by Alaenor London<\/a><\/span> Yesterday, we told \u201cthese people\u201d that if they become pregnant while locked in this battle, they deserve, not help, but more punishment with charges that can rob them of large chunks of their lives. Here, again, I will leave the complicated issues of rights and bodies out of this and simply ask that you consider what the effects of this law will look like on the ground and what you are called to do in its wake.<\/p>\n I ask you to think not only of the image of \u201cthese people\u201d fed to us by our media outlets. I ask you to consider the young woman in your congregation who is not going to seek prenatal care because she is unsure if the doctor will be able to tell she tried drugs once and if he will report her to the police. I ask you to think of the woman in your congregation who is proudly rebuilding her sobriety after a long battle with addiction and, out of lack of resources and fear of the possible legal consequences, seeks a cheap abortion from an unlicensed provider and suffers or dies because of it.<\/p>\n Consider also the doors this law opens to the criminalization of pregnancy. How long will it be before a pregnant woman can be charged with assault on her fetus for being in a domestic violence situation where both parties are arrested? How long before she can be charged for just being somewhere where something dangerous\u00a0could<\/i><\/b>\u00a0happen when something dangerous\u00a0does<\/i><\/b>\u00a0happen.<\/p><\/span><\/a><\/a><\/a>All of these questions are before us in a very real way, but on the ground today, the crux of my concern is what we, ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are saying to young women who might have made some different choices than we would have liked, but who are in need of help and support. How do we represent God to God\u2019s Beloved in perilous situations that could now take years from their lives in new, government-administered ways?<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/a>For those who are seeking a response to the difficulties of dealing authentically with young women whose life circumstances might place them in danger of being impact I wonder what it would look like if we all took Jesus\u2019 approach to troubled young women. What would it look like if we chose to truly engage our women who battle addiction instead of talking at them from afar and allowing society to continuously see new ways to cast them aside and abusing them for being in need. What would it look like if we always offered life-giving strategies instead of condemnation, exclusion and punishment? I ask that you imagine with me loving ways to address the both the issues NOT fixed by the law as well as the new issues this law creates.<\/p><\/span><\/div>\n
R3 Contributor<\/span>
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<\/span><\/span>Dear Fellow Christian Faith Leaders in Tennessee:\u00a0<\/span>
Yesterday, TN Governor Bill Haslam became the first governor ever to sign a bill into law that has the power to criminalize a woman for pregnancy.<\/a> SB 1391<\/a>\u2014an amendment to TN Code 39, Chapter 13, entitled \u201cOffenses Against Persons\u201d makes the \u201cthe illegal use of a narcotic drug while pregnant,\u201d an \u201cassaultive offense\u2026if [a woman\u2019s] child is born addicted to or harmed by the narcotic drugs or for criminal homicide if her child dies as a result of her illegal use of a narcotic drug taken while pregnant.\u201d While I know some of my colleagues will find this amendment acceptable or even breathe a sigh of relief that \u201cthese people\u201d will finally be held accountable for what they do to \u201cthese babies,\u201d I urge us now to stop and meditate on who \u201cthese people\u201d are and what we who are called to do ministry with them are really called to do.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
We do not need to look far to see the images of \u201cthese people\u201d\u2014these irresponsible women who cannot control themselves\u2014tossed about in the media. It is not uncommon that we hear the story of the addicted mother cast in terms of selfishness and lack of regard for the rest of the community. Usually, \u201cthese people\u201d are painted as poor women and women of color who can only procure drugs by relatively public means and end up in need of public assistance while struggling with addiction. We can argue about the validity of that image (and believe me, I have, and will continue to), however, there is another conversation that is more urgent for those of us who feel called to walk with people on their faith journey today\u2014the day after the signing of a law that has no other purpose than to criminalize people who need help. That conversation for people of faith in general, but for faith leaders in particular is \u201cWHAT DO WE DO NOW?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\ned by this new law, I ask that you consider one more woman\u2014a woman at a well\u2014and the man who showed up to minister to her. This story is one of many in which we see what Jesus\u2019 ministry with women in crisis looks like. Jesus shows us here clearly what his response is to a woman who is suffering the harsh consequences of a life not considered socially acceptable. She has been ostracized by her community\u2014cast down because of her behavior. When Jesus meets her, he truly engages her when others (including his own disciples) never would have. He acknowledges her situation\u2014speaking the truth in love\u2014and then immediately offers life instead of condemnation.\n