Prior to reading Pagan Meditations by Ginette Paris, I admit my opinion on abortion was ignorant and oblivious to the truth. In accordance with pro-life Christian ministers, I was only aware of one side to the argument and missing a major piece to the puzzle of abortion issues. I did not understand the arguments and ideas of pro-choice individuals until I was enthralled with the study of Artemis. I am proposing that an individual cannot understand or choose one side of the abortion debate without first learning of its origin. With the help of Paris’s book on such matters, I will explain why I found abortion to be acceptable against the wishes of Christianity. I will describe the nature of Artemis and why she sometimes found abortion to be necessary.
Due to the pure, wholesome and virgin nature of Artemis, Ginette Paris states that Artemis is closer in relation to Christianity than the debauchery and seductive ways of Aphrodite. Paris states in Pagan Meditations that “Artemisian spirituality is familiar to the priests and nuns of Catholic faith” (129). However, one of the biggest customs that are opposed by Christianity is that of abortion which originated through the powers of Artemis. Perhaps, these church members that are in opposition to pro-choice ideas do not realize that abortion can be ethical. I believe that terminating a fetus would be better than raising it up into a life of pain and abuse. We see situations everyday on our televisions about children being murdered, molested, beaten, starved and ignored. These sad stories could have been eliminated if the mothers to these children were informed about abortion.
The Catholic Church is one of the biggest antagonists of the pro-choice movement. Paris suggests that the Catholic Church is typical of stripping women of their rights in her book. She explains that “withholding from women the power of choice and the power to destroy, two powers of which men make great use” (140). However, shouldn’t women who have “the power of giving life,” also have the “power of giving death” (140).
Many mothers have died because of these eccentric ideas posed by the Catholic Church and the fear of eternal damnation. In less likely situations, a woman must choose between her life and the life of her unborn child. The fear that the Church uses can greatly persuade in these types of scenarios. We must come to the realization that one life is no more important than another’s.
Another great argument brought up in the book Pagan Meditations is the threat posed to us due to overpopulation. The truth is that “overpopulation begins the moment that one child is unwanted” (142). Overcrowding can lower the well being and mirth of life. One of the most persuasive ideas that Paris suggests is the “we should send all our unloved, undernourished, prostituted, delinquent, suicidal and battered children to the Vatican” because of their forceful tactics. The argument doesn’t end with the suggestion of children being sent to the Vatican, but that “single mothers, crushed with solitude or poverty, should go and occupy the spacious and comfortable residences of priests” (142). We also find that studies have found “close links among overpopulation, overcrowding in the cities, unemployment, delinquency, the increase of suicide, rape, poverty” and many other issues (144).
We can better understand these ideas by looking at the myth of Artemis. Paris mentions that “Artemis forbids the hunter to wound an animal instead of killing it” and allowing the animal to suffer. This is compared to the abortion issue because Artemis believed that “one must sacrifice the fetus already marked by the rejection and hostility of those who should receive it with love” (141).
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