I’m pro-life BUT…

Identifying as a victim has become a status symbol for many today, freeing an individual from personal responsibility, justifying feelings, and meriting every conceivable accommodation from society. Victims have been given a voice. Yet absent among those voices and cut off from accommodations are our unborn children who literally have no voice to cry out for justice. The fruit of the womb, which God calls a blessing and reward, is brutally discarded. Our country legally recognizes child sacrifice as a choice to be accepted, even celebrated. And we let it continue. Every pastor unwilling to boldly preach against this evil allows the murder to continue. Every man or woman who claims, “I’m pro-life BUT……” permits the murder to continue. Every legislator who lobbies for bills that compromise with murderers allows the murder to continue. We, the people, must demand that this injustice cease.

The Bible says, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,” (Isaiah 10:1). Legislation that focuses on regulating abortion facilities so they are “safe” is not justice. The victim- the baby- still dies, whether the facility is up-to-date or not. Legislation that mandates an ultrasound before the murder is not justice. Ultrasound photos of their unborn child are frequently valued as “keepsakes” by mothers rather than dissuading them from taking their child’s life. And, while fetal heartbeat bills seem like an effective way to stop the murder of an innocent child, this is not justice. Among other reasons, there is a very real conflict of interest present as heartbeats- easily overlooked during early pregnancy- are being searched for by the very one who profits from robbing the child of his life.

While it’s unpopular to say so, God plainly calls abortion murder. He is clear that He abhors the shedding of innocent blood and that this blood-guiltiness leaves a stain that cannot be washed away by human means or excuses. (Proverbs 6: 16-19) In light of this, can we say that we are truly establishing justice when we view abortion as anything less than what God calls it? Circumstances of conception do negate God’s truth nor do relationships, financial complications, and personal goals override God’s commands.

So, how can we act justly? We must call for abortion to be abolished, not regulated. Like the abolitionists of old who decried the evil of slavery and would settle for nothing less than equal justice, equal freedom, and equal rights under the law for every man, woman, and child, we must resolutely make our stand. We must call abortion what God calls it, murder, and recognize that the victim, regardless of gestational age, medical diagnosis or prognosis, circumstances of conception, or future prospects, has had their life stolen from them. We must obey the laws that already establish justice for the victims of murder by prosecuting perpetrators and accomplices alike.

Without compromise, we must treat abortion as God instructs us to treat every other sin. He tells us to flee from it, cut it out of our lives, and never return to it. (Matthew 18:8-9) It would be preposterous to hear a man who had been unfaithful to his wife explain that he knows his behavior is immoral so he will break off his adulterous affair in incremental steps by at first shortening the liaisons, then limiting meetings to once a week, then restricting interaction to phone calls, and eventually putting aside his mistress to return to his wife. It would be utterly unacceptable; an impossible strategy to respect. Yet abortion is approached this way. Rather than lopping off the branches of this tree of wickedness, we need to take an ax to the root.

The greatest hope for parents who are considering abortion is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it is the only real answer for addressing the fear, pride, selfishness, excuse-making, and willful blindness that accompanies abortion. Pastors must fear God rather than man and so teach the whole truth of God’s Word without leaving out the hard-to-hear parts, must publicly pray without ceasing that abortion would be abolished. Christians are called to be salt and light in the world and must not discard God’s wisdom in favor of what seems right in their own eyes but boldly speak the truth in love. Citizens must educate themselves by finding out how abortion is accomplished, how it is accessed, what kinds of women are pursuing it and what their mindset actually is, what legislation exists and its weaknesses, and what the success rates of “heartbeat bills” really are. Every one of us must be willing to settle for no less than true and equal justice.

Let us live as God has called us to live by loving our littlest neighbor as we love ourselves. “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11) Do not look the other way when their voices cry out for justice; do not compromise with those who lack the courage to assign these little image-bearers of God the same value afforded to His other image-bearers. You may choose to excuse or you may look the other way, but the Bible warns, “If you say, ‘but we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Proverbs 24:12) Let us not be found in the day of God’s judgment to be hypocrites, claiming to love others, proclaiming our desire for justice, yet unwilling to face the truth of God’s Word and take a bold stand against abortion, America’s genocide.

“Give justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

 Maureen Bowen