Midwife and pro-lifer Jeannine Parvati Baker says:
“Before I first published my book Prenatal Yoga in 1974, I was sure in myself that abortion was “missing the mark” in my own journey as a fertile, spiritual being. I knew that I wouldn’t consider it as an option for myself. So I took the precautions I then thought necessary and used contraceptives–not realizing that I ran an even greater risk of pregnancy with those technological tools than if I had then known fertility awareness. And some forms of contraceptives are actually hidden abortifacients. I was just beginning my heterosexual experience and trusted technology to deliver me from unwanted pregnancy.
Then I had an experience which radically changed my ignorant trust.
I was raped. I had to confront the possibility of carrying and birthing a baby whose beginning was less than auspicious. Throughout the crisis, my belief in the sanctity of life strengthened and I understood that any baby coming from rape was not to be blamed or killed because of my ideals. I wasn’t even married, nor did I have a means of support for a child, yet I trusted that life itself was more precious than these most real, material concerns.
For over a month I waited, unsure of my fate. When I eventually began menstruating, it was with profound relief. Looking back I now realize that this experience, as horrible as it was, was given to me to build my conviction and maintain full credibility as a guardian of life. My path has led me to be a midwife and healer and with integrity I took the vow to “Do No Harm” fully to heart.”
Jeannine Parvati Baker “THE SWORD WAS NOT WITH THE GODDESS: A SPIRITUAL MIDWIFE ADDRESSES THE NEED TO HEAL ABORTION” Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Fall 1998 – Special Issue on Spiritual Diversity
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