PRO-CHOICE IS PRO-LIFE: How to speak to religious thinkers about this polarizing issue by Lydia Cornell

How to speak to religious thinkers about this polarizing issue by Lydia Cornell 

I wrote this in 2005 and updated it in 2019 and again, just today: 

No one likes or is "for" abortion. The main challenge is this: if you make abortion illegal, how do you punish the crime? The USA is a society of civil rights, privacy rights, freedom of the individual. We are unlike countries with religious or Sharia law. 

You can't put a mother in prison who has 5 other mouths to feed and can't or doesn't want to carry her rapists' baby to term. You can't punish a woman for using a coat-hanger or gin-filled bathtub for a self-induced abortion. 

We can legislate things like suicide (yes, suicide is illegal!) but it's hard to convict a person for taking his own life. It's hard to put a dead person in jail. We live in a society that values the CIVIL RIGHTS of all its citizens, who are created equal. 

In the USA we are a free and civil society of Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, Native Americans, and all sorts of spiritual thinkers. Our founders made sure we are a society NOT based on religious law. So, if a 12-year-old rape victim gets a back-alley abortion and dies - Supreme Court voted in Roe v. Wade, that the danger to the woman's life is what must be protected. The idea of "first do no harm" to a human's life. 

There is a reason the womb is encased in the separate individual body of a the woman, a human being. Her womb is not community property. As far as I know, there are no public womb farms with rows and rows of wombs protected by armed guards. This is not a state or government issue. No bureaucrat, government agent, policeman, moral judge, religious tribe, fanatical fundamentalist -- or any other human being has the right to dictate what a private citizen does with her private parts. Not in a civilized society where all are created equal. 

The Biblical Issue

In all of Christ's teachings, he only cared about how we treat each other: The Golden Rule. In every one of his Beatitudes, he taught the laws of love. "The meek shall inherit the earth." Life is not about flesh, it is spirit. The spiritual values of love and compassion are the only things Christ cared about.

Every God-fearing Christian must know this: The Bible is about the soul's journey toward freedom and God. But it is the choices we make which form our character. We are not robots.  Every human being has the right of free will. FREE WILL means each person can choose to make a mistake and his or her soul has to suffer the consequences and grow from this.  Every story in the Bible concerns deeply flawed humans who made terrible mistakes, but were forgiven and redeemed if they turned to their Father — God. Without free will, they could never have this journey or learned these lessons. The whole point is love, forgiveness and redemption.

The Bible is also a history book about the tribes of Israel, their journey out of the bondage of slavery by the Egyptians. Their journey out of captivity and the salvation of their soul, depicted as their search for a spiritual homeland. 

Christ's most important law is the Golden Rule, or how we treat our fellow human beings.  But before you say "How we treat a fetus is more important than how we treat living, born human beings!" you are decidedly WRONG.  This is not what the Great Peacemaker taught. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  No where is this subject mentioned in any of his teachings, or anywhere else in the Bible.

When does life begin? Are we spiritual or material? It is absurd to think that a piece of prenatal tissue that may or may not be viable, and that is the genetic result of a supremely private act between husband and wife (or tragically, between rapist and victim) -- and is part of a distinctly separate human woman with free will, living in a civil and secular and non-religious society - the "Land of the Free" with privacy rights and civil rights — to think this is worth killing a doctor or health-care provider over (a born, living, breathing, human being) is the ultimate evil. 

The Violent Anti-Abortion Movement

Is killing pro-life? I am stunned and deeply saddened over the called "pro-life" terrorists in this country. They are pro-death, not pro-life. They are anti-life. They are so deeply wrong and tragically flawed in their thinking, it is beyond comprehension. 

For these hateful, un-Christian, pro-death extremists who call themselves "pro-life" and worship their automatic assault rifles -- for them to murder a living human being to save an unborn defective fetus -- to think that a "potential life" that is ensconced within the separate, free, individual body of a woman, a private citizen — is more important than the living, the born, the mother's own life, her already-born CHILDREN... or the victims of mass shootings, or of our illegal bombing campaigns. What about the lives of orphans, soldiers, unarmed Black men with expired vehicle registrations; the homeless, the poor, the destitute or even one's enemies such as abortion provider Dr. Tiller —  is un-Christian, immoral, and against everything Christ himself taught.

I've been thinking about the root of hatred lately —  and it's obvious that "evil" (I don't believe in evil having any power; it is the liar, the serpent) is always the same regressive, self-centered, fear-based, bigoted patriarchy that Christ fought against and that has been here since the beginning of civilization: the ancient dark force of fundamentalism. 

But this train of thought is our only enemy — the archaic, primitive hateful force that was behind the Inquisition, the Ku Klux Klan's lynchings, Hitler's pathology, the assassination of all Peacemakers from Christ, to JFK to Bobby to Gandhi to Martin Luther King. 

And of course their messengers and propagandists. It has always been the same force of evil, it just keeps changing its name. 

In all of Christ's teachings, he only cared about how we treat each other: The Golden Rule. In every one of his Beatitudes, he taught the laws of love. "The meek shall inherit the earth." Life is not about flesh, it is spirit. The soul is not located in the material body or in fetal tissue. The spiritual values of love and compassion are the only things Christ cared about.

NINE things a woman couldn’t do in 1971 ~ You can thank RBG.

 The following list is of NINE things a woman couldn’t do in 1971 – yes the date is correct 1971. You can thank RBG.

In 1971 a woman could not:

1. Get a Credit Card in her own name – it wasn’t until 1974 that a law forced credit card companies to issue cards to women without their husband’s signature.

2. Be guaranteed that they wouldn’t be unceremoniously fired for the offense of getting pregnant – that changed with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.

3. Serve on a jury - It varied by state (Utah deemed women fit for jury duty way back in 1879), but the main reason women were kept out of jury pools was that they were considered the center of the home, which was their primary responsibility as caregivers. They were also thought to be too fragile to hear the grisly details of crimes and too sympathetic by nature to be able to remain objective about those accused of offenses. In 1961, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a Florida law that exempted women from serving on juries. It wasn't until 1973 that women could serve on juries in all 50 states.

4. Fight on the front lines – admitted into military academies in 1976 it wasn’t until 2013 that the military ban on women in combat was lifted. Prior to 1973 women were only allowed in the military as nurses or support staff.

5. Get an Ivy League education - Yale and Princeton didn't accept female students until 1969. Harvard didn't admit women until 1977 (when it merged with the all-female Radcliffe College). Brown (which merged with women's college Pembroke), Dartmouth and Columbia did not offer admission to women until 1971, 1972 and 1981, respectively. Other case-specific instances allowed some women to take certain classes at Ivy League institutions (such as Barnard women taking classes at Columbia), but by and large, women in the '60s who harbored Ivy League dreams had to put them on hold.

6. Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. Indeed the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for any legal action was in 1977.

7. Decide not to have sex if their husband wanted to – spousal rape wasn’t criminalized in all 50 states until 1993. Read that again...1993.

8. Obtain health insurance at the same monetary rate as a man. Sex discrimination wasn’t outlawed in health insurance until 2010 and today many, including sitting elected officials at the Federal level, feel women don’t mind paying a little more. Again, that date was 2010.

9. Also, take the birth control pill: Issues like reproductive freedom and a woman's right to decide when and whether to have children were only just beginning to be openly discussed in the 1960s. In 1957, the FDA approved of the birth control pill but only for "severe menstrual distress." In 1960, the pill was approved for use as a contraceptive. Even so, the pill was illegal in some states and could be prescribed only to married women for purposes of family planning, and not all pharmacies stocked it. Some of those opposed said oral contraceptives were immoral, promoted prostitution and were tantamount to abortion. It wasn't until several years later that birth control was approved for use by all women, regardless of marital status. In short, birth control meant a woman could complete her education, enter the work force and plan her own life.

Oh, and one more thing, prior to 1880, the age of consent for sex was set at 10 or 12 in more states, with the exception of our neighbor Delaware – where it was 7 YEARS OLD!

Feminism is NOT just for other women.

KNOW your HERstory.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Two-time Emmy nominated TV writer and Writers' Guild Award Winner Lawrence H. Levy (my beau) on today and all week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Two-time Emmy nominated TV writer and Writers' Guild Award Winner Lawrence H. Levy will be the guest on “Linnda Durre’ Interviews” beginning Sunday, June 06, 2021 at 4 PM EDT, 3 PM CDT, 2 PM MCT, and 1 PM PDT streaming on Internet Radio www.VegeRadio.com and best heard through Google Chrome. The interview with Larry Levy airs daily for one week at those times.

From Linnda Durre’
Contact: 321-948-0164
Linnda.Durre@gmail.com

LAWRENCE H. LEVY EMMY NOMINATED WRITER FOR SEINFELD AND AUTHOR OF FOUR BOOKS WILL BE ON “LINNDA DURRE’ INTERVIEWS” DEBUTING SUNDAY, JUNE 06, 2021 AT 4 PM EDT 3 PM CDT – 2 PM MDT - 1 PM PDT – AND AIRING ALL WEEK IN SAME TIME SLOT STREAMING ON VEGERADIO.COM ON THE INTERNET, iPhones, COMPUTERS, iPads www.vegeradio.com

Lawrence, graduate of Cornell, began his entertainment career as an actor, studying at the famed Herbert Bergdorf Studio and then at the Neighborhood Playhouse with legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. Lawrence became a writer when the first script he wrote was sold to ABC. He has written for and/or has been a producer and/or has been a story editor for Roseanne, Seinfeld, The Facts of Life, Who’s the Boss?, Trapper John, Family Ties, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Amen, Small Wonder, Savannah, Robin’s Hoods, Seventh Heaven, and other shows. He was the head writer for Aaahh!! Real Monsters, an animated TV series. His Emmy was for “The Mango” Seinfeld episode.

After 20 years of TV writing, Larry Levy turned to being the author of a series of four books, the Mary Handley Mystery Series, for Random House, available on Amazon. Second Street Station, the first in the series, was named one of the best mysteries of 2015 by Library Journal. He also writing a novel based on a true story of discrimination, entitled Restricted.

His wife of 40 years died of cancer, and he is the proud father of a son, Joshua, a literary manager, and a daughter Erin, an Emmy winning writer on “Mad Men.” Erin is also a WGA Award winner. Lawrence’s current relationship partner is Lydia Cornell, former co-star of “Too Close for Comfort.” She and Lawrence are working on the reboot of the series, and the next generation sit-com. Larry David is on the left with Lydia and Lawrence in above photo. Tune in!

How to Change the World

 Last week I was feeling so sad for young people, for their dreams being put on hold and their loneliess. But then I realized this: We have to see our children through the eyes of love, and not fear. During this pause, this strange time in the world, our children are learning to 'go within' and find their inner resilience, peace and power. This process of finding the strength within, is what is meant by "The kingdom of heaven is within you." I am not religious but these truths are so real and powerful. We must stop mourning their process. We must envision a better experience for our children. The vision we hold of them becomes our reality. Let them fly. They will have a deeper appreciation of life after Covid. They will still reach their dreams and have better dreams. They will come up with solutions to the worlds' chaos. They will re-emerge with more love and compassion for humanity. They will be a less selfish generation. We cannot see the invisible harmony of the universe but GOOD is the default setting. Progress is always going on. Let us "see" a different experience for the younger generation. Just like a diamond, a good soul is formed under pressure.

The Lydia Cornell Collection ~ Infinity Scarf Mask https://peachcouture.com/pages/lydia-cornell ~ Proceeds go to Children's Charities

Proceeds go to chidren's charities, and Feeding America, and Red Cross DIY: AN "INFINITY" SCARF FACE MASK FOR COVID-19. These stunning designer scarf- masks are for both males and females. They will protect you from Covid and cover your neck wrinkles too :)  

https://youtu.be/1OuFJRCJNHc

Purchase infinity scarf-masks here ~ Lydia's proceeds go to childrens charities, Feeding America and Red Cross https://peachcouture.com/pages/lydia-cornell

HOW TO HELP OUR CHILDREN WITH LONELINESS DURING COVID

Last week I was feeling so sad for young people, for their dreams being put on hold and their loneliess. But then I realized this: We have to see our children through the eyes of love, and not fear. During this pause, this strange time in the world, our children are learning to 'go within' and find their inner resilience, peace and power. This process of finding the strength within, is what is meant by "The kingdom of heaven is within you." I am not religious but these truths are so real and powerful. We must stop mourning their process. We must envision a better experience for our children. The vision we hold of them becomes our reality. Let them fly. They will have a deeper appreciation of life after Covid. They will still reach their dreams and have better dreams. They will come up with solutions to the worlds' chaos. They will re-emerge with more love and compassion for humanity. They will be a less selfish generation. We cannot see the invisible harmony of the universe but GOOD is the default setting. Progress is always going on. Let us "see" a different experience for the younger generation. Just like a diamond, a good soul is formed under pressure.

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

ANSWERED PRAYERS & THE POWER OF COMPASSION

By 

Lydia Cornell

The only response to hatred is love.

                                    Wayne Dyer 

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance;

 That principle is contempt prior to investigation."

                                     Herbert Spencer

One day when my son was 8 years old, in third grade, he came home from school with a notice from the principal saying that a 10-year-old boy had died overnight from a high fever. We had never met this boy or his family, but I felt the mother’s pain so deeply it shattered me. I looked up the family name in the school directory to see if they had any other children, which they did: one other son in ninth grade at our local high school. My own son had also been home from school that week, suffering from a similar fever.

         Through my tears, I prayed deeply for this mother — pouring compassion out to her, holding her in my heart with the divine love that passes all understanding. I asked God to comfort her, to fill her with peace. I was on my knees saying the Lord’s prayer. And then the tears stopped. It was four o’clock in the afternoon, the day after the boy’s death. I felt an urgent need to get in my car and find this woman. All I knew was that she lived in a large apartment building on Rexford Drive, a few blocks away. The car seemed to drive itself down the street, and at the end of the block, I saw a woman in a bathrobe, pacing the sidewalk, bleary-eyed. She looked at me with a sadness I will never forget. I parked in a driveway and rolled down the window. “Are you Benjamin’s mother?” I asked, getting out of the car. The woman ran towards me — literally rushing into my arms, sobbing. We held each other, both of us crying and she said “Did God send you?”

The woman was Korean, and explained in broken English that she had just come outside to search for her husband, who had disappeared in grief earlier that day. She asked if I would come in and look at pictures of her son. We went inside and she showed me her son’s “room,” which was just a corner of the living room. Though this was Beverly Hills, they lived modestly in a one-bedroom apartment. Both sons slept in the living room.  She showed me Benjamin’s report card, schoolwork, baseball trophies, Yugioh cards — which were just like my son’s.  She poured tea and told me all the wonderful things about Benjamin. 

         I silently asked the universe to give me the right words to say, and out of my mouth came some memories formed into words I could not take credit for.  I told her about my precious brother Paul and how he had come to me in a vision a few days after his death. I’ll never forget this because I was driving my car and literally had to pull over and stop. On the radio they were playing the song from the Disney movie “Pocahontas” with the lyric “Who knows how high the Sycamore grows, if you cut it down you’ll never know.”  This struck me because we had Paul’s memorial service underneath a giant Sycamore tree. My head collapsed onto the steering wheel I was crying so hard.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, a surge of warmth and light filled my body and I bolted upright in my seat. I saw my brother’s face beaming at me, smiling so broadly I had never seen him like this.  He told me not to cry, that he'd “see me later,” that “there is no death.” He even said “I love you Lydia; you helped me.” This was in 1995, on the third day after I had found his body, dead from a drug overdose.  I felt completely at peace about him from then on. 

         I kept a picture of Paul by my bedside that week, with a candle burning next to it. One morning three days after his death, my toddler Jack, who was a year and a half old, woke up, giggled, pointed to the picture and said, “Paul happy!” This gives me goose bumps even now when I remember it.  Now I’m going to sound completely loony, but on the day we scattered his ashes at sea, before we left for the boat, three white doves alighted on our lawn, and these were not doves for hire.  What is it with the number three? 

         As I sat with the woman, I told her that her son Benjamin was a gift that she was blessed with for ten years and now God needed him back home for bigger things. I told her “our children are on loan to us.” I don't know where these words came from. 

         As she walked me out she said she felt an enormous wave of peace come over her.  “I was so depressed and now I feel I was visited by an angel.” It dawned on me that we can all be comforters or ‘human angels’ for each other when we open up and begin to really care about others. 

         Our entire school attended Benjamin’s funeral. During the eulogy, the minister read a letter written by the mother, in which she said: “Benjamin was a gift to us for ten years, and now God called him back home for more important things…"

         It’s amazing how love uses us when we make ourselves available. I've had full-blown miracles and healings from prayer -- and I’ve come to rely on ceaseless prayer for every problem in life including overcoming lifelong “genetic” diseases, as I describe later in this book.  But the best kind is praying for others with compassion. Buddhists believe strongly that people must immerse themselves in feeling other’s pain in order to gain the compassion that heals the world.  When your heart is full of love for your fellow man, you can reach out and actually change people’s lives.  This is what Jesus taught. The Great Peacemaker was not concerned with anything other than how we treat our fellow man. “Love one another. Love our enemies, return love for hate… Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” 

After my crash and burn, I began to transcend my ego in fits and starts. It did not succumb willingly.  Sometimes the ego is so big it needs an apartment of its own.  

But the most important change was when I began to have more compassion for others.  I believe that’s the main idea: to transcend our demanding egos and put others first. There’s no time to waste; we all need to get over ourselves and branch out. As Christ said, “you have to lose your life to save it,” and the St. Francis Prayer,“It is by self-forgetting that one finds.” I always tell my children, “No matter how much you acquire or accomplish in life, if you’re not kind to others, you’ve missed the whole point.”

         “How can I be of love and service to others?”  This is the question I’ve been trying to remember to ask myself every day.  One time out of ten I’m able to get out of my self-centeredness and actually do it! There are so many times I’ve received a nudge to extend myself to help someone, but out of laziness or fear, I’ve ignored the call.

Often I didn’t feel equipped to help others because I was such a mess myself. But they say, ‘the answers will come if our own house is in order,’ meaning, once we have eliminated our own defects of character that keep us separate from our fellow man — condemnation and judgment of others, pride, greed, envy and all the other deadly “sins” — we are of better use to the world. 

         “Compassion for others is impossible when we are filled with a belief that we are separate and distinct from other human beings,” says Wayne Dyer.  Love really does heal everything. But ‘faith without works is dead,” and we are all called to get out of ourselves and help each other, like the Good Samaritan.