Interviews with Karen, who is studying nursing, and Ivone, who is studying radiology, took place in the center quad at Compton College on February 20, 2019.

Interview with Karen, nursing student

 

California Catholic Daily: Do you consider yourself religious?

Karen: Yeah, I was raised going to church. I believe in God and the Virgin Mary.

What do you believe about God?

Karen: He can heal and He can make things appear in your life. And the same thing with the Virgin Mary. She can do things that are technically more like God, like same thing.

Does your faith affect how you live your life?

Karen: Yes, because that’s how I was raised. I always pray at night for my life and work.

Does your faith affect how you view things like abortion?

Karen: No, because that’s each person’s business. Even though I wouldn’t want that, I still think that everyone has their own point of view and their own belief.

Do you also think people should choose for themselves about driving drunk or abusing a child?

Karen: No, they shouldn’t. They shouldn’t do that. They’re hurting somebody else. But the baby’s still not born and it doesn’t have any fingers. If the woman thinks she won’t do a good job of raising it, she has other options, but if that’s what she thinks she should do, that’s her choice.

Can she kill the baby right after it’s born?

Karen: No.

What about the day before it’s born?

Karen: [shaking head] Uh – uh.

At what point in the pregnancy do you think it’s okay?

Karen: Man, now I’m thinking. I don’t know. I always thought that everybody has their own problems and it’s their own personal business.

What do you believe about the afterlife?

Karen: I believe that we are all in a sleep but the afterlife is when you go into another world. I believe in heaven like they say, but I don’t think it’s like real real.

 

Interview with Ivone, radiology major

 

California Catholic Daily: Do you consider yourself religious?

Ivone: Yes. I was raised in religion. I was raised Catholic and then my mom’s side of the family became Christian, so I was always raised inside religion. I was baptized in the Catholic Church before I was one year old and then I got baptized in the Christian church when I was 13. Religion means a lot to me. I believe in religion, I believe in God. I think God is the creator of life. I love religion. I think that I wouldn’t be here without God and nobody would be here without God.

Do you hold the traditional Christian views that abortion is wrong, that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that sex is reserved for marriage?

Ivone: Oh no. Even though I’m religious, I don’t discriminate against those things. Abortion, I think, is just a woman’s choice because everybody has a choice. I don’t have anything against the LGBT community either. Some of my friends are bi, gay, you know. I think it’s just one’s moral beliefs if you really want to be judgmental toward it. If you want to put religion into it, then that’s you. Me, I don’t think so. I don’t think that religion affects it in my beliefs.

How do you reconcile your view that God is the creator of life and your support for abortion?

Ivone: It’s a woman’s choice. You cannot force someone to keep a baby if they don’t want to. It’s against their rights. A lot of people don’t agree with it in their religion or Christianity because they are pro-life and all that, but I don’t think so. It’s contradicting myself, yeah. Wow, I’m listening to myself right now. I think it’s just one’s choice. Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean, if I’m pregnant and I don’t want it, I’m not going to abort. I don’t know. That’s just me.

Does your support for a woman’s right to choose include her choice to abuse a child or drive drunk?

Ivone: Oh no. Why would you have the baby if you’re not going to be a good mom?

But what if she thought she was going to be a good mom but then her partner left her and she lost her job?

Ivone: I don’t know. That’s a tricky question. I have no idea. That’s a tricky question. Damn. I don’t know.

What do you believe about the afterlife?

Ivone: I believe that we go to hell or you go to heaven. It depends, when your judgment day comes.

What does God base His judgment on?

Ivone: If you follow what the Bible says, His path.

A California Catholic Daily exclusive by Mary Rose.