“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” Proverbs 31:8
If we're citizens of God’s Kingdom, we want to value what He values even if it affects our pocketbook and our popularity.
Slavery existed in America because most of God's people didn't speak up. Perhaps the majority were opposed to slavery, but they didn't do anything about it.
Did they feel that abolitionists were too focused on the rights of slaves, overlooking the interests of others?
Did they remain silent because slavery made cotton products more affordable for poor people?
Did they believe that making slavery illegal would simply force it underground and lead to more abuse of slaves?
Perhaps they convinced themselves that the solution was not in fighting for laws against slavery but in changing slave owners' hearts.
Of course, none of these are relevant excuses for denying basic human rights (Matthew 7:12).
What would we have done if we'd lived during that time in history? There’s one way to figure this out: Are we using these same excuses in regard to abortion?
Do we avoid taking a strong stand against abortion because we don't want to be too single-issued? Do we favor abortion because it helps low-income families or prevents back-alley abortions? Do we think we must focus on changing hearts, not laws?
Unborn babies are today's "slaves." They're considered non-persons and they have no voice.
But God considers them precious souls (Psalm 139:13-14; Isaiah 44:24). And He warns us:
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 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 24:11-12
Please, my fellow believers, let's listen to God's heart.
And please read the information below!
💙 Beyond 1-minute for those who want more 💙
Below, I address specific excuses used to support abortion.
Excuse #1: Saving the life of the mother
Since 1873 it has been legal in the U.S. to have an abortion to save the life of the mother:
The 'Comstock Law' passed in 1873 made therapeutic abortions legal if pregnancy and childbirth threatened the woman's
life.
This has never been a legitimate argument, but it continues to be used. In addition, with modern medical procedures, many doctors believe it's almost never necessary to choose between mother and child. (source)
Excuse #2: Cases of rape or incest
This is perhaps the most compassionate reason given for abortion, even though it is not the cause of most abortions.
Pregnancy in rape victims is rare, but it does happen and should be handled with great compassion and prayer. Everything should be done to comfort, counsel, and support victims.
But should we kill the innocent unborn child for the sin of the father? Few people support the death penalty for rapists, but many believe it's appropriate to kill the innocent unborn child produced by a rape. This is another way that the child is considered a non-person.
In some cases, a pregnancy might actually bring incest to the attention of authorities and help them rescue the victim, whereas abortion would continue to cover the abuse.
But let's suppose that you cannot budge on this issue and you feel rape victims must be allowed safe, legal abortions. You should still be opposed to the current abortion laws which allow abortion on demand for any and every reason.
Excuse #3: Pro-lifers are too focused on the rights of babies, overlooking the interests of others.
It is quite common for abortion supporters to claim that they are more compassionate than pro-lifers. But this has certainly not been my experience.
The people I know who are actively involved in pro-life groups have always been very active in assisting mothers during and after their pregnancies. Pro-life groups are also very actively involved in counseling the thousands of women who suffer from post-abortion syndrome.
Obviously, we can find exceptions in any group, but overall, Bible-believing pro-life Christians are heavily involved in many types of humanitarian projects throughout the world, not just pro-life ventures.
In contrast, pro-abortion groups never consider the rights or even the pain of the unborn child. They promote methods of abortion that are torturous for the unborn child. Abortion advocate Judge Ginsburg favored the late-term method of abortion called D&Q which involves partially delivering babies and then killing them. (Please see The judge Stands Before the Judge). Animals are treated more humanely than unborn babies. (See Pain of the Unborn.) In addition, the newly elected U.S. Vice-President Kamela Harris voted against a law that would have required doctors to treat babies born alive in late-term abortions. This law required that doctors “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child” as they would with any other child of the same gestational age (source). But it was defeated!
Abortion-advocates also show praise and support for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion-provider, even though PP continues to praise and defend their founder Margaret Sanger. Sanger believed in eugenics, a belief adopted by the Nazis that certain races should become extinct for the good of mankind. (source)
From Sanger's Papers: "Open the gates of the U.S.A. to those countries whose inhabitants have the inherent talents and national characteristics desirable, eliminating entirely those countries whose subjects have already been difficult to assimilate."
It breaks my heart that Planned Parenthood aborts a higher ratio of minority babies than white babies.
Excuse #4: Problems caused by pregnancy for poor or disadvantaged women
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the time to solve this problem is before conception, not afterwards. Most welfare programs offer free or affordable birth control to prevent pregnancy.
If this is a person's greatest concern, I would encourage them to put their efforts into increased education about birth control and pregnancy. Or they can get involved with the many programs which help disadvantaged women—adoption, counseling, and financial help are available from a number of resources. Or they can join one of the many pro-life groups that are actively involved in helping pregnant women in difficult situations.
Abortion may seem like the most expedient option in these situations, but it's actually the most "costly" because it kills an innocent child and often affects the well-being of the mother.
We don't have accurate statistics on back-alley abortions because they were illegal, but this hasn't stopped pro-abortion groups from making unsubstantiated claims about the number of deaths that occurred before abortion was legalized and how many would occur if abortion became illegal again.
But we do know that every abortion causes the death of a child, whether in a back alley or a modern clinic.
Even if back-alley abortions caused problems, is the only answer legalization? We don't legalize heroine use to make it safer.
Another irony: pro-abortion groups insist they care about the health of women, but they have consistently opposed laws that protect a woman's health during abortion. For example, pro-abortion Supreme Court judges opposed this law:
“The case, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, centred around a Texas law called House Bill 2, or HB2. The law requires abortion clinics to meet the same building standards as outpatient surgery centres – such as having wide hallways and advanced air conditioning and heating systems. It also requires the doctors performing abortions to seek active 'admitting privileges' at a hospital within 48 kilometres of their clinic.” (source)
Pro-abortion groups call themselves "pro-choice," but they oppose laws that give women full information about abortion
procedures and the status of their unborn child. Why do they want women making decisions without fully understanding what they are doing? No wonder so many women suffer from post-abortion syndrome. (See Manipulative Ideologies and Abortion Victims.) I am concerned for the hearts and minds of these women who have abortions without fully realizing what they are doing.
Excuse #6: Changing laws isn't the answer. We need to change hearts.
This is perhaps the most illogical and unkind excuse of all. But it's also the most popular one used by Christians.
Yes, it's critically important to change hearts, but we still must do all we can to protect victims. We wouldn't use this excuse for any other practice that takes a human life. Why do we use it for abortion?
I suppose the bottom line is this: Do we believe an unborn child is a human life? Do we believe what Scripture teaches or what pro-abortion advocates teach? Scripture is pro-baby and pro-mom and pro-dad and pro-nation.
Most people seeking to change hearts understand that we cannot make abortion illegal, but we can work for reasonable limitations. For example, we can fight to prohibit late term and partial-birth abortions. We can support state laws like those mentioned above that require clinics to be safe and to give women full information about the development of their unborn child before aborting her/him.
Did you know that fathers have no rights in regard to abortion, even if they are married to the woman seeking an abortion? Did you know there are ways minors can get around the parental consent requirements?
If you would like to read about the struggles in regard to reasonable limitations on abortion, please see Supreme Court Decisions: Abortion or Supreme Court Cases.
Other Popular Excuses:
I realize that I didn't address all of the excuses for abortion in this article, so here is my recommendation: whenever you hear an excuse, substitute slavery for abortion and see if it makes sense. For example:
"Abortion (slavery) is never going to be made illegal, so Christians need to quit focusing on it."
"The number of abortions (slaves) decreased last year, so we're changing people's opinions about abortion (slavery) and that's the best thing we can do."
Conclusion
Unborn children are the new “slaves” in America. They have no voice, no human rights, and no protection.
During the days of slavery, some Christians created a fake "theology" to support it. But most Christians simply did nothing. Let's not let the same thing happen with abortion. Please, dear Christians, “speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.”
Bible Love Notes
Please help me get the word out:
If you appreciate the message of this devotion, can you help me get this message out to more people? Here are some suggestions:
Thank you, Gail, for being a powerful and poignant defender of the unborn and the women who carry them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lori, for sharing those values yourself and for your encouragement!
DeleteMy husband and I were just talking about this in the car yesterday! (Ok, I was doing all the talking.) I said I didn't think I would have justified slavery, just like I don't justify abortion and sex trafficking. I even mentioned that I think I would have taken a stand against slavery, and might have even been killed for that stand. (I have a strong sense of justice.) ... But only God knows. We humans don't like to be singled out sometimes. We need to constantly be asking God to search our hearts, and to break our hearts for what breaks HIS heart. We need to be quick to repent and quick to obey. ... This was a good lesson for us, Gail. Thank you. (I wrote about abortion on Facebook on Wednesday. It's a keystone for this election, but it's still going to be an issue after the election. We need to take a stand and act on our beliefs.)
ReplyDeleteI love hearing this, Dawn. We all serve the same God and His Spirit often gives us the same analogies.
DeleteAnd yes, I know you would have been defending the slaves as you defend the unborn.
Bless you, my friend.
Do you have another link for ‘post-abortion syndrome’? The current one goes to a paywall now.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I've updated that link.
DeleteGod bless.