Be Prepared: The Issue of Abortion

Abortion is one of the most hotly debated and emotional issues in our country today.  While it is a political issue, abortion is first and foremost about the issue of human life -- life created and given by God and as followers of Christ we believe that all life is sacred and special.

However, Christians have been accused of being insensitive to women by being pro-life. Therefore, we must guard against an attitude of insensitivity and display compassion and grace when discussing this issue.  Furthermore, many women have undergone abortions and condemning them is not the solution (I would add that violent efforts to stop abortions are unbiblical and flat out wrong).  We must speak intelligently about the wrongs of abortion while dealing compassionately with those affected by it.

The Status of Abortion in America

• Since Roe v. Wade (1973) there have been roughly 44 million abortions in this country.


• Women give three main reasons for undergoing an abortion (Note: frequently pro-choice advocates speak of the "health of the mother" as a why abortion should be legal; however, that is not one of the main reasons women are having abortions):
  
  
  
  • 3/4 say having a child would interfere with work, school, or other responsibilities.
  
  
  • 2/3 say they cannot afford a child.
  
  
  • 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or they are having trouble with their husband or partner.
  
  
  
  


• Two-thirds of abortions are by women who have never been married.


• In 2002, 45% of abortions were performed on women who had already had at least one other abortion.

Doesn't a woman have a right to control her own body?

We can certainly agree that all of us have certain rights over our bodies; however, no one has absolute control over their bodies.  We do not have the "right" to take our own lives (suicide), we do not have the right to sell our body parts, and we do not have the right (in most states) to sell our bodies for sex.  We do not have the right to go out in public naked.  We do not have the right to use our bodies as assault weapons.  We do not have the right to smoke in certain places (because of its effect on others).

A second case against the "rights to my own body" argument is that an unborn child is not part of its mother's body.  In many cases, the baby has a different blood type and even different DNA.  In our society, we have always limited the exercise of freedom when and where it interferes with the rights of others.  In other words, the right to choose ends at the point where the rights of another begin.

Is an unborn baby really a person with rights?

The Supreme Court, in its landmark case that legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade (1973), argued that unborn babies were not yet people and therefore had no "right to life."  The big question then becomes when does life really begin and who gets to decide?  What are the standards for being human: consciousness, social capacity, or some type of viability outside the womb?

Here's the problem: if personhood is determined by some standard other than simply being human (and a human egg fertilized by human sperm now a developing, growing human) then why wouldn't it be appropriate to kill anyone who doesn't meet the "standard" of personhood?  There are many post-natal babies, elderly persons, and handicapped individuals who are technically as helpless as an unborn babies or even newborns; however, all people have dignity, worth, and value simply because they are people created in the image of God!

Finally, more and more studies are revealing how quickly development happens after conception.  Some abortions (especially partial birth) cause pain to the baby!!

Isn't abortion merciful if the baby would enter a world of incredible hardship and financial strain?  Why should a woman be forced to have an "unwanted" child?

This is where we most show compassion and provide alternatives to abortion.  Crisis pregnancy centers like the ones our church supports in Dalton & Calhoun are great examples that provide amazing opportunities for women facing hardships and financial stress.  Additionally, I would argue that there are no "unwanted" babies.  This is where adoption and the biblical command to take care of orphans must be obeyed by the church and by Christians.  I have recently read that the number of parents waiting & wanting to adopt in this country is much greater than the number of abortions performed each year!!  Think about that:  theoretically, every single aborted child could be placed in a forever family where they are "wanted"!!

Isn't pro-life against women?

Absolutely not.  Consider that women always have the choice to say "No" to sex and thus say "No" to one of the natural results of sex: pregnancy.

However, we must realize that abortion is full of risks and long-term consequences to women.  The fact that many women are not briefed on these risks is very troubling.  You cannot open a bottle of aspirin without seeing the dangers on the bottle, yet a woman can have an actual medical procedure without learning of the historical problems it has caused and could cause?

Finally, I think abortion offers an excellent opportunity to point people to Jesus Christ.  He offers hope and forgiveness.  He so valued our lives that He gave His own life to save us!!