People who believe all embryos have an absolute “right to life” are known to speak devoutly of the divine “innocence” of the unborn. We usually think “innocent” means blameless of any crime or offense. Yet, etymologically, the original meaning of “innocence” is “without harm.” Thus, any harm caused by the unborn, even unintended and unconscious, contradicts the sentimental idea of their innocence.
Birth means entering this world, which is already much too full of people and too scarce of sanctuary for other, nonhuman, beings. Thus, each additional human brings some infinitesimal harm just by popping into this world – a tiny bit of harm to Gaia and a tiny bit of harm to humanity as a whole.
“Sin” can be defined as opposition to divine law. However, agreement escapes us as to what divine law prescribes. Some believe that all embryos have an absolute “right to life.” Others believe each individual has free will and the choice to act ethically and/or sinfully. Anti-abortion activists who resort to getting abortions have contradictory beliefs. Allowing humanity to grow far out of balance with the actual biological world we live in may be collectively sinful.
Any proposed “right to life” is a human ideology. All the rights that we may hope to enjoy are human wishes, not divine guarantees. The existence of miscarriages contradicts the idea that embryos are divinely granted a sacrosanct right to life. Instead, every seed has a chance to either sprout or fail, an outcome that cannot be determined in advance.
The divine world we inhabit is a physical world with physical limits. There are various aspects of this world that humans can control, many that we can influence, and laws of physics and chemistry that we can only accept. And there is plenty of evidence that acting with a mistaken belief of control often leads to unintended and tragic consequences.
Our technologies, our industry, our methods of production, and all the fossil-fueled mechanical systems we now depend on, generate the vast majority of the crowding that we are responsible for. So, this harm of increasing our world’s imbalance is not exactly an individual’s responsibility, but rather a collective responsibility shared by all who are now alive and participating in these systems.
Yet our culture is now very individualistic. Thus, individuals who wish to make meaningful change in this overcrowded overpopulated world will find themselves confronting a monolithic responsibility on a scale that is far beyond the reach of any one of us or even any local community.
Still, we seek ways to act. One logical way to reduce one’s individual harm to the planet is suicide. While I’m certainly not promoting that, it does seem to me that the increased rate of suicide in the USA may reflect some response to our crowded and unbalanced world. Nonetheless, as solar-powered beings, we need not develop energy anorexia to avoid sin. We can shrink our participation in the unsustainable aspects of the standard lifestyle, although ending that fossil lifestyle may feel inconceivable. But though radical nonconformity is often uncomfortable, it’s better than hiding from reality.
I am fortunate that I have had free choice on the question of bearing children. My choice has been “no,” since I was never in an optimal situation for raising children, and the world definitely doesn’t need more unwanted kids. I can also choose to abstain from many resource-intensive and less important human behaviors, like frequent flying, McMansions, or plastic fast fashions. When my modest material needs are met, I can seek to increase the spiritual quality of my life. Finally, I can advocate for a human-scale society – one that would mean contentment for all.
We can learn again to live in balance within the natural world as it is. This requires deep and subtle understanding and thoughtful action. Gardeners know one has to prune. We must learn to understand our place and reside there. ~~~
Muriel Strand explains and advocates for a paradigm shift for life at: https://tinyurl.com/strand-paradigm-shift. She is a member of Sacramento Friends Meeting (PacYM).