Life Choices The Teachings of Abortion

by Weber, Linda

• ISBN13: 9781591811749
• ISBN10: 1591811740
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-10-16
• Publisher: Sentient Publications

Summary

This book explores the spiritual essence of abortion, its historical context, and the empowering lessons of the abortion experience. Abortion can help anyone learn the importance of making conscious choices about how we live our lives. It opens the way to greater connection with life, love, death, and power. It is a rite of passage from identifying as a victim to knowing from the heart. It is a legitimate experience. The essentially pro-life nature of abortion asks us to learn to accept death as part of the flow of life. Misunderstanding and denying the importance of death in life is one of the main reasons for the ferocious "abortion wars". Making conscious choices about pregnancy shows us how we are part of nature, not separate from it. Coming to grips with abortion, both individually and collectively, is a step down the road to taking responsibility for the well being of all life. Women are rising and becoming empowered on a world scale. This book explains how this natural historical development is guided by experiences that put us in direct conflict with limited definitions of ourselves, which can keep us tied to the ways of patriarchy. For many women, having an abortion is fraught with conflicts about personal worth. When the issues are faced and worked through, personal pain transforms into personal power. Embracing the power to carry through with or turn back pregnancy empowers women to bring love into the world in new and stronger ways.

Author Biography

Recognized as a pioneer feminist, Linda Weber tackles abortion head on, with wisdom gained from a lifetime of working on it. She has been a psychotherapist and spiritual counselor for women for nearly forty years and was one of the first abortion counselors in the U.S. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Gratitude Pages	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
The Spirit of Abortion	p. 1
A Holistic Perspective	p. 2
Wholeness	p. 4
Right Relationship	p. 6
Responsible Choice	p. 7
Conscious Creation	p. 7
My Mother, Myself	p. 11
Moral Responsibility	p. 14
Life, Love, Motherhood, and Tower	p. 17
The Unity of Birth and Death	p. 23
Compassion	p. 28
Life and Pregnancy	p. 30
Nitty Gritty Love	p. 32
The Institution of Motherhood	p. 33
The Ideal of the All-Loving Mother	p. 38
Empowerment and Pain	p. 40
Why We Feel Bad About Ourselves	p. 43
Choosing for Self	p. 45
Difficulty Initiating Decisions	p. 46
Having Needs Is Normal	p. 47
A Word About Codependency	p. 47
The Value of Caring	p. 48
Pregnancy and Self	p. 49
Woman Versus Fetus?	p. 50
Abby	p. 52
Abortion Is Life Changing	p. 56
Personal Morality	p. 58
Support from Others	p. 59
Perception of Self	p. 60
A Rite of Passage	p. 61
History and Women's 'Lives	p. 66
Before Patriarchy	p. 71
The Great Goddess	p. 72
The Rise of Patriarchy	p. 73
The Exile of the Goddess	p. 75
Patriarchy, Class, and Sexuality	p. 76
The Sexual Double Standard	p. 77
Preserving Female Experience	p. 78
Abortion and Patriarchal Law	p. 78
The United States	p. 80
Legal Abortion in the United States	p. 82
The Medical Model	p. 83
The Body and Sexuality	p. 87
Objectification and the Double Standard	p. 89
Madonna and Whore	p. 92
Saying No, Saying Yes	p. 95
Sexual Violence and Abuse	p. 98
A Healing	p. 99
"I Thilik I Might Be Pregnant	p. 101
Sexual Planning	p. 104
Wanting and Not Wanting to Be Pregnant	p. 106
Sex arm Violence	p. 107
Premeditated Sex	p. 108
Saying Yes,:Saying No	p. 108
Birth Control, Pregnancy, and Other Life Demands	p. 109
Sexual Relations and Creativity	p. 110
Tapping into Our Wholeness	p. 113
Spiritual Paradoxes	p. 115
Sexuality and Spirituality	p. 119
Soul Life	p. 122
Lisa	p. 124
Nonphysical Life	p. 125
Grief	p. 129
Permission to Grieve	p. 132
Loss of a Chance to Care	p. 134
Loss of a Dream	p. 135
Loss of Self	p. 135
Loss of Safety	p. 137
The Energy of Change	p. 137
Anticipatory Grief	p. 139
The Importance of Ritual	p. 140
Layered Grief	p. 141
Moving Beyond Grief	p. 143
Spiritual Choices	p. 144
Spiritual Guidance	p. 145
Aborting Myself from Myself	p. 148
The Spiritual Dimension of Abortion	p. 149
beyond Portion	p. 153
Healing Tools	p. 161
Resources	p. 172
Bibliography	p. 175
Notes	p. 181
About the Author	p. 185
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