By Dave Andrusko
More than once I have characterized abortion as a secular sacrament. If ever you were tempted to think I was going overboard, consider this.
Scrolling through the Internet, conservative activist Drew Hernandez uncovered an extremely disturbing “DIY” video on YouTube. Of what, you ask.
“A woman teaches how to build an altar for a post abortion, which includes a container for the remains of the baby after being aborted and the abortion pills on the altar, she ends the DIY video by kneeling before the altar,” Hernandez wrote. He provides a link to the video.
“Welcome to building your altar,” our mentor coos. Why an altar? For starters it “creates a space for your sacred container” into which you will place the “products of conception.”(You notice that in the six minute long video, she uses “sacred” about every other sentence as if to ward off evil spirits and/or criticism.) It’s unclear how soon she recommends burying the baby’s remains. You may want to “contemplate” it again at a later date.
She tells us that before building any altar she begins by cleansing the space. She light up a small piece of paper and fans the smoke. (Always have a candle or two so there is “always light within the darkness.”]
“It’s a really beautiful way to give reverence to the experience and hold the experience in a really sacred way.”
Micaiah Bilger describes the setting:
On a small table, the woman places a lit candle, crystals, a tarot card and an image of the Virgin Mary. At one point, she fans herself and the area around her with incense to “clean the space.” Later, she places a packet of abortion pills on the table to “bless” them, encouraging women to “really put your intention for healing into the pills before you take them.”
(That and a “dab” of “sacred oil.” She advises women to lay down a red cloth followed by a container to hold “fetal remains”—the dead baby.)
“Once your altar is complete,“ she counsels, “go ahead and sit in front of it, taking a moment to contemplate your experience.” After facing the altar for 20 seconds– contemplating” the “sacred” abortion experience– she turns and faces the camera.
She folds her hand, prayer like. “Thanks for so much for building your altar with me today,” she says. “So much love.”
“So much love.” The unintended irony is almost too much to bear.