Thursday, February 11, 2010

* P.S. to the Peabody Director


















P.S. to Mr. Briggs:

Should you determine that the Peabody exhibit of unborn humans in jars still exists in a Yale warehouse or slsewhere, and should you determine it is time to terminate the exhibit permanently, you are on the horns of a classic dilemma: If you simply dispose of the fetuses, you may be engaging in desecration or worse, since some religions believe you are consigning an un-baptized soul to Hell.

Even though I do not belong to such a religion and was not raised in such (Mt. Carmel Congregational Church, founded 1699 I believe), the possibility that one of those fetuses might be my own genetic sibling due to my mother's two miscarriages, troubles me.

I would request some type of religious ceremony be performed out of dignity and respect for the "hopes and fears" of every sponsoring organism (mother-to-be), rather than fear of Purgatory or Hell.

However, if you opt for such a choice, you then have tacitly come down on one side of the abortion debate: the Pro-Life side, since you would be treating the fetus as a former human life.

Difficult.

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