JESUS NATION SEX REBEL, mini-chapter 44

44. EVE AND ESTHER TALK ABOUT THE NEW ABORTION LAW

“I’d like to hear more,” said Esther. “I could help you get your results published in Critical Inquiry.”

Maybe this was not a mistake after all. Or if it was a mistake, God has already interceded. Eve had never thought of being published in Critical Inquiry, the leading and widely read scholarly journal of the Reformation. She had had a much lower-tier field-specific journal in mind.

“Could we meet for lunch or something some time?” she asked, and then tried to swallow her words, feeling that she was presuming too much. Oh, God, now I’ve really overstepped my bounds. Eve readied herself for a gracious rejection.

But Esther handed her a card. “Here is my personal email address,” she said.

Eve looked at the card. “I think you gave me the wrong card,” she said. “It says Holly French instead of Esther Todd.”

“That was my name before the Biblitarian Name Change,” said Esther. “You’ve got my private email address. For your eyes only. Email me and we’ll set up a meeting.”

Eve glowed. This was much more than she could ever hope for. Meeting the right woman. Much better than meeting the right man.

Esther looked her over. “What do you think of the new law?”

Eve knew what Esther was talking about. There was great jubilation, because Congress was deliberating a law that would make abortion not only illegal, but call it murder. If it were murder, the inference was that it was punishable by death, although the death penalty as a possible punishment had not been written into this new law. If the law passed, the punishment would be left up to the courts. In fact, it was rumored that the government would be looking for a test case to take to a Special Tribunal.

“It’s inevitable. But as a woman, it makes me feel a little uneasy, doesn’t it? Even though I agree that killing the unborn child is murder.”

“Punishable by death?” Esther enquired.

“I don’t think the courts will agree that abortion is punishable by death.”

“What do you think, should it be punishable by death?”

“My focus is with those who say that it’s murder with extenuating circumstances.”

“Why?”

“Because in the end it’s the mother who is involved, isn’t it?”

“Doesn’t that make it worse, a woman killing her own child?”

Esther was really grilling her.

“I think it makes it more fraught,” replied Eve. “Who can put herself in the shoes of a pregnant mother, what goes through her mind regarding this? If a woman decides to have an abortion, and actually goes through with it, indeed it’s a crime, and a terrible one, but it’s not like someone who goes out and kills a living breathing human being, is it? It’s a killing within yourself, isn’t it? A form of suicide. You kill a part of yourself. In the end it’s a different kind of murder.”

I’m spouting rubbish, Eve thought. I haven’t had the time to think it through. I don’t really have a position.

“But it can be just as premeditated as any other murder,” said Esther. “It can be done in cold blood.”

“I don’t think it ever can be done in cold blood, when it’s killing someone inside your own body.”

“Do you think they’re right to leave punishment to the courts, or should they have made the legislation say it was murder with extenuating circumstances?”

“They are men. I don’t think they can refocus themselves to appreciate a woman’s position, can they?”

“Ah, the arrogant gender. So are the judges on all the Special Tribunals.”

“There is sometimes room for one woman, isn’t there?”

“Exactly, but those women are hardly known to think like women. They mimic the arrogant gender.”

“How does a woman think?”

“Like you are thinking about abortion. Like I do.”

“Do you think abortion should be punishable by death?” Now I’ve finally asked her what she thinks, Eve thought. She didn’t give me a chance before this.

“It depends on the woman. If she does it purely for selfish reasons, thinking just about her own needs, and not the child’s, a case might be made.”

“In the end, would you make that case?”

Esther laughed. “I saw you talking to Ezra,” she said, changing the subject.

“Indeed.”

“Do you know him?”

“We were married once,” said Eve. It came out like some kind of confession.

“Oh, you were his first wife.”

“Indeed.”

“He talked about you,” said Esther. “I was the wife after you.”

Eve’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Heavens. We share a common focus regarding Ezra. My oh my.”

“What was your divorce like?”

“There was some pain, to be precise. Mostly on my side. It’s not easy for Ezra to take responsibility for other people’s pain.”

“Hmm. Interesting.”

“Well, that’s how he was then. I don’t know if he’s changed.”

“Men seldom do. Ezra and I had our differences, too. We still have some.”

“What differences do you have now?”

“He thinks he’ll take over Sunday Fox Media when Joshua leaves the company to run for president.”

“Why is that a difference?”

“I think I’ll take over when Joshua leaves. Being a CEO is not necessarily the preserve of the arrogant gender.”

“I see.”

“I’m in the company and Ezra is an outsider.”

“You’ve got it covered then.”

“We’ll see,” Esther said. “We’ll talk about this more.” They left it at that.