Insights
Abortion, Theology, and Politics
Someone critical of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote that the Anti-choice stand on the abortion issue is a theological position based on the belief that life begins at conception, a matter related to religious faith that should not be imposed in our pluralistic society.Similarly, Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden remarked that he is prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at conception, but that he would not impose his religious views on others.These two assertions require clarification.To assert that the Anti-choice position is theologically-based is as nonsensical as to state that the Pro-choice position is not. Anyone can hold Anti-choice or Pro-choice views based on religious and non-religious reasons. It is well known that there are agnostics and atheists who support the Anti-choice position as well as very religious people who favor the Pro-choice one.Our democratic and pluralistic political system allows and condones the intrusion of theologically-based political viewpoints into the political arena. This means that it is not unconstitutional or un-American to attempt to pass legislation that is initially founded on religious beliefs. People have fought sexual, racial, and religious discrimination resulting in amendments to the Constitution and laws protecting the rights of many based on their theological beliefs. Views on the abortion issue are no different.Now, the other aspect of the proposition, that the belief that life begins at conception is a theological position or Sen. Biden's view that accepting that life begins at conception is a matter of faith is, nowadays, highly and extremely questionable.Up until early Twentieth Century, this view was, in fact, a matter for philosophers and theologians to discuss since science had not uncovered reliable evidence to provide a scientific answer to these questions. Today, however, due to scientific progress and the advancement of technology, the medical sciences, biology, and chemistry the answer to this question is anything but theological. It is known that, from a scientific standpoint, life starts at conception.What has become politically, legally, morally, and philosophically debatable is the question of when such life should be terminated following conception. It is also up to philosophers and theologians to discuss if and when something called the soul enters the human body, since science has no means, yet, to provide adequate scientific explanations.In the mean time, any citizen or politician is constitutionally free to support his or her views in the political arena and vote to enact legislation in accordance with their religious views.U.S teen birth rates end 14-year dropNews reports in January 2009 are indicating that after a long decline, U.S. teen birth rates are on the upswing again. (The Miami Herald, 1-7-09, p. 5a)I remember that, two years ago, when writing about the negative outcomes of the American Sexual Revolution that has been going on in our country throughout the last four decades, my research indeed pointed out that birth rates among teens were declining. Having provided extensive data to hypothetically correlate our overly sexualized society with high pregnancy and birth rates, sexually transmitted diseases, rapes, and abortions, however, I had serious doubts that such declines would hold in the near future. There were unacknowledged and unappreciated forces acting out in our society that would prevent continued progress. Today’s news seems to validate my doubts.Because of its relevance, I have excerpted various sections from Chapter 7, one of three chapters that deals with the consequences of the American Sexual Revolution, to highlight what I think are these unacknowledged and unappreciated social forces that seem to exert great influence over our teens.[W]hat happens when the sexual drive is left to roam without limitations?.… “When we become incapable of applying social brakes to our sexuality, as you had recalled, what happens to our children, teenagers, young adults.… to our society? Well.… what happens is a Sexual Revolution, a phenomenon that for the past forty years or so has been taking place in our society to the point where many of us have taken it for granted.…“[T]he sexing of American culture during the last forty years must have affected social behavior dramatically. This is what we intend to find out: whether an overly sexualized entertainment media-driven culture has triggered our sexual instincts, to what extent, and what has been the social outcome in terms of teenage and young adult sexual activity, sexual transmissible diseases, pregnancies, non-marital childbirths, cohabitation, abortion, and rape.“Results from a U.S. Government report indicate that the rate of unmarried teenage and young adult female pregnancies that end in live births parallel the pattern in teenage sexual activity. In 1966, the birth rate for the 15-17 years category was 13.1 per thousand. This rate increases progressively throughout the years reaching a high of 31.7 in 1994 before it began to show a decline in 1995. In 2002 the rate was 20.8, a significant decline, yet a sixty percent plus increase from 1966.“The rate of unmarried teenage pregnancies for the 18-19 and 20-24 years categories shows the same progressions as the 15-17 years, except both age groups are exceptionally higher. In 1966, the rate for 18-19 year old was 25.6 per thousand. By 2002, again, despite a significant decline, the rate was 58.6.… More than one hundred percent increase in thirty-six years. Still, according to a U.S. Government Report on females, ages under 15-19, once we set aside the 5 percent who were likely married.… in the year 2000, 852,000 unmarried teenagers had become pregnant!“Of this total, again, if we set aside the 5 percent of female ages under 15-19 who were likely married, in the year 2000, despite several years of declining birth rates, there were approximately 454,100 babies born out of wedlock to teenagers in the United States.“Studies do indicate that the levels of sexual activity among teenagers, teenage pregnancies, teenage births, even abortions, have declined in the last ten to twelve years… “I guess what I’m trying to convey is that results are inconclusive in terms of what the future holds. We don’t know if declines will continue or how fast.… This is important because we are talking about human beings. So, assuming that the Sexual Revolution in our culture continues unabated.…and there is nothing to suggest it will not.… meaningful reductions in indicators of sexual activity will require, at the very least, a drastic combination of sexual abstinence and/or protected sex among teenagers and young adults.“This will entail much greater sexual awareness, incredible individual discipline on the part of both sexes, and significant declines in all the negative factors that correlate high with increased levels of sexual activity, such as early pubertal development; high testosterone levels; being African American.… and I may add Hispanic, too; permissive sexual attitudes, use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; psychosocial deviance; poverty; living with a single parent; sibling and peer sexual activity; poorly educated parents; low religiosity; and lack of close parent-child relationships.“And, as yet another statement corroborating the view that sexual behavior can be socially stimulated, the study I’m citing says that the media, along with social policies, could play a positive role in bringing about a major shift in public disapproval of non-marital childbearing.”“We’re not even talking about a sub-culture anymore, but mainstream trivialization of sex and the commercialization of a sex culture.… You walk into Urban Outfitters, a nationwide favorite teenagers store, and, other than clothing, what do you think they sell?.…“How about sex games, books validating and praising pot. They had a book on Orgasms: How to Get Them, How to Give Them, and How to Keep Them Coming.… In Aeropostale, another popular teenager store.… I saw T-shirts with screen prints reading, Foxy, Boys Locker Monitor, and this one, Wanted: Meaningful Overnight Relationship.…“What I’m trying to say is that, for reasons that have yet to be investigated, there is an assortment of circumstances that correlate with teenage and young adult sexual activity. This means that people affected by one or more of these conditions somehow will end up being more sexually active.…“All these elements correlate with increased sexual activity; it’s like putting logs in the fireplace.… But you still need both the kindle and the match to create a fire, and I think that.… based on the data we have seen here tonight.… an overly sexed culture would seem to be the igniting factor.”“And that’s where the case of the missing link comes in; we need validation,” argued Mr. Brandon.“Yes we do,” jumped in Ms. Vanhurst. “Nonetheless, let’s think for a minute.… many of these factors that correlate with sexual activity existed back in the 1960s. There were likely as many.… if not more.… families below the poverty line and more parents with lower levels of education back then than today. There was deviance and low religiosity in the 60s, and African Americans were around, too.…“Now, I don’t know whether we have statistics establishing these correlations back in the 1950s and 1960s, but I doubt that the level of sexual activity or even pregnancy and birth rates were as high as they are today. That, in and of itself, tells us something about the impact of the Sexual Revolution on attitudes and behavior throughout the last decades.”“Point well taken, Ms. Vanhurst!” I said. “The implication of what you are saying is that.… if those factors that Mr. Hunt mentioned existed in the early 1960s and yet the level of sexual activity, pregnancies, birth rates, STDs, rape, and abortion were not as high as they are today.… something must account for their progressive increase throughout the years.“My hypothesis has been that an entertainment media-led sexualized culture accounts for a great deal of that. I think that the entertainment media has contributed greatly to the changing of our mores.…Yes, Mr. Dickerson.”“I recall that, in her book, Gurstein mentions a very influential article attacking the remnants of a Puritan mentality in which the authors argued, rather successfully, that free speech with regard to literature was far more important than the harm that obscenity could cause.“But then, these very liberal authors made this incredible, almost prophetic observation, when they asserted that, the many other influences in society that stimulate sexual desire are so much more potent in their effect, that the influence of reading is likely, at most, to be relatively insignificant.34“They knew!.… They were sensitive to the proposition that sexual behavior could very well be socially stimulated,” he added, “and today, it seems that we’re witnessing the outcome of what they knew could happen.”Readers may reach me through e-mails to: author@jricardoplanas.com.
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