Abortion is an issue that evokes on all sides. Every type of emotion comes out when the issue is brought up. The issue is always going from one extreme to another. It is usually avoided at all costs because of these reasons. Christians are the worst at taking it to the extreme. Half of us are seen standing outside abortion clinics with signs that state the mother is a "baby hater" and screaming that they are murderers, or we remain silent. Afraid to face the issue and see it for what it really is because we might "offend somebody" or "step on some toes". Our goal is to remain a peace keeper, rather than become a peace maker. But the absence of conflict is not peace. And it is proven when we sit at the feet of this issue and do nothing, and we say we are keeping peace, but all the while we are in turmoil inside. Our heart is not at peace.
So this is the purpose of this post. Somebody has to say it. Somebody has to face this issue, and state the hard facts and the truth from both sides.
Somebody has to say it.
Obviously abortion is wrong. It is murder. I am not afraid to simply state the fact that this is what I believe. It is hard for me to accept abortion as something that is ok, when in my eyes you are killing a child. But I also know that more than likely, a woman going into a clinic to have an abortion is not going in with the thought of killing a baby in her mind. Before my heart becomes angry at this issue, it first breaks. Not at the fact that there are 1.37 million babies are being aborted yearly, or 37 hundred are being aborted daily. My heart breaks for the woman. What last resort must she be at. What must she be feeling? What must she be thinking? What if for once, instead of someone yelling at her that she is a murderer, someone tried talking with her, sitting in her shoes, tried understanding her story and showed some compassion? What has happened to our compassion? Why have we lost our since of truth so deeply that we no longer do anything anymore. And we think we are helping someone by standing down, not stating what we believe, not getting involved. But we are actually hurting more than we are helping. I believe that if we began to stand more for issues like these, our compassion would rise more. I am tired of standing on the sidelines of these issues, watching lives become lost, and hearts remain broken and unmended, when we could be doing something to solve the issue. When we could be hands and feet, if we would only begin to let the truth speak for itself. It needs no introduction. It needs no explaining. Truth is simply truth. The truth is, Abortion is wrong. IT IS WRONG. It harms not only the life inside of a woman, it hurts the woman. It effects everything in her life. It effects those that touch her life and the issue. The truth is, THE WOMAN ARE HURTING. They need someone to be there, no matter the decision they make. To love them irregardless. And to stop yelling at them for a minute and just listen.
What are your thoughts on this subject. I would love to hear your opinions.
And one more question- What are you going to do about it?
5 comments:
Your post reminds me of a passage in Donald Miller's A Million Miles In A Thousand Years where he quotes a woman who works with abused women: "People fear change. The women in these situations are afraid to choose a better story because, though their current situation might be bad, at least it's a bad story they are familiar with." I think for some, it's easy to choose abortion - when compared with telling family/friends or having to put college or a career on hold. A baby would force them to introduce a new element into their story, and they're afraid of what they might have to sacrifice because of it. It's sad, because the two biggest reasons for abortion (at least according to the Barna Group) are shame and inconvenience. I believe those are a direct result of the church forsaking two of it's callings - love and providing for the less fortunate.
I blogged about this myself a while back, mainly because I'm sick of giving money to people so all they can do is hold rallies and stand outside clinics yelling. What if we took the money we're sending to politicians, hoping they'll legislate abortion and make it illegal, and instead, give it to ministries that are actually offering alternatives to abortion such as adoption assistance and financial aid for those who choose to keep their child?
Anyways, there's my two cents. Great post.
J-
I love that idea. I think that if your church is not supporting some sort of group like that, then you should be giving to a group that does exactly that- giving alternatives.
Thanks for the input!
Gabrielle and Jonathan,
What alternatives would those be? Is there really a way out of a pregnancy that is caused by rape? Should you keep a child caused by rape? Is abortion, in your opinion, ever ok? What about someone who has already had an abortion?
Anonymous,
First of all, if anyone is thinknig about making the decision to have an abortion or not, I suggest shutting out the outter world. By this i mean anyones point of view or opinion but your own. I want to challange you to listen to your heart. What is it telling you? Without religion, or friends or the entire world breathing down your neck telling you what to do, what do you feel you should?
There could be so many alternatives. If you are not wanting the baby, adoption is always an option. If you are worried about needing to drop out of school, Homeschool/ GED can be an option.
Rape is such a tragic thing. And anyone can agree that having a baby caused by rape is not only painful it is hard. But I do strongly believe you should keep a baby. I believe under no circumstances is Abortion ok. I think the child deserves the chance to experience life on its own. It was never our decision to choose it's destiny. And what a beautiful testimony that child may have to tell in the future.
I have no idea what the woman may go through because of this or the rape, but I do know that Jesus promises to help us through our trials. He said he would never leave us or forsake us.
I am not forcing my beliefs on you. I am stating what I believe to be Truth, and what has always helped me in times of tough decisions.
@Anonymous
There are alternatives, but sadly, finding them is not always easy. Where I live there is a non-profit group called Life Choices, that offers assistance to expectant mothers. They offer both financial and adoption assistance. Sadly, there isn't an equivalent to them in every market, which is where my rant earlier came from.
As for the rape issue, I believe Gabrielle nailed it. I have a friend who went through that and strongly considered having an abortion but ended up keeping the child. As she put it, "Not having the child won't make the pain of rape go away. It would only add to it."
And for those who've already had an abortion, I apologize for any hate or pain you've experienced due to so-called Christians casting judgment. There is a difference between truth and judgment, but often it's us Christians who confuse the two. Just know that you're forgiven; Jesus took care of that a while ago. It's up to us to accept His forgiveness and healing.
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