I Interviewed Seven Black, Christian Women About Their Views On Abortion. This Is What They Told Me.
“Our bodies are the only things we own.”
— Girl (After Ada Limón), Olivia Gatwood
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
- WHAT BRANCH OF CHRISTIANITY DO YOU BELONG TO?
SHELLY: Catholic
MINA: Pentecostal
JADEI: Evangelism
MY MOTHER: Jehovah’s Witness
CRYSTAL: Jehovah’s Witness
CAROL.K: Anglican
AUTUMN: Catholic
2. ARE YOU PRO-CHOICE OR PRO-LIFE?
SHELLY: Pro-choice
MINA: Pro-life
JADEI: Pro-life
MY MOTHER: Pro-life
CRYSTAL: It’s a difficult one, because you know abortion is wrong, but there are so many circumstances where it makes sense.
CAROL.K: Pro-life
AUTUMN: Pro-choice
3. AND DO YOU BELIEVE THE RIGHT TO GET AN ABORTION TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT?
SHELLY: Yes
MINA: No
JADEI: Because I am pro-life, I’m gonna say no. I believe that before a woman gets pregnant, there should be something in place, like education. There should be something set up before a woman gets pregnant.
MY MOTHER: No
CRYSTAL: Yes
CAROL.K: No
AUTUMN: It is a fundamental human right because we as women have to make tough decisions. It shouldn’t just be a fundamental human right, it should be a priority. A woman should be allowed to make that choice. Some people say, “why don’t you just put the child up for adoption?” But the American system is very corrupted.
4. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND AND EMPATHISE WITH THE OPPOSITE VIEWPOINT?
SHELLY: No. I feel like when somebody has the choice to not carry a child, the opposite would be putting rules and regulations in place to have someone carry a child when they don’t want to is wrong. You’re forcing people to do something that they don’t want to do and sometimes it's a life or death situation and when that’s the case you can’t force someone to sacrifice their own life.
MINA: The person who is pro-choice has their own reasons for being that way.
JADEI: There are so many factors for a woman wanting to abort. Uncountable. So many reasons. But for someone to decide they don’t want a baby, there must be tangible reasons for why they want to abort. They might think it's right, but not for the baby. The baby’s right is taken away from them even though they can’t say anything. When you think about it, it’s kind of selfish. What about the baby’s rights?
CRYSTAL: Yes. But when you think about people who maybe couldn’t have children and there are people who sleep around and have an abortion as an easy fix. And there are people who think they could have that kid. People who believe in either argument shouldn’t force their beliefs on others.
MY MOTHER: Yeah. Maybe they haven’t got all the facts or even all the options.
CAROL.K: No, because it’s killing an innocent baby.
AUTUMN: To be honest, I see where they’re coming from. In my opinion, I cannot fully understand how any person would not be pro-choice as this is a tough decision to come by.
5. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE ROE VS. WADE RULING BEING OVERTURNED?
SHELLY: I think it’s a bad decision. There are women out there who have a life-and-death situation. Women who have been sexually assaulted, need to have the choice of whether to carry the baby or not.
MINA: I support it being overturned to it (abortion) not being a legal thing. Exodus 20:13 which is one of the ten commandments says that you shall not murder, so when you abort a baby, you are a murderer as the bible states clearly in Exodus 20:13. And then again Leviticus 24:17 also says whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Matthew 18:14, so it is not the way of my father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. How can somebody kill whilst the bible says this? Proverbs 6:16–19 there are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and the hands that shed innocent blood, the doctor who wants to abort has blood on his hands because he is helping to kill someone, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies. Those are the people who said, “we should legalize it.” Exodus 21:22–25. Deuteronomy 27:25. Mark 7:20–23. Psalms 127:3–5. Ecclesiastes 11:5.
JADEI: I said before, these women believe it’s within their Right to abort the baby. What about the baby’s Rights? The baby cannot stand up for themselves. It’s a gift from God, you shouldn’t get rid of the baby. Now, there is so much education about sex. Education is the key.
MY MOTHER: I agree with it for it to be made illegal because my moral stand on it is that people go to prison for murder and I see it as murder.
CRYSTAL: I think that was total rubbish. As much as we know what the bible says, we still have free will. Who are we to take away that choice? Everyone has free will so we must have the choice to exercise it.
CAROL. K: I’d say maybe it’s a positive change. Maybe some women have unprotected sex because they know they can have an abortion. Maybe it will make women careful. It will make women more aware and more responsible.
AUTUMN: I am very disappointed. I wish it didn’t get overturned. I can’t understand someone telling me what to do with my body. It’s a huge downfall for the women of America. The decisions they have, aren’t decisions because they have corruption standing over them.
6. (TO THE WOMEN WHO ARE PRO-LIFE I ASKED) WHAT ABOUT INSTANCES OF RAPE AND INCEST OR WHEN THE BABY ENDANGERS THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER?
MINA: When someone rapes someone, the person should have the baby instead of killing. That’s why we have social services. (As for when the baby endangers the life of the mother) Some people have not aborted the child and the child was born. Maybe that is the only child God has blessed you with. If the doctors advise you to abort it, some Christians say, “nothing will happen to me and I will keep my baby” and they keep it and deliver with some complications but the baby is okay.
JADEI: If you get raped and you become pregnant, there is an issue there. It wasn’t the baby’s fault you were raped. You can have the baby sent for adoption. In this way, no innocent blood has been shed. Give the baby up for adoption and move on. It’s not the baby’s fault. (As for when the baby endangers the life of the mother) This is a huge discussion for the man and the woman and the doctor. This is an exceptional kind of case. It’s not the same as you go in wanting to abort the baby.
MY MOTHER: While it might be a very stressful and emotional situation, I think a course of therapy should be issued so that they can respect human life and the child can be given up for fostering. (As for when the baby endangers the life of the mother) Lots of life experiences that I’ve read about mothers terminating their unborn children due to health reasons, be it the child or the mother, with close supervision and monitoring with healthcare, the mother and baby usually do well.
CRYSTAL: You should have the choice. Some people choose to have particular activities with particular family members. If a woman is raped, she wouldn’t want to walk around with the reminder of a traumatic event. When that child asks, where is my dad? How do you explain that? (As for when the baby endangers the life of the mother) You have to make a decision, medical professionals have to make that decision. Why should I not be allowed to choose my life? And what about people who sleep around for the sake of it? Not everyone’s in the right frame of mind to raise a child, what if it’s a drug addict or an alcoholic or they’re in extreme debt? At the end of the day, we’re all accountable for our own actions, who am I to say do or don’t?
CAROL. K: The mother should be supported until the arrival of the baby, then she should be given the choice. If she decides to not keep the baby, then the baby should be put up for adoption, where it can be looked after safely.
7. (TO THE WOMEN WHO ARE PRO-CHOICE I ASKED) DO YOUR VIEWS HARMONISE WITH WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES? IF NOT, HOW DO YOU MAKE PEACE WITH THAT?
SHELLY: I know the Bible doesn’t want us to kill, but I believe that an unborn child is not a human being while in its early stage. God would understand the circumstances of abortion because our God is not cold and unforgiving but understands our plight and needs. So that is how I make peace.
AUTUMN: My views do not harmonize with what the Bible teaches, in fact, it goes completely against it. I make peace with that by knowing that I am my own person and I have to figure out what’s best for myself. Some people scream the bible at you knowing that they’re not following it. I have to do what’s good for my own spirit.
CRYSTAL: I would say yes and no, yes because life is sacred, it is important. We’re not in a position to take life away. But in terms of us having free will, the bible recognizes that we’re free to make our own decisions. We all have the right to make our own decisions based on the information we have.
8. IS MOTHERHOOD AN IMPORTANT VALUE TO YOU?
SHELLY: Yes
MINA: Yes
JADEI: Big yes, yes
MY MOTHER: Yes, it is
CRYSTAL: Yeah. I can’t wait to be a mummy. I feel like it’s one of the most fulfilling roles on the earth.
CAROL. K: Yes, very important because I’m a mother myself.
AUTUMN: Motherhood is an important value to me. The motherhood provided by my mother is important to me because, without it, I would not be here today.
9. (TO THE MOTHERS I ASKED) IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAD TO GIVE UP ON YOUR PATH TO MOTHERHOOD?
SHELLY: Yes. I wanted to be a singer and I wanted to be a model.
MINA: With me there’s nothing.
JADEI: A lot of things. I can’t count them.
MY MOTHER: I can’t say I’ve given up anything for motherhood.
CAROL. K: You give up everything when you have a baby because you have been used to life on your own, and they come — the baby, helpless and you have to do everything for the baby. It’s a signed contract (laughs) kind of.
10. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A PERSON WHO IS CONSIDERING HAVING AN ABORTION?
SHELLY: If they think that’s the best decision they can make, go ahead. Do it. If I don’t know someone's financial status if they don’t have a mental state. To have a baby you need to have a mental state. If they don’t have the support of their family and they’re on their own and they think they can’t do it. Outside of someone who is ill, but for someone who is not emotionally ready, not financially ready, because they can’t bring a child into a world that is not ready to receive them.
MINA: I would advise the person that abortion is not good. Maybe that is the only child God has blessed you with and maybe if you abort it you will not get any more. For example, I know a friend who aborted an unwanted child when unmarried. After she married, she wasn’t able to conceive and because of that, the marriage ended. That friend of mine was given only one child.
JADEI: Try to speak to them and convince them. I will not do that of my own will. I would have to speak to God and have him speak to them. Because if God says yes then nobody can say no. I’ll pray to God to touch their heart.
MY MOTHER: Uhm, I’d go back onto the question of if they’ve looked into therapy and if they’ve looked into the possibility of having the child fostered.
CRYSTAL: It’s your choice. I hope the decision that you’re making is right for you. And that they can walk away from that decision knowing and feeling that they’ve done the right thing.
CAROL. K: I’d tell them not to have an abortion. Have the baby and if when the baby comes, you feel you can’t look after it, look for adoption so that the baby can be safe and well looked after.
AUTUMN: I would be supportive of their decision and anything that they need. I would be behind them 100%.
11. (TO THE MOTHERS I ASKED) WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE HAVING CHILDREN?
SHELLY: How to invest. How to financially invest, that’s very big.
MINA: Sex education and prenatal and postnatal care for the baby.
JADEI: Apart from sex education? Once you get married, you are in to have children. And you use contraception until you’re ready to have kids.
MY MOTHER: I’d say, the journey of getting pregnant up until you give birth. After that, there’s still a journey of watching your children grow up. There are different milestones until the children grow up. Maybe not all of that, but definitely getting pregnant up until the time of giving birth.
CAROL. K: I had my babies very late, so I was ready. I had one when I was 29 and another when I was 34. I was ready.
12. ANY CLOSING COMMENTS?
SHELLY: No
JADEI: Nobody’s perfect, no one is above the law, especially the Bible’s law. Nowadays there are a lot of educational tools about sex and pregnancy, so if people don’t want to be pregnant they should protect themselves.
MINA: Abortion is not a good thing to do and it should not be legalized.
MY MOTHER: I’ll speak on motherhood based on my experience. So, raising you and your brother, I had a choice to make and that was based on my experience of being given up as a child. I chose to raise you and your brother, even with the various challenges that came. So, basically, that was my choice, so I can’t speak on anyone else’s behalf on choices they’ve made, but my choice had a positive outcome. My bad outcome as a young child being given up still had a positive outcome for me bringing up my own children.
CRYSTAL: Always do what you feel is right. If you can have a valid reason or valid justification for doing something, then you don’t need anyone to validate it for you.
CAROL. K: Abortion should be the last thing to do. People should consider adoption, and prevention and be mindful of the consequences. If you do this, without protection this will happen. As for the law, I think that it shouldn’t be allowed so the woman can take more precautions, not to get pregnant if they’re not ready.
AUTUMN: Just remember to be who you are and do what’s best for yourself.
BIO — Shauna-Marie Henry is a British–West Indian writer and performance poet. She was born in London but is currently living in Bedford. Her work has appeared in Be Yourself, The Writing Cooperative, and on Bedford Radio. It should be noted that she drinks copious amounts of camomile tea and hopes to continue writing against all notions of being a rational human being.
