Procruste's Magical Bed

Procruste's Magical Bed

From time to time I take time to comment on articles in on-line newspapers such as the Washington Post.  Abortion is one of the topics where I usually end up in a back and forth discussion with someone that goes by pseudonym, “GentlySmilingJaws.”  She is a passionate supporter of the right to abortion and her main arguments come to down these convictions:

  1. A woman cannot be fully autonomous or free if she does not have complete control over her own body.  Forced pregnancy is enslavement.

  2. Sex is intended for either pleasure, intimate bonding of two committed couples OR (not AND) creating life.  There is no responsibility for the naturally designed consequences of sex.  You choose to have sex without consequences and then whether or not to remain pregnant afterward.

  3. The baby does not become living or human until she or he exits the birth canal, so there is no other living human being involved in an abortion decision and abortion does not end the life of a real living human being but only a potential human being.

  4. Even if there were another living human being involved, no one has the right to force themselves on a woman to use her body, and the woman's right to control her own body is superior to the rights or life of someone using her body – similar to forced organ donation.  The idea that there is some responsibility for making the original decision to create a life that would be dependent is unreasonable.

  1. A woman cannot be fully autonomous or free if she does not have complete control over her own body.  Forced pregnancy is enslavement.

  2. Sex is not intended for both intimate bonding of two committed couples AND creating life.  Sex is for pleasure and there is no responsibility for the naturally designed consequences of sex.  You choose to have sex without consequences and whether or not to remain pregnant afterward.

  3. The baby does not become living or human until she or he exits the birth canal, so there is no other living human being involved in an abortion.

  4. Even if there were another living human being involved, no one has the right to force themselves on a woman to use her body, and the woman's right to control her own body is superior to the rights or life of someone using her body – similar to forced organ donation.

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March for Science - let's take a poll

March for Science - let's take a poll

Science is one of the greatest endeavors women and men have ever engaged in.   Objective efforts to discover the incredible complexity and beauty of the universe have been nothing less than breathtaking in the advancements from space to the smallest building blocks of life.  Science is good but science overly mixed with politics and misleading information can be very bad.  We need to trust the objective integrity of science vs forcing people to parse the information given to yield an ideological result.  I think it has been a step back for science with scientists and non-scientists alike simply ask questions or want to verify the results.  When scientists are mocked, censured and punished for introducing information or even debate into what should be a robust discussion on important issues, it looks more like winning at all costs vs science- even when you feel really strong about the answer you believe to be true.

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Can we talk (with dignity and respect?)

Can we talk (with dignity and respect?)

Has anyone else noticed how difficult it has become for people with different opinions to have an open, honest, and respectful debate these days?  Would you feel comfortable to honestly share your convictions, thoughts, or even questions with others without being concerned about the reaction or judgement you might receive?  Why have people become so afraid to simply listen to understand another point of view, even if they may not agree with that person's position? Do we assume that we are the only ones who could possible be intelligent, thoughtful, caring and honest enough to warrant listening to with respect and dignity?

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If it were true, would you want to know?

If it were true, would you want to know?

I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone mentioned that there was no longer the appetite for the truth as there once was.  That struck me as both sad and dangerous territory that we live in.  Atheists now say, no only, that God does not exist, but it doesn’t really matter if he did.  With our advances in science, we have outgrown the need for God.  Both of those assertions certainly make a lot of assumptions about the truth, but most people don’t seem all that interested in validating those assumptions or even having the discussion. 

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The protective armor that keeps us from living

The protective armor that keeps us from living

How many people do you know that are really comfortable in their own skin?  Can you risk the vulnerability of letting the world, or even yourself, really see you and not just the protected public self we allow to be seen?  What do we fear most – rejection by others or even self-rejection?  We spend quite a bit of our time creating that acceptable outer self to avoid what we fear most - that we may not be worthy of being loved and accepted for who we are at our authentic core.  So why is that the case for so many of us?

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The Mouth of Truth

The Mouth of Truth

If you have never seen the movie, Roman Holiday, with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, it is worth checking out.  Gregory Peck plays a paparazzi type American reporter in Rome who happens upon a young princess, Audrey Hepburn, who wants to be free from her real identify to experience a day in Rome.  One of my favorite scenes takes place at the Boca Della Veritae (Mouth of Truth), an ancient stone near the entrance of an old church.  Peck explains the legend to Hepburn, telling her that if a liar puts his hand inside the mouth, it would be bitten off while a truthful person would have nothing to fear.  Who wouldn’t be tentative to put their own hand in that mouth?

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