Utah lawmakers continue to push near total bans on abortion. Despite the supposed separation of church and state in the U.S., abortion bans are frequently supported by arguments of Christian faith. Many people specifically point to the Bible to substantiate anti-abortion positions, though, when read, there’s no real talk of abortion in the Bible.
As a progressive minister and occasional Bible-nerd, I believe there is timeless wisdom contained in scripture as well as human error. But if we want to use this flawed-yet-irrefutably-foundational religious text as inspiration for modern moral laws regarding family planning, I find it much more useful to look at pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood in the Bible. Now, that is something the Bible has a lot to say about.
And what it says repeatedly is that people who want to have and raise children should be supported in doing so, even when they do not fit society’s expectations of what a parent should be.
For instance, in Luke 1:26-38, unwed Mary — a virgin, we are told — is visited by the messenger Gabriel, who tells her she can conceive a child in an unconventional way. Luke’s Hellenistic audience would have been very familiar with stories of Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo and other gods impregnating humans, but the stories of the Greek gods’ trysts with humans do not generally involve human consent. However, in the Gospel of Luke, God doesn’t just go and impregnate Mary — even though God surely could. No, God sends the messenger Gabriel to run the plan by Mary first. Gabriel waits for Mary to say yes, and then, with her consent, the seemingly impossible occurs.
This episode contains echoes of so many would-be, improbable parents in the Hebrew Bible. Back to Abraham and Sarah, the elderly, infertile couple who longed for a child against all odds before their miraculous son Isaac is born.
Then Rebekah and Rachel, both infertile, wait and wait to fulfill their dreams of parenthood — parenthood that is not easy, by any means, but is celebrated, supported, and wanted. (Rachel says at one point, “Give me children or I’ll die.”)
In the Book of Samuel, another woman with a “closed womb,” Hannah, prays to God in the shrine in Shiloh to bless her with a child even though she has tried and waited, and nothing has worked. When she finally does bear a child, she dedicates him to God at that shrine in gratitude for this miraculous baby.
In the book of Ruth, the poor, widowed Naomi eventually partially adopts the son of her former daughter-in-law. This relationship is honored by the community and Ruth and Naomi are celebrated as co-mothers.
We need to change the conversation we are having in this country around faith and reproductive rights. If we value the Bible as a moral guide, instead of focusing on forcing people who don’t want children to have them, we should instead be supporting people who want to be parents but may not think they can be due to economic or biological barriers.
There are so many people in this country right now who would have children if they thought they could. But the cost of having and raising a child is prohibitive. They can’t afford the hospital copays. Or they can’t afford childcare. Or insurance. Or fertility treatments. Or sperm from a bank. Or the time off work. Or education expenses. The list goes on.
“Choose life” is a quote from the Bible that pro-life movements have appropriated in the past, but it has nothing to do with abortion. It’s a much more general quote about living a good, righteous life by following God.
The way I want to choose life is by making it possible for people to create and raise children, or not, healthily, in ways that work for them. If someone knows that a pregnancy is not right for their situation, I want to provide the resources for them to end that pregnancy safely. If someone wishes they could be a parent, but have fertility or financial concerns, I want to provide the resources such as access to IVF and childcare to make their dream a reality. I want to increase access to healthcare so that low-income gestational parents can deliver their babies safely. And if someone has an unwanted pregnancy but doesn’t feel abortion is the right choice for them, I want to provide better options and resources for that child so they do not grow up feeling unwanted and unmoored.
This is what it should mean to “choose life.” If the resources and energy currently being spent blocking abortion went to supporting low-income would-be parents, or infertile would-be parents, or single would-be parents or LGBTQ would-be parents, then we would truly be choosing life.
(J Sylvan) The Rev. J Sylvan is the senior minister at First Unitarian Church SLC.
The Rev. J Sylvan is the senior minister at First Unitarian Church SLC.
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