From a Wiccan (NOT Christian) website:
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My eight-year-old had many questions, and while I explained that I believe it is a tragedy when an abortion need be gotten, I also expressed that it can sometimes be an even greater tragedy for a pregnancy to continue. As he continued questioning me, we finally found a common ground for discussion. He had viewed the movie _Dirty Dancing_ several times and was able to understand the pain of the character who underwent an illegal abortion in that drama. The search to find this common ground, backed by my strong desire to imprint my children with Wiccan ethics, was one which caused me to question my own deep-set beliefs. As a Wiccan High Priestess, I asked myself, where should a Witch's ethics on abortion be grounded? My first approach was to consider the historical background of the Witch as an abortionist. Before the burning times women controlled their own medicine, and abortion was herbally induced. "The wise woman, or witch, had a host of remedies which had been tested in years of use. Many of the herbal remedies developed by witches still have their place in modern pharmacology," so we are told in _Witches, Midwives, and Nurses_ (pg 14). As Witches have always worked with healing through nature, have abortifacts been part of that healing? Barbara Walker seems to think so. In her book, _The Skeptical Feminist_, she states: "Ancient methods of family limitation known to the Greeks and Romans--contraceptive sponges, abortifacient drugs--were outlawed by the clergy and retained only in some secret traditions of witchcraft" (pg 174). I wondered, if secret traditions of Witchcraft have kept knowledge of herbal abortifacts alive, would it not follow that it is an ethical duty for some to be prepared to provide abortion as it is an ethical duty to keep coven traditions alive? Perhaps that may be, I told myself, but it is necessary to understand what ethical grounds those traditions are based upon, in order to determine if it is an ethical coven which keeps then alive. As Starhawk says, "The world-view of immanence does carry with it a set of ethical imperatives, though they are based on principles very different from those of patriarchal culture" (_Dreaming the Dark_; pg 34). The key here seems to be, what are the principles which govern this decision? The primary principle would have to be self-responsibility. While Witches recognize the sacredness of a unified life force, Gaia, we hold a higher regard. We recognize the sharing of responsibility that all differentiated life forms take on a Higher Self level. As we assert an ethic of non-interference, we base our ethical judgments on questions which define the boundaries of our personal responsibility in the web of life-- the "power-with" perspective. In looking at abortion from this perspective, where lies the responsibility for aborting a potentially ensouled body? As we believe a child chooses it's own birth, might a soul not also choose an abortive experience? If two True Wills cannot come into direct conflict with each other because the universe is a whole, and it is in the True Will of the mother to abort, then does it not logically follow that a soul chose that abortion? Perhaps there is a balancing of fate or karma that a soul needs to experience and so chooses to abort. Perhaps they were an old soul that just needed some final balancing, provided by the abortive experience itself. In these political times, the final question really lies: Who takes the responsibility to decide on an abortion in American society. Does the woman decide, or the state? This brought me to yet another philosophical debate. At what point in physical development does a soul enter the body? When does a fetus cease being a mass of tissue and blood vessels and become a differentiated human life force? The Catholics base their opposition to abortion on the teaching that "in intercourse the male deposits in the female a homunculus, or 'little person' complete with soul, which is simply housed in the womb for nine months" (Witches, Midwives, and Nurses; pgs 10-11). Some Witches have debated this issue, with many theories abounding. When does a human life force inhabit the body? Does it enter at conception, or quickening, perhaps at birth, maybe even much later, if at all. One theory put forth has been that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a result of a body being born without ever having had a soul enter it. After some time, the ectoplasm can no longer support itself and, due to "no explanation," the body dies. Other theories account for a range of situations, including the belief that autistic children are a result of an unensouled body maintaining physical existence. Though these are hard issues to debate, they leave us with the conclusion that we cannot form consensus on when life differentiates because there is no finite answer. Either way, we can identify a body that is ensouled--the woman's. By following the ethics of non-interference and self- responsibility, we can readily see that only she can ethically make the decision to abort or not, as ultimately her True Will is the active sustainable force. When any other seeks control over a woman's body to thwart what she sees as best for herself, that is when the ethical error occurs. If that is when the ethical-error occurs, I asked myself, then what is the appropriate use of self-defense to prevent that occurrence? It is commonly held that Goddess "spirituality is the recognition of all acting powers and energies: of the physical energies in cosmic bodies, of the life-energies in all living organisms of the psychic and mental energies in women and men" (_Matriarchal Mythology in Former Times and Today_; pg 13). However I would argue that Wiccan spirituality involves more than simply having that recognition. Wicca is an active religion, a religion of doing and being. Even in choosing not to take an action, an action has been taken. Our responsibility of self-determination does not end at the "recognition" of our "acting powers." We also have an ethical imperative to defend our belief in following individual True Will. As Goddess-worshipers have been active in reclaiming' the midwifery movement, so we need to be equally active in the pro-choice movement. Both issues are but opposite sides of the same coin, having control over our own bodies. It is only in maintaining full control of our bodies that we maintain our full empowerment as Priestesses. It is a basic occult fact that mastery of the physical plane precedes mastery of the spiritual. In maintaining mastery of the physical plane, it is apparent Witches must find ways of self-abortion without the support of the patriarchal medical establishment. The medical world of clinics and doctors is only as stable as the laws governing them, and laws made by courts are flimsy protection indeed. During the fifteen years since abortion was legalized, under the Supreme Court decision Roe vs.Wade, our abortion rights have been placed under assault through restrictive regulations. The severity of the issue lies not in abortion being immediately re-criminalized, but in women having access to safe abortion. In today's political climate, barriers are constantly being erected, i.e. parental notification laws; father's rights laws (unfortunately these are primarily utilized by battering mates continuing their coercion); federal funding controls; overly extreme clinic regulation; and more. It is important then to ask ourselves this: Is it possible to provide for safe herbal abortions without the intervention of any agencies, medical or government? Have Witches stood guardian of coven lore capable of inducing abortion, or gained new knowledge along the way? What about the once embraced practice of menstrual extraction done at home? Have advances been made in that field which Witches would profit from knowing? I spoke with a Witch who had done self abortions. She was reluctant to have details of the procedure published, stating that the herb, pennyroyal, could be dangerous and poisonous if used incorrectly. She related a story of living out in the country roughing it-- no running water or indoor plumbing. Having no access to medical care, she provided her own abortions (5-6 of them) by drinking tea. Disregarding the poison potential, would this be safe for all women? What about the minority of women (15%) with the blood type Rh-negative, who want to have future children? According to the _Ms. Guide To A Woman's Health_, Rh-negative mothers must have the drug gamma globulin (Rho-gam) within 72 hours "after any incident in which fetal Rh-positive cells may have entered her blood stream . . . Even if therapeutic abortions are performed, Rh-negative mothers should always receive the shot of gamma globulin" (pg 196). Otherwise, "the second Rh-positive baby can be developing in a maternal body with predeveloped antibodies against its blood. The antibodies from the mother's blood can pass across the placenta, attack the blood cells of the fetus, making it severely anemic and in the worst cases, causing such severe loss of blood cells that the baby has heart failure and dies . . . In less severely affected babies, a total blood transfusion may be performed after delivery" (195-196). I pose a hypothetical question: If abortion was illegal and abortionists were jailed, if a woman induced her own abortion and then went to the doctor for Rho-gam, would she then be subject to legal penalties? Would a woman be forced into a position of sacrificing healthy pregnancies in the future for a clandestine abortion now? Perhaps I, as an Rh-negative mother with two abortions in my past and strong hopes for another child in the future, am more sensitive to this. Still, it causes me to ask myself, how can we as women and Witches, SAFELY maintain control of our own bodies? However, I realize the core question of ethics must finally be: Once a Witch has maintained mastery of the physical plane through access to safe abortion, how does she achieve mastery of the spiritual plane by exercising the use of that access in an ethical manner? How do we express the responsibility that comes with empowerment as we search for the wisdom and judgment to decide for ourselves? What special abilities can we, those who work "between the worlds," draw on? After speaking with a High Priestess who has counseled women seeking abortions, I learned these suggestions. Try to "communicate with the spirit consciousness," if there is one present. Some souls choose inappropriately to attempt to incarnate, and when this is discussed a mutual agreement can be reached. As no life force is ever truly destroyed, "it is not the ultimate tragedy" the once-borns make of it, "there can always be another chance" (quotes from unnamed Priestess). On a linear timeline, future opportunities exist for the two souls to be together. It's like asking company to wait for Friday instead of coming on Wednesday; the future holds infinite possibilities. The woman must judge what is best for herself at that point in time, but when a good innerplane communication is reached it is a strong support. Also, divination is in order. If the woman is working with a coven they should assist her with this. Astrological interpretations, dreams, tarot, I Ching, pendulums, hypnosis, runes, there are many bridges between here and the spirit world that are our heritage as Witches, In following the Wiccan rede, we identify the many possibilities life holds out for us and we consistently work to chose the path of the least universal harm. As we are the center of our own universe, we find that path through identifying our True Will. It is not enough to have the power to abort, we must be prepared to exercise that power ethically. In making such a critical decision as whether to bring forth life, it is imperative that we use all means at our disposal for counseling. However, once a Priestess has chosen an abortion as the path of her True Will, then the Craft community should extend its support to our sister in need. While driving to the rally, I envisioned a world of no abortion due to having no need for abortion, a Summerland of every child a wanted child. As I approached the demonstration on the Wisconsin State Capital grounds, I could hear women chanting from three blocks away. The capital dome loomed in the background, impressively crowned by "Miss Forward", Wisconsin's strange name for a likeness of Maat. I came upon about fifty picketers circling in a deosil direction chanting: It was a very magickal moment. For almost two hours we circled and chanted while the "pro-lifers" marched with children and pickets. They were holding a rally to protest the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision. We were picketing to protest their oppression, a counterdemonstration. The scene got rather ugly at moments; the extent of hate emanating from them was close to overwhelming. As they claim to hate abortion, so they acted on their hate by expressing it towards us. Men from the "pro-life" side tried to physically intimidate our group's women by bearing down on their personal space, invading their aura fields by barely not touching. At one point, a "pro- lifer" hit one of my friends with a sign. I remarked later that the scenario seemed to be: how much can I abuse you without actually touching you? One woman came over, to within an inch of my face, and started yelling at me. I regressed to her level and shouted back our slogan: The people from our side kept looking after each other. When yet another personal, violent confrontation would happen, friends would come and protect by disengaging the pinpointed woman. When my friend was hit, the sign was torn down; when body space was invaded, women were brought into a safer, tighter circle. I was glad to see men from the pro-choice side helping maintain a protective force, welcomed even by some separatists, due to the danger in the air. As they were dispersing, three Catholics came into the middle of our circle, knelt down, and started reciting the rosary. I acted instinctively. I stood before them, facing East, and did an immediate simple, repetitive invocation to Diana. Casting pentagrams in the air I yelled "I invoke Diana, protect your women" Some pro-choice women started chanting, "We all come from the Goddess", while other pro-choice women defiantly held up crosses made from rusty clothes hangers. As they supported my ritual they became a part of it, blending our energies together. I focused on "Miss Forward", repeating the invocation until peaking our cone. I was then enveloped into the cuddly arms of a beautiful woman friend. I grounded rushes of energy as I fell onto her. Diana please take that peak of power, use it to raise this voice in convincing others to raise yet more powerful cones of protection. The ethics of Wicca are grounded in personal empowerment for the benefit of self and group empowerment, A careful study of the questions raised in the light of that grounding leads me to know and understand that access to abortion is truly a Witch's issue.  We welcome your comments on this and other topics. Please visit our message board. |
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