Today, a friend of mine moderated a panel discussion entitled "Faith and Choice." I got permission to leave the hospital for a while to attend. The panel consisted of 8 local religious officials, 7 from various Christian denominations and 1 rabbi. Half espoused pro-choice views; the other half . . . didn't. The first 45 minutes consisted of each guest giving their personal views on abortion and the view of their particular faiths. I've heard a lot of anti-choice rhetoric, so that aspect offered few surprises.
The next hour was for questions. Instead of shouting questions to the panel (which would have degenerated into just plain shouting) we wrote questions down and passed them to the moderator. The questions could be directed to an individual or to the group in general. After listening to some of the verbal diarrhea spewn forth from one clergyman in particular, I decided to ask a question. He based part of his argument on the premise that birth was the natural result of pregnancy, hence, induced abortions interfered with natural process of life and, as such, God's plan.
**Side Note** There are a few things you can do to really piss me off during an argument. Here is a short list.
1. Speak about scientific matters as if you are an expert when you have little or no training in or understanding of science. It sounds simple, but people still do it. Don't be one of those people.
2. Say things like "natural law" and "universal truth." If either of these phrases are part of your argument, I will lose all respect for your opinion and probably mock you mercilessly. These terms sound impressive, yet mean nothing. This brings me to my next topic.
3. Rely upon an emotional argument. Emotional arguments have their place, and that place is very limited. (example -- "I found a kitten. Can we keep it? Puh-leeeeeeez.") If your viewpoint can only be defended by evoking trite, pathetically-sentimental, irrelevant nonsense, then my eyes will become glazed as I envision myself beating you with an axe handle.
****
This man was a minister; his field of expertise encompassed religious matters. He attempted to speak about biology with unearned authority (see #1). I considered this trespassing. My question was the 5th or 6th one asked, and it went something like this:
"Considering most conceptions end in miscarriage(ACOG and the NIH will back me up on this), doesn't logic dictate that a viable fetus carried to term is an exception rather than the natural result of pregnancy?"
The mood seemed to suddenly change. Over 150 people went silent for a half second before the ooooo's and oh-my-god's were heard. The minister didn't say anything. Someone shouted "It's true. Answer the question!" My friend, the moderator, calmed everyone down. She then told the minister that the question was written by a medical student. I assume this was meant to assure him that the assertion wasn't bullshit. His only response was that he would have to look up that statistic. I saw at least a half dozen people sign onto the wireless network through PDA's and laptops, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
The rest of the talk ran smoothly. However, I gasped and nearly shouted "bullshit" when another clergyman suggested that induced abortions caused an increased risk of breast cancer and that the evidence supporting this belief was being concealed in some grand conspiracy. Let's get this straight right now. If ANYONE had ANY legitimate evidence for this, they would be world-fucking-famous. I've since calmed myself. I'll simply offer this link. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3614004.html
When the conference ended, I spoke with a few friends and hugged the moderator. Throughout the entire event, she remained calm and neutral. I was very proud of her.
The next hour was for questions. Instead of shouting questions to the panel (which would have degenerated into just plain shouting) we wrote questions down and passed them to the moderator. The questions could be directed to an individual or to the group in general. After listening to some of the verbal diarrhea spewn forth from one clergyman in particular, I decided to ask a question. He based part of his argument on the premise that birth was the natural result of pregnancy, hence, induced abortions interfered with natural process of life and, as such, God's plan.
**Side Note** There are a few things you can do to really piss me off during an argument. Here is a short list.
1. Speak about scientific matters as if you are an expert when you have little or no training in or understanding of science. It sounds simple, but people still do it. Don't be one of those people.
2. Say things like "natural law" and "universal truth." If either of these phrases are part of your argument, I will lose all respect for your opinion and probably mock you mercilessly. These terms sound impressive, yet mean nothing. This brings me to my next topic.
3. Rely upon an emotional argument. Emotional arguments have their place, and that place is very limited. (example -- "I found a kitten. Can we keep it? Puh-leeeeeeez.") If your viewpoint can only be defended by evoking trite, pathetically-sentimental, irrelevant nonsense, then my eyes will become glazed as I envision myself beating you with an axe handle.
****
This man was a minister; his field of expertise encompassed religious matters. He attempted to speak about biology with unearned authority (see #1). I considered this trespassing. My question was the 5th or 6th one asked, and it went something like this:
"Considering most conceptions end in miscarriage(ACOG and the NIH will back me up on this), doesn't logic dictate that a viable fetus carried to term is an exception rather than the natural result of pregnancy?"
The mood seemed to suddenly change. Over 150 people went silent for a half second before the ooooo's and oh-my-god's were heard. The minister didn't say anything. Someone shouted "It's true. Answer the question!" My friend, the moderator, calmed everyone down. She then told the minister that the question was written by a medical student. I assume this was meant to assure him that the assertion wasn't bullshit. His only response was that he would have to look up that statistic. I saw at least a half dozen people sign onto the wireless network through PDA's and laptops, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
The rest of the talk ran smoothly. However, I gasped and nearly shouted "bullshit" when another clergyman suggested that induced abortions caused an increased risk of breast cancer and that the evidence supporting this belief was being concealed in some grand conspiracy. Let's get this straight right now. If ANYONE had ANY legitimate evidence for this, they would be world-fucking-famous. I've since calmed myself. I'll simply offer this link. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3614004.html
When the conference ended, I spoke with a few friends and hugged the moderator. Throughout the entire event, she remained calm and neutral. I was very proud of her.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
felicia_____:
have I mentioned that I can go see Phineas Gage's skull and the tamping iron that skewered him... any time I want!!!!
whitewidow:
Hmmm - I would lose my temper fast with that 