Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Abortion In Pagan Religion: The Classic Debate

I may shed tears as I write for myself...

"Stop abortion now!" 

You see this quote almost everywhere recently. On cars, on news channels, even on cheap T-shirts. It's a worldwide debate that should be proclaimed as endless. Political war has sprung on abortion rights. Public figures shove their claws into abortion's back. It's affecting our societies every damn day. How does abortion affect Pagan beliefs? How does abortion affect Pagan women and their families? Most importantly, how does abortion affect the unborn child's soul? It's time to face this heated battle myself. If you have experienced an abortion, miscarriage,  or contraceptive grief, please grab some tissues because this may stir your emotions. I have mine next to me...

First, My Personal Story...
Oh, God. I'm a new blogger and writer in the public eye and I can't believe I'm about to let the whole world see this hidden confession. I feel naked for writing about such a personal tale.
I'm almost twenty years old and I had a pregnancy scare several months back. I won't go into detail on the story, of course, but basically I went haywire with remembering to take the Pill consistently, and I decided to take an emergency contraceptive pill just in case one day after a horrible pain spread to many parts of my body. I hardly understood what it was in the heat of the moment but I did it to try to prevent anything. I informed my doctor and his nurse of the situation. They demanded I go in for an appointment immediately in case that pill decided not to prevent fertilization so I could figure out where to go next if I ended up expecting. I was shaky. I was nervous. How could I bring up a potential child at such a young age? My boyfriend and his family felt the same. He and I were on pregnancy test result watch for almost a month. So far, each test came out as negative. We were all relieved until I began to think, "What if my egg and his sperm wanted to join and my choice to take the prevention pill cut it's cellular life short?" "What if I killed my potential baby?" The thought began to haunt me. I researched on emergency contraceptive information and most medical websites claimed the pills cannot kill anything, but I turned around and disagreed after I researched the opposing argument. I felt crushed for what I could have done. It took a few weeks to clear the agony from my mind. What happens to a woman and her baby when there is an actual abortion performed, though?

The Pagan View on Abortion
As I've stated in past posts, we celebrate sex as what gives the Earth life in each type of life form. We understand moral situations that happen now a days, leaving us with the spiritual "okay" to practice pro choice decisions. I went to a Pagan man I know for advice on the guilt I had felt, and he said something along the lines of, "You did nothing wrong. In our spiritual faith, we look at all aspects of this situation, not just from the baby's perspective. Let me ask you, Stace; 'Can you supply that child with its medical needs? Can you support that child's education?  Can you provide your own shelter for that child?' He continued down his list and I answered no with each question. He smiled. "When a new life is made, we Pagans ask these questions in times of doubt. We ask if it would be fair for that soul to be raised in a struggling physical life. Pagans practice discipline. For this problem we need discipline. Does that all make sense? We aren't breaking the natural order of things. Instead, we're taking all of the modern day factors into account. We must be patient for that child to come and find perfect love united between man and woman before. You did nothing wrong."

He made a wonderful point. I could still feel a source of plunging hurt within my gut. But, I knew he was right. My boyfriend's mother was right. My boyfriend himself was right in all the times I needed comfort. My mother was right. I think what my Pagan mentor said is true. But, a real abortion would still cause emotional pain, I'm sure. Pro choice methods are accepted into Pagan culture. I have read it all.

Psychological Affects On The Pagan Mother After Abortion
In most cases, all types of women bear a substantial amount of grief and remorse after the abortion is successful. Try looking it up; most sources say this is true. Mental health surveys prove my statement is true. All women experience their own emotions after aborting their early child. I can't exactly tell you what this experience is like. All I know is that it is a struggle to cope with.

The Child's Soul
What happens to the child's soul after abortion?  This may vary on our own individual beliefs. For me, I feel that the soul would go through bodily death within the womb, and be directed back to the astral plane to wait until a new fetus is found for it to go to. I'm not sure. I still ponder if I even believe in the afterlife. It's been a two year debate and it's transitioning further through my young life. Would abortion interrupt the natural process of reincarnation if it exists? That's up to you to decide.

Conclusion
Personally, if I ever have a scare again before handfasting, I would not try to prevent my egg's possible life from growing. The guilt I felt from my rather minor experience was and is too unbearable for me to take in. My situation made me go from pro choice to pro life. I have nothing against abortion at its whole; I just couldn't choose that route myself.

Ask yourself the popular question again; "Pro choice or pro life?"

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