John Root Hopkins | Abortion | Opinions of An Opinionated Bastard | 1995

Opinions of An Opinionated Bastard is a collection of gonzo-style non-fiction pieces by Cambridge, MD native John Root Hopkins. Here, the artist, writer and critic offers his take on a range of topics from Abortion and Constitutional Rights to Police and Cigarettes. Published in 1995 this collection captures a specific time and generation that reveals much about our own.

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Abortion

I had a dinner guest recently who is an old friend and a fundamentalist in his religious beliefs. He asked me how I could possibly be Pro-Choice and call myself a Christian.

Putting on my "lawyer hat" , I asked why he was against abortion.

He said, "Because it is murder, the Bible says so, it violates God's Commandment." I slipped out to my study and grabbed my King James Bible Concordance and asked, where soes it says that? He sputtered and said, Exodus, Chapter XX, Commandment VI."

I scanned to Chapter VI and read it, "'Thou shalt not kill.' Where does it say anything about murder?"

"Well, that is what it means, killing is murder."

"Baloney," I answered. "Murder is killing but killing may or may not be murder. Murder is a secular crime defined very precisely by law, man's law. Remember the 'Render unto Caesar' admonition'."

I went on, "Murder has been defined over thousands of years by civilizations including dozens that were not Christian or Jewish. Making murder a serious offense provides stability to society. Killing is regrettably accepted by all societies throughout history.

If you really believe in honoring the literal meaning of 'Thou shall not kill' then you had better be a conscientious objector and refuse to defend our country by killing enemies and oppose having nuclear weapons.

You must not shoot robbers and rapists who attack you or your loved ones..."

He signaled "enough." I couldn't stop.

"Murder as a crime is a man's law, not God's eyes and you know it."

He stammered "abortion is an abomination in God's eyes and you know it."

I punched in the word, "abortion" and the Concordance display responded that the word does not appear in the Bible. I showed it to him and he said nothing, sensing that the conversation was spoiling our meal.

"Look," I said, "you simply have to get it straight, God's law is just that, it is His law to construe, not man's. God says, "Thou shall not..." and if we violate that admonition then we may expect His retribution. God does not say, "Make My law man's law, enforce My law for me." When we get this point confused we lose all ability to think straight and fall right into the hands of religious, political demagogues who have seized this emotional issue to get money and power.

I say let God take care of those He deems have violated His law. Let man deal with man's law. One is secular, one is spiritual."

He squirmed and I continued, "If we were to punish by secular laws people who violate God's laws we would punish you and the rest of America pretty regularly along with most of the people in the world."

He exclaimed, incredulous as he thought, "How?"

I responded that I saw him working on Sunday and that violated the Commandment IV about keeping Sabbath. I reminded him that he had admitted that he regularly coveted his neighbor's Mercedes and his wife, twice violating Commandment X. I recalled too his painful admission that forcing his parents into a retirement home against their strong objection was a mistake; the "Honor the Father and Mother", Commandment IV. They didn't last long.

I mentioned that there are more violations of the Commandment VII(adultery), which he understood full well, in one night, than all the abortions in a year in the U.S. I wondered aloud why fundamentalists were not screaming about violating that law and sewing "a" on ladies blouses like our forefathers did, or, worse yet, putting scientists like Galileo under house arrest for the truth and burning witches and roasting people at the stake.

We must never let unelected religious leaders who cannot be voted out of office make laws again.

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I forgot dinner.

"Your anti-abortion hang up is based on an erroneous reading that says all killing is wrong.

The majority of people in the United States believe and our laws reflect that killing for legal reasons and purposes is acceptable, if unfortunate. Recent polls confirm this among Pro-Life people as well.

God, himself, after all, in whose image we are made, called for massive killing on occasion ; the flood wiping out all mankind, save one family. Jesus did also, calling for slaying those who were enemies of God's Kingdom. Oddly, considering all the time Pro-lifers spend on the matter, He never mentioned abortion.

Basing a case against abortion on the "killing" admonition of the Bible, while accepting killing everywhere else it suits, is wrong, illogical and hypocritical.

Worse, the policy forces women to have babies theyd on't want, can't afford, won't love and nurture; babies who grow up to live miserable lives and make everyone else miserable, cost society in prisons, drugs and violence for decades. All in a world that is overpopulated, with starvation everywhere."

And I pointed out that this was by people who do not share directly in the intense suffering caused by their beliefs to the poor soul forced to give birth, the human being born, and all those involved, for that of a lifetime.

Telling other to suffer for a lifetime for one instant of carelessness or stupidity, is itself immoral to my mind.

The admonition that if you don't want a baby, don't have sex is about the most ridiculous answer imaginable, given human nature.

I repeated, "God's law is for God to judge. Man's law is what society, through appropriate legislative and judicial authority, says it is. Man's law is "Thous shall not murder", no kore, no less, unless the Pro-lifers have their way and get the law changed."

Misreading and distorting the Bible alone is not enough to condemn the Pro-Life position, in my opinion. The horrible misery it cause to countless other people is another and even more important reason.

My friend departed unconvinced. Ah well, I tried and at least he git "Enlightenment" with his fare.

- John Root Hopkins

Abortion, Opinions of An Opinionated Bastard, (1995)