for that. But, I do not agree with how your words shame people, women especially, from having sex.
I was just letting you know I’m not a some 90 year old conservative who doesn’t understand these times. I was trying to show my opinion in a way that non Christians can understand. My statement is mostly directed to the teenagers. Adults are more mature and have more understanding of what they are doing.
I don’t think abortion is ok no matter what, but there is a lot of instances where I can understand it to some degree. You and I have many different opinions. But I think you misunderstand me/Christians. There is a difference between shaming people and shaming actions. As a Christian, I have to be true to the Bible. So yes, I don’t think you should have sex before marriage. Nor agree with abortion. That doesn’t mean I’m going to go up to someone and start telling them they are going to hell and that they should be ashamed of themselves and that no one can love them. That is not what Christianity is about. Yes, quite a few do. Just like any group there is always going to be good and bad apples.
I think of a song called “Does Anybody Hear Her” by Casting Crowns
“If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her”
But there is a way to stand up for what you believe and still be able to love people despite what they do. Just like I love my sister, so would I love anyone else.
And I’m very glad that you believe in something Katie. I don’t hate you or Christians. I have nothing against anyone as long as they don’t try to control my life or shame for for my actions. As long as my actions and my beliefs do no harm to another person, than it shouldn’t be dictated by anyone else.
As for abortion.. I think there are limits to how it should be used. For example, I don’t think an abortion should be able to be obtained during the third trimester, or even during the end of the second for two reasons. 1: The fetus is much more developed and in some instances can even survive on its own. 2: It’s more dangerous for the woman to go through an abortion by then. But other than that, obtaining an abortion doesn’t hurt any other person. The great thing about having a choice is that you can choose not to have one. In some countries, after a couple has had one child, any other pregnancies are forced to be aborted. That is wrong. Completely. But it’s just as wrong to not allow women who want abortions to get them. Another thing to think about is that in countries where abortion is illegal, the abortion rates are higher than in countries where abortion is legal.
Also, I am by no means trying to make my messages sound hostile. I’m just trying to give facts and a differing point of view.
That’s the problem though. The reason Christians are so vocal about abortions is because they do believe it does harm to another person. And that’s what it comes down to. Thinking it’s a fetus or a baby. But I understand you completely and I don’t think you sound hostile. Not compared to a lot of people on the internet xD I have debates with my youth group so I’m used to having different views. As long as there isn’t a flame war, I don’t mind 🙂
And I understand why Christians think that abortion is doing harm to another person. I understand that Christians think that a fetus, or unborn baby if you’d prefer, is a person, but in my view, allowing abortion is the lesser of two evils. If only for the fact that more abortions are performed in countries where abortion is illegal and that these abortions are very unsafe leading to more deaths of fetuses/babies and the pregnant women. It would be a wonderful world if people never got pregnant unless they wanted to be pregnant and if abortion wasn’t necessary for so many reasons, but that’s just not how the world works unfortunately.
Jazmine, very interesting that you call abortion the lesser of two evils. You just admitted its evil. Why is so evil? And no the abortion rate is LOW in countries where it is illegal. Its low because its ILLEGAL and hard to get. Not impossible, but hard. When its legal its more rampant. So according to your theory since you can’t stop evil just make it legal. Do you feel this way about slavery? It happens. What about rape? Incest? molestation? Why not the lesser of two evils in those circumstances?
Erik: Even in our own country’s history, abortion was more prevalent when it was illegal than when it was legal. the abortion rate is not LOW in countries where it is illegal. Sorry, but it’s just not true. And honestly, I don’t think abortion is evil at all, but FROM THE VIEWPOINT of someone who thinks that it is, I believe that abortion is the lesser of two evils. When abortion is illegal, it can lead to the deaths of both the fetus and the mother, rather that just the fetus So which would you have it, two deaths or one?
As for your comparison of abortions to rape, incest, and slavery, that is a fallacy. Rape, incest, and slavery are not the topic under discussion. Even if they were, there is no “lesser of two evils” to rape, incest, or slavery. Rape is not comparable to abortion. Incest is not comparable to abortion. Slavery is not comparable to abortion. All can be causes of an unwanted pregnancy and subsequent abortion, but they are not comparable.
I do enjoy the way you have framed this specific issue plus it does. Thank you for this excellent piece and though I can not really agree with the idea in totality, I value the viewpoint.
Your means of explaining the whole thing in this piece of writing is genuinely fastidious, every one is capable of without difficulty knowing it, thanks a lot.
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What’s WORSE than a wolf in sheep’s clothing? A wolf in shepherd’s clothing.
Without Prejudice.
most of the comments n here make me sick and if you lot are human beings then i am ashamed to be one.
Birth control should be done by both men and women, it is not okay for men to screw around and then not look after their own responsibility as it is for women to seduce or be seduced into having premarital sex. As far as I am concerned, you take a life in abortion and I get to find out about it, if you live near me then i will abort you. Life for a life. if you think that is hard, try living the life of a survive aborted feotus and then tell me that abortion is good. Personally those that abort in short should be sterilised permanently since they have disregard for the sacredness of life and therefore should be disallowed the priviledge and gift of child bearing.
The stupid epicopalian bitch above should be hung drawn and quatered and made an example of how not to be a priest.
Without Prejudice.
An embryo or a fetus is a human person in a developmental stage. Either it is a human being or it is not. We are all just a clump of cells.
Responsibility comes with everything that we do, from taking care of ourselves to taking care of others, ie following the laws so everyone is safe, cleaning so that we do not become ill from germs, cooking so we are nourished, donating out time and money so that the poor are cared for, etc. I do not understand the argument that being responsible should stop because it’s sex. The purpose and nature of sex is not pleasure, it is reproduction. It is pleasurable so that we will participate in this activity to procreate and sustain our species. Females carry the responsibility of becoming pregnant because of sex which makes it a great travesty when we choose to ignore this fact because males don’t have abortions females do.
We are obviously coming from two very different philosophys. One where we believe that we are of a higher order than the animals and that we can and should take responsibly for our actions, and the other that says we are no better than the other animals and have no responsibility to care for our actions. http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2012-08-15
Any church that has a woman for a priest is not a church, first and foremost.
Secondly, abortion is not ever ok. It’s murder. If a woman doesn’t want the baby, then let someone else have him/her.
Third, anyone who stands behind a pulpit claiming to be a ‘shepard’ of a local church yet condones and assists with abortion blasphemes God.
Just because she calls herself a priest does not at all mean she’s called by God to be so and represent Him.