James Talarico

Mary is probably my favorite figure in the Bible, the mother of Jesus.

And she's an oppressed peasant teenage girl living in poverty under an oppressive empire as a Jew.

And she has a vision from God that she's going to give birth to a baby who's going to bring the powerful down from their thrones, going to scatter the proud, who's going to send the rich away empty.

I mean, this revolutionary song that she sings, it's called the Magnificat.

And it's actually been banned by certain authoritarian regimes because it is so radical.

But I say all this in terms of in context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary and and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary's consent.

Which is remarkable.

I mean, go back and read this in Luke.

I mean, the angel comes down and asks Mary if this is something she wants to do.

And she says, if it is God's will, let it be done.

Let it be.

Let it happen.

So to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent.

You cannot force someone to create.

Creation is one of the most sacred acts that we engage in as human beings.

But that has to be done with consent.

It has to be done with freedom.

And to me, that is absolutely consistent with the ministry and life and death of Jesus.

And so that's how I come down on that side of the issue.

Again, I'm very open for my fellow Christians to disagree with that.