Staking a Claim: Women,
Theology, & Bioethics
by Sarah Flashing,
July 2008
Dorothy Sayers,
theologian, lecturer, author of detective fiction, and friend to C.S.
Lewis, responded to the question of what is a “woman’s point of
view” as it pertains to literature and finance. She said “…don’t be
silly. You might as well ask what is the female angle on an
equilateral triangle.” The point to be taken from this exchange is that for those things
which are a matter of basic fact, there is only one perspective and
that is a human perspective. As it pertains to other matters, Sayers
continues,
“…I prefer to think that women are human
and differ in opinion like other human beings…you can not ask for
‘the woman’s point of view,’ but only for the woman’s special
knowledge…’”
Women today have
differing points of view in matters of bioethics, yet the same
experience of womanhood, though always with some exceptions. But the
most dominate expression of this experience, this “special
knowledge,” is not from the voice of evangelical women who, as
theologians, can provide meaning and communicate hope, but from
secular feminism. This is not to suggest that there are no
evangelical women engaging in theological dialogue, but as it
pertains to being an influential, prophetic voice in bioethics—in
the academy, church, and in popular culture—few women address
bioethical matters in this way. A cross-centered evangelical
bioethic offered through the theological voice and experience of
women can serve as an apologetic for a Christian worldview, helping
to put to rest the suspicion and charges of female oppression by
evangelicalism and evangelical bioethics that are often made by
secular feminism, charges that view human autonomy as the highest
value. In society and within the community of evangelical bioethics,
woman as theologian offers a unique and fresh perspective to all
levels of discussion, from academic scholarship and education to
more public activist roles.
Secular Feminist
Bioethics
Women’s issues, especially those related to women’s health and
bioethics including abortion, pregnancy, contraception, and
reproductive technologies have by default, come under the domain of
secular feminism in popular culture. For years, since the second
wave of feminism leading to Roe v. Wade until now, these women’s
issues have been addressed primarily by secular feminist voices, and
by specifically feminist bioethics. Academic journals like The
International Journal to Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, blogs
like the Women’s Bioethics Project, and popular organizations
like NOW and the Feminist Majority exist to develop
the next generation in the academy and in popular culture. The
website of Women’s Bioethics Project states
Women’s health
concerns have always been at the core of the Women’s Bioethics
Project’s work. Moving beyond narrow conceptions of women’s health,
we will be focusing on issues such as aging, women’s participation
in medical research, the impact of traditional care giving roles on
women’s lives, and end-of-life decision making. We have a series of
initiatives planned to help bring these issues to the attention of
the media, increase women’s involvement, and impact public policy.
It is clear that
the focus women’s issues is expanding beyond what has been
traditionally conceived of as important to women—contraception,
abortion rights, infertility, reproductive technologies, and so on.
And while feminist bioethics are expanding, with the persuasive
power of mythical neutrality, evangelical women as theological
bioethicists have yet to speak prominently in the theological
academy, church, and in culture to these issues. With all of these
voices speaking to women of all ages, and with women eagerly
listening, it has to be asked, where are the theological voices of
evangelical women? In there book, Living on the Boundaries:
Evangelical Women, Feminism, and the Theological Academy, Pohl
and Creegan ask similarly, “where are the good women?” The gender discussions within evangelical circles are no doubt a
contributing factor to the scarcity of evangelical women as
theological bioethicists. But whether complementarian or egalitarian
as it relates to women’s roles in the church and family, there is
ample support in Scripture for women to be a strong voice in the
academy, church and culture without concern for compromising
conservative views of gender roles.
Staking a Claim
Among Women
One might wonder why theologically-informed female voices need
to be available as prominent voices in the church, academy and
culture. There are no new metaphysical truths to be uncovered, we
have a grasp on what the bible teaches on human dignity and the
great commandment to love our neighbor, so why does the gender of
the messenger have any relevance? Aren’t the prominent, sound voices
of evangelical men in bioethics enough? I am especially thankful for
all those I have and continue to learn from in the field, but I also
see the gap of influence of women on other women – and on men, who,
as a member of the human race, experiences life a bit differently.
The way to answer the question about the importance of women’s
voices is to see the women who have sought women’s voices due to
their “special knowledge,” their experience. The female evangelical
theologian in bioethics can offer a fresh and unique perspective,
not because she offers new knowledge on the basis of her womanhood,
but because she identifies with the same joys and pains of half of
the people in our culture. The previously mentioned organizations
have a great deal of influence in our culture not because they force
their message on women or anyone else, but because women want to
hear from them. Women are listening to these women, and these women
come from all parts of society including the church. Even further,
the fragmentation of faith and reason has led to further splits in
our thinking, and quite noticeably between health and reproduction
and our spirituality. Concerns about women’s health in the
evangelical church often receives limited preemptive attention
because this fragmentation has taught people to believe that certain
matters are to be addressed by their doctors and certain matters are
to be addressed by their pastors.
Crucial to the
future of evangelical bioethics is the proactive willingness to
develop theologically informed women bioethicists for work in the
seminary, in the church, and in culture. Women continue to dominate
church membership—60% as recently reported by Barna—and continue to
enter into higher education in increasing numbers. Evangelical women
who desire theological training find themselves in strange
territory, one stating “I guess I’ll be too liberal for most
evangelical institutions and too conservative for most mainline
schools.”
The Scriptures contain numerous stories of women’s experiences as it
relates to matters of reproduction and even end of life scenarios.
There are obviously profound theological implications of these
stories—the barrenness of Hannah and Sarah, the end-of-life grief of
Mary and Martha, sisters to Lazarus—as well, there are practical
lessons to be communicated to women in our world today. God cares
about the details and he is not uninvolved in our lives. For
evangelical women in theology today, the task is to take every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ by taking ownership of
these bioethical issues that have thus far been dominated by secular
feminism.
The scope of this discussion is focused on the value of
theologically-informed women’s voices for the sake of women, though
it does not preclude the importance of her influence on men. But in
terms of God’s calling on the ministry to women, I believe we can
find direction for this work in Titus 2.
Typically viewed as instruction for how older women are to mentor
younger women in keeping the home, I believe we can with all
integrity see the broader implications of this passage in our
contemporary culture. Titus 2:3-5 states:
Older women likewise are to be
reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They
are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love
their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at
home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of
God may not be reviled.
Bioethical issues
never operate in a vacuum, and a decision—whether related to
reproductive technologies or end of life questions—will always
involve members of one’s own family. For the woman as theologian and
bioethicist, with her special knowledge as woman, daughter, and
perhaps as wife and mother, has the opportunity to teach “what is
good” to women in the academy, church, and culture. But we must be
willing to take our place in culture and no longer be willing for
women’s issues to be owned by the voice of secular feminism. Through
this, we may see the new trends develop in society at large in how
we view human nature, life, the unborn, and the disabled.
Ultimately, then, women as theological bioethicists have one more
way to advance God’s kingdom to his glory.
Living on the Boundaries: Evangelical Women, Feminism And
the Theological Academy. InterVarsity Press, June 2006. Page 31
