Abortion day!
Apr. 9th, 2008 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theatokosToday was the day I went in to two of my friend D's 10th grade theology classes at an all boys' Catholic high school and talked about abortion in a social justice context. I was nervous. It's been years since I've been in the classroom, I haven't been sleeping well, I just wasn't as prepared as I normally would like to be, and well... it's a Catholic high school.
My friend D: we met at grad school, his undergrad is in Latin and Greek, his master's is in Patristics (early Church fathers), he's an Eastern Orthodox convert, and he's goofy and brilliant too! I am very honored that he asked me to come in and talk to his students. Before I go into what I said (I know some of you will be very interested, others not so much), I want to say that I was soimpressed with the school and the students. Who knew that a classroom of 15 yr old boys could be engaged and respectful in such a discussion?? They never once mocked each other for their opinions or ideas. Of course, not everyone seemed enthused or contributed - I mean, they are 15. But in comparison to my two years spent working primarily with 15 yr old boys in a public school, I was beyond impressed.
Personally, I have some issues with private school. But over the course of the morning I found myself thinking, "Wow, I would totally send my son here!" The grounds are nice, the faculty I met were open and friendly, the school's motto is "A De la Salle graduate is a man of faith, integrity and scholarship" - character traits I can get behind. The Catholic order that runs the school focuses on social justice. Catholicism, while not my favorite partly because of their strong adherence to dogma, is a very broad denomination. Some orders, like the Jesuits, focus on teaching, some on serving the poor, some on priestly duties; there is a whole array of emphases and attitudes in the Catholic Church. D had told me a little about this particular school and that the 10th grade theology curriculum was all focused around social justice. I think this is unbelievably cool. So while the official Catholic Church stance on abortion is unequivocally "NO, and no birth control either!" the curriculum for this unit encourages broader discussion about the issue. I can only dream that public schools would allow this sort of discussion around the topic!
D had prefaced my arrival with a discussion about why the debate over abortion needs to be thought about in terms of dignity and solidarity - two very important concepts in Catholic theology, pretty great concepts generally. By focusing on the issues of legality (while important!) many people get caught up in extremes, in being RIGHT, and in hoping that one law will make all of the grey areas go away. So how can we think about this divisive issue in terms of dignity and solidarity?
First, I talked briefly (really briefly) about what other denominations and a few other religions think about this issue (Judaism, Islam and Buddhism). Then, I asked them to think about resources, this was a major chunk of our time. I asked them to table for the time being their opinions about whether abortion was right or wrong and to think about IF a woman was to have an abortion what sort of resources she might need to have a safe, positive outcome. Mostly they came up with: access to the operation, money to pay for it, emotional support before and after. Then I asked them to think about what resources a woman might need to carry a baby to full term. Then, for if she chooses adoption or to keep the baby. Lastly, we talked about the resources necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Many of these resources overlap. I also tried to make the connection that the resources necessary for any of these options are the resources that we all need for happy, positive functioning in the work regardless of issues of pregnancy. We all need safe environments, healthy food and access to health care, education, emotional and practical support, money, etc. No matter what our views, most of us need the same things.
After this discussion, I read some basic statistics and talked a little bit about the myths and propaganda that both the pro-life and pro-choice sides perpetuate. For example, the hullabaloo over late term/partial birth abortions is really misleading. When these occur, they are usually for medical reasons. 90% of all abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.
Armed with that sort of information, I then went on to present different scenarios. I started out super simple: a high school senior is pregnant. What should she do? Almost every response was, "Well, what are her circumstances?" They wanted more information. Not cut and dry. Or, a married couple is pregnant, but find out that the child has a severe genetic disorder. What should they do? Almost all said they should keep it. What if that couple doesn't have health insurance? That changed some answers. In each situation I asked the guys to tell me the resources that the woman or couple would need to make that decision work out for them. This proved to be very, very fruitful. Almost entirely the guys, even those who were obviously leaning more toward a pro-life position, thought that a young girl, with her future ahead of her, or a woman that had been raped, should choose the abortion. Almost entirely if the woman was partnered in some way she/they should keep the baby. I think that most Americans would respond similarly. What really impressed me was how willingly 15 yr old boys engaged in the complexities of the issue.
Finally, I asked them, "As young men, how can you stand with dignity in solidarity with women around this situation?" The first responses were all "Use birth control" or "Don't have sex until you're ready to face the consequences." Great answers. Trying to prod them into the larger picture I asked them to think beyond just being a sexual partner, to try to think as a brother, best friend, cousin, classmate, as a member of a larger community.
Overall, it was a really successful and enjoyable day. I'm going back next Thursday to speak to D's third theology class. I look forward to it.
My friend D: we met at grad school, his undergrad is in Latin and Greek, his master's is in Patristics (early Church fathers), he's an Eastern Orthodox convert, and he's goofy and brilliant too! I am very honored that he asked me to come in and talk to his students. Before I go into what I said (I know some of you will be very interested, others not so much), I want to say that I was soimpressed with the school and the students. Who knew that a classroom of 15 yr old boys could be engaged and respectful in such a discussion?? They never once mocked each other for their opinions or ideas. Of course, not everyone seemed enthused or contributed - I mean, they are 15. But in comparison to my two years spent working primarily with 15 yr old boys in a public school, I was beyond impressed.
Personally, I have some issues with private school. But over the course of the morning I found myself thinking, "Wow, I would totally send my son here!" The grounds are nice, the faculty I met were open and friendly, the school's motto is "A De la Salle graduate is a man of faith, integrity and scholarship" - character traits I can get behind. The Catholic order that runs the school focuses on social justice. Catholicism, while not my favorite partly because of their strong adherence to dogma, is a very broad denomination. Some orders, like the Jesuits, focus on teaching, some on serving the poor, some on priestly duties; there is a whole array of emphases and attitudes in the Catholic Church. D had told me a little about this particular school and that the 10th grade theology curriculum was all focused around social justice. I think this is unbelievably cool. So while the official Catholic Church stance on abortion is unequivocally "NO, and no birth control either!" the curriculum for this unit encourages broader discussion about the issue. I can only dream that public schools would allow this sort of discussion around the topic!
D had prefaced my arrival with a discussion about why the debate over abortion needs to be thought about in terms of dignity and solidarity - two very important concepts in Catholic theology, pretty great concepts generally. By focusing on the issues of legality (while important!) many people get caught up in extremes, in being RIGHT, and in hoping that one law will make all of the grey areas go away. So how can we think about this divisive issue in terms of dignity and solidarity?
First, I talked briefly (really briefly) about what other denominations and a few other religions think about this issue (Judaism, Islam and Buddhism). Then, I asked them to think about resources, this was a major chunk of our time. I asked them to table for the time being their opinions about whether abortion was right or wrong and to think about IF a woman was to have an abortion what sort of resources she might need to have a safe, positive outcome. Mostly they came up with: access to the operation, money to pay for it, emotional support before and after. Then I asked them to think about what resources a woman might need to carry a baby to full term. Then, for if she chooses adoption or to keep the baby. Lastly, we talked about the resources necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Many of these resources overlap. I also tried to make the connection that the resources necessary for any of these options are the resources that we all need for happy, positive functioning in the work regardless of issues of pregnancy. We all need safe environments, healthy food and access to health care, education, emotional and practical support, money, etc. No matter what our views, most of us need the same things.
After this discussion, I read some basic statistics and talked a little bit about the myths and propaganda that both the pro-life and pro-choice sides perpetuate. For example, the hullabaloo over late term/partial birth abortions is really misleading. When these occur, they are usually for medical reasons. 90% of all abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.
Armed with that sort of information, I then went on to present different scenarios. I started out super simple: a high school senior is pregnant. What should she do? Almost every response was, "Well, what are her circumstances?" They wanted more information. Not cut and dry. Or, a married couple is pregnant, but find out that the child has a severe genetic disorder. What should they do? Almost all said they should keep it. What if that couple doesn't have health insurance? That changed some answers. In each situation I asked the guys to tell me the resources that the woman or couple would need to make that decision work out for them. This proved to be very, very fruitful. Almost entirely the guys, even those who were obviously leaning more toward a pro-life position, thought that a young girl, with her future ahead of her, or a woman that had been raped, should choose the abortion. Almost entirely if the woman was partnered in some way she/they should keep the baby. I think that most Americans would respond similarly. What really impressed me was how willingly 15 yr old boys engaged in the complexities of the issue.
Finally, I asked them, "As young men, how can you stand with dignity in solidarity with women around this situation?" The first responses were all "Use birth control" or "Don't have sex until you're ready to face the consequences." Great answers. Trying to prod them into the larger picture I asked them to think beyond just being a sexual partner, to try to think as a brother, best friend, cousin, classmate, as a member of a larger community.
Overall, it was a really successful and enjoyable day. I'm going back next Thursday to speak to D's third theology class. I look forward to it.