The document proposes that abortion is based in a cult called "Abortionism" that violates the philosophy of "Intrinsicism" which is the foundation of the United States. Abortionism has three "abortions": 1) denying God's authority to grant human rights, 2) mentally relegating groups as less than human, 3) physically aborting or destroying lives. The sects of Abortionism are defined by their criteria for discrimination, such as racism. The document argues this framing effectively counters the notion that opposition to abortion is solely religious by linking it to principles of human rights.
1. The Essentials of Abortionism
by Al Lemmo
This essay is to set forth the key elements of the idolatrous cult of Abortionism
which is based in a philosophy of human self-worship that is the basis for
virtually every degradation humanity has ever suffered. It describes the violation
of the critical, protective philosophy of Intrinsicism, the Three Abortions (or
profanements, analogous to the sacraments of true religions) and the
subdivisions of the cult into sects and subsects based on their criteria for choice,
the choice to discriminate against others, even to the point of rationalizing the
total destruction of entire human populations.
The United States is founded on the philosophical premise that our inalienable
human rights are intrinsic with our human lives, with the understanding that this
is because we are endowed with them by our Creator rather than by any human
source. This premise, based in Natural Law, is described as one of several truths
we hold self-evident in the nation's founding document, The Declaration of
Independence. The lack of a simple, concise and descriptive term for this
philosophy, however, makes it difficult to talk about it, and it's too important for
that to continue. I propose the term "Intrinsicism" to fill this need. It simply
means that human rights are intrinsic with us, we the people, simply because we
are living members of the human species. We are different from each other in
every other way (age, sex, race, health, beliefs, abilities, knowledge, experience,
etc.). Making any other characteristic a criterion for recognizing our inalienable
human rights will inevitably put some of us at risk. The premise of Intrinsicism
allows us to appeal to our Creator over the head of any tyrant or other would-be
grantor or denier of our fundamental human rights for their recognition and
protection.
The philosophy of Intrinsicism serves as a wall of separation between freedom
and oppression or civilization and barbarianism. Once this barrier has been
breached, all criteria for destruction then compete on an equal basis because
they are justified in principle. We end up arguing over whose criteria for
destruction will prevail. Look at any debate about prenatal child-slaying and this
will quickly become evident. No one ever asks from where those asserting
ludicrous criteria for personhood get the authority to override the philosophy of
Intrinsicism, even prenatally.
One of the standard ploys in fighting the abortion battle has been to shoot the
messenger by portraying abortion opponents as motivated solely by religious
ideas which they are trying to "force" on the rest of us. I propose to counter this
tactic by demonstrating that the philosophy undergirding support for abortion
rituals (or rites, not rights) is not only contrary to Intrinsicism, the philosophy on
which the nation is founded, but is the basis of a cult religion that has been at the
2. root of virtually every abuse ever inflicted on human individuals or populations. I
call this cult "Abortionism" to clearly associate it with the most egregious
violation of human rights in our country and most of the world today. Its standard
practices are three "abortions":
1) The Theological Abortion of the authority of God to grant us our human rights,
often disguised as a claim to having been empowered by God, but ultimately a
matter of substituting one's own judgment, values and preferences for God's.
This act of idolatry is at the heart of all sin. It can also be described as idolatrous
worship of the human intellect as competent to choose criteria for who deserves
the recognition and protection of the human community as persons under the
law. This enables the second abortion, which is...
2) The Mental Abortion, by which the target population, however defined, is
mentally relegated to some subhuman category such that anything can be done
to it. This step is essential to overcoming the moral obstacles to committing the
most egregious violations of other human beings that all human societies
prohibit. Conscience is effectively removed from the picture by this process
such that the third and final abortion can be done. This is...
3) The Physical Abortion of lives or liberties by some form of murder,
enslavement, plunder or bodily violation. In the case of prenatal child-slaying it is
literally living human sacrifice (abortion rites) to the idols this nation has come to
worship (money, power, reputation, convenience, unrestricted sexual expression,
etc.).
The common creed of all Abortionites is just four words: My will be done.
The sects and subsects of this cult are characterized by their criteria for choice in
performing the Mental Abortion and are named accordingly: Racist, Sexist,
Creedist, Birthist, Utilitarianist, Functionalist, etc. Basically, Racist Abortionites
and Birthist Abortionites, for example, share the same ugly ideas with other
Abortionites. They believe it is up to them -- those who have power -- to grant or
deny fundamental human rights to other human beings rather than that such
rights are granted to all human beings by God. They differ only in their criteria
for the choice of discriminating against others to the point of rationalizing their
destruction.
I believe that effectively and convincingly associating the acceptance of prenatal
child-slaying with racism can discredit and demoralize its defenders and send
them reeling in retreat. Terms like secular humanism do not do this. People think
secular is good or neutral due to misunderstandings of the meaning of the First
Amendment and humanism sounds like it's friendly to humans -- which is hardly
the case. Abortionites of any sect are hardly secular, even if they are atheists.
They are actually fanatically religious. It's just that they worship false gods,
beginning with their own intellects, and typically including the usual pantheon of
3. money, power, sex, image, convenience, etc.
There are several reasons why I think the approach I'm suggesting has merit:
o It returns the favor of shooting the messenger of "choice" by depicting its
advocates as members of a destructive cult, jacking up their negatives.
o It effectively counters the charge that the pro-life cause is based only in religion
and demonstrates that it is based in the principles of human rights.
o It links all the abuses of fundamental human rights in an easily understood
model.
o It provides consistent terminology that is helpful in understanding the linkages
- i.e., the criteria for discrimination define the sects of the cult, even when carried
to the extreme of rationalizing the total destruction of the target population.
o It provides an umbrella term - Abortionism - for the philosophy of all oppression
and the cult it undergirds. A form of this term accurately describes an action -
the terminating, cutting short or "aborting" of lives or liberties - in addition to a
way of thinking. This terminology happens to coincide with the worst abuse of
our time. (Secular humanism has no such merit. It is useless, even
counterproductive language.)
o It provides a badly needed term for the philosophy the country is founded on -
Intrinsicism - the belief that human rights are intrinsic with human lives. It was
this philosophy, the very premise of our nation, that was struck down in Roe v.
Wade. It is a single word descriptive term that is far better than "Declaration
Principles" which is 2 words and not very descriptive. The lack of such a term
makes it very difficult to even discuss this key principle. I am not aware of any
other terms that may have been offered to summarize the idea that we are
endowed with our rights by our Creator and that this is our National Premise (a
truth held to be self-evident). We should be speaking of our Intrinsicistic National
Premise or premise of Intrinsicism.