Abortion and Heathenry: One Woman’s Story

Position Statement | February 9, 2023
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My first full day as steer of the Troth was a monumental day in American history, because the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Services’ decision was released that day.

I found out that morning while driving into town with Mary (Antonelli, our Reckoner) and Rob ( Lüsch Schreiwer, our Steer Emeritus) to go to the bank and take care of some of the boring business of running a nonprofit organization. Just reading the news alert caused my hands to shake and eyes to fill with tears. This decision was deeply personal and deeply troubling for our future.

Twenty five percent of us that can get pregnant choose to terminate a pregnancy at some point in our childbearing years in the United States.

According to research by the CDC and the Pew Research Foundation, abortion reaches across all lines – economic, racial, social, religious, and even political. The reasons for these choices are vast and every one of them (as long as it is not made under duress) is valid.

I know. I am part of that 25%.

My abortion story is fairly typical. It started with a failure of birth control due to antibiotics. I was trying very hard not to get pregnant because I was on multiple medications that can cause birth defects to treat my sarcoidosis and iridicyclisis. I have always wanted kids, but I also knew that having kids at that point would be dangerous to myself and likely end up with a child who would not survive long after birth. So when I discovered that I was pregnant, it was the easiest hard decision I have had to make.

The state I live in put up many barriers to getting an abortion.

Most hospitals will not allow admitting privileges for doctors who perform terminations, so the only doctors who will do even medical (medication) abortions are often retired and work two days a week. The state also requires two transvaginal ultrasounds – one to determine fetal age and the second to ensure the abortion was completed. (Research has shown the second is almost always unnecessary.) For many people who have suffered sexual assault or may suffer from gender dysphoria, these invasive procedures can be traumatic.

There was also a three day waiting period, which meant taking off multiple days of work and potentially having to drive to one of the two cities that had care twice in one week. This creates huge economic barriers to getting care that now seem insurmountable.

The whole procedure was rather unremarkable. My medical abortion was on a Friday. My husband got me takeout from my favorite restaurant, and we watched movies all weekend. I had no complications, needed no medicine beyond some over the counter pain relief, and was back to work and school on Monday.

I am telling my story because I want you to know me, and to know that my story isn’t unique, but sharing it often is.

There is a huge stigma in our society regarding talking about having an abortion, and this societal shaming and silencing has often lead to those who have had the procedure to feel alone. I am here to tell you that you are not alone.

Many have questions about why the organization chose to make a statement on this topic.

The cold facts are that we cannot claim to be an inclusive organization and ignore an injustice that so often disproportionately affects marginalized people. It reaches across so many communities that have been hurt by those who claim to practice our faith. An erosion of rights for one group is an erosion of rights for all.

We also know that abortion was not seen as wrong or a “sin” to the pre-Christian Heathens.

Icelander Ari Þorgilsson’s history Íslendingabók [The Book of the Icelanders] reports that when Christianity was adopted Iceland in 1000, infant abandonment was one of the pre-Christian practices Icelanders struggled to give up.

Then it became law that all people should become Christian and those who were still unbaptized in the land should be baptized. And with regard to the exposure of children the old law should stand and also with regard to eating horse flesh. People could sacrifice to the heathen gods secretly if they wished but under the penalty of the lesser outlawry if witnessed. But a few winters later this heathen practice was abolished like all the others. Teitr told us about this, about how Christianity came to Iceland.

Ari Þorgilsson—Íslendingabók

In his paper “The Place of the Evil: Infant Abandonment in Old Norse Society,” Sean B. Lawing presents that infant exposure was done for a variety of reasons, and some studies estimate as many as 40 percent of infants were essentially aborted. Even after the adoption of Christianity, there were always exceptions offered and excuses made. If a child was born deformed, then it was clearly “demon influenced and monstrous” so the exposure was acceptable. If a family was poor, they would leave the child at a monastery or convent and sometimes the residents might ignore the cries until it was too late.

There is nothing in Heathenry as I understand it that would force an anti-abortion point of view.

To quote our own shope in Our Troth Volume 3, “ But there is no religious or cultural sanction in either ancient or modern Heathenry that would rule out abortion or birth control.”

As Steer, I hope you know that I will stand for your rights as well.

The Troth has produced a strong statement on bodily autonomy and can assist if you have issues with your workplace or school regarding religious discrimination. We are strong when we stand together as a community.

As a final thought, I am grateful for the very swift action of the entire High Rede, who worked together both virtually and in person to get a statement out as quickly as possible about the decision and our stance. I am especially grateful for:

  • Benjamin Kowalsky-Grahek who managed to put together such an amazing statement on his first day as Communications Officer
  • Our Public Relations Director Piper Perry for manning the keyboard and keeping comments on our public forums a safe place.
  • Our moderation team did an excellent job in keeping the member groups a safe place for discussion as well.