The Truth About Abortion

by Stephanie Miller

Call It Like It Is

In the United States, political and media firestorms are raging on the topic of abortion. As Christians we hold an awareness that the battles we fight aren’t simply against political agendas or human rights movements but are way more spiritual in nature than most people realize. (Ephesians 6:12) Abortion is being presented as a human rights issue but at its core, it’s an agenda to dehumanize life.

Don’t misunderstand me: not everyone who supports abortion is diabolical or willingly following an evil agenda. That would be an oversimplification. I know many people who would say that they support abortion; it doesn’t make them pure evil! It is, however, the agenda of the enemy to cater to the already- present desire of humanity to do what pleases our flesh (James 1:14) and gives us a false sense of control. None of us can control what happens to us, but we get to choose our response and what we participate in. Hyphens, it is time we start choosing holiness and what is pleasing to God over comfort and temporary happiness. Let’s stop cheapening the value of life God has created and start calling things as they are. Abortion is wrong. Abortion is murder.

Jesus Loves the Little Children.

The Bible has a lot to say about the origin of life, starting with Genesis 1:1 “In the Beginning, God created…” Three chapters later comes the story of Cain and Abel, the children of Adam and Eve, who offer sacrifices to God. Cain kills his brother Abel because Abel’s sacrifice is accepted while his own is not. God then asks Cain where his brother is. God knew the answer, but He wanted Cain to speak for his actions. Cain’s response reveals his attempt to distance himself from the life of his brother by saying he isn’t responsible for Abel. God’s question shows us that we are responsible for how we steward life, others and our own. What God says next is powerful. “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!” (Genesis 4:10)

I find it so interesting that the abortion debate focuses on the “question” of when life begins, when both science and the Bible agree that there is life in the blood. We cannot live without it! Abel’s blood had a voice, which signified life. Jesus blood has a voice, too! (Hebrews 12:24) Blood is necessary for survival even in the womb. At conception, a distinct living being forms that has different DNA than both mother and father. At that very point, a baby already has every bit of DNA he or she will ever need to grow into an adult, including blood type. Blood cells develop in an embryo at just the 5th week of pregnancy. Most women don’t even find out they’re pregnant until about 3-5 weeks into pregnancy. Psalms 139:13 says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

God values life so much, He took the time to carefully design us. God was angry when Israel sacrificed their children to pagan gods. As God in the flesh, Jesus intentionally welcomed parents who brought their children to Him for prayer. This pro-choice movement devalues life by trying to cast doubt on when life officially begins in the body. But let’s remember that souls are eternal. The body is a shelter for the soul to dwell in and abortion kills that shelter carelessly. Like Cain dropping the ball on his responsibility for his brother, abortion is an abdication of responsibility to protect life.

Our Rights Don’t Make Us Right!

The American Life League conservatively estimates that 2,899 babies are aborted in America every single day. That’s 120 babies per hour. That number excludes entire states who haven’t reported data to the CDC, and women who use drugs for “chemical abortions.” (ALL, 2019) So many lives silenced at the expense of people exercising their “free will.” Are they truly human rights if they don’t belong to all humans? If an amoeba, one of the most basic parasitic organisms found in the universe is composed of one cell and still considered to be a living thing, then how can a baby in the womb be considered just a clump of cells?

Satan wants to dehumanize the unborn because it makes us more comfortable with murder. But having the ability to do something doesn’t make it a right action. The lie is that abortion gives women choice and freedom; but it doesn’t free anyone. It doesn’t give women their future back. It begins a cycle that tricks people into thinking they have control over life and death. How can we take away our children’s futures to give ourselves a “fresh start?” Every parent is a health care proxy for their baby, who cannot speak yet. We should be guarding life, not discarding it.

Where Do You Stand?

Regardless of the issue we must stand on the Lord’s side. God values life. He is life. The two main groups in this abortion movement are named appropriately as Pro-life and Pro- choice. But whose choice and in whose interest? Let’s be real: the abortion movement is literally a conversation about whether to cut off life because we find it an inconvenient interruption to our lives, or to allow it to grow. Introducing the argument of when a life officially becomes a life is trying to get your way on a technicality. Even IF we didn’t know the point at which life began- conception or otherwise: if there were even a chance that life begins at conception, should we not protect that? This abortion movement is running on the fumes of opinion!

Nothing else works that way. You cannot even convict someone in a courtroom if there is reasonable doubt. Jury votes must be unanimous. Why do we grasp that in our courtrooms, but not when it comes to childbirth? Is anyone seeing a theme emerge here? This is exactly the way the enemy works, always trying to “play God.” And isn’t gambling with life also trying to play God? The world may do so, but there’s no place for it in the church. Either we believe God is in control and submit to His sovereignty, or we don’t. That’s called insubordination. Also unacceptable in courtrooms. Who are we submitted to, Hyphens? Being a Christian means choosing truth over comfort. If we embrace popular opinion over biblical truth or even our own feelings about issues we face here on earth, we will find ourselves in opposition to God.

Even Then?

The Atlantic published an article in 2014 in which anti- abortion activist Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived through rape, shared her powerful perspective on abortion with former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry. “When you make that rape exception, it’s like you’re saying to me that I deserved the death penalty for the crimes of my father. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, my father didn’t even deserve the death penalty. The Supreme Court has said there is no death penalty for rapists. But you say that I, as the innocent child of rape, deserved the death penalty?” (Jones, 2014) Words cannot describe the atrocity of rape; it is downright evil. No one should have to endure it and those who commit this despicable act should be punished accordingly. But, to cut off the life of an innocent child produced because of that… doesn’t that just perpetuate a cycle of violence and hatred? Babies don’t get to choose the circumstance of their birth. They did not choose to exist, but they are miraculously in existence. Don’t they deserve every fighting chance for a good life?

Countless people in our world today were almost sentenced to death by abortion for simply existing because of the circumstances of their birth. Andrea Bocelli. Steve Jobs. Jesse Jackson. Tim Tebow. And many others whose names we may never know. Life is life, no matter how it arrived here, and it comes from God. As Christians, if we believe this, there is no grey area with the issue of abortion. Regardless of circumstance or even if the baby posed a threat to their health, I don’t know one mother who wouldn’t absolutely agonize over being told they had to abort their baby. Even those who end up having abortions. As a woman, my heart breaks for the agony they endured because there is a better way.

Safe Space

Protecting life in the womb begins with a mother’s view of life. As the church we need to create a safe space for women struggling with abortion, both those being advised to abort their babies or women who already have. Both are incredibly heartbreaking situations, and women in both of those positions need love, wise counsel, support, and healing. A lot of women abort their babies because they feel hopeless and alone or judged for their actions. God forbid they feel that judgement from us.

Hyphens, we cannot hide from these issues; we must address them with Biblical truth and with compassion. Jesus said “Go and sin no more” to the woman at the well who was in the middle of her mess. Let’s have the same attitude toward those who are hurting and frustrated and confused. Many who support abortion won’t even listen to someone who is pro- life if we don’t address that we do value women, too! In our culture, feminism is so focused on all that we don’t have as women. It’s time to start looking at all the beautiful things we do have that God uniquely gave us as women. We ought to be empowering women and helping women see themselves the way God sees them: strong, beautiful, intelligent, capable, and chosen to bring life into this world. That is a sacred calling, Hyphens, not a burden.

References

American Life League. Inc. (2019). Abortion Statistics. Retrieved from American Life League (ALL): https://www.all.org/learn/abortion/abortion-statistics/

Jones, A. (2014, January 23). Inside the World of Anti-Abortion Activists Who Were Conceived By Rape and Incest. Retrieved from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/inside-world-anti-abortion-activists-who-were-conceived-rape/357314/

New Living Translation. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com. Accessed May 29. 2019