Reproduction Meets Religion

Last week The state of Alabama found itself in an unforced and awkward situation.  The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children.  Yes, embryos produced as a consequence of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures are children.  They have personhood just like me and you.

All of this means that Alabama finds itself in the unique position of being a state where a female can be forced to carry a pregnancy to term - even if a twelve year-old is raped by her incestuous father.  If you find yourself unable to naturally conceive a child, IVF treatment is no longer available to you. 

All of this stems from the Law of Unintended Consequences as no one wants to be arrested and thrown in jail or get cross ways with the State Supreme Court because nobody knows what to do with thousands of frozen children.  Murder is a capital offense in Alabama; so it's not much of a stretch to believe you could be executed if found responsible for the loss of frozen embryos.

When it comes to reproductive options Alabama now finds itself a very unwelcoming place to live.  Republicans have concocted a fine kettle of fish for themselves and I'd be willing to bet that since it's an election year the dems are going to rub their noses in this shit.  Another nail in the coffin of the suburban women vote, eh?  But I digress.

What I really want to talk about is the religious angle on all of this because Chief Justice Tom Parker had this to say about the court's decision:  Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.

Once you get beyond the divine retribution part, he makes a good point.  He's being morally honest.  For him it's all about God and for many of us reproductive decisions are frequently tangled-up in moral, religious and faith beliefs.

I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition of the Christian faith, and even though The Church has washed its hands of me following a divorce decades ago, many of the beliefs I learned as a child and young adult still ring true and continue to shape my life. 

Guidance for many conservative Christians includes a belief that life begins at conception.  This applies to IVF treatment and abortion.  There is no compromise.  Catholic doctrine expressly forbids both including virtually all modern birth control interventions as well.  Just last month Pope Francis condemned surrogacy as despicable and called for a global ban on the practice.

Catholicism also happens to have a long and rich tradition of beliefs couched in social policy regarding reverence for life and care for the the poor.  Sex outside of marriage is forbidden - the act of which is reserved for married individuals and is solely for procreation.  Masturbation causes blindness too.  That's the doctrinaire part of it; truthfully, many Catholics are not that observant and routinely use hormonal birth control and seek IVF treatment.

Protestant beliefs can be more forgiving on the subject of IVF - possibly because the result is more children.  Furthermore, Evangelicals also tend to rely-upon literal interpretation of the bible; and naturally, the bible says nothing about IVF treatment.

The Chief Justice invoked God in his ruling - presumably this is the God of Abraham from whom the three major world religions hail.  

Judaism allows assisted reproduction when medically necessary.  Having children bears witness to the command to be fruitful and multiply.  Furthermore, the destruction of unused embryos is allowed as long as they thaw and dry naturally.

Islamic beliefs also allow all assisted reproductive technologies providing that the sperm, ovum and uterus belong to a legal-married couple during the term of their marriage.  If infertility is beyond cure it should be accepted.  If there are unused fertilized eggs their treatment is consistent with that of Judaism.

Respectfully, faith traditions are not in general agreement on much of this.  And adherents to a belief system should be guided appropriately.  Unlike Iran our country is not a theocracy ruled by mullahs; our government and system of laws is secular.  So if you don't believe in IVF, abortion, divorce, birth control or whatever, don't engage in the practice.  I am not going to impose my beliefs on someone else and I expect reciprocity.  

I happen to think that government already intrudes too much in the private lives of its citizenry.  So stay out of my life, my home, my bedroom and keep your damn hands off my body.  We're rational beings and consequently should be making our own decisions about our own destiny guided only by common sense, family, medical professionals and our faith beliefs.

I know I'm being snarky; but if frozen embryos are children, why aren't parents allowed extra exemptions on their tax return?

Now get off my lawn....

A Fine Kettle OF Fish

The title of this post has origins in the Scottish tradition of cooking-up a kettle of fish parts to make guests feel welcome.  The modern etymology of the title is reference to an awkward situation.  And indeed, Alabamians and their lawmakers have found themselves in an awkward situation today.

Some basics about natural conception and reproduction.  

A male gamete (sperm) combines with a female gamete (ovum) resulting in a fertilized ovum called a zygote. The zygote holds 100% of the genetic material - mother and father each contribute one-half - this develops into an embryo.  When an embryo successfully completes its journey of days and attaches to the wall of the uterus it will develop into a fetus.  And a child is born in the end.  That doesn't sound very romantic but that's the science of it.  There's a lot of moving parts and plenty of opportunity for something to go wrong along the way.  In a perfect world all of this happens without scientific intervention.   

What about people who cannot naturally conceive and reproduce?

The term In Vitro - Latin for 'in glass' - describes medical procedures, tests and experiments that scientists perform outside of a living organism.  In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a treatment process whereby a woman unable to naturally conceive a child can become pregnant.  IVF has been a godsend for people who cannot naturally conceive children.  Sperm and ovum are combined in a laboratory setting resulting in a fertilized zygote which will become an embryo.

IVF Human Embryo

This embryo is frozen for future implantation.  Once implanted, if the embryo successfully attaches to the lining of the uterus it becomes a fetus and, voila!  Maybe a child is born.  The uterine part of the process is critical because without that step the embryo cannot survive.

Collecting eggs for in vitro fertilization is complicated and includes some risk.  As a consequence multiple eggs are collected with the knowledge that once fertilized some will be genetically flawed (and discarded) and some will never successfully attach to the uterus following implantation.  Many couples naturally grow their families over a number of years so having some extra frozen embryos on hand solves the defective embryo situation along with implantation failures and can lead to more children.

Unused frozen embryos have typically been discarded.  Just as an acorn is not an oak until planted and successfully germinated; without uterine implantation the genetic material of the embryo cannot result in a child. 

Back to Alabama.  The Alabama Supreme Court ruled yesterday that frozen embryos - the product of in vitro fertilization - are children.  You can read the ruling here.  This complicates things for all of the embryos in cold storage.  What if the power goes off and they spoil?  Or you drop and break the container?  Discard genetically defective ones?  Discard good ones? 

It's none of my business if someone chooses to have a family or not to have a family.  Some couples have large families and some couples never have families for all kinds of reasons within and beyond their control.  That's their business and none of my concern.  Although I should add that I have personal knowledge of many families, immediate and otherwise, who have had children as a consequence of IVF treatments performed by doctors who God has endowed with tremendous and valuable medical talents.  

I also know that in a post-Roe world which restricts abortions in many states; if Republicans want to deprive couples from using the science of IVF to conceive and welcome children into a loving family then Alabama today finds itself in a awkward position.  A place where you are forced to give birth if you naturally conceive along with being a place where you cannot obtain IVF treatment if you really, really want to have a family. 

Having classified frozen embryos as children has complicated things.  Fearful of being civilly or criminally liable and arrested and thrown in jail or otherwise get cross-ways with the Alabama Supreme Court nobody knows what to do with all the frozen embryos.  The Law of Unintended Consequences has brought IVF treatment to a screeching halt.    

Reproductive stuff is complicated and the more Republicans continue to insert themselves into the reproductive lives and decisions of ordinary people the more they will continue to have a much larger problem with getting suburban women to vote for them on election day.  It's a fine kettle of fish they have concocted for themselves.

And don't forget.  Alabama is a Capital Punishment state.  They will put you to death for murder.  They're going to have a whole heap of trouble on their hands once they begin executing moms and dads and medical professionals over any mishandling of frozen embryos.

Sweet Home Alabama!

Book Club

Summer reading list (among others) included the log and storied history of Alabama BBQ...

And a book by a guy that went to my high school...

Carnivale

It is a fact that Mardi Gras DOES NOT have its origins in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Joseph Stillwell Cain, Jr. is responsible for initiating the modern way of celebrating this holiday in Mobile, Alabama following the War Between the States.

The Sunday before Fat Tuesday (today) is celebrated in Mobile as Joe Cain Day. The highlight is the Joe Cain Procession (not to be confused with a parade).

In the spirit of celebrating Carnivale there is this from our first trip to France….

Muscle Shoals Has Got The Swampers

A package arrived in the mail a couple of days ago.  The return address indicated the sender was my pal The First Mate.  Handling the envelope suggested an article of clothing inside – my guess was a shirt. 

That was an easy deduction as I already knew were the mate had been from a recent email.  He had made - and completed - his pilgrimage before me.  Inside the package was a T-shirt - and a note which read as follows:         

Tom,     

The enclosed shirt is not just your run of the mill souvenir T-shirt.  It is one of two designs that were actually done by members of the Swampers (I have the other).  Yours was created by David Hood, the bassist, and the one I have was created by Jimmy Johnson, the guitarist (may he rest in peace).    

Wear it with pride Brother Swill,  

Pat       

click on the shirt for a closer look

If you are unaware of the history - The Swampers happen to be a group of session musicians from the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals.  Originally known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - this collection of musicians affectionately called The Swampers have left an indelible mark on the American music scene from the 1960s thru the 1980s.  They have been associated with more than 500 recordings - including 75 gold and platinum hits.

The Swampers' mastery of R+B, soul and country music often led to disbelief that these studio musicians were white guys frequently providing back-up for recording black artists.

In 1969 the Swampers parted-company with Rick Hall and FAME Studios and founded their own competing business, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. They also copyrighted the name The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. 

If you have an opportunity watch the documentary - the short trailer serves to provide additional historic reference....

 

Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers.

 

- Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama, 1974.

Antebellum Mansion

The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion  is one of the grandest antebellum homes found on the gulf coast and it is right in downtown Mobile Alabama  in Springhill Avenue.

click on images for a better look

 

Built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg it served as the Bragg family's winter home and was the center of the lively social scene stretching from Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras.  The Bragg's primary residence was on their cotton plantation in Lowndes County near Montgomery.  

It sports a couple of massive parlors, a circular staircase and rooms constructed on a grand scale for a time in history when hospitality was a way of life.  An example of Greek Revival architecture the mansion's floor plan and details make it stand out among historic building in the area.  Judge Bragg died in 1878 and four other families have lived in the mansion since.  The last private owner was the A.S. Mitchell family who purchased in in 1931 for the princely sum of $20,000. 

During the war between the states the Confederate forces defending Mobile felled all of the stately live oak trees on the property so that artillery would have an unimpeded field of fire.  Bragg also arranged for all of the furnishings to be removed and taken to the family plantation for safekeeping.  Ironically, everything at the plantation was burned by Wilson's Raiders during the conflict and Mobile never suffered armed conflict.  The live oaks on the property today were sown by Judge Bragg from acorns collected from the original trees.

Notable is the local architect of the mansion - John's brother - Alexander J. Bragg.  Another brother - Braxton Bragg - served in both the United States Army and rose to the rank of general while charged with the conduct of military operations in the Army of the Confederacy.  Fort Bragg North Carolina memorializes Braxton and with 50,000 active duty personnel is the largest military installation in the world.  Another brother - Thomas - was Attorney General for the confederacy.  Overachievers the Bragg brothers were. 
Who says a road trip can't offer-up some interesting history.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places you can learn more about the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion here.