ALABAMA

Distressed Alabama Flag on Black – Photograph by Jon Neidert

You no doubt have heard the news about Alabama’s decision that is closing down IVF clinics in that state. Other deeply conservative states seeking to turn these United States into a theocracy are certain to try similar efforts. I don’t want to live in a theocracy.

I also know a bit about IVF. I have 2 sons that were donor conceived (they have identical genetics – same egg donor and same father but separate cycles). We never did have a lot of embryos. We tried with the leftovers from the first cycle but that effort failed. We donated the leftovers from the second cycle. Those seemed to succeed but a few weeks into her pregnancy, her effort failed. We never had to deal with issues related to the Alabama cases. Still but for IVF and Assisted Reproduction Technology, we would not have our precious sons.

From Dave Barnhart, a traditional Christian pastor –

“The Unborn are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”