Paganism often looks to nature to find wisdom and I would like to begin this paper by talking about the “lives” of three acorns. All three were formed at the crown of a mighty white oak. In the fall, all three fell to the earth along with its surrounding leaves but each had a very different life path. The first fell into rich soil where it immediately began to root. The next spring it sprouted its first leaf to eventually grow into mighty oak tree that grew more acorns that eventually began growing other trees. The second fell into the crevice of a large rock where it was surrounded by acorns from previous years in various stages of decay. This acorn would not grow into a tree but would join its brethren in a cycle of decay that would eventually yield enough soil for an acorn in the future to eventually take root in this crevice. That acorn would dig its roots deep into every crack it could find in the rock until eventually the rock would yield and provide the base for the tree. The last acorn was collected by a small animal, such as a deer or squirrel, as food for the upcoming long winter. Eventually it returned to the earth as waste matter to help fertilize future generations of oak trees. I tell the story to ask a question, “can you tell me at what point in time the acorn lived or died?” Was it alive when it fell from the tree? Did it die in order to be transformed into a tree? Did it die when it was eaten? Did it die when it decomposed into soil?
The Wheel of the Year is a common symbol used by Pagans to illustrate the cycles of nature. It is a circle with no beginning or end. It signifies transition from stage to another. Though some Pagans will attempt to mark a point in the circle that signifies a beginning or an end (such as designating Samhain to mark the beginning of a new year), I like to think of the Wheel of the Year relative to the Wiccan chant that goes “We are a Circle, within a Circle, without beginning, and never ending.” In a similar fashion, I found it difficult to define the terms life and death during this class. Some authors and students defined death by some physical juncture such as brain activity stopped or other vital organs stopped. This was complicated by the argument by whether we should allow medical science to restart or replace these organs with machines or another person’s organs. Other authors and students mentioned euthanasia and argued that death actually began before our physical body “gave out” and the cessation of the organs was just a legal formality that should be challenged. Others talked about “death” as a beginning rather than a ending as our physical bodies were used in green burials and artificial reefs to provide nutrients or create habitats for others so that they might live. As I evaluated the readings and discussions from class, I began to wonder if death even existed at all.
An approach I took at finding a Pagan answer to this question was to try to understand how Pagans viewed when life began and then back into the answer. This beginning is often referred to as “birth” but I found that defining birth can be just as elusive of a question. An approach I decided to use in this paper was to examine Pagan viewpoints relating to abortion to see if I could draw some insights about how Pagans view death. The thesis is that since abortion arguments revolve around definitions of life, an examination of this topic would provide us a unique perspective of how Pagans view death. For the purposes of this paper, I will define death as it relates to abortion as the voluntary termination of a fetus.
Abortion is not an easy topic as stated by Starhawk and Nightmare in the book The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: “Abortion is, as we all know, one of the most painful and controversial spiritual issues of our day “ (Starhawk and Nightmare). Just as in mainstream society, I found that Pagan viewpoints on abortion can generally be categorized into three camps: those that believe do not believe that life does not begin until birth and therefore death does not occur when an abortion is performed (pro-abortion), those that believe the definition of life (and therefore the death) is a matter of personal choice (pro-choice) and those that believe that life begins at conception and believe that abortion should not be allowed (anti-abortion). These viewpoints are not mutually exclusive as there were some exceptions identified when specific scenarios such as rape or medical necessity were mentioned. Though pro-choice and pro-abortion followers are often mistakenly combined, I will treat them as separate. Pro-choice Pagans might have either a pro-abortion or an anti-abortion personal belief but feel that the greater concern is whether anyone has the right to force their values on others.
Pro-Abortion: Death as Acceptable
Among those Pagans that specified a pro-abortion opinion, I found three viewpoints expressed in Pagan literature. The first was by Ginette Paris, in her book The Sacrament of Abortion where she draws parallels between abortion and the myths of Artemis. First she identifies abortion as a sacrament that should be used to protect a child from a world that would be hostile toward it. “As Artemis might kill a wounded animal rather than allow it to limp along miserably, so a mother wishes to spare the child a painful destiny” (Paris). She sees abortion as a sacrifice that could be used to protect the mother’s “physical, economic, or psychological survival, or the fate of the planet” (Paris). Another similar idea is seen in Jordvin’s blog when he examines this issue from a heathen perspective. He writes that he believes that abortion is necessary if the child is unwanted in order to protect the mother’s future. “Instead of ending a life just begun and still at a very primitive level you have ruined a fully developed human life, perhaps more than one, and raised a child under circumstances maximizing the chances of it turning out to be a bad member of society” (Jordsvin). In each of these cases, it is recognized that “life” has begun but “death” has become rationalized as a necessity to preserve another life. Life appears to be defined here as not a mere physical existence, but as a physical existence that has some quality to it. If there is little chance that a baby or the mother would be able to have a quality of life, then it is argued that they might as well be dead. As I read this, I could not help draw parallels with euthanasia arguments that argue that death should take place when medical bills become too high, loved ones or the patients are suffering needlessly, or there is not expectation for a quality of life.
A second pro-abortion Pagan viewpoint was found when Pagans compared our modern opinion of abortion with that of ancient societies. As a lot of Pagans base their religious beliefs and morality on religious and social practices of the past, it makes sense that they would look to our forefathers for guidance on this issue. History shows that abortion as a moral wrong is a recently modern viewpoint. As a BBC article points out, “Abortion was accepted in both ancient Rome and Greece” (BBC). This article goes on to point out that in Biblical times, most issues involving abortion revolved around questions of property rather than sanctity of life (BBC). Even in Western society, abortion was generally not an issue if it was carried out before the quickening which is the 18-20 weeks into the pregnancy (BBC). In America, laws against abortion were not wide-spread until the mid-1800s (BBC). So is causing death or disrupting the natural occurrence of it also morally right? Is the creation of arbitrary start and end points in life something that can be morally justified? Can medical procedures that extend life beyond its natural boundaries such as the use of machines or another person’s organs be ethical? If this pro-abortion argument is valid, then causing death is morally justified as soon as we define it appropriately. I know that brain dead has often been designated as the moment of death for the purposes of organ harvesting, but there are numerous stories of brain dead people coming back to life like the Washington woman last October (Lei). Is it morally right to cause death through organ harvesting and take the opportunity away for someone to regain the physical life?
A third pro-abortion Pagan viewpoint can be found in the comment by Leigh Kolosky (Chisholm, Minnesota US) when answering a 2001 Witchvox Question of the Week asking “What Are Your Views on Abortion, Euthanasia and Suicide?” (Witchvox). Leigh stated her support for abortion by stating “I personally believe in reincarnation, so I know the aborted child will move on to the next life” (Witchvox). Though she did not expand on this comment, it does express a possibility that some Pagans might consider abortion a non-issue since the aborted unborn will simply be reincarnated into another fetus at a later time. If we took the stance that I alluded to when I defined the Wheel of the Year as a circle with no beginning or no end, then the terms “life” and “death” may have no meanings. I find this viewpoint probably the most “Pagan” and contrasting with other Western religions. If we view ourselves as spiritual beings that periodically assume physical forms, the idea of death is simply one of transformation and not termination. Change is something that human nature resists, therefore the transformation from a physical being to a non-physical being should be expected to cause consternation. But this view of death can also have less emotional impact for both the dying person and the loved one’s left behind as we recognize that they have not “disappeared.”
Pro-Choice: Death as a Choice
Pro-choice had the largest support among the literature surveyed by Jason Pitzl-Waters in a 2006 blog in The Wild Hunt (Pitzl-Waters) and among the almost one hundred comments posted on the Witchvox Question of the Week article (Witchvox). This did not surprise me since I have come to understand that most Pagans hold the ideal of individual responsibility and self-determination as a core component of their religious beliefs. I did discover two interesting pro-choice Pagan perspectives. The first was that the decision to have an abortion was a mystery that had been given women and only the individual woman could make the choice. “It is in our encounter with the mysteries of birth and death, growth and suffering, pleasure and sorrow, that we meet the Goddess. So to take away our right to have that encounter, to face that often painful and difficult choice, is to deny a woman’s deepest spiritual self. For that reason, Pagans on the whole are strongly in favor of choice” (Starhawk and Nightmare). The decision therefore becomes a matter between the woman and their God(dess) and therefore cannot be judged or made by any other person. From this viewpoint, I extrapolated the idea that our physical existence is a mystery that can provide us spiritual insight and we have a choice of how we treat that mystery. We all have been blessed with a physical existence that is ours to control. Though we die a thousand deaths during our physical life, some figuratively and some literally, these deaths are often a choice. We continuously poison our body with preservatives, fail to maintain a good diet and exercise program, subject our self to the harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun, or choose to perform a thousand other harmful habits or things that cause our body to die. Sometimes the body rebuilds itself, sometimes not. Eventually these little deaths overwhelm us and we lose our physical existence. When we are no longer have the mental capacity to make medical choices, we have legal options to preserve these choices so that they are not made for us. These choices are not always easy but as mentioned by Starhawk and Nightmare, it is through these choices that we meet Deity.
Another pro-choice Pagan viewpoint centered on the matriarchal versus patriarchal controversy. I have found that most Pagans view their religion in conflict with the patriarchal morality and standards established by the Abrahamic religions. These standards are in conflict with a matriarchal viewpoint which would not allow the suppression of the rights of women. “While I am normally not a feminist historian or theologian, I suspect that in this case the opposition to abortion had to do more with control of female sexual behavior (abortion gives women more freedom, and can be used to cover up an illicit affair) than it did with anything moral or religious ” (Jordsvin). Morgain Swann in her Goddess blog stated this viewpoint more powerfully when she wrote “To deny women the choice would be tantamount to enslaving women in a power structure in which we that had no say” (Swann). She goes on to write that “The idea that a bunch of rich old white men have any right to tell young women of any color what they can and cannot do with their bodies makes me ill.” Sexual discrimination also occurs on the other spectrum where women may experience more death because they are traditionally underinsured and “The 2006 estimate of ’excess deaths’ attributed to being uninsured was between 22,000 and 27,000 among all adults age 25-64.” (Staebler) Though a recent law has been passed to forbid sexual discrimination in health insurance (Grady), we do still live in a largely patriarchal society where a woman may be treated subordinate to a man which could take the choice away from her.
Anti-Abortion: Death is not a Choice
Three anti-abortion Pagan viewpoints that I discovered were that abortion actually rejects the idea of individual responsibility, that it disrespects the concept of fertility and that it paints women in a bad light. The idea that abortion invalidates individual responsibility can be seen from the perspective that abortion removes the consequences for not practicing safe sex. Tanais (from Spokane, Washington US) wrote in his comment to the Witchvox article: “They want to have sex, they must suffer any potential consequences. Does that mean I’m against abortion? No. I’m against abortion as a form of birth control definitely” (Witchvox). In terms of death, some of the most painful deaths are caused by harmful habits that we inflict upon ourselves like smoking (Guide) or bad eating habits (Fitness). Should we be relying on medicine to overcome bad decisions that we have made or is the painful death something that we deserve? Capital punishment is often a death we impose as a consequence for a criminals actions. Seppuku was a form of ritual suicide as part of the bushido honor code of the Samurai when defeat or a serious criminal offense was committed.
A second anti-abortion Pagan viewpoint centers on the worth the Pagan religion places on the concept of fertility. Fertility is something that was considered very sacred in ancient Pagan beliefs and is often a central theme of many Pagan sabbats. Sonya Volkart in her blog argues that abortion “denies the gift of fertility and treats pregnancy as a disease and a weakness in women, rather than a strength and blessing” (Volkhardt). She argues that abortion removes the sacredness of fertility by making it something to be avoided and feared. Death too might be considered an honor and something that is celebrated rather than feared. Death can be viewed as a time of peace and rest after enjoying a physical existence as spiritual beings. The acorns falling from the tree is not a time of sadness, but is part of the natural cycle of life what allows new trees to appear in the Spring. Shiva the Destroyer is not seen as evil or good, but as having a necessary to enable positive recreation just as an artisan may melt down (i.e., destroy) old pieces of metal in order to create a beautiful piece of art.
A third anti-abortion viewpoint is that abortion labels women as weak, unwilling to care for children, incompetent and victims of their biology. By allowing abortion we acknowledge that women have the misfortune of belonging to an inferior gender. The women who do choose abortion only prove themselves irresponsible and inadequate mothers. Women should embrace their pregnancy and rejoice in transitioning from maiden to mother and not see it as a burden. The strength necessary to face and understand the mystery of death is also a challenge. Death or the transition from our physical form is a part of our physical existence. As George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying “The statistics on death are quite impressive, one out of one people die.” As the Birds sing in their song Turn there is “a time to be born, and a time to die.” It is often argued that death is not the sadness, but it is our clinging and dependence on physical objects of this reality that makes death unbearable. Pagans can draw strength from the idea that which is eternal and it is not the body. It is our essence and it will always be. We can gain delight in the idea that we live in a sea of constant change where everything is in constant motion yet remains the same.
A forth anti-abortion viewpoint can be seen in the assertion that abortion removes the sacred from life. Instead of treating every living thing as precious and necessary to achieve balance in this world, “It treats life as disposable, not inherently sacred and possessed of its own immeasurable value, but inherently useless and worth preserving only if someone wants it” (Volkhardt). Pagans understand the body as a sacred extension of the Divine, but they also understand it as interconnected with everything else. They understand that there are many layers of ourselves of which the layer defined by skin is but one. Is the preservation of the physical body a sacred responsibility? Some religions argue that since life was a gift from Deity, only Deity should be able to take it away. On the other hand, I would state that once a gift is given, then the giver loses all rights to the gift and the recipient can do what they will with the gift. Stewardship versus Ownership. The Pagan view of autonomy would generally trump any moral objections. Another view might be that even though life is sacred, death is also and even causing one’s own death should not be considered immoral if done for sacred reasons.
Summary
Pagans definitely have a unique view of the world that is not shared by most mainstream religions which is reflected in their view of life and of death. Pagans generally view death as a passage and something sacred that is to be celebrated and not feared or despised. For our friends and family, our death is also a journey. Though they may grieve at their loss, it is important that they share this journey as this experience will add to their growth. Mainstream culture teaches us that death is not a pleasant topic of conversation. Talking about death on a personal level creates discomfort and it is much easier to talk about death in terms of, “people die,” rather than “Someday I will die.” Each death is unique and therefore each person’s experience is unique. Pagans need to prepare for death as they would any other rite of passage, maybe even more so since it is unavoidable. Through preparation and understanding, we might be able to enjoy a more spiritual and enriching experience.
Works Cited
BBC. Historical attitudes to abortion. 20 July 2006. 21 September 2010 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/history_1.shtml>.
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Grady, Denise. NY Time: Overhaul Will Lower the Costs of Being a Women. 29 Mar 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/health/30women.html>.
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Lei, Owen. KING 5 News: Brain dead Washington woman comes back to life. 24 Oct 2010. <http://www.kgw.com/home/Brain-dead-Washington-woman-comes-back-to-life-105635108.html>.
Paris, Ginette. The Sacrament of Abortion . Spring Publications, 1992.
Pitzl-Waters, Jason. Blogging about Choice. 22 Jan 2006. 19 Sep 2010 <http://wildhunt.org/blog/2006/01/blogging-about-choice-abortion-or-more.html>.
Staebler, Wendy. Gender Discrimination in Health Care. 22 Sept 2009. <http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/wwstaebler/2009/09/gender-discrimination-in-healt.php>.
Starhawk and M. Macha Nightmare. The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over. HarperOne, 1997.
Swann, Morgaine. Why Abortion should be Free. 25 April 2004. 21 September 2010 <http://the-goddess.org/blog/2004/04/why-abortion-should-be-free.html>.
Volkhardt, Sonya L. Why Would a Pagan be Pro-Life? 7 February 2006. 21 September 2010 <http://people.tribe.net/mind-n-magick/blog/66c0477b-7ffd-4432-b9ed-48ced7cb1c42>.
Witchvox. Question of the Week: What Are Your Views on Abortion, Euthanasia and Suicide? 26 March 2001. 20 September 2010 <http://www.witchvox.com/qotw/qwp_detail.html?offset=0&id=34>.
