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The blessing of abortion

Pro-choice provocateur: Meet Cambridge divinity dean Katherine Ragsdale
By ADAM REILLY  |  June 3, 2009

090605_ragsdale_main
PRO-CHOICE PROVOCATEUR: Reverend Katherine Ragsdale, who next month will become president and dean of Cambridge's Episcopal Divinity School, is an abortion-rights champion — and bête noire to the right.

Last month, in his controversial commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame, Barack Obama urged pro-choice and pro-life Americans to seek common ground. "Maybe we won't agree on abortion," Obama said. "But we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions." Thirteen days later, Scott Roeder allegedly walked into Reformation Lutheran Church, in Wichita, Kansas, and fatally shot Dr. George Tiller, a provider of late-term abortions, who was serving as an usher at the time.

Tiller's slaying highlights just how difficult it will be for Obama to realize his vision (the recent nomination of abortion-rights cipher Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court notwithstanding). But it also raises a vexing question in the war over abortion, is the search for common ground the solution or part of the problem?

No one makes the latter case more forcefully than Katherine Ragsdale, an Arlington resident who'll become dean of Cambridge's Episcopal Divinity School next month. When Ragsdale's appointment was announced this past March, it triggered a torrent of fear and loathing among religious conservatives. Midwest Conservative Journal editor Christopher Johnson, for example, dubbed Ragsdale "Rev. Mengele." And writing for World Magazine, Marvin Olasky — the driving intellectual force behind George W. Bush's stated policy of "compassionate conservatism" — was moved to prayer: "May God have mercy," he said of Ragsdale, "on her, on her students, and on all of us."

Some of this venom almost certainly stemmed from the fact that Ragsdale is a lesbian. But the primary source of consternation was a 2007 speech Ragsdale gave in defense of abortion rights in Birmingham, Alabama, following a failed push by anti-abortion protesters to shut down a clinic.

In her Birmingham address, Ragsdale panned the unwillingness of some medical personnel to be involved with abortions, and lamented what she called the patronizing attitude abortion opponents take toward women. Next, she took vigorous issue with the notion that there's anything regrettable about the act of abortion itself. The passages in question bear quoting in their entirety:

Let's be very clear about this: when a woman finds herself pregnant due to violence and chooses an abortion, it is the violence that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman finds that the fetus she is carrying has anomalies incompatible with life, that it will not live and that she requires an abortion — often a late-term abortion — to protect her life, her health, or her fertility, it is the shattering of her hopes and dreams for that pregnancy that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman wants a child but can't afford one because she hasn't the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion is a blessing.

And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion — there is not a tragedy in sight — only blessing. The ability to enjoy God's good gift of sexuality without compromising one's education, life's work, or ability to put to use God's gifts and call is simply blessing.

These are the two things I want you, please, to remember — abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.

It is, of course, those last two paragraphs that really stand out. Many abortion-rights supporters now concede, like Obama, that abortion itself is an emotionally fraught act — something that most women would probably prefer not to have to do. (In 2005, for example, Hillary Clinton marked the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade by stating that abortion "in many ways represents a sad, even tragic, choice.")

In the aforementioned passages, however, Ragsdale takes precisely the opposite tack. Even when a pregnant woman enjoys the best possible circumstances, she's suggesting, the act of aborting a fetus isn't an occasion for ambivalence or guilt. It is, instead, an unfettered good — something to be cherished and celebrated.

That's a provocative line of argument — and it, too, invites some thorny questions. If more abortion-rights supporters reasoned like Ragsdale, for example, would the pro-choice cause be weaker or stronger? And would abortion's most aggressive opponents be less emboldened — or even more likely to lash out?

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Related: Personally speaking, The problem with the Church's selective embrace, Keeping faith, More more >
  Topics: News Features , Abortion, Abortion Policy, Barack Obama,  More more >
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Comments
Re: The blessing of abortion
Sorry...this lady's a joke. www.horriblesanity.com
By Horrible Sanity on 06/04/2009 at 6:54:48
Re: The blessing of abortion
I want to thank the editors for publishing this article. It is very representative of the depths to which this country has fallen. In Nazi Germany when Jews, gypsys, and others were labled less than human, the world grew outraged and condemed the immorality. Now the church is saying that a human being can have it's head punctured, brain sucked out, or limbs torn from a body and it's a blessing? If this is the view of the Episcopal Church, then Josef Mengele must be their patron saint. I grive the theology this woman must be endorsing  and ask how can anyone with such vileness and disregard for children be a priest or the head of a seminary? But I know the answer; somewhere along the way, her theology and personal views have been validated. When will the world stand up to her? Or will be simply go our own ways, nodding in affirmation to the values Hitler offered?
By RevJLS on 06/04/2009 at 1:20:20
Re: The blessing of abortion
I want to thank the editors for publishing this article. It is very representative of the depths to which this country has fallen. In Nazi Germany when Jews, gypsys, and others were labled less than human, the world grew outraged and condemed the immorality. Now the church is saying that a human being can have it's head punctured, brain sucked out, or limbs torn from a body and it's a blessing? If this is the view of the Episcopal Church, then Josef Mengele must be their patron saint. I grive the theology this woman must be endorsing  and ask how can anyone with such vileness and disregard for children be a priest or the head of a seminary? But I know the answer; somewhere along the way, her theology and personal views have been validated. When will the world stand up to her? Or will we simply go our own ways, nodding in affirmation to the values Hitler offered?
By RevJLS on 06/04/2009 at 1:20:38
Re: The blessing of abortion
I want to thank the editors for publishing this article. It is very representative of the depths to which this country has fallen. In Nazi Germany when Jews, gypsys, and others were labled less than human, the world grew outraged and condemed the immorality. Now the church is saying that a human being can have it's head punctured, brain sucked out, or limbs torn from a body and it's a blessing? If this is the view of the Episcopal Church, then Josef Mengele must be their patron saint. I grive the theology this woman must be endorsing  and ask how can anyone with such vileness and disregard for children be a priest or the head of a seminary? But I know the answer; somewhere along the way, her theology and personal views have been validated. When will the world stand up to her? Or will we simply go our own ways, nodding in affirmation to the values Hitler offered?
By RevJLS on 06/04/2009 at 1:21:16
Re: The blessing of abortion
It CONFOUNDS me - how the ANTI-CHOICE peoples cannot see the BLATANT hypocrisy of  actions & words….to all you christians out there....
isnt it true that the bible more or less says..
“ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE”
soooo...What someone else does with thier body - really isnt any of your business If god thinks its wrong - he'll sort it out with that person on "judgement day"...till then - Mind your own BIZ  - you'll probably find yourself alot happier!  :)
Also what about the bible passage - and i’m paraphrasing here - …
don’t point out the tiny splinter in your neighbors eye - when there is a full 4×4 plank in your own eye !” so what if you think these people are “sinning” - let god sort em out…
mind your own soul. *God must REEEALY like DUMB PEOPLE - Cause he made SO MANY of them!!!*
By hilary clare on 06/04/2009 at 1:38:18
Re: The blessing of abortion
 hey hilary, what if you witnessed someone mugging an 80 year old lady with a walker, and when you confronted him, he replied, "Mind your own BIZ. ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE.mind your own soul", I suppose you'd reply "Gee, you're right. I never thought of that.", and then you'd just walk away and not do anything.Please ponder the following: Do you think there's a difference between 'judging' and 'observation'?"God must REEEALY like DUMB PEOPLE - Cause he made SO MANY of them!!!" Stoopid iz as stoopid sez. I tend to think that people make themselves stupid by unreflectively buying into cultural propaganda.You know the type.Or maybe I'm the dumb one and your post is a subtle parody?
By Robert Fisher on 06/04/2009 at 1:52:41
Re: The blessing of abortion
Hilary -- we believe that God will judge our souls, but that doesn't preclude our judging one's actions in this life. What do you think laws are for?
By LaBoulangere on 06/04/2009 at 7:24:47
Re: The blessing of abortion
Somewhere between conception and birth the zygote becomes a human being capable of thinking and feeling. The right of human beings not to be destroyed trumps the rights of others to greater personal convenience- especially given the adoption option.
By Farnkoff on 06/04/2009 at 7:51:04
Re: The blessing of abortion
If the fetus cannot live w/o the mother - ITS NOT ALIVE!!!it is ONLY alive due to its dependance on the  mother.. UNTIL it is able to live on its own (5 months or so if prematurely born)... it is like a part of your body...
its akin to clipping one's fingernails - or cutting ones hair - or removing a wart...
 Its like they always say.... "if you dont like Abortions... DONT HAVE ONE" Other peoples Uterus's are NONE of YOUR business!!!What would happen if you got impregnated against your will by RAPE?  would you like the option to have control of your  body?    It seems as if people care MORE about an unborn cluster of cells - than people who are actually alive...  pro-life / anti-choice people supporting the death penalty & supporting the WAR in IRAQ...a little hypocritical don't ya think? People who DO NOT support Abortions are NOT thinking with science - they are thinking with religious ideals & fables - which as we all know are NOT VERY SCIENTIFIC (flat earth anyone?)   Religion has disempowered women to have contol over their bodies & lives.  I donno about you, but I'm GLAD I dont live in the DARK AGES!!!  

 
By hilary clare on 06/05/2009 at 12:13:11
Re: The blessing of abortion
I tend to think that people make themselves stupid by unreflectively buying into religous propaganda...
By hilary clare on 06/05/2009 at 12:16:49
Re: The blessing of abortion
I tend to think that people make themselves stupid by unreflectively buying into religious propaganda...
By hilary clare on 06/05/2009 at 12:17:13
Re: The blessing of abortion
@ Robert Fisher - - - I tend to think that people make themselves stupid by not using fact based & critical thinking skills and blindly buying into religious propaganda. also if you do not have a uterus - your opinion of this matter is completely irrelevant.
By hilary clare on 06/05/2009 at 12:22:05
Re: The blessing of abortion
Let’s see . . . In her first post, Hilary Clare takes off on "dumb people," but in that 139-word screed, she manages 16 mistakes in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, word choice, and/or pronoun usage [see below]. Sorta makes you wonder, don’t it? (Later posts also go after "stupid" people. Good job, there, Hilary.) It CONFOUNDS me - how the ANTI-CHOICE peoples [(1) Nope: It’s "people."] cannot see the BLATANT hypocrisy of actions & words….to all you christians [(2) Nope: It’s "Christians."] out there.... isnt [(3) Nope: It’s "Isn’t."] it true that the bible more or less says.. "ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE" soooo...What someone else does with thier [(4 & 5) Nope: It’s "their." But even it you spell that pronoun correctly, it needs to be singular to agree with its antecedent – "her."] body - really isnt [(6) See #3.] any of your business - If god [(7) Nope: It’s "God."] thinks its [(8) Nope: It’s "it’s."] wrong - he'll [(9) Nope: It’s "He."] sort it out with that person on "judgement [(10) Nope: It’s "judgment."] day"...till then - Mind your own BIZ - you'll probably find yourself alot [(11) Nope: It’s "a lot" (two words).] happier! :) Also what about the bible passage - and i’m [(12) Nope: It’s "I’m."] paraphrasing here - … "don’t point out the tiny splinter in your neighbors [(13) Nope: It’s "neighbor’s."] eye - when there is a full 4×4 plank in your own eye !" so [(14) Nope: It’s "So."] what if you think these people are "sinning" - let god [(15) See # 6.] sort em [(16) Nope: It needs an apostrophe – "’em."] out… mind your own soul. *God must REEEALY like DUMB PEOPLE - Cause he made SO MANY of them!!!* But apart from these solecisms, the real problem with Hilary is her error in fact: She speaks of "[w]hat someone does with thier [sic] body." The body of the human being inside a woman’s uterus is not the body of the woman. That tiny human being has completely different DNA; more likely than not, it has a different blood type; it has about a 50-50 chance of being a boy; it can have different color eyes, hair, skin, etc. Even a "stupid" person knows that the child’s body is not the mother’s body.  The issue is not about what a woman does to HER OWN body. Very simply -- as Planned Parenthood wrote in a pamphlet ("Plan Your Children for Health and Happiness") in 1963:  "An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun." 
By Tom Long on 06/05/2009 at 1:19:30
Re: The blessing of abortion
Let’s see . . . In her first post, Hilary Clare takes off on "dumb people," but in that 139-word screed, she manages 16 mistakes in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, word choice, and/or pronoun usage [see below]. Sorta makes you wonder, don’t it? (Later posts also go after "stupid" people. Good job, there, Hilary.) It CONFOUNDS me - how the ANTI-CHOICE peoples [(1) Nope: It’s "people."] cannot see the BLATANT hypocrisy of actions & words….to all you christians [(2) Nope: It’s "Christians."] out there.... isnt [(3) Nope: It’s "Isn’t."] it true that the bible more or less says.. "ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE" soooo...What someone else does with thier [(4 & 5) Nope: It’s "their." But even it you spell that pronoun correctly, it needs to be singular to agree with its antecedent – "her."] body - really isnt [(6) See #3.] any of your business - If god [(7) Nope: It’s "God."] thinks its [(8) Nope: It’s "it’s."] wrong - he'll [(9) Nope: It’s "He."] sort it out with that person on "judgement [(10) Nope: It’s "judgment."] day"...till then - Mind your own BIZ - you'll probably find yourself alot [(11) Nope: It’s "a lot" (two words).] happier! :) Also what about the bible passage - and i’m [(12) Nope: It’s "I’m."] paraphrasing here - … "don’t point out the tiny splinter in your neighbors [(13) Nope: It’s "neighbor’s."] eye - when there is a full 4×4 plank in your own eye !" so [(14) Nope: It’s "So."] what if you think these people are "sinning" - let god [(15) See # 6.] sort em [(16) Nope: It needs an apostrophe – "’em."] out… mind your own soul. *God must REEEALY like DUMB PEOPLE - Cause he made SO MANY of them!!!* But apart from these solecisms, the real problem with Hilary is her error in fact: She speaks of "[w]hat someone does with thier [sic] body." The body of the human being inside a woman’s uterus is not the body of the woman. That tiny human being has completely different DNA; more likely than not, it has a different blood type; it has about a 50-50 chance of being a boy; it can have different color eyes, hair, skin, etc. Even a "stupid" person knows that the child’s body is not the mother’s body.  The issue is not about what a woman does to HER OWN body. Very simply -- as Planned Parenthood wrote in a pamphlet ("Plan Your Children for Health and Happiness") in 1963:  "An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun." 
By Tom Long on 06/05/2009 at 1:19:52
Re: The blessing of abortion
Yes, Ragsdale's "abortion is a blessing" remarks sound provocative.  That's why I searched the web to find the full text of her sermon/speech in Birmingham, and read it in its full context.  Reverend Ragsdale makes it clear that it is women's moral agency which is at stake, and that if those who oppose abortion truly want to reduce its frequency, then they need to address the various problems which make it a necessity. And the parallel she makes with her brother's heart surgery is very apropros.  Imagine a segment of society arguing that we should not do heart surgeries at all, citing some moralistic absolute, while at the same time opposing changes in diet and lifestyle which could substantially reduce the frequency of the very thing they claim to hate. So for all of you commenting here on how much you hate abortion ... Will you stand up for widespread availability of contraception and meaningful sex education, thus preventing unintented pregnancies?  Will you stand up for economic changes to lift women out of poverty, including affordable childcare?  Will you stand up to confront violence against women, whether it be rape by a stranger or abuse by someone who claims to love them? You can't have it both ways.  You can't condemn abortion while turning a blind eye to the tragedies which bring it about.  You can't call for reducing or eliminating abortion while opposing the most effective means of doing so.  You can't go on claiming the moral high ground by denying women any moral agency to choose whether and when to bear and beget a child.
By Desmond Ravenstone on 06/05/2009 at 7:38:07
Re: The blessing of abortion
 Thanks Desmond: very well put. I find it intersting that no-one has taken you up on your challenge. I suppose it is easier to point fingers, prosthelytize, cut and paste quotes from the 60's, utilize the same old tired Nazi-non sequiteur-ad hominem attacks and call someone out on their poor grammar skills than address the real issues that surround abortion.
By mezzobuff on 06/06/2009 at 11:29:43
Re: The blessing of abortion
I'll take it one step further than Desmond. Are anti-abortionists willing to support research into reproductive technologies so that removing an embryo/zygote from a pregnant woman does not result in its non-viability? Think of what a boon that would be; most adoptive mothers could experience pregancy and be better prepared to the addition to their family; the IVF success rate would vastly improve and the need for surrogate mothers would be greatly reduced.
By cass_m on 06/06/2009 at 2:04:58
Re: The blessing of abortion
It is incredibly sad that the Episcopal Church, once a force in American life, has dwindled to so few members that the only ones remaining condone a leader who considers abortion "a blessing." Life is precious from conception to natural death, and no dean of a dying seminary can change that fact. I hope someday the Episcopal Church will remember the ideals it was actually founded upon.
By Timothy on 06/06/2009 at 3:30:19
Re: The blessing of abortion
Desmond- Certainly I support sex education, availability of contraception to minors, and anti-poverty measures as well as health care reform. In most respects I am a liberal- but I feel that abortion is, in most cases, an inhumane option.
By Farnkoff on 06/06/2009 at 8:10:13
Re: The blessing of abortion
Farnkoff wrote: "Desmond- Certainly I support sex education, availability of contraception to minors, and anti-poverty measures as well as health care reform. In most respects I am a liberal- but I feel that abortion is, in most cases, an inhumane option."   I can certainly respect that overall viewpoint, which is in line with what some call a "consistent pro-life" position.  Where we disagree the most is your dismissive stereotype that women who choose abortion do so out of "personal convenience."  Can you even point to a reliable survey of women who have had abortions, and their reasons why?  I would hope that more of us could work together towards reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies to begin with, rather than making such negative blanket judgements about women's motivations behind their choices.
By Desmond Ravenstone on 06/06/2009 at 9:13:42

ARTICLES BY ADAM REILLY
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