It's All About the Bump

Is abortion solely about reproductive rights? Perhaps it is about women having the opportunity to have sexual relations whenever desired without worrying about possible consequences, i.e. a baby. Males have had this seemingly available to them since the beginning of time, excluding tribal pressure to provide and care for their offspring.

Photo Ilzy Sousa, Pexels

In the early sixties, the pill gave women the ability to have sexual relations without the consequence of a baby to raise. However, the pill and other conception blocking measures are not fool proof and pregnancies at times result. People wanted abortion to be legalized. Abortions have been documented throughout history, including in ancient Greece and Rome. Abortion was also common in most of colonial America, but it was kept secret because of strict laws against unmarried sexual activity. Laws specifically against abortion only became widespread in America in the second half of the 1800s, and by 1900 abortion was illegal everywhere in the USA, except in order to save the life of the mother. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/history_1.shtml) Therefore, abortion being illegal is a new development in our history.

Yet, for much of human history, babies were needed to provide the next generation and the continuation of the species. Humans, using their intelligence and creativity, developed ways to not only live longer, but to increase childhood mortality rates. According to ourworldindata.org, “The average across a large number of historical studies suggests that in the past around one-quarter of infants died in their first year of life and around half of all children died before they reached the end of puberty. Since then the risk of death for children has fallen around the world. The global average today is 10 times lower than the average of the past. In countries with the best child health today an infant is 170 times more likely to survive.” https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality-in-the-past)

Population numbers have exploded around the world and with them starvation and poverty. We either need to only have sexual relations when a baby is needed by our species (which at this time in our historical development is a preposterous proposal) or have methods of hindering conception and birth.

We are no longer connected to the natural cycles and rhythms of nature where babies are only conceived when Nature determines it is right. We need to either reconnect with the natural cycles or we need to manage populations which is our current situation. Yet, humans deceive themselves by believing we can manage anything, because Nature will manage populations in the end, and our struggle to maintain control only aggravates and increases our suffering. Seeking connection, then, is the logical path.

The first step in returning to a connection with Nature is to allow ourselves to evolve into a spiritual people that place our bodies and all their natural needs and cravings under the priority of Spirit. This is difficult, even incomprehensible, as we live so disconnected, and the Creator designed the act to be very pleasurable to ensure the continuation of the species. How do we reconnect? We relax our control, yield to spiritual promptings, sit in silence, and place opening to spirit above any physical desire. We can do this … if only we were motivated both individually and collectively.

May we again respect the womb as the birthplace of mankind, instead of attempting to usurp the Sacred and choose meaningless physicality with the only objective being brief pleasure. Surrender ourselves to the Eternal. Choose the Divine over the brief encounter. This is so easy to write, and yet very difficult to do; especially given our intense human cravings for another body to bring us to the heights of pleasure, groaning screaming in ecstasy.

However, the best sexual experience is as nothing compared with intimacy with the Divine. My mom used to say, “shoot for the stars and you may just hit the moon.” If we make holiness our pursuit, we may not achieve sainthood – we may not even feel the Divine embrace us – but we may grow into more patient, gentle, compassionate, and loving souls, committed to serving others. And even merely this would make our world a better place.